Explore every episode of the podcast Future-Proof
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 231. Risk ready: What CPAs can’t afford to ignore, with Nicole Graham | 23 Jun 2025 | 00:52:50 | |
Risk is evolving quickly, and CPAs need to stay ahead. In this episode of Future Proof, we talk with Nicole Graham, risk consultant at Aon, about how firms can turn risk management into a strategic advantage. From cyber threats and regulatory changes to the everyday use of generative AI, Nicole shares real-world trends and practical tips to help firms stay protected. Learn how to spot red flags early, strengthen engagement practices, and embed a proactive risk culture across your team. Smart risk management isn’t optional, it’s essential to building a future-ready firm. Resources:
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| 230. Find your purpose, change the world, with Paul Dunn | 16 Jun 2025 | 01:08:52 | |
This week on Future Proof, Paul Dunn, award-winning entrepreneur, global business leader, and founder of B1G1 (Business for Good), joins the conversation to explore the true purpose of the accounting profession. Paul challenges CPAs to shift from focusing on what they do to why they do it. He shares how small, purpose-driven actions can create lasting impact and how accountants can become storytellers who communicate the real value of their work. His message is clear: CPAs are heroes (they just don’t always realize it). This uplifting episode is a powerful reminder of how purpose and impact can redefine the profession and inspire change far beyond the bottom line. Resources:
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| 221. What makes a great A.I. policy? with Maddie Grant | 04 Dec 2024 | 00:45:52 | |
AI is the new social media—exciting, risky, and in need of guardrails. In this episode, we explore what makes a good AI policy and how to navigate the powerful tools reshaping our world. From confidentiality to data reliability, we cover key considerations for using AI responsibly. Joining the conversation is digital strategist Maddie Grant from Propel. She shares insights on crafting effective AI policies, testing their strength, and understanding where we stand in this fast-moving AI era. Tune in for essential guidance on shaping AI policies that protect and empower your organization. Resources
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| 131. Where we've been ... and where we're going | with Tom Hood | 08 Feb 2021 | 00:36:02 | |
There are some big changes taking place at the Business Learning Institute. Tom Hood, now the former president and CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute, is the new executive vice president of business growth and engagement for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants — the global arm of the American Institute of CPAs. Before Tom closes out his time with the MACPA, we capture some of his wisdom so that we can learn from it going forward. He talks about where the profession was 24 years ago, how far it’s come in the past quarter-century, and most importantly, where it’s going from here. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 130. Wanted: A more diverse profession | with George Willie | 01 Feb 2021 | 00:40:44 | |
George Willie is a managing partner with Bert Smith & Company, a CPA and management consulting firm with offices in D.C., Baltimore, and the Virgin Islands. He has served as chair of the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section and the Montgomery County Employee Retirement System Board of Investment Trustees, and is also an immigrant originally from Jamaica. He has some great stories to tell, and some great insights into the CPA profession’s efforts around diversity and inclusion, the importance of mentorship, the work that groups like the Maryland Association of CPAs are doing to drive the profession forward in this area. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 129. What to know about PPP Round 2 | with Erik Asgeirsson and Lisa Simpson | 25 Jan 2021 | 00:25:58 | |
We’re approaching the third wave of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) relief, and while we’ve seen these before, there’s good reason to be prepared for what’s new this time around. Erik Asgeirsson is the president and CEO of CPA.com. Joining him is Lisa Simpson, who leads the American Institute of CPAs’ Private Companies Practice Section in the development of practice management tools that address topics that are most important to firm owners. They talk about where we stand with this latest round of funding, what they’re hearing from firms and their clients, what CPAs should know at this point in the process, whether they’re expecting things to go a little more smoothly than they did in earlier PPP rounds, and how things are going with the new CPA Business Funding Portal, which is designed to help CPAs better manage their clients’ loan applications and forgiveness requests. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 128. Digital transformation in corporate finance | with Wayne Slater | 18 Jan 2021 | 00:39:31 | |
There are so many changes being made in the world of finance. Many of them could be seen coming, but due to the pandemic, those changes are being made much faster than anyone could have guessed. Wayne Slater is the director of product marketing for Prophix, which helps mid-market companies achieve their goals with innovative, cloud-based Corporate Performance Management software. He talks about the accelerations that are disrupting corporate finance, how businesses have had to shift in order to meet those challenges, and the types of new tools finance leaders need to put their businesses and their people in a position to succeed. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 127. Looking back ... and ahead on the CPA profession | with Allen DeLeon | 11 Jan 2021 | 00:40:59 | |
Allen DeLeon is a founding partner of DeLeon & Stang in Gaithersberg, MD, and is one of the most active volunteers in the Maryland Association of CPAs. He’s a member of the boards of directors for numerous community organizations and he has a solid pulse on what’s going on in the profession. Allen retired at the beginning of 2021, and as he steps away from his day-to-day duties, he talks about how things have changed during his career, and how he sees the future playing out for the profession. Sometimes, in order to become future-ready, we have to take a good, hard look at our past while we prepare for what’s to come. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 126. Choosing to thrive as 'the worst year ever' comes to an end | with John O’Leary | 28 Dec 2020 | 00:27:04 | |
John O’Leary is a thought leader, a world-renowned speaker, and best-selling author of “On Fire” and “In Awe.” When he was a kid, he burned himself really badly—he suffered burns on 100 percent of his body. Doctors gave him a 1 percent chance of survival. And yet he survived. Not without some issues. He spent months in the hospital, he had numerous surgeries, his fingers were amputated—all of this around his 10th birthday. But he survived, and he persevered. This has been a wildly difficult year for almost anybody, but we can all move forward with a sense of gratitude and awe—but don’t forget the lessons that this time has taught us. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 125. State legislative issues start with finance | with Tom Hood | 14 Dec 2020 | 00:24:51 | |
What’s happening at the state level that might have an impact on the accounting and finance world? There’s a lot that’s going on in state capitals across the country that bears watching. Here to talk about all of this is Tom Hood, the president and CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute. The issues we’re talking about today are things that Tom is watching in Maryland, but these could be issues in any state in the nation. Nearly all states are either dealing with issues like these right now or are watching these issues very closely in the event that they might have to deal with them down the road. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 124. The post-pandemic office and the future of work | with Cheryl Duvall | 07 Dec 2020 | 00:49:34 | |
Cheryl Duvall is the Consulting Practice Area leader for Gensler’s Southeast Region, the renowned global integrated architecture, design, planning and consulting firm with more than 5,000 professionals in 50 offices worldwide. Cheryl talks about the nature of work, what our workspaces will actually look like going forward, whether or not we will need offices in the future, how leadership is changing as a result, and the skills future-ready leaders will need to develop. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 123. What’s your 'And?' | with John Garrett | 30 Nov 2020 | 00:30:06 | |
What we do isn’t who we are; we are all something more than our job. So, what’s that thing that really defines us? Our guest John Garrett, for example, is a CPA, yes. AND he’s an author, a standup comedian, an Emmy Award nominee, and a thought-provoker — he’s a lot besides just a CPA, and he’s encouraging all of us to find our “and” too. He recently wrote a book on the topic — “What’s Your And? Unlock the Person With the Professional” — to teach others how sharing your personal passions improves work performance, builds culture, and strengthens relationships with colleagues and clients. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 122. Cybersecurity and COVID-19: How to protect your firm and your clients | with Scott Fleszar | 23 Nov 2020 | 00:34:11 | |
As with pretty much every other trend out there, this pandemic has acted as an accelerator for cyber threats. This was a big problem before COVID-19, but it’s an even bigger problem now. And that makes this week’s conversation particularly relevant, and it’ll likely only become more relevant over the coming months. To help us get ahead of this unsetting trend, we had a conversation with Scott Fleszar, chief operating and strategy officer for SafeSend. SafeSend’s mission is to accelerate the tax and accounting profession with innovative, emerging technologies that help practitioners work more efficiently and better serve their clients. One of their products, SafeSend Returns — which provides accounting firms an automated, centralized and standardized way to assemble and deliver tax returns digitally — recently won an Innovation Award from CPA Practice Advisor. SafeSend Returns To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 220. Time to transform your business model? with Lisa Simpson | 24 Oct 2024 | 00:38:37 | |
In this episode, we explore how your business model might be evolving, whether you realize it or not. Technology, demographics, and regulation are driving change across industries, and for business and CPA firm leaders, the big question is: how do we stay relevant? I’m joined by Lisa Simpson, VP of Firm Services at the AICPA, to discuss the "Transforming Your Business Model" initiative, launched by the AICPA's Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS). This project helps firms identify outdated aspects of their business model and offers solutions across five key areas: governance, strategy, service offerings, talent, and technology. We take a deeper look at how this transformation can shape the future of your firm. Resources:
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| 121. The 3 Ps of taxes: Politics, policy ... and patience | with Edward Karl | 16 Nov 2020 | 00:34:22 | |
Joe Biden is the president-elect of the United States of America, but the future of America’s tax policy is going to largely depend on the way a few remaining Senate races turn out. There are a lot of questions about how things will turn out, but Ed Karl is going to try to clarify a few things. Ed is vice president of taxation for the American Institute of CPAs, a member of the Maryland Association of CPAs, and he’s got a good sense of the tax situation in our country. Ed joined us not long after Biden was projected to win to talk about the impact of the election, the pandemic, and a number of other issues, and not just the prospect of new tax policy but on the upcoming tax season as well. And if you had to boil it all down to one word, he said that word might be “patience.” To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 120. Creating the Progressive Accountant | with Twyla Verhelst | 09 Nov 2020 | 00:29:09 | |
Twyla Verhelst is one of the top 50 women in accounting. She is head of the Accountant Channel and leader of the New Accounting Professionals Program at Freshbooks. She’s also a CPA and has deep personal experience in advisory accounting, so she knows how to leverage technology and create high-value client experiences. We’ve discussed the need to create the “Future-Ready CPA,” and Twyla has a different term for these CPAs of the future. Twyla believes CPAs and accountants have to stop thinking of themselves as business historians and instead start thinking of themselves as progressive, pushing the industry and leading us forward. Listen to learn how you can become a progressive CPA. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 119. Finance, football and the future of the profession | with Jeff Goering | 02 Nov 2020 | 00:54:16 | |
The world of financing touches everything—including sports. Jeff Goering is the CFO of the Baltimore Ravens NFL team. He talks about how life as a CFO for an NFL team differs from your typical job in finance—and the ways in which it doesn’t. He also discusses the impact COVID-19 is having on teams, how corporate finance has changed in recent years, and how the role of the CFO has changed right along with it. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 118. DEI in accounting 'still a challenge' | with Anoop Mehta | 26 Oct 2020 | 00:49:30 | |
Diversity and inclusion is important. If we want to future-proof our careers, our organizations, our profession, it has to include diversity, equality, and inclusion. Anoop Mehta is president of Science Systems and Applications in Lanham, Maryland. It’s a leading provider of scientific research and development, engineering, and information analytics services in the Earth and space science disciplines. He is also a former chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs’ Board of Directors, and a current member of the Board of Directors for the American Institute of Certified Professional Accountants, and a council member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He’s also an immigrant, an Indian-American, and he has a unique take on this country and this profession, and what the future holds. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 117. Me and my bot: The future of accounting | with Byron Patrick | 19 Oct 2020 | 00:32:14 | |
Byron Patrick is a chameleon of sorts, changing his specialty with the times and staying ahead of the curve. He’s a good friend of our host, Bill Sheridan, who met him in 2006 as the Director of IT for KatzAbosch in Maryland. He had just created a virtual office for the firm in an online virtual world called Second Life. Virtual space is a great place to teach and learn, and other platforms have come along since then and proved it right. Byron was thinking about this concept long before anyone else in the profession. He went on to co-found an organization that focused on remote work technologies and solutions in 2008, also well before remote work became a popular idea. He joined the Board of Directors for the Maryland Association of CPAs and eventually chaired that board during the 2013-14 fiscal year, becoming one of the youngest MACPA chairs ever in the process. In 2019, he joined the team at Botkeeper, which provides automated bookkeeping and accounting solutions for firms, as their director of pre-sales and solutions. In this conversation, he talks about automation, A.I., and what they allow firms to do that they can’t or haven’t thought about before. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 116. How A.I. will change everything | with Alexander Hagerup | 12 Oct 2020 | 00:26:25 | |
Alexander Hagerup is the founder of Vic.AI, a strategic partner of the MACPA and the Business Learning Institute. Alex is a serial tech entrepreneur based in New York with a strong passion for artificial intelligence. Alex joins us to talk about A.I., and how far we’ve come, and where we are now in terms of the automation possibilities that A.I. gives us. And maybe most importantly, why CPAs should be paying attention to this, and what this technology will do for us that will improve our lives, and the lives of our clients and customers. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 115. Great leadership is healing leadership | with Ed Kless | 05 Oct 2020 | 00:27:50 | |
Ed Kless is senior director of partner development and strategy at Sage, a senior fellow at the VeraSage Institute, and the co-host of the Soul of Enterprise podcast. Ed believes that so much of the leadership advice available out there, in hundreds of books on every topic imaginable, completely misses the boat on what great leadership is about. And that, to Ed, is “Healing Leadership.” Ed shares with us what that term means, how most people are getting it wrong, and how you can learn it and practice it in your business and life. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 114. Integrated reporting: Value beyond the numbers | with Charles Tilley | 28 Sep 2020 | 00:37:47 | |
Financial performance isn’t the only metric of value we should care about, so why is it all that we report on? We’re living in a different time. We’re working for different organizations that are impacted by different issues, and we need financial reports and tell different stories and communicate different values than those of the past. Integrative reports intend to fix this problem by including factors in addition to financial performance: reliance on the environment, social reputation, human capital skills, and more. Charles Tilley is CEO of the International Integrated Reporting Council, and previously chaired the IIRC’s technical task force, which is the group responsible for developing the Integrated Reporting framework. He joins us to get everyone up to speed with Integrated Reporting, what the benefits are for organizations and stakeholders alike, and what the future of this type of reporting might look like. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 113. Are you master of your domain? .CPA now available | with Erik Asgeirsson | 21 Sep 2020 | 00:37:05 | |
There are some important changes coming to the internet in the form of top-level domains. These are the parts of a website that come after the dot in a domain name. There are seven original top-level domains, which were created in the early days of the Internet — .com, .org, .net, .int, .edu, .gov, and .mil. Today, the number of top-level domains available has exploded, and now, .cpa has finally arrived, and it is one you will want to pay attention to. Like everything else with the profession, there are elements of verification and trust embedded in .cpa that don’t exist in other domains. Erik Asgeirsson is president and CEO of CPA.com, and he shares why the world needs another top-level domain, and why you need to seriously consider securing yours now, because there’s never been a better time than now. If you’re a CPA or work for a CPA firm, the changes happening will affect your brand, your SEO, your marketing, and, most importantly, the trust and integrity you’ve built with your clients and customers. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 112. Trump vs. Biden on tax policy | with Tony Nitti | 14 Sep 2020 | 00:49:16 | |
With the upcoming elections fast approaching, we are going to make a level-headed comparison of the two candidates through the lens of their tax policies. How does each candidate differ when it comes to their ideas about individual and corporate taxes? Joining us to discuss the topic is Tony Nitti. Tony is a tax partner with RubinBrown in Aspen, Colorado. He also teaches the graduate tax programs at both the University of Denver and Golden Gate University. He writes about tax issues frequently for The Tax Adviser, Taxes Magazine, the JofA, and Accounting Today. He’s also a featured tax writer for Forbes. Tony Nitti talks about the many ways in which President Trump and Joe Biden differ when it comes to tax policy, from individual and corporate tax rates, capital gains, deductions, tax credits, and more. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 219. Solving the talent puzzle, with Lexy Kessler | 19 Sep 2024 | 00:24:57 | |
In this episode, we tackle the talent puzzle and discuss steps to secure the future of the accounting profession. I sit down with Lexy Kessler, Vice Chairman of AICPA and Mid-Atlantic Managing Partner at Aprio and member of the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG), to dive into the finalized "Accounting Talent Strategy Report" and its bold solutions to the profession’s talent challenges. Lexy shares insights on how the report’s key themes have been well-received, and we explore trends like three-year bachelor's programs and shifting education preferences. We also break down the report’s six recommendations, from retooling education to evolving business models. Lexy also speaks to the importance of collaboration and grassroots efforts like the National Pipeline Pledge. Tune in to hear our full conversation about this report and it's implications for the future of our profession. Resources
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| 111. Value Pricing 2.0: Subscribing to your CPA? | with Ron Baker | 07 Sep 2020 | 00:37:29 | |
Ron Baker has been a vocal evangelist in favor of the concept of value pricing—the idea of charging based on the value you provide, rather than on the amount of time you spend providing it. He has spent more than 20 years trying to convince people in the accounting profession to throw away the timesheet, but now he’s come to the conclusion that there’s something else that may work instead—something he calls the subscription model, “Value Pricing 2.0.” It’s a completely different business model, and one that we all need to be paying very close attention to. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 110. You can't spell 'improvement' without improv | with Peter Margaritis | 31 Aug 2020 | 00:37:44 | |
The skills involved in mastering improv are the same critical skills for becoming a great leader. Peter Margaritis is a CPA, a thought leader with the Business Learning Institute, and a comedian doing stand up in his free time. He knows all about improv, and more importantly, how it connects to CPAs and finance professionals. Good leadership requires connecting with and listening to others, being in the moment, being flexible, and following our intuition, and Peter is going to tell us how all of that comes together through the magic of improv. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 109. ROWE your way to a better culture | with Jody Thompson | 24 Aug 2020 | 00:40:45 | |
With so many people working from home, companies are being forced to re-examine how they measure productivity and input. Is time spent in front of the computer really the greatest factor for measuring employee contribution? Jody Thompson co-created the Results-Only Work Environment system, or ROWE, in 2003. Since then, it’s gained global traction and has influenced the cultures of countless organizations around the world, and we’re seeing a resurgence of it now as more and more companies adopt remote working. Remote teams that have adopted ROWE have been responding very positively for one key reason: Autonomy. It’s one of the three things that all employees want. We get to hear straight from the creator of ROWE what she thinks about what’s going on in the world today and how ROWE has paved the way for the massive changes we’re experiencing. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 108. 100 steps on the path to purpose | with Sebastian Terry | 17 Aug 2020 | 00:28:16 | |
11 years ago, when Sebastian Terry was 24 years old, he lost a friend. The sudden death shook Sebastian to his core, to the point where he re-evaluated his own life and asked himself, “Am I happy?” His answer was, “No.” Sebastian started looking for more happiness in his life. He wrote down a list of 100 things that he thought might make him happy — 100 things that he wanted to accomplish and that he thought might bring him a sense of joy — and as he started crossing things off his list, other people were inspired by his example. They started their own lists, which turned into Sebastian writing a book, speaking at events, and starting a movement. We’re all so wrapped up in everything going on in the world that not many of us have stopped to ask ourselves these questions lately: Am I happy? Am I living a purposeful life? What’s on my list? How can I help others? The closer we can get to answering those questions, the brighter the future is going to be for all of us. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 107. The power of positive leadership | with Gretchen Pisano | 10 Aug 2020 | 00:54:36 | |
With everything that’s going on in the world today, it could do us all some good to spend more time on positivity. Gretchen Pisano is co-founder and CEO of pLink Leadership, a group that combines strategy, leadership development, and coaching with a focus on the “link” between the practice of positive psychology and better business results. She’s a professional certified coach, she has a master’s in applied positive psychology, and she’s a student of the teachings of Barbara Fredrickson and Brené Brown. We’ve all dealt with struggles recently. This conversation offers insights that anyone could benefit from — to help us all not only feel a little better but to actually thrive. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 106. The future of CPA leadership | with Tracey Golden | 03 Aug 2020 | 00:27:38 | |
Tracey Golden is the new chair of the American Institute of CPAs and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. She’s also a CGMA and an audit partner with Deloitte. In her acceptance speech, after her election, she used the COVID-19 crisis as a backdrop for her thoughts on the role CPAs play as trusted advisors who will help lead us on a financial path forward and through this crisis. Here’s what she said: “We are truly living disruption – not incremental change but a radical break from the familiar. Our profession has a crucial role to play in helping navigate this disruption. We are here to help businesses and individuals get through these tough times, learn from them, and grow.” She outlines three ways that accounting and finance professionals can position themselves as leaders who will help clients and employers through the crisis. First, finding strength in our connection with one another. Second, seize the opportunity to make much-needed changes. And third, evolve in order to thrive. Tracey takes a deeper dive into what she means by that, as well as her insight into what’s coming around the corner for us all. These are tough and challenging times, but at least CPAs have a leader who is up to the task. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 105. Subscriptions: 'The Forever Transaction' | with Robbie Kellman Baxter | 27 Jul 2020 | 00:37:24 | |
Robbie Kellman Baxter has written the book—quite literally—on the Membership Economy and subscription-based business models. This is the way the world is going. In fact, it’s already gone. And it’s only a matter of time before it makes its way into the CPA profession and starts impacting accounting and finance. In some ways, it already is. Robbie recently released a book called “The Forever Transaction: How to Build a Subscription Model So Compelling, Your Customers Will Never Want to Leave.” And doesn’t that sound appealing? She talks about what a successful subscription model might look like for our profession, how generational differences might come into play here, and how leaders can decide whether they’re ready to make this type of move — and if they are, what the logical first steps might be. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 104. The power of associations in a crisis | with Tom Hood | 20 Jul 2020 | 00:30:54 | |
The work of associations is right in the name: It’s about connections, it’s about relationships, and it’s about networks. These are the things that associations are designed to provide, and this is the time — a time of true crisis — in which those things are more important than ever. To explore all that an association can do, we sit down with Tom Hood, President and CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute. He discusses how the work of associations shifted significantly in the face of the pandemic, how members have benefited, and how that work will help members map out a post-pandemic strategy that ensures their relevance going forward. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 103. Staying afloat during a global crisis | with Mark Koziel | 13 Jul 2020 | 00:27:42 | |
Mark Koziel has been one of the most prominent voices at the American Institute of CPAs for nearly 15 years. He is executive vice president of firm services for the AICPA and a fixture on Accounting Today’s annual list of the most influential people in the profession. He’s been at the forefront of the profession’s response to the COVID-19 crisis—advocating on behalf of CPAs everywhere when it comes to Paycheck Protection Program loans, the designation as essential workers, and what our clients need from us going forward. We ask him for his perspective on the state of the profession and what the firm of tomorrow may look like. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 102. Building a more inclusive accounting and finance profession | with Avonette Blanding and Kimberly Ellison-Taylor | 22 Jun 2020 | 00:57:06 | |
Inclusion remains a huge problem in our profession. As of 2016, just one percent of CPAs employed by public accounting firms were Black. And 0.3 percent of partners at those firms were black. Meanwhile, roughly 13 percent of our country’s population is Black. And the numbers for other people of color weren’t much better. We want our profession to look like the public it serves, but it isn’t close — and it isn’t making much progress, either. Our guests this week, Avonette Blanding and Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, offer some poignant insights that might help us take the first step. Avonette is chief financial officer at Maritime Applied Physics in Baltimore, which designs and builds advanced technology systems and vessels for the Defense Department. She is also the incoming chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs. And Kimberly is executive director of finance thought leadership at Oracle. She is a past chair of both the MACPA and the American Institute of CPAs, and just the second chairperson of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. She’s also a fixture on Accounting Today’s list of the most influential people in accounting. They are both Black women and true leaders in our profession, and they have insights, life experiences, and mindsets that the vast majority of people in our profession do not — but that we desperately need. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 218. CPA: The C is for 'cool', with Carla McCall | 29 Aug 2024 | 00:27:56 | |
In this episode, we discuss the need to change the narrative around what it truly means to be a CPA. I’m joined by Carla McCall, the 2024-25 Chair of the AICPA, to explore how the accounting profession can attract new talent by focusing on purpose and passion rather than just tasks and hours. By highlighting the “why” behind accounting—what makes it exciting, meaningful, and impactful—we can inspire the next generation to see the true value of a career in this field. Carla’s views perfectly align with the MACPA’s “Purpose of a CPA” campaign, which encourages CPAs to share their personal stories and what drives them. We also discuss her plans for the year, insights on the industry’s future, and her leadership approach. Don’t miss this insightful conversation with a leader committed to showcasing the true purpose and value of the CPA profession. Resources:
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| 101. Financial Planning Concerns During a Pandemic | with Lyle Benson | 08 Jun 2020 | 00:27:12 | |
What should we be doing with our money, with our investments, when things are as unpredictable as they’ve been lately? There’s a lot of advice out there — some of it good, some of it bad — and we wanted to speak to someone who knows what he’s talking about to sort it out. Lyle Benson is president of L.K. Benson & Company in Baltimore and a MACPA member who has been at the forefront of advancing planning services for individuals within the profession. He’s served with the AICPA’s Personal Financial Planning Division Executive Committee, the National Accreditation Committee, the Baltimore Association for Financial Planning, and he is also chair of the Media Task Force of the AICPA's PFP Section. He joins us to talk about everything we need to be considering right now: Cash on hand, investments, estate planning, and financial planning — especially as it relates to uncertain and chaotic times like this. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 100. Anticipatory Thinking in Uncertain Times | with Daniel Burrus | 01 Jun 2020 | 00:41:03 | |
Daniel Burrus is all about one word: Anticipation. How can we anticipate future trends, how can we spot them early, and learn to take advantage of the opportunities those trends provide us? He has written about this skill in his bestselling book “The Anticipatory Organization.” He has built a learning system that’s designed to help us learn how to become more anticipatory. In spite of all of the anticipatory planning and guidance, we are currently struggling through a period of time that few of us could have anticipated — a global pandemic. So what do we do about it? Dan says there are anticipatory lessons we all can learn from this crisis. He says too many people are merely reacting to what’s going on, and not enough people are anticipating what’s to come and how they can take advantage of that on the other side. What should we be doing now to make sure we come out of this crisis stronger and more capable than we were at the start? Dan has several suggestions, and now is the time to be listening to them. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 99. COVID-19 is the Great Disruption Accelerator | with David Bray | 25 May 2020 | 00:51:03 | |
Before the coronavirus, we talked about disruption as something we had time to prepare for — advances in technology, future laws and regulations, and what will happen when all of the Boomers are gone and the Millennials take over for good. These are things we knew were going to happen, but it seemed we had time to prepare for them. David Bray was one of those people talking about disruption. In January, the AICPA brought David in front of its Executive Roundtable in New York City to talk about disruption and digital transformation and technological advances. He joins us to talk about how we work and do business, and how all of that is changing because of this crisis — and the roles accounting and finance professionals will play in all of that. He also discusses how this crisis has significantly accelerated the disruptions we’ll feel as a result of new technologies like AI, the Internet of Things, and 5G. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 98. Taking Care of Your Employees During Trying Times | with Richard Silberstein | 05 May 2020 | 00:31:41 | |
We are all facing trying times right now — whether you’re working from home, out of a job, or still working in public in the midst of a pandemic. This is a time when humans need to connect more than ever. We’re going to talk about all of that — how to make sure your teams are holding up, that they’re well, that they’re productive, and that they have all the resources they need in this very difficult environment. Facilitating that conversation is Richard Silberstein, the managing partner of SIG (Silberstein Insurance Group). They are experts in human resources and HR technology solutions, corporate wellness, compliance, employee communications — everything you need to keep the wheels greased at your business. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 97. Extraordinary Leadership in Times of Crisis | with Emmanuel Gobillot | 29 Apr 2020 | 00:38:14 | |
Emmanuel Gobillot is one of the world’s leading experts on leadership. He’s the best-selling author of a number of great books, including “Leadershift,” “The Connected Leader,” “Follow the Leader,” and “Unleash Your Leader.” He has also recently co-authored a book specfically for this moment in time: “Crisis Leadership: Principles and tactics for success when your world turns upside down.” There aren’t many leaders out there who can help their teams grow and thrive and feel more capable in the middle of a crisis — and we have a lot to learn from those who can. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 96. The Building Blocks of Core Confidence | with Kate Boorer and Fiona Pearman | 20 Apr 2020 | 00:42:33 | |
Lack of self-confidence is a key reason why many of us don’t get what we want — that promotion, that raise, that speaking gig. Our guests this week are trying to change all of that. They are Kate Boorer and Fiona Pearman, two leading Australian business experts who have joined forces to write a book aimed at helping people “own their talents, face their fears, and create their futures.” That’s the sub-head of their extraordinary book Core Confidence. We discuss why that happens, and what we can do with these building blocks to re-tap into that core confidence and walk away with a positive mindset. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 95. Understanding the Paycheck Protection Program | with Erik Asgeirsson and Tom Hood | 14 Apr 2020 | 00:38:56 | |
This week we’re talking about the Paycheck Protection Program. A provision of the CARES Act — the massive coronavirus relief bill that was signed into law on March 27 — the PPP is a loan that’s designed to be an incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. We know some of our listeners may be applying for it, and if you are, you probably have a few questions. So we sat down for a conversation with two people who can help put this all into proper context. Erik Asgeirsson is the president and CEO of CPA.com, the technology arm of the American Institute of CPAs, and he is going to give us some perspective on the massive and almost unprecedented legislative undertaking to get this bill passed, as well as recommendations for the types of documents that lenders are looking for under various circumstances during the loan application process. And Tom Hood, the president and CEO of the Maryland Institute of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute, is going to talk a bit about the role that CPAs can play in this process, and give us some guidance of his own for people in the profession as the rest of this crisis plays out. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 94. Making the Transition to Remote Work | with Greg Rittler | 13 Apr 2020 | 00:27:54 | |
The world has been slowly transitioning towards remote work, but we are suddenly in an era where many of us have been forced to adopt remote work practices in a very short time. Some of us weren’t ready for this, and we could all use a little guidance in making the leap. Here to help us through that is Greg Rittler, the founder of Blue Ocean Ideas. We learn what it takes to lead a fully-remote team like this under very difficult circumstances, and he has some great insights into how to lead a remote team in an era of crisis — lessons that many of us need in this profession. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 93. Working Remotely in the Age of the Coronavirus | with Tina Garza | 23 Mar 2020 | 00:33:49 | |
Amidst all the chaos of the coronavirus, we are all trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in our day-to-day lives. One way people are trying to maintain as much of the status quo as possible is through remote work. Our guest this week, Tina Garza, has some great guidance for businesses and employees alike when it comes to working remotely and returning to business as usual. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 92. Don’t panic: Coronavirus questions for your business, employees, and clients | with Jennifer Elder | 16 Mar 2020 | 00:38:01 | |
The coronavirus has caught everyone’s attention, and not in a good way. Most of what you read out there largely falls somewhere between paranoia and panic and — given the reliability of the “news” we see in our social feeds — that’s not good for anybody. Jennifer Elder of the Business Learning Institute has compiled a list of questions that business leaders can use to help their organizations prepare for the potential impact of the coronavirus. And now is the best time to do it because things are likely to get worse before they get better. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 217. Cutting ties with clients, with Robert Albertini | 06 Aug 2024 | 00:31:36 | |
This week, we're tackling a challenging yet crucial topic: when and how to fire a client. Some clients can end up costing more in time, effort, and frustration than the value they provide. Letting them go can sometimes be the best decision for your business. However, this process is not to be taken lightly—there are numerous pitfalls to avoid and best practices to follow. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources to make it easier. Joining me this week is Robert Albertini, an account manager at Aon, which has been a longtime partner of MACPA. With over 25 years of industry experience, particularly in professional liability, Robert will share his insights and expertise on managing client relationships and knowing when it’s time to part ways. Resources: | |||
| 91. How to Become a Better Anticipator | with Rita McGrath | 02 Mar 2020 | 00:37:10 | |
When you’re talking about life in an exponential age, there are few skills that are as important as anticipation — the ability to spot future trends early, before they become truly disruptive, and take advantage of the opportunities they offer. One person who truly understands the importance of anticipation is our guest today, Rita McGrath. Rita is a longtime professor at Columbia Business School and a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review. She’s considered one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, and her latest book, Seeing Around Corners: How To Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, offers an interesting perspective on the concept of anticipation. She joins us to talk about how her thoughts fit into what the MACPA is doing with Daniel Burrus and share insight into how we can all become better anticipators. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 90. How Bots Free Us to Focus on What Matters Most | with Jody Padar | 24 Feb 2020 | 00:30:17 | |
Bots are the name of the game this week. They are all the rage, and they’re setting their sights on the accounting and finance world. No one knows that more than our guest this week. Jody Padar built her “Radical CPA” brand as chief executive officer of New Vision CPA Group near Chicago. But then, in January she was named vice president of strategy for Botkeeper. We ask Jody about the potential of bots to transform this profession. As a future-focused accounting and finance professional, this is a conversation you need to pay attention to. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||
| 89. Cutting Through the Hype of Blockchain | with Keith Nichols | 17 Feb 2020 | 00:30:32 | |
When we had a whole show highlighting blockchain last year, the hype around it was sky-high. It was supposed to transform our profession and, in fact, many professions. It seemed like there was no problem that couldn’t potentially be solved through the use of blockchain technology. Now, things have cooled off a bit, but people in our profession are still very interested in how blockchain might transform what we do. Keith Nichols, General Manager for small to mid-size firms with Thomson Reuters, is one of them. Keith was previously Thomson Reuters’ managing director for government, which meant he had significant say in the global strategy and business operations of the government practice with the Tax and Accounting business at Thomson Reuters. That meant he was recognizing blockchain’s potential to disrupt things like governmental tax transactions, land registries, and things like that. He’s been watching this technology for a while now, and he has some pretty interesting insights into the real potential of blockchain and how it might impact this profession and our society once the disillusionment wears out. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources:
Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media | |||