Cloud Accounting Podcast

In this episode, we cover Xerocon Brisbane announcements, a phenomenal $250 million VC raise by Clio, a niche law-firm app, and their plans to build a QuickBooks Live-type service offering. In other news, we look at some product offerings from SmartBooks, whose CEO claims AI is hype, at least for now, and Surf Accounts, the new kid in town, which claims to automate 90% of bookkeeping tasks. Meanwhile, merger mania hits CPA firms, a... Read more

Blake and David met up with two seasoned mergers & acquisitions experts, Dr. Curtis Cochran, and Shannon Hay, at the Accounting & Finance Show LA to ask them what accounting and bookkeeping firm owners need to know if they want to sell or buy a firm someday. Questions include: How do you value a firm? Is it a buyers' or a sellers' market? What sort of multiples can I expect to receive or pay? Does cloud accounting m... Read more

In this episode, Blake and David explore the world of fake accounting news and LinkedIn's sock-puppet infestation, and share some ways to scope out the faux connections in your list. In other news, Sage Intacct is taking root in the Land Down Under, TSheets is raising some fees, Liberty Tax isn't sure what it wants to be when it grows up, and CFOs now prefer tech-savviness over soft skills. They also cover why finding your ... Read more

We're joined by entrepreneur/accounting professional Meghan Blair-Valero for our weekly accounting and bookkeeping news update. There’s a lot of ground to cover, including Intuit’s latest earnings release, which includes a 33-percent increase in QBO subscribers, and how a new event is addressing the lack of diversity at accounting conferences. We also explore the benefits of help desk software for accounting firms, what the UPS... Read more

If you've been to any conferences this year, you know that everyone is talking about how advisory services are the hot new thing that every accounting firm needs to be offering as compliance gets automated. But what does that mean, exactly? The Cloud Accounting Podcast is here to find an answer! In this very special episode, Blake and David walk the expo floor at Xerocon San Diego and, with the help of many random, unsuspecting... Read more

At Xerocon 2019 in San Diego, Blake and David met up with Jamie McDonald and Jamie Shulman - The Two Jamies - of Hubdoc, which was acquired by Xero last year for $70 million in cash and equity. This year, Jamie McDonald was appointed to the role of Executive GM, Product, Accounting and Global Services at Xero. Jamie Shulman, Hubdoc Co-Founder, continues to serve as Co-CEO. The guys talked bank feeds, big Wow moments, some Hubdoc gr... Read more

Blake and David explore the high cost of integrity in the audit profession, a survey showing that accounting firms are hiring more non-accounting grads, and why it's so hard for AI startups to be straightforward about the human component. Also: How Apple Card will create headaches for bookkeepers, whether Square is doing just enough or too much innovation, and what's new with Xero's updated App Marketplace. In other new... Read more

Ben Wann, CMA, MBA, CPA joins our weekly news update to read his "Dear AICPA" letter on the air and discuss the latest accounting happenings, including: notable industry exits by Jennifer Warawa from Sage, Matt Rissell from TSheets, and even our own Blake Oliver from FloQast; HUGE venture capital raises by FreshBooks and ScaleFactor; further updates (and possibly closure) on the iNSYNQ ransomware saga; and finally, continui... Read more

Blake and David chat with Sabrina Parsons, CEO of LivePlan, and Kathy Gregory, LivePlan's Director of Strategic Development at Xerocon 2019 in San Diego. They cover a range of issues from advisory and strategic planning to leveraging AI to build a better practice. Discover key LivePlan features and solutions for small business owners, accountants and bookkeepers. Don't miss LivePlan's Client Advisory Services Bootcamp s... Read more

A dentist (and former Survivor contestant) made the evening news in Orlando after his QuickBooks file was targeted by hackers. Plus: Blake and David get political, updates on TurboTax and QuickBooks Live, LinkedIn's new features that should help accountants get more clients, a new instant payments platform planned by the Federal Reserve, why accounting firms just aren't that into instant messaging, how AI and automation wil... Read more

Blake sits down with Shawn Kanungo, at Xerocon San Diego 2019 after his keynote, to discuss all things experimentation, disruption, innovation, storytelling, and where the accounting industry is headed, especially if firms can’t let go of their nostalgia and embrace cloud!

Blake and David celebrate their 100th episode of The Cloud Accounting Podcast with guest Rachel Fisch by discussing the ongoing iNSYNQ ransomware debacle, the challenges of using AI to perform audits, where to find top accounting talent, how OnDeck aims to become a bank, and even more of the latest news in the accounting and bookkeeping world.

David meets up with Mayumi Young, Founder and CEO of CPA MOMS®, at Scaling New Heights 2019 to talk time, technology, and how Society 5.0 will take over where the Information Age left off. In addition to her extensive CPA career, Young is a social innovator and entrepreneur, who has founded a social-enterprise incubator, Inspire Innovation Company, and as well as other companies that focus on different aspects of the financial side... Read more

Los Angeles CPAs Marie and Jennie join the podcast at the #AccountingShowLA to discuss the iNSYNQ QuickBooks hosting ransomware attack, how Trump’s tax law threatened TurboTax’s profits (and how Intuit fought back), the sad statistic that only 60% of accounting firms use remote access tools, why the 4-day workweek could be the next big thing, and the problem(s) with timesheets

Los Angeles CPAs Marie and Jennie join the podcast at the #AccountingShowLA to discuss the iNSYNQ QuickBooks hosting ransomware attack, how Trump’s tax law threatened TurboTax’s profits (and how Intuit fought back), the sad statistic that only 60% of accounting firms use remote access tools, why the 4-day workweek could be the next big thing, and the problem(s) with timesheets

Ben Richmond joins Blake and David to talk advisory, compliance, and innovation in this interview recorded live at Xerocon in San Diego in June 2019.

This week, Blake and David explore how the forces of low unemployment, outsourcing, and automation work to balance each other out in a time of rapid change. Amazon, a pioneer in automation, apparently thinks it will still need humans, at least in the near future. The tech giant has announced a massive effort to retrain a third of its 300,000 employees in the United States by 2025. Meanwhile, Robinhood moved a bit too fast, Bill.com... Read more

David sits down at Scaling New Heights with Jina Etienne, CPA, CGMA, and Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Grant Thornton LLP. In her role, Jina is responsible for developing and implementing Grant Thornton's firm-wide D&I strategy. She shares GT's approach to diversity, why firms need to approach diversity holistically, as well as tips for smaller firms seeking to benefit from greater diversity in their ranks.

Blake and David discuss the latest cloud accounting news, including a California law that means chatbots have to disclose they’re not human, a survey showing that 73% think it's OK to text clients after business hours, Walmart's recent layoffs of hundreds of accountants in Charlotte, an MYOB glitch that sent personal payroll information to the wrong recipients, the no. 1 challenge blocking controllership transformation, sta... Read more