Getting unstuck by rethinking processes, people, and AI
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Release Date: 01/08/2026
Getting unstuck by rethinking processes, people, and AI
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Samantha Bowling, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of GWCPA, shares how her firm eliminated busy season, limited hours, and improved morale while still meeting client needs. She also explained how thoughtful use of AI can support advisory services, boost efficiency, and help small firms get “unstuck.” This episode of the JofA podcast was recorded at Digital CPA in National Harbor, Md., in December 2025. What you’ll learn from this episode: The steps Bowling’s firm took to eliminate traditional busy season. How productivity and morale were affected by limiting hours and weekend work. The...
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Are CPA firms ready for the next wave of data security threats?
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Sarah Ference, CPA, an author of the JofA’s Professional Liability Spotlight column, returns to the JofA podcast to discuss recent column topics and the advice CPAs can gain from them. In particular, Ference details data security preparedness, the value of engagement letters for tax-compliance services, common audit claims and defenses, and more. Editor’s note: This episode is the JofA podcast’s last until Jan. 8. n October: n November: n December: What you’ll learn from this episode: Advice for CPA firms to guard against data security incidents. The...
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Why 2026 is another ‘big tax year’
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Melanie Lauridsen, the AICPA’s vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy, joined the JofA podcast on Tuesday from the Digital CPA Conference, offering context on the most recent government shutdown and on how a potential shutdown early in 2026 could affect IRS services. The interview was conducted one day after the IRS released . Guidance related to H.R. 1, P.L. 119-21, the law commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, was also part of the conversation. In the Q&A, Lauridsen touched on the AICPA’s areas of advocacy focus for the new year and why 2025 and 2026 are big...
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Where CPAs stand on economic sentiment, what’s next for the JofA podcast
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
What’s the view of finance executives about the U.S. economy and their own businesses? And what’s the latest from the IRS on new Trump accounts? Find out more in this quick-hitting episode that summarizes several topics, including the December digital edition of the magazine. What you’ll learn from this episode: A summary of CPA decision-makers’ sentiment about the economy and their own businesses. The planned publication schedule for JofA podcast episodes in December and early January. A mention of recent IRS news in the JofA. The future-focused look at the profession and other...
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JofA branded podcast: Investment management at the intersection of tax and wealth services
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
In this Journal of Accountancy branded podcast episode, Clint Costa, CPA, J.D., LL.M., a senior wealth strategist at Choreo, talks with Matt Gotlin, Choreo’s chief investment officer, on trends in investment management and tips for CPAs to advise clients.
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Accelerating accounting outreach, a CPA leader’s campus return
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
This episode of the JofA podcast explores Accounting Opportunities Experience month, a growing nationwide program to inspire students to pursue accounting careers. Liz Burkhalter, the AICPA’s vice president–CPA Pipeline, shares how CPAs and volunteers are working to reach 50,000 students through classroom visits and events. She also mentioned resources that can help listeners who want to volunteer. n Specific n home page n Burkhalter’s n The Scott Spiegel, CPA/CITP, CGMA, the chief operating officer of the Association of International Certified...
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Want to stop work from consuming your life? First, learn self-awareness
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Andrea Millar, CPA/PFS, thought she knew what really mattered. Getting good grades in school and going above and beyond at work were part of her being. But she came to the realization that work was consuming her life, at the expense of other things she cared about. Millar wrote about that experience, and some of the changes she made to create a more fulfilling life, in . She also joined the JofA podcast to discuss the topic. What you’ll learn from this episode: An explanation of how work can “unconsciously” take over our lives. Understanding the “default state” of being and how it...
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Real estate tax changes that advisers need to understand
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Withum partner Brian Lovett, CPA, CGMA, J.D., is the guest on this week’s episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast. Lovett is scheduled to speak at the in December on industry-specific impacts of new tax provisions in H.R. 1, P.L. 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He joined the podcast to preview some of those topics and explain the main way he separates fact from fiction when it comes to the details of H.R. 1 provisions. What you’ll learn from this episode: What real estate professionals and advisers should know about the expansion of Sec. 179. The PDF on...
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3 types of difficult people — and how to work better with them
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
Executive coach and author Nick Robinson illuminates the challenging traits of work colleagues and shares strategies from his book — The 9 Types of Difficult People: How to Spot Them and Quickly Improve Working Relationships — that professionals can employ to improve relationships on the job. Robinson, a speaker at UK & Ireland ENGAGE, explores the interplay between organizational pressures, psychological stressors, power dynamics, and how those factors can influence the development of traits and behaviors that make people difficult to work with. He also shares strategies...
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Reflecting on AI’s rise in accounting, looking to what comes next
Journal of Accountancy Podcast
“You cannot avoid AI” — but you can and should continue to experiment with it. That’s one key message from consultant and keynote speaker Pascal Finette, who returned to the JofA podcast to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption has grown and how the profession is dealing with rapid changes and uncertainty. The conversation revisits topics Finette discussed in 2021 and 2022, and it looks ahead to the , Dec. 7–10 in National Harbor, Md. Resources Early 2022 (recorded in December 2021). Early 2023 (recorded in December 2022). . What you’ll learn from this episode: The...
info_outlineSamantha Bowling, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of GWCPA, shares how her firm eliminated busy season, limited hours, and improved morale while still meeting client needs. She also explained how thoughtful use of AI can support advisory services, boost efficiency, and help small firms get “unstuck.”
This episode of the JofA podcast was recorded at Digital CPA in National Harbor, Md., in December 2025.
What you’ll learn from this episode:
- The steps Bowling’s firm took to eliminate traditional busy season.
- How productivity and morale were affected by limiting hours and weekend work.
- The value the firm has found in “Foresight Fridays.”
- Practical ways AI tools can speed tax research while managing regulatory concerns.
- How custom AI bots can support internal efficiency.
- Why clearer communication and accountability helped the firm solve problems it didn’t know it had.