Why do so many accounting firms struggle to bridge the gap between their stated values and actual workplace culture? In this episode, Blake Oliver sits down with Erin Daiber, founder of Well Balanced Accountants, to explore how firms can move beyond culture theory to real operational change. You'll discover why "we've always done it this way" thinking kills retention, learn specific strategies for showing appreciation without micromanaging, and understand how being too busy prevents the culture improvements you need most. Erin shares her framework for defining your current culture honestly, creating accountability structures that stick, and making small changes that build significant cultural shifts over time.

Chapters

• (01:06) - Erin's Journey into Accounting

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Connect with Our Guest, Erin Daiber

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cpacoacherin/

Learn more about Well Balanced Accountants

Website: https://www.wellbalancedaccountants.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What should you tell clients when tariffs increase and hiring slows? Blake Oliver discusses with Gusto senior economist Nicholas Tremper the effects on small businesses of high tariffs, reduced job growth, and a tighter labor market influenced by immigration policy. Find out how advising on cash flow and employee benefits can help your clients identify opportunities in a post-pandemic startup boom driven by artificial intelligence.

Learn more about Gusto
https://earmarkcpe.promo/gusto

Chapters

• (01:09) - Meet the Guest: Nich Tremper, Senior Economist

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Connect with Our Guest, Nich Tremper

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichtremper

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Please note: This episode was recorded before changes were made to the Big Beautiful Bill, which eliminated the removal of the PCAOB.

What happens when AI agents start doing your journal entries and reconciliations? Mike Whitmire, founder and CEO of Floqast, explains why accounting AI is fundamentally different from other business applications—and why auditability creates unique challenges that many companies will struggle to overcome. In this conversation, you'll learn how Floqast Transform enables accountants to build AI agents using simple narrative descriptions, thereby creating comprehensive audit trails while automating repetitive tasks. Mike walks through real-world examples, from benefit allocation journal entries to variance analysis, demonstrating how the "human-in-the-loop" approach handles exceptions and ensures compliance. Plus, hear his vision for the future accounting professional as an "accounting cyborg" who manages AI agents rather than junior staff.

Chapters

• (00:43) - Agents in Accounting

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Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

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Connect with Our Guest, Mike Whitmire

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcwhitmire/

Learn more about FloQast

http://www.floqast.com

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What happens when a homeless 21-year-old musician transforms into a financial leader negotiating $20 billion deals at Google? Devon Coombs shares his remarkable journey from living in his car after his recording studio failed to becoming an ASC 606 revenue recognition expert who helped shape multibillion-dollar cloud contracts. You'll discover how he leveraged technical accounting expertise to leapfrog traditional career paths, why he cold-called a thousand controllers as a first-year auditor, and his predictions for how AI will transform accountants into "orchestrators" rather than individual contributors. Plus, learn why he's leaving Google to build a consulting practice focused on helping the profession adapt to an AI-driven future.

Chapters

• (00:54) - Devon's Early Struggles and Music Industry Journey

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Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

Connect with Our Guest, Devon Coombs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devoncoombs/
Website: https://www.devoncoombs.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

Small businesses offering 401(k) plans see 40% lower employee turnover in the first year, yet only 10% receive benefits guidance from their accountants. Justin Kurn explains how Dark Horse CPAs identifies the right triggers, such as growing staff or high turnover, to initiate benefits conversations. Meanwhile, Julia Miller from Gusto breaks down how accountants can help clients navigate the cost and complexity of offering health insurance, retirement plans, and other benefits. The conversation reveals how positioning yourself as a benefits advisor can double or triple your fees while helping clients attract better talent and reduce costly employee churn.

Learn more about Gusto
https://earmarkcpe.promo/gusto

Chapters

• (00:56) - Meet Our Guests

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Connect with Our Guests:

Julia Miller
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-g-miller

Justin Kurn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinkurn
Website: https://darkhorse.cpa/justin-kurn-cro/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What if the foundation of financial accounting is fundamentally flawed? Tom Selling, author of The Accounting Onion blog, argues that historical cost accounting creates a "truth in labeling problem" that allows management to manipulate earnings while failing to capture economic reality. Through compelling examples from oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and subscription businesses, he explains why value creation often occurs years before GAAP recognizes a single dollar of revenue. You'll discover how a $2 change in expected cash flows can trigger a $400,000 impairment loss, why the FASB shifted focus from earnings to balance sheets, and how current corporate governance essentially lets management "grade their own papers." This conversation challenges core assumptions about what accounting should measure and offers a provocative vision for reform.

Chapters

• (01:21) - The Myth of Honest Financial Accounting

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Connect with Our Guest, Tom Selling

The Accounting Onion: http://accountingonion.com

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What happens when Congress votes to eliminate the watchdog that's overseen public company audits for two decades? In this episode, Blake Oliver sits down with three leading accounting academics—Maureen McNichols from Stanford, Nemit Shroff from MIT, and Daniel Aobdia from Penn State—to examine the research behind the PCAOB's effectiveness and what elimination could mean for audit quality. You'll discover why companies with clean audit inspections can raise capital more easily, how the infamous "40% deficiency rate" actually works, and why these researchers believe dismantling the PCAOB could undermine trust in U.S. capital markets. The conversation reveals the hidden economics of audit oversight and explains why there hasn't been a major public company fraud since Enron and WorldCom.

Chapters

• (00:49) - Legislation Impact on Audit Oversight

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Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

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Connect with Our Guests:

Maureen McNichols
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/maureen-mcnichols
Nemit Shroff
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/nemit-shroff
Daniel Aobdia
https://directory.smeal.psu.edu/dza5396

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What if private equity could transform accounting firms without sacrificing their independence? David Wurtzbacher, founder of Ascend, shares how his "anti-rollup" model allows firms to maintain their identities while accessing enterprise-level resources. Discover why transitioning firm leaders from client work to true CEO roles unlocks explosive growth, and how employee equity ownership creates alignment across organizations. With CPAs needing to be 2.7 times more productive by 2035, David reveals practical strategies for talent acquisition, business development, and technology that are helping mid-sized firms not just survive but thrive in an increasingly complex profession.
Chapters

• (01:07) - Understanding Ascend's Vision

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Connect with Our Guest, David Wurtzbacher

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwurtzbacher/

Learn more about Ascend

Website: https://www.ascendtogether.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What happens after the ink dries on an accounting firm acquisition? Michael Ly and Ashley Rhoden reveal why many buyers overinvest in the purchase but underinvest in the crucial integration phase. Drawing from their hard-won experiences—both successful and unsuccessful—they walk through how to develop a comprehensive 100-day integration plan that begins during due diligence. You'll learn why keeping key employees is the difference between retaining and losing clients, how to effectively communicate changes to minimize disruption, and when to choose between a full roll-up versus platform approach. Whether you're considering an acquisition or have one in progress, this practical roadmap helps you navigate the complexities of merging firms.

Chapters

• (00:51) - Meet the Guests: Michael and Ashley

Download the Earmark CPE App
 
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

Connect with Our Guests:

Michael Ly

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelly/
Website: https://www.reconciled.com/

Ashley Rhoden

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrhodenmba/
Website: https://highrock.co

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/

What if the solution to accounting's talent shortage has been hiding in plain sight? In this episode, Navy veteran Mark Steinhoff reveals how the precision required to maintain life support systems on submarines directly translates to accounting excellence. Having managed critical oxygen systems hundreds of feet underwater, Mark now applies that same meticulous attention to detail as an accountant for a water utility. With the profession facing a 70,000-person annual deficit while 200,000 service members transition to civilian life each year, discover how military experience with procedures, documentation, and quality assurance creates natural accounting professionals—and why veterans might be the untapped talent pool accounting desperately needs.

Chapters

• (01:09) - Transitioning from Military to Accounting

Download the Earmark CPE App
 
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

Connect with Our Guest, Mark Steinhoff

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marknsteinhoff/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/