Future-Proof

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re giving flowers where they’re due, to Benjamin King Senior, Maryland's first black certified public accountant, the 47th in the country, who went on to become chairman of the Maryland state board. To best understand Mr. King and his impact, we’re joined by his children who’ve kept his minority firm and wide influence on the profession going strong: Pamela King-Smith, Kara King-Bess, and Anthony King.

They tell us about how, based in a rough neighborhood in Baltimore, their father became a trusted voice of his peers. How he, devoted to bettering the people and community around him, helped small businesses grow and establish themselves as generational assets – best demonstrated by their longest tenured client, a minority-owned funeral home in DC that dates back to 1912 and has been a serviced account of King, King & Associated since 1957.

More than co-founding his own firm, as an educator and mentor, Benjamin King inspired and empowered countless young, mostly minority, students to become CPAs themselves. During his time teaching at Morgan State, he became known for shepherding students through the often challenging internship and experience requirements, through his own firm, to ensure they met their goals and stayed on track for graduation.

Mr. King was keenly aware of his place in history. The waves of change were visible in his life, and still are, as we highlight his legacy in 2022. Tune in to this moving roundtable discussion where we honor his accomplishments and shine a bright light on the path he laid for others to follow.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• King, King & Associates

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are all the rage in accounting and finance circles. ESG criteria are a set of non-financial factors that socially conscious investors can use to assess their potential investments, such as how the company manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the community, the company’s impact on nature, and executive pay, internal controls, and shareholder rights. This is a fairly recent shift in the mindset of stakeholders, but it is only getting more popular and it can no longer be ignored.

Here to discuss the impact of ESG is Ami Beers, the Senior Director on the Assurance and Advisory Innovation Team at the Association of Certified Professional Accountants. She is responsible for the development of assurance and/or advisory services guidance and criteria, thought leadership, and member and market communications to maximize awareness and advisory services on business reporting such as the ESG.

She shares what auditors need to be aware of with these engagements, the issues that they’re running into, how we can begin to prepare, and the opportunities it opens for CPAs.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• aicpa.org
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ami-beers-cpa-cgma-8812592
• The role of ESG and purpose
• What auditors need to know about ESG issues

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

It’s legislative season here in Maryland, and getting involved in the process is more important than ever for the CPA profession.

With more changes coming that promise to directly impact the accounting and financing profession than we’ve ever seen, our world is on high alert. We need to stay on top of those changes – which is why it’s nice to have a little help from CPA societies.

We take a close look at what’s happening in Annapolis right now, because there are sure to be similar stories playing out in whatever state you’re located in. To help us with that is Tom Hood, former CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs, current executive vice president of Business Engagement and Growth at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, and chair of the MACPA’s Legislative Executive Committee.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomhood

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

It has been a stressful couple of years for everyone. People are working longer and harder with fewer breaks, fewer vacations, and fewer days off, which is bleeding into our personal lives, especially those of us still working from home.

Dr. Britt Andreatta is an internationally recognized thought leader who uses her background in leadership, neuroscience, psychology, and education to create brain-science-based solutions for today’s workplace challenges. She’s also a bestselling author and a top 20 learning influencer for 2021.

She talks about the symptoms of burnout, the real-life impact it can have on individuals and organizations, what employees can do to protect themselves, and where they should turn for help. This is a very important conversation that impacts each of us and our organizations in profound ways.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• brittandreatta.com
• Six Causes of Burnout at Work
• 95% of Workers Thinking of Quitting Their Jobs
• Employee burnout poses severe cybersecurity risks, report finds

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Today, we’re talking about jobs: Job hunting, searching for employees, filling the pipeline, The Great Resignation, and more.

Our guest is Lauren Welkie. She manages strategic partnerships at ZipRecruiter, which is feeling the effects of The Great Resignation in a different way than most organizations. As Yahoo News said recently, “ZipRecruiter is finding itself in a sweet spot right now, as the demand for labor to support the economic recovery remains intense. And it showed up in the company's latest earnings report. ZipRecruiter saw third quarter sales surge 107% from a year ago. The company also lifted its full year sales and profit outlooks.”

Lauren talks about the trends that she’s seeing in the market right now, the things that job candidates say they want most and what job seekers should be doing to make themselves attractive to employers. We cover the flip side, too, and discuss what employers should be doing to attract and keep talent in this new age of employment.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• ziprecruiter.com

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Usually, when we talk about AI in this profession, the conversation is all about automation, the things that artificial intelligence takes off our plate so we can create more value for our clients, face to face.

But today, we look at AI’s potential for impact on big global issues like poverty, hunger, climate change, sustainability, and inequity. Of course, we bring the conversation back to what role accounting and finance might play in all of that.

Joining that conversation is Neil Sahota. Neil is an IBM Master Inventor, an AI advisor to the United Nations, chief innovation officer at UC Irvine, and a best-selling author, among many other things.

He’s also a founding member of the UN’s “AI For Good” initiative, a global community that’s centered on identifying practical applications of artificial intelligence to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and scale those solutions for global impact.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• sdgs.un.org
• aiforgood.itu.int
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/neilsahota

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

As we round out the year, tax professionals have more than just the holidays to look forward to. Tax season is upon us and there’s a lot to talk about this year.

Edward Karl is the Vice President of Taxation for the American Institute of CPAs. He’s also a member of the Maryland Association of CPAs. He has his finger on the pulse of our nation more than almost anyone in the field. He joins us today to help break down all the changes happening for the upcoming tax season, review what’s in the Build Back Better infrastructure package, and comment on the state of IRS customer service.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edward-s-karl-cpa-027a7442
• The tax impact of the infrastructure act

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Barrett Young is a partner at Garbelman Winslow CPAs, a firm in Southern Maryland, and a Strongman competitor. You recognize the Strongman brand from those mind-blowing competitions on TV where people lift massive rocks and logs, or pull trucks, or flip huge tires. Those are the kinds of challenges that Barrett thrives on. We talk about how he got into such a heavy passion and how his work in the gym overlaps with his work at the firm.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• macpa.org/blog
• thedinniestones.com

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

This week, we’re focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Crystal Cooke, Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the American Institute of CPAs, helps us shed light on these important topics. We talk about where our profession stands today, what changes are happening already, and what else needs to be done going forward.

Crystal took her current role in February of 2020, just before the summer was enveloped in so many violent tragedies across the country. These events and society’s reaction to them brought social issues back into the spotlight, and gave new, heightened, meaning to her responsibility.

She talks about what it was like to start the role in that kind of environment and takes a closer look at our profession as a whole — how far it’s come in the areas of diversity and inclusion and what each of us, individually, can do to help make it more equitable for all.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• aicpa.com/diversity
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/crystal-cooke-114788170

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

We are a remote work world now. Which means, for all of you leaders and managers out there, that we have to figure out how to best manage remote workers. That means finding new ways to manage technology, engagement, wellness, culture, and trust.

Jennifer Wilson is co-founder and partner of ConvergenceCoaching, a national consulting firm

dedicated to developing leaders and transforming teams. She is also one of Accounting Today’s 100 Most Influential People in Accounting, one of INSIDE Public Accounting’s Top 10 Most Recommended Consultants, and one of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 25 Thought Leaders and Most Powerful Women in Accounting.

Jennifer gave a talk at the 2021 AICPA Engage conference on the topic of remote work, and she shares her insights here with us today. We touch on what the future of work looks like, potential landmines that employers have to watch out for with remote arrangements, the opportunities that these kinds of environments offer, and what employees themselves can do to make the transition easier.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• convergencecoaching.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jenniferwilsonprofile
• Employers turn to tracking software to monitor remote workers

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media