Issue #46 - At least we can laugh about it
Busy season is behind us…cue the giggles
Welcome to “Get Work Done,” where we discuss the complexities of efficiently running accounting and bookkeeping firms. This newsletter is brought to you by Financial Cents and delivered to your inbox every 2 weeks.
Small Change, Big Results
We made it, y’all. Busy season is in the rearview mirror, spring is in the air, and we’re all feeling a little more happy-go-lucky than we were at the beginning of the month. (At least we hope that’s the case for you—if not, keep reading, because we’ve got something to turn that frown upside down 😁).
But before you flush every last shred of frustration out of your memory, ask yourself one post-mortem-style question while the pain is still fresh:
Where the heck did all the time go?
Not the billable hours—you can see those. We’re talking about the hours that sneaky-leaked out of your days like air from that one tire that probably has a nail in it.
A few minutes here—a half an hour there. Chasing a client for the bank statement they “definitely already sent.” Copy-pasting data between two tools that should talk to each other, but don’t. Drafting that long, detailed email listing every uncategorized transaction one by one.
None of it is hard, per se—but it does add up. And during busy times like tax season—when your team barely has a moment to eat lunch, let alone dig through email threads—it can seriously drag down morale.
On that note, we just published a piece we think you’ll get a lot out of:
Bookkeeping Automation Examples That Actually Save Time
It walks through 10 specific time-saving automations firms are using right now, including:
Automated Transaction Categorization
Automated Bank Reconciliation
Automated Client Document Requests and Reminders
Automated Client Communication and Email Reminders
Time Tracking and Automated Billing
And more!
If you’re not leveraging automation to the fullest in your firm, then you’re definitely not running as efficiently as you could be. And while that might be fine during your not-so-slammed months, it’s a much bigger deal during the Q1 rush.
Give the article a read for some great ideas on how to set your firm up for a much smoother tax season next year.
Community 🫶
The CFO Project’s Advisory Blueprint: A Free 3-Day Workshop
You’ve heard for years that the future of accounting is advisory. But what does an advisory practice actually look like? How does the work get delivered? And what does it take to build one?
On May 26, 27, and 28, The CFO Project is holding a free 3-session workshop that answers all three of those questions. You’ll walk through the exact systems used by the 1,000+ accounting professionals trained through The CFO Project to launch CFO advisory practices. One hour each day, starting at 12:00 PM ET. NASBA-approved CPE available. 48-hour replays after each session.
H🔥t today
Kentucky Becomes the Latest State to Adopt a New Pathway to CPA Licensure
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 45 into law on April 3, adding Kentucky to the fast-growing list of states offering an alternative route to CPA licensure:
bachelor’s degree (total 120 semester hours) + 2 years of professional experience + passing the exam
This option essentially swaps in a year of experience for the additional credit hours requirement that is part of the traditional pathway to becoming a CPA:
bachelor’s degree + 30 additional semester credits (total 150 semester hours) + 1 year of professional experience + passing the CPA Exam
The new pathway takes effect July 16. Roughly 39 states have now passed or adopted similar reforms in a little over a year, with most of the remaining states actively working on it. The decades-old 150-hour threshold is functionally on its way out, which could help get the hiring pipeline flowing again after years of shortages.
Is AI Making “Purely Technical” Accountants Less Employable?
CFO Brew’s latest from Vincent Ryan makes a point worth sitting with: the skillsets finance leaders now rank as most important for the next generation of accounting pros aren’t technical. They’re strategic thinking, communication, data storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration.
Technical accounting expertise has slipped further down the list of the most sought-after strengths when evaluating new hires. One partner quoted in the piece puts it bluntly: the deeply technical tax and accounting folks are the ones most likely to become a commodity. The judgment-heavy, advisory-shaped work is where firms will defend their margins. It’s an interesting take on where the wind is blowing, with real numbers behind it (Morning Brew surveyed 352 finance leaders). Worth a read before you plan your next hire or service line!
Swipe this workflow template
Swipe this Sales Tax template from Kristen Leicht
Get more templates from firm owners like you in our community template library.
Meme
Relatable? 😆 (We can all laugh about it now that it’s over, right?)
Firm Spotl💡ght
How Safe Harbor Bookkeeping Cut Invoicing from a Full Day to 90 Minutes — and Stopped Turning Away Clients
Terri Evans didn’t go to college for accounting—she got her education around the kitchen table, doing the books for her dad’s contracting business starting in high school. By 2023, she was ready to build something of her own, and launched Safe Harbor Bookkeeping with three clients.
Within a year, she had 60+ clients and a team of four part-time bookkeepers. But the operation was stitched together with spreadsheets, ClickUp, Monday.com, Harvest, QuickBooks, and email—none of which talked to each other. Invoicing alone could eat an entire day. After switching to Financial Cents, she’s cut her invoicing process down from 8 hours to 90 minutes, replaced at least five tools with one platform, and this tax season—for the first time—she didn’t have to turn clients away.
Events
📍 BDO Alliance EVOLVE 2026 — May 3–6 (Fontainebleau Las Vegas)
BDO Alliance USA’s flagship annual conference offers three days of keynotes, 100+ breakout sessions, practice management masterclasses, and a tradeshow with over 100 exhibitors. This year’s keynotes feature Christopher Kauffman on The Last Busy Season? The AI Opportunity in Accounting and Erica Dhawan on The Power of Connectional Intelligence. Heads up: EVOLVE is sold out and open only to BDO Alliance members and invited guests—but if you’re an Alliance firm, check with your EVOLVE contact. For everyone else, keep an eye out for EVOLVE Encore, the virtual follow-up that replays the most popular sessions.
📍 Tax Wrap Palooza 2026 — Tuesday, May 5 (Virtual, 2:00–4:00 PM ET)
You survived. Now let’s celebrate! Financial Cents is throwing a virtual post-tax-season party for every accountant, bookkeeper, CPA, and EA who just white-knuckled their way through April. Expect Tax Season Superlatives (Worst Client Email, Latest Night, Best Snack Stash), a mind-bending magic show, a Stump the Tax Expert live Q&A, a prize giveaway, and a DJ dance party to close it all out. Vacation-mode dress code strongly encouraged. First 50 to join get a free lunch on us!
Noteworthy
Accounting Professionals Just Wanna Have Fun
The week after April 15, our hilarious tax memes article saw a huge surge in traffic that told us exactly what we already suspected: after four months of grinding, the industry is in full “I just need to laugh” mode. The memes are free and the collective exhale is earned. Consider this your reminder that accountants absolutely have a sense of humor—it just tends to go dormant between January and mid-April.
One Minute. One Assessment. One Clear Fix to Your Operational Woes.
If your firm’s tech tools and processes held up beautifully this season, ignore this. If they creaked, wobbled, or outright failed you, then listen up: The Patchwork Personas assessment is a 1-minute diagnostic built to help you see exactly how your operations are holding you back—and how to fix it. It’s free, it takes less time than waiting for Excel to un-freeze, and there are prizes in it for you. Post-tax-season is the perfect time to evaluate what’s holding you back—before you forget the pain.
Breathe deep and laugh big. See you in two weeks. 💚