Self-awareness and self-reflection are key to discovering an authentic leadership style.

Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

In this episode of Gear Up for Growth, host Jean Caragher welcomes Carla McCall, managing partner of AAFCPAs and immediate past chair of the AICPA, for a candid conversation about one of the most pressing challenges facing the accounting profession: leadership succession.

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With 75% of CPAs in public practice set to retire within the next 15 years, the need for strong, forward-thinking leadership has never been more urgent. McCall shares her personal journey of rising through the ranks at AAFCPAs, offering practical insights into how firms can—and must—prepare the next generation of leaders.

From the start, McCall emphasizes that leadership isn’t about titles. “You have to earn the trust and the respect of the team that you're leading,” she says. Her transition into the managing partner role wasn’t seamless—she initially believed that she had to make every decision herself. But through candid feedback and deep self-reflection, McCall found her authentic leadership style, shifting from a directive approach to one centered on listening, collaboration, and empowerment.

Originally published Nov. 1, 2024

MOVE’s latest project explores why even high-performing professionals are quietly exiting—and how firms can stop the leak.

Know-How Korner

With Amy L. Welch, APR, CAE

Center for Accounting Transformation

The accounting profession stands at a crossroads. Despite a steady influx of women into the field, their advancement into leadership continues to lag. Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, managing director of the Accounting MOVE Project, is sounding the alarm—and offering data-driven solutions.

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Now in its 15th year, the MOVE Project studies how firms support, advance, and retain women and underrepresented professionals. On a recent episode of Know-How Korner with host Amy Welch, APR, CAE, Ruszczyk describes the project’s long-standing foundation—Money, Opportunity, Vital Supports, and Entrepreneurship—and how these pillars remain critical in today’s evolving landscape.

“Women make up about 50% of the profession, but leadership still hovers at 25 to 28%,” Ruszczyk says. “And most of the drop-off happens right around the director level.”

"Pseudo compensation” can reduce taxable income and optimize client outcomes.

Quick Tax Tip
With Art Werner
CPE Today

In the latest episode of Quick Tax Tip, tax planning authority Art Werner makes a compelling case for rethinking how accountants approach compensation—shifting the focus from traditional deductions to strategic use of fringe benefits.

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“What are we really trying to accomplish?” Werner asks. “We’re trying to create what I call pseudo compensation—benefits that meet a client’s needs and reduce, or even eliminate, taxes.”

The key, he explains, is designing tax-efficient strategies that align with today’s post-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act environment. With many itemized deductions reduced or eliminated and the standard deduction nearly doubled, relying on deductions to save on taxes has become far less effective.

Originally published July 17, 2024.