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Recent Posts / Podcast Update

I continue to produce a podcast weekly with Randy Johnston for CPA Practice Advisor. The podcast is available on their website at cpate.ch/atl, or you can see it on YouTube at cpate.ch/youtube.

Accounting Technology Lab (Podcast)

Accounting Technology Lab is a weekly podcast hosted by Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA, focusing on the intersection of accounting, audit, tax, and technology. It is published by CPA Practice Advisor and covers trends in accounting software, AI/automation, audit innovation, advisory models, and more. The podcast presents interviews, reviews of new tools, case studies, and commentary on how technology is reshaping public accounting.

Episodes are available on both YouTube and CPA Practice Advisor. New episodes are available at noon ET every Friday and are featured in CPAPA’s weekly Technology Advisor Newsletter.

ATL 227: What is Advisory?

In this episode of Accounting Technology Lab, hosts Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley explore the evolution of advisory services in accounting, focusing on Thomson Reuters’ Practice Forward and Ready to Advise platforms. They explain how firms can transition from compliance-driven work to higher-value advisory relationships through structured frameworks, automation, and AI-assisted tools. The discussion highlights the importance of client trust, data privacy, and controlled use of AI in delivering advisory insights. They emphasize advisory’s role in attracting young professionals, enhancing firm growth, and building long-term client relationships grounded in proactive business and personal planning.

ATL 227 Quotes (with Timestamps)

  1. (01:35) – “Working with someone’s business is like dating their daughter — trust is everything.” — Brian F. Tankersley
  2. (08:25) – “We have a fiduciary responsibility to protect client data — and too many accountants aren’t doing it.” — Randy Johnston
  3. (12:18) – “We’re in the trust business — and there’s no easy way to get that trust back once you lose it.” — Brian F. Tankersley
  4. (13:30) – “Clients don’t just want tax returns — they want stress removed from their lives.” — Randy Johnston
  5. (22:25) – “Advisory will never feel comfortable at first — but you’ve probably been doing it for years without getting paid for it.” — Brian F. Tankersley

ATL226: Audit Automation Solutions

In this episode of Accounting Technology Lab, hosts Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley discuss the transformation of the audit profession with Audit Sight co-founders Jonathan Womack and Michael Zimmerman. They explore how AI, automation, and continuous auditing are redefining assurance services, staffing, and client relationships. The conversation covers audit standardization, AI agents, risk-based testing, offshoring challenges, and talent retention. The guests emphasize balancing automation with human oversight, ensuring audit quality and documentation remain defensible. They predict that AI agents will soon assist auditors with documentation, risk analysis, and meeting prep—ushering in a new era of efficient, tech-enabled assurance work.

ATL 226 Quotes (with Timestamps)

  1. (08:25) – “We’re driving talent out because we’re making them do things they’ve never had to do before in their lives.” — Jonathan Womack
  2. (14:58) – “Outside the Big Four, life looks different because your clients and what they struggle with look different.” — Jonathan Womack
  3. (21:14) – “Technology won’t go fast enough—offshoring is a short-term need, but success depends on process and authority.” — Jonathan Womack
  4. (29:50) – “AI agents that sit beside you—taking notes, updating audit files—will soon be your digital interns.” — Jonathan Womack
  5. (38:30) – “If it’s not documented, it’s not done—and AI outputs must still be reviewable and reproducible.” — Michael Zimmerman

ATL225: Zoho SMX and Zoho Balance

In this episode of Accounting Technology Lab, hosts Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley review two major Zoho events—Zoho Balance in Salt Lake City and Zoho SMZ (Small Business Summit) in San Antonio. They discuss how Zoho is positioning itself as a strong alternative to QuickBooks and Shopify by expanding its finance suite, CRM tools, and AI-powered features. Key topics include new releases such as Zoho Solo (for freelancers), Zoho Start (LLC formation), Zoho Contracts, Zoho Commerce, and Zoho Notebook. The hosts highlight Zoho’s “seed-to-tree” vision for small business growth and its strong privacy, integration, and mobile-first architecture.

ATL 225 Quotes (with Timestamps)

  1. (03:53) – “Zoho Balance brought together nearly every accounting influencer—you’ll be hearing a lot more about Zoho from now on.”
  2. (06:34) – “Zoho’s vision is simple: serve customers, empower employees, and run operations—all from one platform.”
  3. (14:56) – “Zoho Solo is free and built for the 70 million freelancers in the U.S. alone.”
  4. (17:03) – “They formed an LLC in two minutes—Zoho Start supports all 50 states, and it’s practically free.”
  5. (26:42) – “Their pace of development is exploding—they’re even using AI to write and clean code.”

ATL 224: Agentic AI Developments, Summer 2025

In this Accounting Technology Lab episode, Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley review the latest wave of agentic AI developments transforming accounting technology. They explain how agentic AI—which can act autonomously and perform multi-step processes—differs from generative AI. The hosts examine Intuit’s new AI agents in QuickBooks, SmartVault’s SmartRequest AI, DataSnipper’s audit agents, and other innovations from Bloomberg Tax, CCH AnswerConnect, Ramp, and Ignition. They discuss benefits like automation and decision support alongside major risks around data privacy and control. The takeaway: agentic AI will redefine productivity across accounting, tax, and audit within just a few years.

ATL 224 Quotes (with Timestamps)

  1. (01:17) – “Agentic AI takes action on your behalf—it doesn’t just think, it does.”
  2. (05:18) – “Agentic AI is self-directed and hallucinates less; it’s where true autonomy begins.”
  3. (09:13) – “We need skunk detection for technology—there are a lot of stinkers out there.”
  4. (11:10) – “Intuit’s AI can now draft emails, reconcile bank accounts, and forecast cash flow—without you.”
  5. (24:14) – “If we record this tomorrow, half of these AI announcements will already be outdated.”

We have many interesting upcoming topics, including interviews, event summaries, commentary, and product reviews. Please join us every week for the podcast.