Web/Tech

The Wiki

I do a wiki update every week for the podcast. There’s a podcast main page as well as a summary of each episode. This wiki is at https://wiki.cpate.ch/index.php/Podcast, and its main page is at wiki.cpate.ch.

ATL Logo used by CPA Practice Advisor, 20260324

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.

The podcast is distributed HERE by CPA Practice Advisor as part of the CPA Practice Advisor's weekly technology newsletter at the end of each week, and is also published to YouTube (@AccountingTechnologyLab). The new episodes premiere on YouTube at noon ET each Friday.

You can also see a list of Wiki articles for each episode at the Episodes by Year page.

Episode List (2025-Present, episodes 187-)

Ep# Title CPAPA Link Record Date Publish Date
273 Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory (Guest: Nancy Sperry, Sage) atl273pub 8/7/2026 8/28/2026
272 The Gathering Storm: Open Source AI atl272pub 8/7/2026 8/28/2026
271 Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026 atl271pub 8/7/2026 8/21/2026
270 Hardware Hullabaloo atl270pub 7/2/2026 8/14/2026
269 Microsoft Agent 365 atl269pub 7/2/2026 8/7/2026
268 Scaling New Heights 2026 (Part Two) atl268pub 7/2/2026 7/30/2026
267 AI is the Ultimate Accounting Assistant (Part Two) atl267pub 7/2/2026 7/23/2026
266 AI is the Ultimate Accounting Assistant, with guest Sasha Orloff of Puzzle.io atl266pub 7/2/2026 7/16/2026
265 Scaling New Heights 2026 - "Strange New World" atl265pub 6/15/2026 7/10/2026
264 AICPA ENGAGE 2026 and CPAPA Thought Leader/40 Under 40 Mashup atl264pub 6/15/2026 7/3/2026
263 Why General AI is Not Suitable For Tax Research With Guest Kashif Ali - Founder, TaxGPT atl263pub 6/5/2026 6/20/2026
262 2026 Black Ore AI Tax Summit atl262pub 6/5/2026 6/13/2026
261 Keyveve atl261pub 5/1/2026 6/5/2026
260 Next Generation Document Management atl260pub 5/1/2026 5/29/2026
259 The Dead Pool atl259pub 5/1/2026 5/22/2026
258 Recruiting the Next Generation atl258pub 5/1/2026 5/15/2026
257 Mythos: The AI Strikes Back atl257pub 5/1/2026 5/8/2026
256 Suite vs. Best In Breed atl256pub 4/3/2026 5/1/2026
255 Generative AI in (Your) Practice atl255pub 4/3/2026 4/24/2026
254 Decision Intelligence with guest Eric Eager of 4ImpactData atl254pub 4/3/2026 4/17/2026
253 2026 CPA Practice Advisor Thought Leader Symposium atl253pub 4/3/2026 4/10/2026
252 The Future of AI in 2026 Accounting Technology (Joe Woodard, guest) atl252pub 3/6/2026 4/3/2026
251 The Real State of Accounting Tech in 2026 (Joe Woodard, guest) atl251pub 3/6/2026 3/27/2026
250 AICPA Startup Accelerator - 2026 Cohort atl250pub 3/6/2026 3/20/2026
249 Zoho Day 2026 atl249pub 3/6/2026 3/13/2026
248 Analysis with ChatGPT Pro 5 atl248pub 11/10/2025 3/6/2026
247 Vibe Coding with AI atl247pub 11/10/2025 2/27/2026
246 Model Context Protocol atl246pub 2/6/2026 2/20/2026
245 ATL 245 – The Future of AI and Agents in Accounting atl245pub 2/6/2026 2/13/2026
244 Acumatica Summit 2026 atl244pub 2/6/2026 2/6/2026
243 AI Trends at CES 2026 – Part 3 atl243pub 1/8/2026 1/30/2026
242 More from CES 2026 - Part 2 atl242pub 1/8/2026 1/23/2026
241 CES 2026: Key Trends and Observations atl241pub 1/8/2026 1/16/2026
240 Nick Chandly, Founder/CEO, Forwardly #ATL240 atl240pub 12/12/2025 1/9/2026
239 Jeff Seibert, Founder/CEO, Digits #ATL239 atl239pub 12/4/2025 1/2/2026
238 Selecting the Right AI Partner with Wiss #ATL238 atl238pub 12/4/2025 12/29/2025
237 Thomson Reuters Synergy Executive Roundtable atl237pub 11/7/2025 12/19/2025
236 Intuit QBD Pricing, Open AI Relationship atl236pub 12/4/2025 12/12/2025
235 2025 Thomson Reuters Synergy atl235pub 11/10/2025 12/5/2025
234 2025 CCH User Conference atl234pub 11/10/2025 11/28/2025
233 2025 CPAPA Tech Innovation Awards (Part 2/2) atl233pub 10/3/2025 11/21/2025
232 2025 CPAPA Tech Innovation Awards (Part 1/2) atl232pub 10/3/2025 11/14/2025
231 Interview with Mary Delaney, CEO, Karbon on AI (Part 2/2) atl231pub 10/3/2025 11/7/2025
230 Interview with Mary Delaney, CEO, Karbon (Part 1/2) atl230pub 10/3/2025 10/31/2025
229 AuditSight atl229pub 10/3/2025 10/24/2025
228 2025 AICPA Blockchain Symposium atl228pub 9/12/2025 10/17/2025
227 What is Advisory? atl227pub 10/3/2025 10/10/2025
226 Audit Automation Solutions atl226pub 9/12/2025 10/3/2025
225 Zoho - SMX and Balance atl225pub 9/12/2025 9/26/2025
224 Agentic AI Developments, Summer 2025 atl224pub 8/7/2025 9/19/2025
223 BlueJ atl223pub 8/7/2025 9/12/2025
222 Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 atl222pub 8/7/2025 9/5/2025
221 AI Regulation Update atl221pub 8/7/2025 8/30/2025
220 Small Business Accounting Innovations 1H 2025 atl220pub 7/11/2025 8/22/2025
219 AI Tax Developments 1H 2025 atl219pub 7/11/2025 8/15/2025
218 AI Auditing Innovations 1H 2025 atl218pub 7/11/2025 8/8/2025
217 Talent Shortage atl217pub 6/24/2025 8/2/2025
216 Scaling New Heights 2025 - AI Observations atl216pub 6/24/2025 7/28/2025
215 Scaling New Heights Show Floor atl215pub 6/24/2025 7/21/2025
214 Scaling New Heights 2025 Overview atl214pub 6/24/2025 7/21/2025
213 Key OBBBA Tax Changes atl213pub 7/11/2025 7/14/2025
212 AICPA ENGAGE 2025 Show Floor atl212pub 6/24/2025 7/11/2025
211 Accounting Leaders Think Tank Symposium 2025 atl211pub 6/24/2025 7/3/2025
210 Microsoft Bookings atl210pub 5/13/2025 6/27/2025
209 AICPA ENGAGE 2025 atl209pub 6/24/2025 6/20/2025
208 Microsoft Forms atl208pub 5/13/2025 6/12/2025
207 Power Automate atl207pub 5/13/2025 6/5/2025
206 CPAPA Readers Choice Awards atl206pub 5/13/2025 5/30/2025
205 Excel 40th Anniversary atl205pub 4/8/2025 5/16/2025
204 AICPA/CPA.com Startup Accelerator 2025 atl204pub 4/8/2025 5/9/2025
203 AICPA/CPA.com AI Symposium atl203pub 4/8/2025 5/2/2025
202 Elizabeth Beastrom - TR atl202pub 3/7/2025 4/25/2025
201 Microsoft 50th Anniversary atl201pub 4/8/2025 4/18/2025
200 Safesend atl200pub 3/7/2025 4/11/2025
199 Brian Weiner - Family Office Resource Group atl199pub 3/7/2025 4/4/2025
198 Family Office Fundamentals atl198pub 3/7/2025 3/28/2025
197 CryptoCurrency Reserve atl197pub 3/7/2025 3/21/2025
196 End User Tech 1Q 2025 atl196pub 2/7/2025 3/14/2025
195 Zoho For Firms: Practice, Payroll, Books, and Invoice atl195pub 2/7/2025 3/7/2025
194 Zoho's Platform for Finance and Operations atl194pub 2/7/2025 2/28/2025
193 AI in Practice: Zoho One atl193pub 2/7/2025 2/21/2025
192 AI in Practice: Acumatica ERP atl192pub 2/7/2025 2/14/2025
191 Payroll Solutions atl191pub 1/10/2025 2/7/2025
190 CES 2025: Startups atl190pub 1/10/2025 1/31/2025
190 CES 2025: ShowStoppers/Pepcom atl190pub 1/10/2025 1/24/2025
189 CES 2025: Award Winners atl189pub 1/10/2025 1/17/2025
188 Intuit Enterprise Suite atl188pub 12/5/2024 1/10/2025
187 Apxium atl187pub 12/5/2024 1/3/2025

Historical Episodes (2021-2024, ep #1-186)

Ep# Topic Record

Date

Publish

Date

186 2025 Predictions 12/5/2024 12/27/2024
185 Intuit QuickBooks Connect 12/5/2024 12/20/2024
184 Thomson Reuters Synergy 2024 12/5/2024 12/13/2024
183 CCH Connections 12/5/2024 12/6/2024
182 blue J 10/4/2024 11/30/2024
181 Hubsync 10/4/2024 11/23/2024
180 Soraban (PBC Tax Product) 10/4/2024 11/16/2024
179 Tax GPT 10/4/2024 11/9/2024
178 Liscio 10/4/2024 11/2/2024
177 Syft Analytics 9/6/2024 10/25/2024
176 Time Credit 9/6/2024 10/18/2024
175 AI Privacy Laws and Regulations 9/6/2024 10/11/2024
174 Software licensing and privacy 9/6/2024 10/4/2024
173 2024 Tax & Accounting Awards 9/6/2024 9/27/2024
172 Supervizor 8/7/2024 9/20/2024
171 Aider 8/7/2024 9/13/2024
170 Thomson Reuters Edge CoCounsel 8/7/2024 9/5/2024
169 Wolters Kluwer T&A AnswerConnect 8/7/2024 8/30/2024
168 ChatGPT and Copilot Prompting 7/3/2024 8/17/2024
167 CYMA and CYMA Payroll 7/3/2024 8/10/2024
166 SuiteFiles 7/3/2024 8/3/2024
165 Canopy 7/3/2024 7/26/2024
164 BQE Core 7/3/2024 7/19/2024
163 Knuula and QuickFee 6/12/2024 7/12/2024
162 CPA Practice Advisor Mashup 6/12/2024 7/5/2024
161 Quickbooks Price Increases 6/12/2024 6/28/2024
160 Artificial IntelligenceCPA ENGAGE 2024 6/12/2024 6/21/2024
159 Laurel 5/10/2024 6/14/2024
158 Black Ore Tax Autopilot 5/10/2024 6/7/2024
157 SayAnchor - Tal 5/10/2024 5/31/2024
156 Artificial IntelligenceGENCY / LLM's Passing the CPA Exam 5/10/2024 5/24/2024
155 MakersHub.ai 4/5/2024 5/17/2024
154 Digilence 4/5/2024 5/10/2024
153 Datamatics 4/5/2024 5/3/2024
152 AssurancePrep 4/5/2024 4/26/2024
151 Aiwyn 4/5/2024 4/19/2024
150 Rahul Mahna, Outsourced IT, Eisner Advisory 4/5/2024 4/12/2024
149 CPAccounts PayableA TLS 2024 3/1/2024 4/5/2024
148 SOBusiness Intelligence Analytics 3/1/2024 3/29/2024
147 FedNow 3/1/2024 3/22/2024
146 What is the Future of Desktop Accounting? 3/1/2024 3/15/2024
145 Microsoft 365 Plans and Options 3/1/2024 3/15/2024
144 StanfordTax 2/9/2024 3/8/2024
143 QuickBooks Desktop Discontinuance 2/9/2024 3/1/2024
142 Zoho Analyst Day 2024 2/9/2024 2/23/2024
141 Oracle NetSuite Influencer Event 2024 2/9/2024 2/15/2024
140 Acumatica Summit 2024 2/9/2024 2/9/2024
139 CES 2024: Personal Tech 1/12/2024 2/5/2024
138 CES 2024: Innovation Awards 1/12/2024 1/26/2024
137 CES 2024: Best Tech for Accountants 1/12/2024 1/19/2024
136 Thomson Reuters Synergy 2023 12/5/2023 1/12/2024
135 Zoho Practice 12/5/2023 1/5/2024
134 Tech Predictions for 2024 12/5/2023 12/29/2023
133 Intuit QuickBooks Connect 12/5/2023 12/20/2023
132 CCH Connections Conference 11/8/2023 12/15/2023
131 Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting 11/8/2023 12/8/2023
130 TeamMate Document Linker 10/10/2023 12/1/2023
129 RAMP 10/10/2023 11/22/2023
128 Clockwork AI 10/10/2023 11/16/2023
127 Smartvault and Docdown 10/10/2023 11/10/2023
126 Discerning Valid Content on AI 9/8/2023 11/3/2023
125 Should You Upgrade Your Firm? 9/8/2023 10/25/2023
124 Quantum Tech in Accounting 9/8/2023 10/18/2023
123 Practice Management Trends 6/9/2023 10/6/2023
122 Discussion of Rapid Close Tools 8/4/2023 9/28/2023
121 Keeping Up With Technology 8/4/2023 9/14/2023
120 Audit Sight 8/4/2023 9/12/2023
119 Security Risks in New World 5/12/2023 9/7/2023
118 Microsoft CoPilot 5/12/2023 8/31/2023
117 Bookkeep / Jason Richelson 7/7/2023 8/23/2023
116 FTC Safeguards Rule/IRS 4557 8/4/2023 8/16/2023
115 AFOT Survey 8/4/2023 8/11/2023
114 Audit Technology/Jeff Gramlich 7/7/2023 8/4/2023
113 Verizon Data Breach Report 7/7/2023 7/28/2023
112 Scaling New Heights 2023 Recap 7/7/2023 7/18/2023
111 Outsourcing for Tax & Accounting Firms 5/12/2023 7/12/2023
110 Tech Governance 6/9/2023 7/6/2023
109 Audit Tech Trends 6/9/2023 6/29/2023
108 AICPA ENGAGE 2023 6/9/2023 6/21/2023
107 Data Snipper 5/12/2023 6/13/2023
106 Large Language Models 4/7/2023 6/8/2023
105 AI Results: Truthiness/Hallucinations 4/7/2023 5/30/2023
104 Dall-E, MS Designer (Brian Livingston Competitors) 4/7/2023 5/23/2023
103 MS AI: Bing, MS365 CoPilot, MS Designer 4/7/2023 5/17/2023
102 ChatGPT and Accounting Firms 4/7/2023 5/11/2023
101 Data Wrangling 3/3/2023 4/25/2023
100 Recap of 2023 TLS 3/3/2023 4/11/2023
99 MS Power Query 3/3/2023 4/11/2023
98 Zoho Data Prep 3/3/2023 4/7/2023
97 FloQast 2/3/2023 3/30/2023
96 Acumatica 2/3/2023 3/23/2023
95 Valid8 2/3/2023 3/16/2023
94 CES 2023: Evolving Tech 1/16/2023 3/9/2023
93 CES 2023: Firm Tech (Four Episodes) 1/16/2023 3/9/2023
92 CES 2023: Industrial Tech 1/16/2023 3/8/2023
91 CES 2023: New Standards 1/16/2023 3/7/2023
90 CES 2023: Meeting Tech 1/16/2023 3/5/2023
89 FreshBooks 2/22/2023 3/1/2023
88 Zapier 10/7/2022 2/22/2023
87 Validis 10/7/2022 2/14/2023
86 LEO Satellites 12/2/2022 2/9/2023
85 Hubdoc 12/2/2022 2/2/2023
84 FileThis 12/2/2022 1/25/2023
83 Booxkeeping/Max Emma 10/7/2022 1/19/2023
82 Bill 10/7/2022 1/12/2023
81 Conferences 2022 (CCH/TR) 12/2/2022 1/6/2023
80 CData 11/4/2022 12/7/2022
79 Backup Strategies for SOHO 11/4/2022 12/1/2022
78 Zoho Invoice 11/4/2022 11/23/2022
77 SmartVault 9/9/2022 11/17/2022
76 Knuula 11/4/2022 11/9/2022
75 e-Courier 9/9/2022 11/3/2022
74 Doc-IT by IRIS 9/9/2022 10/19/2022
73 Dext 9/9/2022 10/19/2022
72 PlanGuru 8/5/2022 10/5/2022
71 WeIntegrate 8/5/2022 10/5/2022
70 DoMore CRM 7/15/2022 9/26/2022
69 Desktime 7/15/2022 9/21/2022
68 Xenett Autoreview 8/5/2022 9/13/2022
67 Tallyfor 8/5/2022 9/5/2022
66 nettTracker 8/5/2022 8/25/2022
65 QuickBooks Desktop 7/15/2022 8/24/2022
64 Zenwork/Tax1099 7/15/2022 8/18/2022
63 BacoTech/Once Accounting 4/14/2022 8/6/2022
62 Gilded 4/14/2022 8/6/2022
61 Fieldguide 4/14/2022 7/28/2022
60 Auvenir 7/15/2022 7/22/2022
59 Zoho Expense 6/17/2022 7/10/2022
58 Uncat 6/17/2022 7/8/2022
57 Rewind 6/17/2022 6/29/2022
56 Audit Miner 6/17/2022 6/24/2022
55 CPA Firm Tech 2022 5/16/2022 6/2/2022
54 CPA Firm Software Tech 2022 5/16/2022 6/2/2022
53 Calendly Meeting Scheduler 5/16/2022 5/26/2022
52 BizEKG from 4Impact Data 5/16/2022 5/20/2022
51 Liscio 2/4/2022 5/12/2022
50 Avalara 2/4/2022 5/5/2022
49 Inflo (Inflo Workpapers) 2/4/2022 4/28/2022
48 Suralink 2/4/2022 4/22/2022
47 Pascal Workflow 3/11/2022 4/12/2022
46 Thought Leadership Part 2 3/11/2022 3/29/2022
45 Thought Leadership Part 1 3/11/2022 3/29/2022
44 LivePlan (Palo Alto) 1/11/2022 3/23/2022
43 IRIS/AccountantsWorld Part 2 1/11/2022 3/11/2022
42 IRIS/AccountantsWorld Part 1 1/11/2022 3/11/2022
41 Computer Hardware/CES 1/11/2022 3/4/2022
40 Thomson Reuters AdvanceFlow 11/5/2021 2/10/2022
39 Dynamics 365 Business Central 11/5/2021 2/8/2022
38 Caseware Working Papers 11/5/2021 2/8/2022
37 Paychex 8/20/2021 2/4/2022
36 Gusto 8/20/2021 1/26/2022
35 Intuit Payroll 8/20/2021 1/18/2022
34 OnPay 8/20/2021 1/13/2022
33 Corpay One 10/1/2021 1/7/2022
32 Lucion FileCenter 6/21/2021 12/5/2021
31 Rippling Payroll 8/20/2021 12/5/2021
30 AccountantsWorld Accounting Power 5/28/2021 12/2/2021
29 Spire 10/1/2021 11/22/2021
28 Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 8/20/2021 11/15/2021
27 NetSuite 10/1/2021 11/11/2021
26 AccountantsWorld Cloud Cabinet 5/28/2021 11/5/2021
25 Simplex Financials/PATH 10/1/2021 10/29/2021
24 AccountantsWorld Payroll Relief 5/28/2021 10/20/2021
23 eFileCabinet 5/28/2021 10/15/2021
22 IRIS STAR Practice Management 6/21/2021 10/1/2021
21 Ledgible Tax Pro 6/21/2021 9/24/2021
20 Drake Tax 7/23/2021 9/1/2021
19 Corvee 6/21/2021 8/31/2021
18 ProConnect Tax 7/23/2021 8/23/2021
17 TPS 4/2/2021 8/6/2021
16 Clarity Practice Management 4/2/2021 7/29/2021
15 CCH Axcess Document 5/1/2021 7/22/2021
14 ONVIO Firm Management/Documents 5/1/2021 7/16/2021
13 AccountantsWorld Practice Relief 1/0/1900 7/7/2021
12 OfficeTools 4/2/2021 6/30/2021
11 Karbon 4/2/2021 6/23/2021
10 Jirav 3/12/2021 6/17/2021
9 Canopy Practice Management 4/2/2021 6/9/2021
8 Aero Workflow 4/2/2021 6/3/2021
7 Abrigo ProfitCents 3/12/2021 5/27/2021
6 Spotlight Reporting 2/23/2021 5/17/2021
5 Qvinci 3/12/2021 5/14/2021
4 Fathom 2/23/2021 4/29/2021
3 Sage Intacct 2/12/2021 4/23/2021
2 Xero 2/9/2021 4/15/2021
1 QuickBooks Online 2/12/2021 4/2/2021

Episodes Scheduled or Recorded Not Published

Recording Date Topic Seq Expected

Publication

4/3/2026 Usinig Generative AI Projects 997 Evergreen
7/2/2026 Hardware Hullabaloo 4 8/14/2026

See Also

Categories

source: https://wiki.cpate.ch/index.php/Podcast

LIBRECHAT: BEGINNER GUIDE; MASTERING YOUR OPEN-SOURCE AI INTERFACE; GETTING STARTED: Install & Setup, Add API Keys, Select AI Model; THE CORE MODELS: GPT-4, Claude 3 (Anthropic), Mistral (Meta), Mistral (7B), Llama 3 (Meta), Gemini Pro (Google), Grok (xAI), DeepSeek, Command R+; LOCAL & CLOUD, MULTI-MODEL ACCESS, PLUGINS, USER INTERFACE, FILE UPLOAD, BOLP UPLOUE, PRIVACY FOCUSED; OPEN-SOURCE, CUSTOMIZATION, API CONFIG, MODERATION, EASY INTERFACE, CROSS-PLATFORM.
Web/Tech

Maximize AI Efficiency with LibreChat

One of the best tools I’ve found for working with multiple AI models is LibreChat. While the tool is somewhat painful to set up, once you complete its configuration, it lets you have an AI chat session and switch models midstream without losing context. When combined with a OpenRouter API key (gives access to literally hundreds of AI models), you can try new models for your recurring workloads and select the ones which offer the best price/performance return on your investment in AI.

If you’re going to use it in an organization, your IT department can review the wiki, which includes this guide to help you install and configure it. I run it in a Debian 13 Docker host with 8GB RAM on my local box with HyperV, no GUI, and administer the environment with Portainer CE in a web browser – but that’s because I’ve a Debian devotee – it will run fine under pretty much any environment that can run Docker containers. Since my main box is the only real “beast” computer I have in my office/lab (64 GB RAM, Video card with 16 GB discrete RAM, a few dozen terabytes of storage), it’s the best place for me to run it in my environment. LibreChat is also compatible with local AI models like OpenLlama which you can run without the privacy and price concerns of the frontier models.

The easiest and most reliable way for beginners to install LibreChat is by using Docker Desktop, a free software tool that packages the entire application, its database, and all necessary dependencies into pre-configured virtual containers. To get started, download and install Docker Desktop and Git on your computer (available for Windows, macOS, and Linux). Once installed, ensure Docker Desktop is running in the background, open your computer’s terminal or command prompt, and run the command git clone https://github.com/danny-avila/LibreChat.git followed by cd LibreChat to download the official project files and navigate into the folder.

Next, you need to configure your environment settings and supply your AI model credentials. Inside the downloaded LibreChat directory, locate the file named .env.example, make a copy of it, and rename that copy to .env. Open this new .env file with any plain text editor (like Notepad or TextEdit). Here, you will paste your API keys for the AI providers you want to enable—such as OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, or an OPENROUTER_KEY (which gives you access to hundreds of models under one key). If you do not have commercial API keys yet, you can also configure it to connect to locally running open-source models using tools like Ollama.

Finally, you can launch the application with a single command: type docker compose up -d in your terminal and press Enter. Docker will automatically download the necessary image files, initialize the database, and start the LibreChat server in the background (this may take a few minutes on the first run). Once the process completes, open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3080. The first account you register on this welcome page will automatically become the system administrator, allowing you to manage users, customize settings, and immediately start chatting with your connected AI models.

I had LibreChat generate a beginners guide below. I hope it helps you.

A Beginner’s Guide to LibreChat

LibreChat is a free, open-source web interface that lets you chat with many different Artificial Intelligence (AI) models all in one place.

Think of it like a “universal remote” for AI: instead of logging into separate websites for ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), or locally hosted open-source models, LibreChat brings them all under a single, unified screen.

Part 1: Quick-Start Guide for New Users

1. The Interface Layout

When you log in, the screen looks very familiar if you have ever used ChatGPT:

  • Left Sidebar: Your chat history, search bar, and saved presets.
  • Top Header: The Model Selector dropdown (shows which AI engine is currently answering you).
  • Center / Chat Area: The conversation thread where responses and code appear.
  • Bottom Input Bar: Where you type prompts, attach files/images, and adjust settings.

2. How to Start a Conversation

[ Step 1: Select Model ]  ➔  [ Step 2: Set Preset (Optional) ]  ➔  [ Step 3: Type & Chat ]
  1. Pick your AI Model: Click the dropdown menu at the top of the chat (or in the input bar) to choose the engine you want to use (e.g., GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini 1.5 Pro, or a local Llama 3 model).
  2. Type your Prompt: Enter your question or task in the text box at the bottom.
  3. Press Enter (or click Send): The selected model will generate a response.

3. Key Features Every New User Should Know

  • Switch Models Mid-Conversation: You can ask a question to Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and for the very next question in the exact same chat, switch the dropdown to GPT-4o. The new model will read the prior context seamlessly.
  • Fork / Edit Messages: Click the pencil icon on any previous message to edit your prompt, or click the branch/fork icon to split your conversation into two different paths.
  • Presets & Custom Instructions: You can create custom personas (e.g., “Academic Research Assistant” or “Python Coding Tutor”) by saving system instructions, temperature (creativity level), and default models.
  • File & Image Uploads: If enabled by your administrator, click the Paperclip icon to upload PDFs, spreadsheets, or images for the model to analyze.

Part 2: How LibreChat Compares to Native AI Interfaces

(Native interfaces = chatgpt.com, claude.ai, gemini.google.com)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      NATIVE APPS                            │
│  (chatgpt.com, claude.ai)                                   │
│  • Single Provider Only      • Vendor-managed Data Storage  │
│  • $20/mo Flat Subs          • Native features (Voice/Canvas│
└──────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘
                               │
                       VS      │
                               ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                       LIBRECHAT                             │
│  • Multi-Model Aggregator    • Enterprise Data Privacy      │
│  • Direct API/Token Billing  • Local & Cloud Model Support  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. How LibreChat is SIMILAR to Native Interfaces

  • User Experience & Look-and-Feel: It uses a clean, modern UI with markdown formatting, syntax-highlighted code blocks, copy-paste buttons, and dark/light modes.
  • Conversational Memory: Like native apps, LibreChat keeps track of previous messages in the chat so you can ask follow-up questions.
  • Multimodal Abilities: You can chat with text, upload images for visual analysis, and parse documents (PDFs, text files) just like in native apps.
  • Exporting & Sharing: You can export chats to Markdown, text, or JSON files.

2. How LibreChat is DIFFERENT from Native Interfaces

FeatureNative Platforms (ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini)LibreChat
Model ChoiceLocked to one company: ChatGPT only gives you OpenAI models; Claude only gives you Anthropic.All-in-One: Access OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Meta (Llama), and local servers simultaneously.
Data Privacy & TrainingFree/standard accounts often use your chat data to train future models unless you opt out.Private by default: Connects via backend APIs or local servers where provider training is disabled (ideal for FERPA/HIPAA/Zero Trust).
Cost & Access ModelUsually requires a $20/month subscription per provider (e.g., $20 for ChatGPT Plus + $20 for Claude Pro = $40/mo).Centralized / Pay-per-use: Connects through organization API keys (e.g., OpenRouter or Azure) where users only pay fractions of a cent per prompt.
Switching EnginesYou cannot change models once a chat is started across different providers.Instant Model Hotswapping: Compare how Claude vs. GPT-4o answers the exact same question in the same window.
Proprietary FeaturesHas platform-specific tools (e.g., ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode, GPT Store, or Artifacts in Claude).Focuses on standard chat, prompt templates, and API tools; might lack vendor-specific proprietary experimental UI gadgets.
Hosting & ControlHosted entirely on commercial cloud servers (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic).Can be hosted on-campus / locally inside a private data center to keep data inside the university/enterprise network.

Summary: Why Use LibreChat?

  • Flexibility: You are never locked into one AI vendor. When a new, superior model comes out (whether from Google, Anthropic, or an open-source community), it can be added instantly without creating new user accounts.
  • Security & Privacy: Because it operates through enterprise API endpoints, conversations can be protected under strict privacy guidelines, meeting university compliance standards.
  • Cost Efficiency: Instead of buying separate $20/month subscriptions for every student or employee across three different websites, a single LibreChat instance allows an organization to pool and manage access centrally.

So, what models are you using? I’ve been experimenting with many different ones, and am finding that Gemini’s flash models seem to be both economical and effective. What are you using these days?

AI, Technology, Web/Tech

10 Essential Prompts for Accountants to Boost Productivity

I’m starting a series to help accounting professionals learn more about how to write prompts. This is the first one – it’s ten prompts to help you with your work. While some of these would be better categorized as tools for administrative tasks (I’m thinking of items 3-7 in this list), they all help professionals get “unstuck” and makes it easier to get more done by automating the first draft of ministerial tasks. I hope you find this helpful, and if you would like more content like this, please sign up for my newsletter using the form at the bottom of this post.

#ScenarioObjective (with Deliverable Type)Full Prompt
1Explaining new tax rules to clientsCommunicate complex tax updates clearly (client email)You are a CPA advising a small business owner. Draft a clear, professional email explaining the implications of the new Section 179 expensing rules, including examples, phaseouts, and recommended year-end equipment purchases.
2Summarizing financial statementsTranslate financial data into client-friendly insights (summary report)You are an accounting advisor. Summarize this client’s income statement and balance sheet (paste data) into plain English, focusing on trends, profitability, liquidity, and key takeaways for non-financial readers.
3Proposal for servicesPresent advisory offerings professionally (proposal document)You are a CPA firm partner preparing a proposal. Draft a detailed proposal for monthly accounting and advisory services for a new client, including scope, deliverables, timelines, and pricing tiers.
4Client onboardingStandardize client intake process (checklist)You are a firm administrator. Develop a step-by-step onboarding checklist for new clients that covers engagement letters, data access, software setup, compliance, and initial financial review.
5Engagement letter draftingEnsure clarity and compliance (engagement letter template)You are a CPA drafting a service engagement letter. Write a professional engagement letter template for bookkeeping and advisory services, referencing AICPA ethical standards and scope limitations.
6Year-end client meeting prepPrepare discussion materials (talking points memo)You are a client relationship manager. Draft talking points for a year-end meeting summarizing performance, tax strategy opportunities, and areas for process improvement.
7Measuring client satisfactionAssess and improve service quality (survey form)You are a firm manager. Create a detailed client satisfaction survey focused on communication, timeliness, accuracy, and overall value of accounting services.
8Executive summariesConvert detailed financials into highlights (executive summary)You are a CPA presenting to management. Summarize the client’s quarterly financial performance into 5 key bullet points with supporting commentary and suggested next steps.
9Missing documents follow-upEncourage client action politely (follow-up email)You are a tax professional following up with a client. Draft a friendly but firm email requesting missing tax documents, including a checklist and submission deadline.
10Discussing cash flow challengesGuide clients through financial stress (meeting script)You are a financial advisor. Write a meeting script for discussing cash flow problems with a small business client, including causes, solutions, and cash management strategies.

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CPA Practice Advisor, Podcast, Technology

Updated Podcast Episode Listing (10/25/2025)

Podcast Episode Tracking

Here’s a table which lists the podcast episodes for the last couple of years.  This links to the YouTube page, not to the CPAPA page, which is at cpate.ch/atl.  I hope you enjoy.

# Episode
ATL233 ATL233:
2025 CPAPA Tech Innovation Award Nominees (2/2)
ATL232 ATL232:
2025 CPAPA Tech Innovation Award Nominees (1/2)
ATL231 ATL231:
Mary Delaney, CEO, Karbon (Part 2/2) – AI
ATL230 ATL230:
Mary Delaney, CEO, Karbon (Part 1/2) – Industry, Tech
ATL229 ATL229:
Audit Sight
ATL228 ATL228:
2025 AICPA Blockchain Symposium
ATL227 ATL227:
What is Advisory?
ATL226 ATL226:
Audit Automation Solutions
ATL225 ATL225:
Zoho – SMX and Balance
ATL224 ATL224:
Agentic AI Developments, Summer 2025
ATL223 ATL223:
BlueJ
ATL222 ATL222:
Ricoh 2500
ATL221 ATL221:
AI Regulation Update
ATL220 ATL220:
Small Business Accounting Innovations 1H 2025
ATL219 ATL219:
AI Tax Developments 1H 2025
ATL218 ATL218:
AI Auditing Innovations 1H 2025
ATL217 ATL217:
Talent Shortage
ATL216 ATL216:
Scaling New Heights 2025 – AI Observations
ATL215 ATL215:
Scaling New Heights Show Floor
ATL214 ATL214:
Scaling New Heights 2025 Overview
ATL213 ATL213:
Key OBBBA Tax Changes
ATL212 ATL212:
AICPA ENGAGE 2025 Show Floor
ATL211 ATL211:
Accounting Leaders Think Tank Symposium 2025
ATL210 ATL210:
Microsoft Bookings
ATL209 ATL209:
AICPA ENGAGE 2025
ATL208 ATL208:
Microsoft Forms
ATL207 ATL207:
Power Automate
ATL206 ATL206:
CPAPA Readers Choice Awards
ATL205 ATL205:
Excel 40th Anniversary
ATL204 ATL204:
AICPA/CPA.com Startup Accelerator 2025
ATL203 ATL203:
AICPA/CPA.com AI Symposium
ATL202 ATL202:
Elizabeth Beastrom – TR
ATL201 ATL201:
Microsoft 50th Anniversary
ATL200 ATL200:
Safesend
ATL199 ATL199:
Brian Weiner – Family Office Resource Group
ATL198 ATL198:
Family Office Fundamentals
ATL197 ATL197:
CryptoCurrency Reserve
ATL196 ATL196:
End User Tech 1Q 2025
ATL195 ATL195:
Zoho For Firms: Practice, Payroll, Books, and Invoice
ATL194 ATL194:
Zoho’s Platform for Finance and Operations
ATL193 ATL193:
AI in Practice: Zoho One
ATL192 ATL192:
AI in Practice: Acumatica ERP
ATL191 ATL191:
Payroll Solutions
ATL190 ATL190:
CES 2025: Personal Tech
ATL189 ATL189:
CES 2025: ShowStoppers/Pepcom
ATL188 ATL188:
CES 2025: Award Winners
ATL187 ATL187:
Intuit Enterprise Suite
ATL186 ATL186:
Apxium
ATL185 ATL185:
2025 Predictions
ATL184 ATL184:
Intuit QuickBooks Connect
ATL183 ATL183:
homson Reuters Synergy 2024
ATL182 ATL182:
CCH Connections
ATL181 ATL181:
blue J
ATL180 ATL180:
Hubsync
ATL179 ATL179:
Soraban (PBC Tax Product)
ATL178 ATL178:
Tax GPT
ATL177 ATL177:
Liscio
ATL176 ATL176:
Syft Analytics
ATL175 ATL175:
Time Credit
ATL174 ATL174:
AI Privacy Laws and Regulations
ATL173 ATL173:
Software licensing and privacy
ATL172 ATL172:
2024 Tax & Accounting Awards
ATL171 ATL171:
Supervizor
ATL170 ATL170:
Aider
ATL169 ATL169:
Thomson Reuters Edge CoCounsel
ATL168 ATL168:
Wolters Kluwer T&A AnswerConnect
ATL167 ATL167:
ChatGPT and Copilot Prompting
ATL166 ATL166:
CYMA and CYMA Payroll
ATL165 ATL165:
SuiteFiles
ATL164 ATL164:
Canopy
ATL163 ATL163:
BQE Core
ATL162 ATL162:
Knuula and QuickFee
ATL161 ATL161:
CPA Practice Advisor Mashup
ATL160 ATL160:
Quickbooks Price Increases
ATL159 ATL159:
AICPA ENGAGE 2024
ATL158 ATL158:
Laurel
ATL157 ATL157:
Black Ore Tax Autopilot
ATL156 ATL156:
SayAnchor – Tal
ATL155 ATL155:
Artificial IntelligenceGENCY / LLM’s Passing the CPA Exam
ATL154 ATL154:
MakersHub.ai
ATL153 ATL153:
Digilence
ATL152 ATL152:
Datamatics
ATL151 ATL151:
AssurancePrep
ATL150 ATL150:
Aiwyn
ATL149 ATL149:
Rahul Mahna, Outsourced IT, Eisner Advisory
ATL148 ATL148:
CPAPA TLS 2024
ATL147 ATL147:
SOBusiness Intelligence Analytics
ATL146 ATL146:
FedNow
ATL145 ATL145:
Microsoft 365 Plans and Options
ATL144 ATL144:
StanfordTax
ATL143 ATL143:
QuickBooks Desktop Discontinuance
ATL142 ATL142:
Zoho Analyst Day 2024
ATL141 ATL141:
Oracle NetSuite Influencer Event 2024
ATL140 ATL140:
Acumatica Summit 2024
ATL139 ATL139:
CES 2024: Personal Tech
ATL138 ATL138:
CES 2024: Innovation Awards
ATL137 ATL137:
CES 2024: Best Tech for Accountants
Web/Tech

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.

Web/Tech

Podcast Update
The Technology Lab – Episode Tracking
Latest Episodes Available at https://cpate.ch/podcast
Broadcast Date Product LandPage Direct Product Link Type S E S-Ep Seq Ep#
4/2/2021 QuickBooks Online Landing Page Direct Link Product Link SMB Accounting 1 1 101 1
4/15/2021 Xero Landing Page Direct Link Product Link SMB Accounting 1 2 102 2
4/23/2021 Sage Intacct Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Midmarket Accounting/CAS 1 3 103 3
4/29/2021 Fathom Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Financial Reporting 1 4 104 4
5/14/2021 Qvinci Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Financial Reporting 1 5 105 5
5/17/2021 Spotlight Reporting Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Financial Reporting 1 6 106 6
5/27/2021 Abrigo ProfitCents Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Benchmarking 1 7 107 7
6/3/2021 Aero Workflow Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 8 108 8
6/9/2021 Canopy Practice Management Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 9 109 9
6/17/2021 Jirav Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Business Intelligence 1 10 110 10
6/23/2021 Karbon Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 11 111 11
6/30/2021 OfficeTools Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt./Document Mgt. 1 12 112 12
7/7/2021 AccountantsWorld Practice Relief Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 13 113 13
7/16/2021 ONVIO Firm Management/Documents Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Document Mgt 1 14 114 14
7/22/2021 CCH Axcess Document Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Document Mgt 1 15 115 15
7/29/2021 Clarity Practice Management Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 16 116 16
8/6/2021 TPS Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 17 117 17
8/23/2021 ProConnect Tax Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Tax 1 18 118 18
8/31/2021 Corvee Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Tax/Advisory 1 19 119 19
9/1/2021 Drake Tax Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Tax 1 20 120 20
9/24/2021 Ledgible Tax Pro Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Tax/Cryptocurrency 1 21 121 21
10/1/2021 IRIS STAR Practice Management Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Practice Mgt. 1 22 122 22
10/15/2021 eFileCabinet Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Document Mgt 1 23 123 23
10/20/2021 AccountantsWorld Payroll Relief Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 24 124 24
10/29/2021 Simplex Financials/PATH Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Financial Reporting 1 25 125 25
11/5/2021 AccountantsWorld Cloud Cabinet Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Document Mgt 1 26 126 26
11/11/2021 NetSuite Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Midmarket Accounting 1 27 127 27
11/15/2021 Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 28 128 28
11/22/2021 Spire Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Midmarket Accounting 1 29 129 29
12/2/2021 AccountantsWorld Accounting Power Landing Page Direct Link Product Link CAS 1 30 130 30
12/5/2021 Rippling Payroll Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 31 131 31
12/5/2021 Lucion FileCenter Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Document Mgt 1 32 132 32
1/7/2022 Corpay One Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Accounts Payable 1 33 133 33
1/13/2022 OnPay Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 34 134 34
1/18/2022 Intuit Payroll Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 35 135 35
1/26/2022 Gusto Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 36 136 36
2/4/2022 Paychex Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Payroll 1 37 137 37
2/8/2022 Caseware Working Papers Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 1 38 138 38
2/8/2022 Dynamics 365 Business Central Landing Page Direct Link Product Link MMkt 1 39 139 39
2/10/2022 Thomson Reuters AdvanceFlow Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 1 40 140 40
3/4/2022 Computer Hardware/CES Landing Page Direct Link   Hardware 1 41 141 41
3/11/2022 IRIS/AccountantsWorld Part 1 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Guest 1 42 142 42
3/11/2022 IRIS/AccountantsWorld Part 2 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Guest 1 43 143 43
3/23/2022 LivePlan (Palo Alto) Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Budgeting/Forecasting 1 44 144 44
3/29/2022 Thought Leadership Part 1 Landing Page Direct Link   Commentary 1 45 145 45
3/29/2022 Thought Leadership Part 2 Landing Page Direct Link   Commentary 1 46 146 46
4/12/2022 Pascal Workflow Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Workflow 2 1 201 47
4/22/2022 Suralink Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Portal 2 2 202 48
4/28/2022 Inflo (Inflo Workpapers) Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 2 3 203 49
5/5/2022 Avalara Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Sales Tax 2 4 204 50
5/12/2022 Liscio Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Portal 2 5 205 51
5/20/2022 BizEKG from 4Impact Data Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Business Intelligence 2 6 206 52
5/26/2022 Calendly Meeting Scheduler Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 7 207 53
6/2/2022 CPA Firm Software Tech 2022 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Commentary 2 8 208 54
6/2/2022 CPA Firm Tech 2022 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Commentary 2 9 209 55
6/24/2022 Audit Miner Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 2 10 210 56
6/29/2022 Rewind Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 11 211 57
7/8/2022 Uncat Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 12 212 58
7/10/2022 Zoho Expense Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Expense Reporting 2 13 213 59
7/22/2022 Auvenir Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 2 14 214 60
7/28/2022 Fieldguide Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 2 15 215 61
8/6/2022 Gilded Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Accounting/Cryptocurrency 2 16 216 62
8/6/2022 BacoTech/Once Accounting Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 17 217 63
8/18/2022 Zenwork/Tax1099 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Year End 2 18 218 64
8/24/2022 QuickBooks Desktop Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Accounting 2 19 219 65
8/25/2022 nettTracker Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Close Books 2 20 220 66
9/5/2022 Tallyfor Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Tax 2 21 221 67
9/13/2022 Xenett Autoreview Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Close Books 2 22 222 68
9/21/2022 Desktime Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 23 223 69
9/26/2022 DoMore CRM Landing Page Direct Link Product Link CRM 2 24 224 70
10/5/2022 WeIntegrate Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 25 225 71
10/5/2022 PlanGuru Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Tax Planning 2 26 226 72
10/19/2022 Dext Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Data Extraction 2 27 227 73
10/19/2022 Doc-IT by IRIS Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Document Mgt 2 28 228 74
11/3/2022 e-Courier Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Portal 2 29 229 75
11/9/2022 Knuula Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 30 230 76
11/17/2022 SmartVault Landing Page Direct Link Product Link DM 2 31 231 77
11/23/2022 Zoho Invoice Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Accounting 2 32 232 78
12/1/2022 Backup Strategies for SOHO Landing Page Direct Link N/A Backup 2 33 233 79
12/7/2022 CData Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 34 234 80
1/6/2023 Conferences 2022 (CCH/TR) Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 2 35 235 81
1/12/2023 Bill Landing Page Direct Link Product Link AP 2 36 236 82
1/19/2023 Booxkeeping/Max Emma Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Outsourcing 2 37 237 83
1/25/2023 FileThis Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 38 238 84
2/2/2023 Hubdoc Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 39 239 85
2/9/2023 LEO Satellites Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Hardware 2 40 240 86
2/14/2023 Validis Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 41 241 87
2/22/2023 Zapier Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 2 42 242 88
3/1/2023 FreshBooks Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Accounting 2 43 243 89
3/5/2023 CES 2023: Meeting Tech Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 2 44 244 90
3/7/2023 CES 2023: New Standards Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 2 45 245 91
3/8/2023 CES 2023: Industrial Tech Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 2 46 246 92
3/9/2023 CES 2023: Firm Tech (Four Episodes) Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 2 47 247 93
3/9/2023 CES 2023: Evolving Tech Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 2 48 248 94
3/16/2023 Valid8 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit 2 49 249 95
3/23/2023 Acumatica Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Accounting 2 50 250 96
3/30/2023 FloQast Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Close Management 2 51 251 97
4/7/2023 Zoho Data Prep Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 3 1 301 98
4/11/2023 MS Power Query Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 3 2 302 99
4/11/2023 Recap of 2023 TLS Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 3 3 303 100
4/25/2023 Data Wrangling Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Utilities 3 4 304 101
5/11/2023 ChatGPT and Accounting Firms Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Artificial Intelligence 3 5 305 102
5/17/2023 MS AI: Bing, MS365 CoPilot, MS Designer Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Artificial Intelligence 3 6 306 103
5/23/2023 Dall-E, MS Designer (Brian Livingston Competitors) Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Artificial Intelligence 3 7 307 104
5/30/2023 AI Results: Truthiness/Hallucinations Landing Page Direct Link N/A Artificial Intelligence 3 8 308 105
6/8/2023 Large Language Models Landing Page Direct Link N/A Artificial Intelligence 3 9 309 106
6/13/2023 Data Snipper Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit Utilities 3 10 310 107
6/21/2023 AICPA ENGAGE 2023 Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Trends 3 11 311 108
6/29/2023 Audit Tech Trends Landing Page Direct Link N/A Trends 3 12 312 109
7/6/2023 Tech Governance Landing Page Direct Link N/A Trends 3 13 313 110
7/12/2023 Outsourcing for Tax & Accounting Firms Landing Page Direct Link N/A Commentary 3 14 314 111
7/18/2023 Scaling New Heights 2023 Recap Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Trends 3 15 315 112
7/28/2023 Verizon Data Breach Report Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Security 3 16 316 113
8/4/2023 Audit Technology/Jeff Gramlich Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Guest 3 17 317 114
8/11/2023 AFOT Survey Landing Page Direct Link Product Link AFOT Survey 3 18 318 115
8/16/2023 FTC Safeguards Rule/IRS 4557 Landing Page Direct Link N/A Security 3 19 319 116
8/23/2023 Bookkeep / Jason Richelson Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Guest 3 20 320 117
8/31/2023 Microsoft CoPilot Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Commentary – AI 3 21 321 118
9/7/2023 Security Risks in New World Landing Page Direct Link N/A Security 3 22 322 119
9/12/2023 Audit Sight Landing Page Direct Link Product Link Audit Utilities 3 23 323 120
9/14/2023 Keeping Up With Technology Landing Page Direct Link N/A General 3 24 324 121

Randy Johnston and I are about half way through the third season of our podcast called The Technology Lab for the CPA Practice Advisor. We’ve had a lot of good conversations over the 121 episodes we’ve published so far. A summary of those episodes appears below.

Web/Tech

ChatGPT 4 Explains AI Concepts

Generative Artificial Intelligence – AI that creates detailed responses – has captured the zeitgeist of the world in 2023. We’ve been hearing all about AI in the press for the last few months… so I asked ChatGPT-4, the leading generative AI tool in the market today, to explain some AI concepts to acccounting professionals. Here’s its response.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving field that focuses on creating intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. For accounting professionals, understanding AI concepts can be essential to staying ahead in an increasingly technology-driven industry. In this brief overview, we will introduce key AI concepts and discuss their potential applications in accounting.

Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI that enables computers to learn from data and make decisions or predictions without explicit programming. ML algorithms can identify patterns, trends, and relationships within large data sets, making them particularly useful in the accounting domain. For example, ML can be used for fraud detection by analyzing patterns in transaction data to identify suspicious activities.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is another AI subfield, focusing on enabling computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language. NLP can help automate tasks such as document analysis, contract review, and client communication. For instance, an AI-powered chatbot can assist clients with tax inquiries or provide real-time assistance during audits.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) involves using software robots to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks. RPA can be particularly useful in streamlining accounting processes, such as invoice processing, data entry, and account reconciliation. By automating these tasks, accounting professionals can focus on more strategic and value-added activities.

In the near future, AI may help automate even more complex tasks, such as financial forecasting and risk assessment. By analyzing historical financial data and market trends, AI algorithms could provide more accurate predictions and enable better decision-making.

In conclusion, AI has the potential to significantly transform the accounting profession by automating repetitive tasks, improving efficiency, and enabling more strategic decision-making. As an accounting professional, it is crucial to stay informed about these emerging technologies and adapt to the changing landscape. Embracing AI can not only enhance your productivity but also help you stay competitive in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Response from ChatGPT-4 to the query in the image above
Web/Tech

The Technology Lab

The COVID-19 Pandemic brought a lot of changes to my world – my whirlwind travel schedule abruptly came to a screeching halt, I got much better at teaching virtually (over a hundred virtual seminars and conferences), I started keeping bees, and my friend and mentor Randy Johnston and I started a podcast called “The Technology Lab” for CPA Practice Advisor. This post will provide some background on The Technology Lab and will also categorize some of the past episodes.

Why Did You Do A Podcast?

One of the first questions many people asked is, “why did you do a podcast?” The answer is actually pretty simple – the accounting community needs credible expert advice on software selection. Randy and I spend a lot of time together on the road, and we were speaking at dinner one night after a conference about how practitioners can learn more about software for their firms. We were both struck by how few credible reviews were created, and the low wordcount on those reviews made it difficult to learn the major things you want to learn when making a purchase decision – what the product is designed to do, what it costs, where it integrates, how it works, and the good, the bad, and (most importantly) the ugly.

What’s The Podcast Format?

The podcast is a 10-20 minute discussion between Randy and me about a single topic. That topic is commonly a software product/solution, but it can also be an interview, a discussion of important trends, or what we learned at a conference or other event. We try to keep things at the practical level – while we may mention technical topics like encryption or blockchain, but we know our audience neither wants nor needs to have a detailed review of the different algorithms/methodologies used to provide either of these technical topics. As my friend Gary Boomer is wont to say, “You don’t have to know how to build a watch in order to be able to tell time,” and our goal is to help you learn some of what you need to know about products and trends in accounting technology.

What Topics Have You Covered In The Past?

Web/Tech

Short Links

Welcome to my short links server, CPATE.CH. If you’re receiving this page, it’s likely because the page linked in the message is no longer there. If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out via e-mail or via the socials.

Web/Tech

Launch of the 7th Annual Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The accounting profession’s first and only national, independent premier benchmark survey for practicing accounting, tax and bookkeeping professionals

December 6, 2019 – Hutchinson, Kansas and Knoxville, Tennessee – Randy Johnston, Chairman Emeritus, Network Management Group, Inc. and Brian Tankersley, President of Adept Practices, Inc., announce the launch of the 7th Annual Accounting Firm Operations and Technology (AFOT) Survey.  The AFOT Survey will remain open through February 15, 2020.  The survey results eBook, to be released in April 2020, will continue to remain a free resource delivered to practicing accounting, tax and bookkeeping professionals who complete the survey.

“We are always pleased to understand the technology in use by CPA firms across the United States. The survey provides operational information to CPA Firm Leading or Managing Partners while revealing new trends,” said Johnston.  The AFOT Survey continues to lead the profession as the nation’s most valid and complete, professional and insightful presentation of data impacting decisions being made centered on technology budget spend, software adoption and practice management. “I’ve learned something of note every year of the survey,” continued Johnston.

*** Take the survey now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AFOTS7  ***

The 7th Annual Survey eBook will feature a familiar design, trend lines and consultative commentary from Johnston and Tankersley.  “The survey’s validity is hugely important to us; we take this aspect seriously due to critical operational and technology decisions being made by practitioners based on the trend lines our survey reveals,” said Tankersley. “This survey is the premier benchmarking tool for practitioners nationally.”

Facts about the 7th Annual AFOT Survey

  • Take the survey, get the $495 Survey results eBook, FREE OF CHARGE.
  • 91 multiple choice survey questions.
  • 30 minutes is the average amount of time required to complete the survey.
  • Only one survey respondent per firm is required; the survey respondent will receive the AFOT Survey eBook via email on or before April 15, 2020.
  • Who is the best person to take the survey in your firm? The person most familiar with operations, practice management and technology and how decisions in the firm are made.
  • Survey areas include:
    • Demographics
    • Practice Management
    • Technology Management
    • Operating Systems
    • Computer Hardware
    • Application Software
    • File and Data Storage/Management
    • Remote Access/Internet/Telecommunications
    • Technology Spending, Decision-making
    • Annoyances and Trends

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 About the Principals

Randy Johnston is Chairman Emeritus of Network Management Group, Inc. (NMGI), a company he helped to create in 1983. Johnston is renowned throughout North America for consultation he provides on CPA Firm on their operations and technology, while also serving hundreds of CPA firms by proactively managing their technology.  Johnston provides insight and guidance for firms of all sizes interested in growth, profitability, mergers and acquisition.

Brian Tankersley, CPA,CITP, CGMA is President of Adept Practices, Inc.  Tankersley is a consultant, an author, and a speaker who specializes in accounting technology issues.  Tankersley has spoken in 48 US states, and three Canadian provinces, and writes for major accounting press outlets including CPA Practice Advisor and AccountingWeb.  He is also a faculty member for Yaeger CPA Review and K2 Enterprises.

Press Contact:

Brian Tankersley, +1 865-684-4707 or brian@adeptpractices.com