Josh Aharonoff, CPA

I recently chatted with a software developer who bought an accounting firm, doubled it's size within a year, but said he wish he'd known these things: 1. The Technical Debt Runs Deep Modernization of tech was a much bigger lift than expected. Most firms run across a huge number of disparate tools (some even run on paper). The scale of cleanup required before automation became possible was staggering. 2. Change Management Is a Beast Changing systems was one challenge. Getting people to change how they work? That's a whole other monster to navigate. They quickly realized introducing new tools or workflows wasn't the challenge, convincing the team to actually adopt them was. 3. Marketing Was the Biggest (and Easiest) Win The most actionable insight for other firms: the biggest ROI didn’t come from tech or operations, it came from sales and positioning. They clearly defined who the firm served, did some simple outreach and nearly doubled the firm’s recurring revenue within a year. 4. Modernization Is Personal, Not Just Procedural Changing workflows messed with people's identities. For many accountants, their process is their profession. Shifting it is emotionally loaded and often interpreted as a judgment of their competency. Buying the firm turned out to be a people problem more than a process problem. I love seeing non-accountants come into our space. While they come with a host of blindspots, we have our own as well. More background on this convo + another discussion with a non-accountant who has rolled up several firms now, linked below

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You’re getting ripped off on tax prep fees. Imagine your S-Corp is ready to branch out, and you want to invest in a new business. → You could just set up another LLC or S-Corp, whichever is right. → But there’s a smarter play: the Q-Sub (Qualified Subchapter S Subsidiary). Here’s why: → 100% ownership, single tax return → When your S-Corp owns 100% of a subsidiary, it can elect Q-Sub status. → The Q-Sub files nothing separately – all income, deductions, and credits flow through to the parent S-Corp’s return, save on tax prep fees & less paperwork. → Just check Question 10 on Schedule B of your 1120-S and include all Q-Sub financials on the parent return. → This will pay off if you are in a Q-Sub friendly state, & you have good books, & you have multiple legit qualifying S-Corps, run through one parent S-Corp filing. But not all states play nice → Some states let you consolidate like the IRS. Others want their piece, requiring separate returns. → Friendly States (no separate Q-Sub tax return): FL, TX, SD, WY, WA, NV, AK, MT. → Not So Friendly States (separate returns required): NY, NJ, CA, IL, MA, MN, TN, WI. So before you jump into a new venture, know your state’s rules – or it could cost you. Because here’s the thing: → Setting up a Q-Sub is just the beginning. → If you really want to layer your tax advantages, protect assets, and create a whole new stream of deductible income, there’s an even smarter move almost no one talks about. → In the next post, I’ll show you how self-renting your own property through a layered entity strategy can unlock powerful deductions and keep your money working for you, & not the IRS. Stay tuned. ♻️ RESHARE this post to help others avoid unnecessary tax traps!

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Most business owners think the LLC is the strategy. It’s not. An LLC is a powerful tool for asset protection and tax planning, but it only works when it’s part of the right structure. The wealthy use different types of LLCs for specific purposes—holding companies to protect rentals and investments, operational LLCs to separate business income and liability, S Corp LLCs to reduce self-employment tax, partnership LLCs to protect against partner risk, COPE entities to add a legal firewall, and IRA LLCs to invest retirement funds in real estate or private deals. When structured right, these entities work together to protect assets, create tax flexibility, and build lasting wealth.

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As a financial advisor, do you want to deliver a great experience for your clients? Did you know that depends a lot more on the service providers you partner with to service your 401(k) clients that you might think? Partnering with the right compliance administrator for your 401(k) plan clients can make your life easier. It can enhance your relationship with your clients. The right TPA will be your teammate and your early warning system. How do you find the right compliance administrator? How do you find a TPA who doesn't just do their job but helps you do yours better? A group of compliance administrators who are members of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries partnered with a financial advisor who focuses on servicing retirement plans and is a member the National Association of Plan Advisors, #ASPPA's sister organization, to develop the TPA/Compliance Administration Assessment Tool. This tool is the perfect example of the American Retirement Association's sister organizations coming together to help each other and develop something that can help all of the members of the #ARA including the members of the Plan Sponsor Council of America. This is truly collaboration at its finest and for the betterment of the entire industry. Check it out. Use it. Tell us what you think about it. How can we make it more useful for you? Learn more below. John Sullivan Nevin Adams Joey Santos-Jones Will Hansen Mary Patch, QKA, CPFA Amanda Iverson, CPA, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, APM Chad Johansen Mickie Murphy, ERPA, CPC, QPA, QKC Eric Dyson, ERISA Advisor Search, Keynote Speaker, Jania Stout Jeanne Sutton, CFP®, CPFA, MBA Jean Duffy, AIFA®, CPFA® Nicole Corning, CFP®, CRPC®, AIF® Renee Scherzer JD Carlson Tony Davis Mike Webb Bradley Bartells, CPA Michael Kushner, AIF®,CPFA®,NQPA™ Lisa (Garcia) Drake, CPFA, AIF® Alicia Malcolm J. J. McKinney Missy Matrangola, Esquire, QKA, QPA Marjorie Mann Brandon Diersch Patricia Wenzel, CFP®, C(k)P®, CPFA®, CRPC™ Diane Garwood, SHRM-SCP, CPSP Lindsey Dietz Tracy Shaw Sharon Gottula Lynn Young NTSA - National Tax-Deferred Savings Association #401k #TPA #retirement #advisors #NAPA #ASPPA #NTSA #PSCA #ASEA #ARA

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Your bookkeeper sends reports, and you don’t read them? (No, it’s not because you’re "bad with numbers") Whenever I talk to founders, I hear the same. "I get the reports, but… I’m not using them." Here’s the truth: that has nothing to do with you. Usually, the reports you get are written for accountants. Not for business owners. → Full of jargon. → No clear action points,  → Not connected to your business KPIs That’s a problem. Numbers are only useful if they guide decisions. 𝗜𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: → Which services are making/losing money? → What’s silently draining my cash? → Can I afford that new hire? → What’s my runway? If your reports don’t answer these questions. They’re not giving you clarity. They’re simply noise. Good bookkeeping → translate numbers into decisions. Bad one → makes you say "I'm bad with numbers." --- Ana 𝗣.𝗦. What’s more valuable in a report: clarity or timing? 👇

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Your clients don’t just want tax returns.    They want help growing their business.     Processing numbers isn’t enough. If you want to be valued, you need to be valuable.     I spoke with a business owner recently. He’s doing close to $1M in profit — and told me this:     “I don’t feel like my accountant adds real value. He does the basics, but I’m always chasing him. I don’t feel like he’s helping me grow.”     And here’s the kicker…     He wasn’t complaining about tax.    He was paying 30%, which is pretty solid in Australia.     What he wanted was someone to tell him:     “Yes, this is the right structure.”     “Here’s how you reduce risk and scale faster.”     “Let me show you what the next level could look like.”     He didn’t need more compliance.    He needed confidence, clarity, and leadership.     Stop showing up as the “tax person” or “bookkeeper” — you’re playing small.    Especially when you already have the insight to advise at a higher level.     The shift from processor to proactive advisor starts with one simple mindset change:     Stop thinking about what your client asks for.    Start delivering what they actually need.     That’s how you become indispensable. That’s how you add real value.     If you're not having strategic conversations with your best clients…    they’ll eventually find someone who will. 

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🚨 Small Business Owners – Still wondering if switching to an S-Corp is the right move for you? You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions we get from service-based entrepreneurs looking to optimize their tax situation. Shannon Riley, CPA just dropped a super helpful breakdown on the blog that walks through when it actually makes sense to elect S-Corp status—and when it doesn’t. 💡 No fluff. Just straight talk about what matters: ✔️ How S-Corps affect your taxes ✔️ The salary vs. distributions balance ✔️ Who it’s actually right for ✔️ Common mistakes to avoid If you’ve been hearing “You should be an S-Corp!” from every corner of the internet, take a moment to cut through the noise and get a clear, professional perspective you can trust. 👉 Check out the NEW blog below. Have you already made the S-Corp switch? What was your biggest takeaway—or surprise? Drop it in the comments. 👇 We’d love to hear what your experience has been.

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Can we talk about this new trend of offering “controller” roles at $10 to $25 an hour? I’ve seen a few listings recently, and I genuinely have to ask: Do people really think that’s what a controller is worth? Let’s be honest—$10/hour isn’t even close to market for the role and responsibilities of a true controller or even an accountant for that matter! That kind of rate would not even get your entry- level. If you're budgeting like this for your finance function, you should also expect the quality and insight to match. A good controller is a strategic partner—not a data entry clerk. You can’t outsource leadership and decision-making on the cheap. And if you try, the cost will show up elsewhere—in your reporting, in your cash flow, and eventually in your bottom line. Thoughts?? #FinanceLeadership #ControllerRole #KnowYourWorth #FractionalCFO #OutsourcedAccounting #BusinessFinance #SmartHiring #StrategicFinance

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𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. Most people chase volume. 📍 More leads. 📍 More projects. 📍 More revenue. But real business growth isn’t just about adding more. It’s about making what you already have work better. The smartest businesses don’t scale chaos. They slow down. Fix what’s broken. And build systems that don’t need constant supervision. 📌 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: → A sales process that runs without 10 follow-ups → Clients onboarded in days, not weeks → Payments that don’t need chasing → Deliverables that don’t rely on memory → A team that doesn’t wait for instructions, they move with clarity This isn’t loud growth. It doesn’t show up in vanity metrics. But it shows up in margins. In peace of mind. In consistency. More isn’t always better. Better is better. And that’s the kind of growth that lasts.

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