The Accounting Podcast

What does the Republican midterm defeat mean for your clients’ taxes? Blake and David break down divided government, state tax ballot results, and the outlook for IRS reforms. They also examine rising AI bills and why copying chatbot answers can undermine client trust. Plus, Pilot CEO and co-founder Jessica McKellar explains how Meridian automates month-end close—and why aligning pricing and employee incentives matters before adopting AI.

Sponsors
Canopy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/canopy
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Pilot - http://accountingpodcast.promo/pilot
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas

Chapters
(00:00) - AI Accountant Dilemma

(00:39) - Miami Conference Check In

(01:14) - Sales Reframing Tactics

(02:54) - Election Preview And Sponsors

(05:00) - Midterm Results Breakdown

(06:54) - State Tax Ballot Measures

(10:46) - IRS Tax Gap And TAS Act

(13:14) - Why Voters Revolted On Costs

(21:55) - Surging AI Costs At Firms

(25:28) - AI Bubble And Token Economics

(29:19) - AI As Chief Of Staff

(31:37) - When AI Beats Payroll

(34:05) - Tweet Returns Human Value

(34:49) - AI Replies Backlash

(35:51) - Review Before You Send

(38:39) - Meridian Pitch Explained

(40:27) - Pilot Origin Story

(43:30) - Why Sell To Firms

(48:27) - What Meridian Does

(54:35) - Hard Won AI Lessons

(01:01:01) - A Month With Meridian

(01:07:23) - Wrap Up And CPE

 

Show Notes
Democrats win the US House and Senate as voters deliver a strong rebuke to Trump and Republicans
https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/11/democrats-win-the-us-house-and-senate-as-voters-deliver-a-strong-rebuke-to-trump-and-republicans/
President Trump responds to huge Democratic wins in races across the country
https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/11/04/president-trump-responds-to-huge-democratic-wins-in-races-across-the-country/
The Latest: Democrats win control of Congress (Johnson won’t seek reelection as House Republican leader)
https://clickondetroit.com/news/politics/2026/11/03/the-latest-voters-will-decide-control-of-congress-in-major-test-of-trumps-second-term
California voters reject Prop 40, a measure to tax the wealth of billionaires
https://abc11.com/post/california-voters-reject-prop-40-measure-tax-wealth-billionaires/20028513/
Washington voters embracing income tax on high earners
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/washington-voters-embracing-income-tax-high-earners
How Tax Policy Fared on the Ballot in 2026
https://taxfoundation.org/blog/how-tax-policy-fared-2026-ballot/
Democrats press IRS for tax gap accounting after midterm election
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/democrats-press-irs-for-tax-gap-accounting-after-midterm-election
Tax pros push for House passage of TAS Act by end of year
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/tax-pros-push-for-house-passage-of-tas-act-by-end-of-year
Half of Americans’ Spending Goes to Housing and Food, Most in 15 Years
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/?p=192939
Federal budget deficit hits $2T as national debt costs surge
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/federal-budget-deficit-hits-2t-national-debt-costs-surge
AI data centers took a beating in the midterm elections. A reckoning may be ahead for tech giants
https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/11/ai-data-centers-took-a-beating-in-the-midterm-elections-a-reckoning-may-be-ahead-for-tech-giants/
Tokenomics: Firms see surging AI costs compared to last year
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/tokenomics-firms-see-surging-ai-costs-compared-to-last-year
Ramp AI Index: AI spend stutters for the Top 1% of companies
https://www.saastr.com/the-top-1-of-ai-spenders-stalled-in-q3-so-did-anthropics-dollar-growth
Anthropic Gave Up About $600M of Q3 Revenue to Price Cuts
https://fourweekmba.com/ai-anthropic-gave-up-about-600m-of-q3-revenue-to-price-cuts/
My accountant replied with a 100% AI answer so why not replace him with AI
https://levels.io/accountant-ai-reply-replace-with-ai
Pilot Launches Meridian, the AI Platform That Fully Closes the Books for Accounting Firms
https://insightfulaccountant.com/accounting-tech/general-ledger/pilot-launches-meridian-the-ai-platform-that-fully-closes-the-books-for-accounting-firms/

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. ...

Will faster tax prep mean shorter hours—or just more returns to review? Blake Oliver and David Leary compare AI announcements from Intuit Connect, NetSuite SuiteWorld, and CCH Connections. They also explore how Digits, Kick, and Gusto connect accounting data to tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Learn where automation could save time, create new bottlenecks, and push firms to rethink hourly billing.

Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
Canopy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/canopy
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Kick.co - http://accountingpodcast.promo/kick

Chapters
(00:00) - Bitcoin Audit Reality Check

(00:19) - Show Intro and Events Preview

(02:22) - Intuit Connect vs SuiteWorld AI

(04:13) - Intuit Accountant Suite Tour

(09:14) - Industry Editions and AI Agents

(13:12) - AI Pricing and Token Costs

(17:10) - CCH Connections First Impressions

(20:42) - Keynote Generic vs Domain AI

(22:14) - Agentic Tax Prep Demo Walkthrough

(24:37) - Capacity Burnout and Billing Models

(27:24) - Document Gathering K1 Bottleneck

(28:27) - AI ROI Reality Check

(29:18) - Tax Planning Upside

(31:29) - Seeing Demos Live

(32:20) - Audit Agents Expansion

(33:16) - Intuit Connect Observations

(36:18) - Digits Multi Entity Push

(39:07) - MCPs Open vs Closed

(45:04) - Kick MCP Workflows

(48:47) - Crypto Audit Cautionary Tale

(56:38) - Gusto MCP and Slack

(59:41) - Wrap Up and CPE Tips

 

Show Notes

Intuit Expands Intelligence Platform to Power the Next Era of Accounting Firm and Business Growth
https://investors.intuit.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1329/intuit-expands-intelligence-platform-to-power-the-next-era-of-accounting-firm-and-business-growth
NetSuite Advances Vision for an Autonomous Suite
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netsuite-advances-vision-for-an-autonomous-suite-302919139.html
Intuit Accountant Suite Fall 2026 Updates
https://www.firmofthefuture.com/product-update/intuit-accountant-suite-fall-2026-updates/
Intuit Expands Industry Roster for Intuit Enterprise Suite, Steps Up Midmarket Game
https://www.constellationr.com/insights/news/intuit-expands-industry-roster-intuit-enterprise-suite-steps-midmarket-game
Intuit to Acquire AI-Native Revenue Management Platform Sequence
https://investors.intuit.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1327/intuit-to-acquire-ai-native-revenue-management-platform-sequence
NetSuite QuickStart Gives US Tech Startups a Free Route Into Its ERP
https://erp.today/netsuite-quickstart-gives-us-tech-startups-a-free-route-into-its-erp/
Wolters Kluwer Launches Agentic Tax Preparation in CCH Axcess, the Agentic Platform for Tax and Accounting
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/wolters-kluwer-launches-agentic-tax-preparation-in-cch-axcess
Wolters Kluwer Expands Agentic Tax and Audit Capabilities in CCH Axcess
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/wolters-kluwer-expands-agentic-tax-and-audit-capabilities-in-cch-axcess
Wolters Kluwer Partners with Inscope to Launch Agentic Financial Statement Preparation in CCH Axcess
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/wolters-kluwer-partners-with-inscope-to-launch-agentic-financial-statement
Digits Touts Multi-Entity Support
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/digits-touts-multi-entity-support
Digits Launches Write MCP: The Safe Way for AI Agents to Do Accounting
https://insightfulaccountant.com/accounting-tech/vendor-news/digits-launches-write-mcp-the-safe-way-for-ai-agents-to-do-accounting/

Kick MCP
https://www.kick.co/changelog/kick-mcp

Bitcoin Treasury Datavault AI Says It Can’t Access Its BTC, Stock Tanks
https://decrypt.co/382116/bitcoin-treasury-datavault-ai-stock-crashes-cant-access-btc

Datavault AI Inc. Form 8-K
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001682149/000110465926118772/tm2628100d1_8k.htm

Gusto MCP
https://gusto.com/product/integrations/gusto-mcp

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

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Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info? 
Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com

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Should your AI agent have the same bank access you do? Blake Oliver and David Leary unpack banks’ concerns about AI agents and explain why separate logins and limited permissions matter. They also explore practical email automation, Blake’s ballooning token costs, and why firm-wide AI gains require standardized workflows. Plus, they examine Oxford Economics’ warning that U.S. growth could look recessionary without AI investment—and what that means for the pressure to deliver real returns.

Sponsors
Digits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/digits
Numeral - http://accountingpodcast.promo/numeral
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas

Chapters
(00:00) - Recession With AI Boost

(00:47) - TurboTax Storefront Mystery

(04:37) - CCH Conference AI Preview

(06:21) - Banks Block AI Agents

(10:03) - Stripe Treasury Agents Rise

(12:41) - Permissioned Access Fix

(18:43) - Zapier MCP Lawyer Workflow

(24:36) - Token Spend Spirals

(28:13) - Shared AI Orchestration Layers

(29:40) - AI Layer Missed

(30:46) - Standardize vs Customize

(35:03) - Memory Costs Tokens

(37:17) - Inbox Automation Wins

(40:01) - Scaling Past Demos

(41:33) - Firm AI vs Personal

(45:07) - PE Rollup AI Bet

(50:32) - AI Native Firm Risks

(51:16) - Recession Minus AI

(54:47) - ROI Reality Check

(57:25) - Chicago Head Tax

(58:43) - Wrap Up and CPE

 

Show Notes
TurboTax Stores and Expert Offices in Santa Monica
https://turbotax.intuit.com/local-tax-offices/ca/santa-monica/
Banks Are Blocking External AI Agents. Is This Sustainable?
https://americanbanker.com/news/banks-are-blocking-external-ai-agents-is-this-sustainable
Introducing Stripe Treasury for Agents
https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/treasury-for-agents
Stripe Agrees to Acquire OpenRouter to Help Businesses Optimize Token Routing and Usage
https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/stripe-agrees-to-acquire-openrouter
What Happens to a Lawyer’s Business Model When AI Makes Him 5x Faster
https://zapier.com/blog/damian-guzman-fte-legal-mcp/
Introducing Glass
https://ramp.com/blog/introducing-glass
Meridian Launches Meridian Starter, a Shared AI Workspace for Accounting Firms
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/20/3384755/0/en/meridian-launches-meridian-starter-a-shared-ai-workspace-for-accounting-firms.html
Platform Accounting Group Secures $355 Million Investment
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/?p=192093
Exclusive: Gradient Raises $4M for AI-Native Startup Accounting Firm
https://techfundingnews.com/exclusive-gradient-raises-4m-ai-native-accounting-firm-us-startups/
Minus AI Investments, the US Edges Toward Recession
https://www.cfo.com/news/minus-ai-investments-the-us-edges-toward-recession/833461/
Mayor Johnson Renews Fight for His Failed Corporate Head Tax
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/10/20/mayor-brandon-johnson-failed-corporate-head-tax-resurrected-proposed-budget

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships
Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info? 
Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com

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Transcripts
The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

AI outperformed 12 CPAs on a month-end close benchmark, but that doesn’t mean it can replace them. Blake Oliver and David Leary unpack the study’s limits and why adding AI to existing workflows may not save time. They also explore survey findings that accounting budgets triple when businesses hit $1 million in revenue, plus why most firms are invisible in AI searches. Learn what these shifts mean for your firm’s processes, pricing, and marketing.

Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Finance Accounting Technology Expo - http://accountingpodcast.promo/fate
SavantLabs - http://accountingpodcast.promo/savant

Chapters
(00:00) - AI Search Visibility Crisis

(00:24) - Show Intro and Headlines

(02:38) - Livestream Shoutouts

(03:18) - AI Beats CPAs Study

(05:40) - Charts Speed and Accuracy

(08:27) - Why Humans Lag Context

(10:31) - When AI Plus Human Fails

(20:00) - AI Native Workflow Shift

(26:52) - Sams List Client Budgets

(29:48) - Small Biz Client Focus

(30:36) - What Clients Actually Want

(31:35) - Pricing Reality Check

(34:06) - Startup Budget Mindset

(36:34) - New Studio Chat

(37:59) - AI Progress Story

(43:29) - Ramp Glass Orchestration

(47:26) - AI Search Disrupts SEO

(50:41) - How To Get Recommended

(53:13) - Niche Beats Location SEO

(55:21) - Wrap Up And CPE

 

Show Notes

Human Baselines for Benchmarks: AI Now Outperforms Junior Accountants
https://www.mercor.com/blog/human-baselines-for-benchmarks-ai-now-outperforms-junior-accountants/
Clients Spend $5K a Year on Accountant Until Revenue Passes $1M
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/clients-spend-5k-a-year-on-accountant-until-revenue-passes-1m
Meta Is Back in the AI Race. Muse Wonder Just Ranked #2 for Accounting
https://www.dualentry.com/blog/muse-wonder-just-ranked-2-for-accounting
Ramp’s $1.5 Million Week of Spending Leads to Glass AI Tool
https://www.pymnts.com/?p=4306638
Ramp Glass
https://ramp.com/glass
AI Recommendations Favoring Narrow Band of Big Firms
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ai-recommendations-favoring-narrow-band-of-big-firms

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships
Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info? 
Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com

Limited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessities
TeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merch

Subscribe
Apple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcasts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcast
Spotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/Spotify
Podchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaser
Stitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/Stitcher
Overcast: http://cloudacctpod.link/Overcast

Classifieds
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Transcripts
The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

Could AI replace your CFO or simply make their job more exhausting? Blake and David debate automation’s limits, unpack an enrolled agent’s log of 188 IRS calls, and explore proposed reforms to taxpayer service. They also examine why AI is putting pressure on billable hours, gaps in AI safety audit requirements, and a romance scam victim’s $225,000 tax bill. Learn what these developments could mean for your firm, clients, and workload.

Sponsors
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Numeral - http://accountingpodcast.promo/numeral
SavantLabs - http://accountingpodcast.promo/savant
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas

Chapters
(00:00) - TAP 508

(02:40) - Can AI replace executives

(03:38) - Survey results and divides

(06:03) - Why AI can't lead yet

(12:18) - EA tracks IRS call hell

(13:54) - IRS chatbots and america.gov

(15:50) - IRS and ICE data sharing

(17:42) - IRS modernization bill highlights

(22:45) - Tax fraud and complexity costs

(25:53) - Influencer deductions in tax court

(28:00) - Influencer Expenses Denied

(28:45) - Accountant With Bad Records

(29:38) - Romance Scam Tax Bill

(31:25) - ‌

(33:01) - AI Agents Breach Systems

(42:13) - Big Law Versus AI Billing

(47:44) - Illinois AI Audit Mandate

(52:07) - Meta Muse Integrations

(52:31) - Wrap Up And Events

 

Show Notes
Could AI replace CFOs and other top executives?
https://www.cfo.com/news/could-ai-replace-cfos-and-other-top-executives-watch-chest-ai-/827098/
IRS Hold Times in 2026: What 188 Timed Calls to the IRS Actually Showed
https://claritytaxrelief.com/blog/irs-hold-times-study-188-calls/
Appeals court blocks IRS from sharing taxpayer info with ICE
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/appeals-court-blocks-irs-from-sharing-taxpayer-info-with-ice
Senate unanimously passes TAS Act
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/senate-unanimously-passes-tas-act
Congress approves funding bill that maintains IRS budget
https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2026/sep/congress-approves-funding-bill-that-maintains-irs-budget/
GAO tax fraud estimate puts annual losses at up to $304 billion
https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2026/sep/gao-tax-fraud-estimate-puts-annual-losses-at-up-to-304-billion/
Tax Complexity Now Costs the US Economy over $544 Billion Annually
https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/irs-tax-complexity-costs-us-economy-over-544-billion-annually/
Paying For Clout Isn't A Business Expense: Tax Court Lessons For Social Media Creators
https://abovethelaw.com/2026/08/paying-for-clout-isnt-a-business-expense-tax-court-lessons-for-social-media-creators/
A North Carolina Woman Lost $600,000 to a Scam. Then an Unexpected IRS Bill Arrived
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/?p=190730
EY staffers accused of accessing Australia PM's bank account
https://www.accountingtoday.com/articles/ey-staffers-accused-of-accessing-australia-pms-bank-account
'Extreme concern' over first known AI hack of a government system
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/23/business/australia-openai-agent-hack-intl-hnk
OpenAI alerts more than 100 groups about rogue AI agent activity
https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/02/openai-alerts-more-than-100-groups-about-rogue-ai-agent-activity
OpenAI says its AI agents probed federal websites without the company's knowledge
https://www.whro.org/2026-09-26/openai-says-its-ai-agents-probed-federal-websites-without-the-companys-knowledge
As A.I. Makes Law Firms More Efficient, Clients Ask: 'Where's My Discount?'
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/business/dealbook/ai-law-discount-billable-hour.html
Sorren launches law firm
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/sorren-launches-sorren-law
Column: Illinois Ordered an Audit of AI Developers. Who Will Do It?
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/07/28/column-illinois-ordered-an-audit-of-ai-developers-who-will-do-it/187458/
Meta is expanding its AI agent Muse to small businesses
https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/29/meta-is-expanding-its-ai-agent-muse-to-small-businesses/

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships
Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? F...