Is private equity eroding the soul of the accounting profession? Blake and David unpack NASBA’s PE task force, the BDO–First Brands meltdown, and why ‘appearance of independence’ matters. They also break down the end of IRS Direct File, Intuit’s TurboTax stores, the Supreme Court’s skepticism of Trump tariffs, and a new IRS notices law. Plus: AI agents that fall for scams. Learn what these shifts mean for firms, auditors, and your clients this tax season.
Sponsors
Relay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/relay
BILL - http://accountingpodcast.promo/bill
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
Show Notes
Longest Shutdown in History Costs U.S. Economy About $15 Billion Each Week
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/11/05/longest-shutdown-in-history-costs-u-s-economy-about-15-billion-each-week/172368/
IRS tells states Direct File 'will not be available' in 2026
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/it-modernization/2025/11/irs-direct-file-will-not-be-available-in-2026-agency-tells-states/
Intuit to open 20 brick-and-mortar TurboTax stores+offices
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/intuit-to-open-20-brick-and-mortar-turbotax-stores-offices
Social Security, IRS Leader Bisignano Panned After Fiserv Stock Tanks
https://401kspecialistmag.com/social-security-irs-leader-bisignano-panned-after-fiserv-stock-tanks/
Trump Tariffs Face Supreme Court Challenge From Chicago Toymaker
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-11-02/trump-tariffs-face-supreme-court-challenge-from-chicago-toymaker
Supreme Court justices appear skeptical that Trump tariffs are legal
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/05/supreme-court-trump-trade-tarrifs-vos.html
AICPA Applauds the Passage of the IRS Math and Taxpayer Help Act
https://www.aicpa-cima.com/news/article/aicpa-applauds-the-passage-of-the-irs-math-and-taxpayer-help-act
First Brands founder accused of looting company
https://fortune.com/2025/11/05/first-brands-bankruptcy-founder-allegations-patrick-james/
Are Alternative Practice Structures in Private Equity Considerations and Questions for Boards of Accountancy (NASBA White Paper) https://nasba.org
Microsoft Gave AI Agents Fake Money to Buy Things Online. They Spent It All on Scams
https://decrypt.co/347709/microsoft-ai-agents-fake-money-buy-online-they-spent-scams
Need CPE?
Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.com
Subscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.com
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
Classifieds
Collective by DBA - https://collective.cpa/
Want to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Let the listeners of The Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad. Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAd
Transcripts
The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page