By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 12-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer The 70-20-10 rule says people learn roughly 70% from experience, 20% from coaching and relationships, and 10% from formal training. It’s directionally right — courses alone never built
Welcome to SkillAbility
Accounting Workforce Development Blog for CPA Firms
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 12-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer A new accountant’s first 90 days decide whether they become an independent contributor or a dependent one who needs constant manager rescue — and most firms waste the
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 12-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer Your best staff keep failing after promotion because firms confuse technical competence with management readiness — two completely different skill sets. Being excellent at preparing returns or reconciling
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 12-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer Your managers aren’t too busy to train — your firm has made them the entire training system, which no manager has the bandwidth to be. They’re already reviewing
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 12-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer AI now does the entry-level accounting work — document collection, data extraction, reconciliations, draft returns — that once trained new accountants. 70% of U.S. firms already use AI
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 13-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer AI isn’t eliminating the need to train accountants — it’s eliminating the accidental training ground that produced them. For generations, junior CPAs learned by doing repetitive work: data
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 13-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer A tax preparer training program for CPA firms develops new staff to execution-ready — able to organize source documents, complete a clean 1040 workflow in the firm’s software,
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 13-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer An accounting skills assessment for new hires is a structured, execution-based test that verifies whether a candidate can actually produce correct accounting work — before you extend an
24 Jun
Developing Advisory Skills in Accountants: The 4-Competency Stack (and Why It’s Built, Not Born)
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 13-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer Developing advisory skills in accountants means building four distinct, learnable competencies on top of technical mastery: (1) financial interpretation — reading statements for story, not just accuracy; (2)
24 Jun
How to Retain Knowledge When Staff Leave: Why Documentation Isn’t Enough (and What Actually Works)
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 12-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer To retain knowledge when staff leave, you have to accept an uncomfortable truth first: you can’t keep most of it by writing it down. Critical firm knowledge is
© 2026 | SkillAbility | All Rights Reserved. | Developed & Digital Marketing By Veom Infotech