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 Succession planning for accounting firm partners is the process of preparing to transfer ownership, client relationships, and leadership so the firm continues — and retains its value —
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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 You can scale an accounting firm’s capacity without hiring by attacking four levers: (1) automate the routine work — AI frees 15–20 hours per accountant per week, worth
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 14-minute read The Short Answer (TL;DR) Most “skill development” spending at accounting firms doesn’t develop skills — it accumulates certificates. The platform market sorts into three tiers that firm owners routinely confuse: credential platforms (CPE
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 11-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer The best onboarding practices for accounting firms are: (1) start before day one with pre-boarding and pre-employment skills testing; (2) replace shadowing with structured, software-specific training inside your
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 14-minute read TL;DR — The Short Answer A CPA enablement platform is the people layer of an accounting firm’s tech stack — the system that makes your staff actually able to operate everything else. Firms
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 13-minute read The Short Answer (TL;DR) Most new accounting hires take 60–90 days to reach independent productivity — not because they’re slow or under-qualified, but because the firm’s onboarding leaves them to absorb the job
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 13-minute read The Short Answer (TL;DR) The manager bottleneck is the hidden constraint on most CPA firm growth: your most capable people — the managers and senior accountants who should be reviewing work, developing staff,
19 Jun
Accounting Workforce Development Platform for CPA Firms: Why Training Software Isn’t Enough Anymore
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | SkillAbility for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 14-minute read The Short Answer (TL;DR) Most CPA firms do not need more “training software.” They need a workforce development system. There is a major difference. Training software gives people content. A workforce development platform
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 14-minute read The Short Answer (TL;DR) Advanced tax planning seminars are worth attending — for the right reason, which is rarely the reason firms send people. A good seminar (Thomson Reuters TaxWatch University, AICPA conferences,
By Vincent Howard, CPA | Managing Partner, Howard, Howard and Hodges | Skillability for Accounting Firms Last updated: 2026 | 15-minute read The Short Answer (TL;DR) For a century, accountants learned the profession by doing the grunt work — reconciliations, transaction coding, trial balances — and developing judgment through thousands of hours of hands-on repetition.
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