Grant Thornton to Acquire CBIZ & Trump Puts Immunity Over Blanche

Could Grant Thornton’s $5 billion CBIZ deal create a Big Five? Blake and David unpack the private-equity-backed combination, what it means for accounting firm ownership, and why controller talent is still hard to find. They also examine AI’s effect on finance judgment—and why nearly half of Gen Z workers say it makes them less intelligent—plus tariff refunds, audit scrutiny, and rising software prices.

Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
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Chapters

• (00:00) - TAP 499
• (02:17) - Livestream and CPE Plug
• (03:12) - Grant Thornton Buys CBIZ
• (04:35) - Stock Spike and Activists
• (09:06) - PE Strategy and IPO Exit
• (11:09) - Deal Size vs Big Four
• (13:21) - Trump Immunity and Nominee
• (16:39) - EY Hack Claim Explained
• (18:56) - Trump Deal Appeal Update
• (21:37) - Controller Hiring Crunch
• (23:21) - Senior Pay Flattening
• (26:24) - Corporate Hiring Demand
• (27:59) - AI Boosts Finance Judgment
• (29:38) - Claude Transforms Forecasting
• (30:43) - Gen Z AI Dependency Fears
• (34:32) - Xero Price Hike Backlash
• (36:45) - Lovable Connector Moat
• (40:38) - Agents Use Existing SaaS
• (45:29) - Tariff Refund Windfall
• (48:20) - NYC Pied-a-Terre Tax
• (51:44) - PwC UK Audit Failures
• (55:03) - Wrap Up and Episode 500

Show Notes

Grant Thornton Advisors to acquire CBIZ in $5 billion transaction

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/07/29/grant-thornton-set-to-buy-cbiz-for-5-billion-become-5th-largest-firm-in-u-s/187542/

Accounting Firm CBIZ Urged by Activist Investor to Pursue M&A

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-07/accounting-firm-cbiz-urged-by-activist-investor-to-pursue-m-a

Trump floats pulling Blanche's AG nomination until after GOP holdouts leave office

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/30/trump-blanche-ag-doj-cornyn-tillis.html

Donald Trump's tax audit immunity remains in place as Blanche's path to confirmation is cleared

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/as-blanches-path-to-confirmation-is-cleared-trumps-tax-audit-immunity-remains-in-place-3858601/

Ernst & Young data breach claimed by ShinyHunters extortion gang

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ernst-and-young-data-breach-claimed-by-shinyhunters-extortion-gang/

2026 Corporate Finance & Accounting Talent Research Study

https://controllerscouncil.org/2026-corporate-finance-accounting-talent-research-study/

Accounting's missing middle

https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/accountings-missing-middle

A third of companies look to increase finance and accounting hires

https://www.cfo.com/news/companies-look-to-boost-hiring-pay-for-finance-and-accounting-staff-controllers-council-report/824667/

AI's top value for finance now lies in improving judgment, not efficiency

https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/ai-top-value-finance-now-085159658.html

Nearly Half of Gen Z Workers Say AI is Making Them Less Intelligent

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/05/19/nearly-half-of-gen-z-workers-say-ai-is-making-them-less-intelligent/183621/

Xero Announces U.S. Subscription Price Changes

https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/update/

Introducing the Lovable Xero connector: build on your Xero data, no code required

https://devblog.xero.com/introducing-the-lovable-xero-connector-build-on-your-xero-data-no-code-required-386873b591bc

We Peaked at 30 AI Agents. Now We're Coming Back Down to 20

https://www.saastr.com/we-peaked-at-30-ai-agents-now-were-coming-back-down-to-20-heres-what-consolidation-actually-looks-like-the-agents-011-live/

Amazon Got a $600 Million Tariff Refund, Some Going to Shoppers

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/30/amazon-trump-tariff-refunds.html

NYC Extends Deadline for Pied-à-Terre Tax Exemption Applications to Sept. 18

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-01/nyc-extends-deadline-for-second-home-levy-exemption-requests

Staten Island Homeowners Say They Fear for Safety After Names, Addresses Published on NYC Tax List

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/07/31/staten-island-homeowners-say-they-fear-for-safety-after-names-addresses-published-on-nyc-tax-list/187775/

PwC Fined $4.4 Million by UK Watchdog Over Babcock Audit Failures

https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/uk-financial-watchdog-fines-pwc-4-4-million-over-babcock/

New York Governor Trolls LeBron James with Tax on Rumored NYC Home

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/07/31/new-york-governor-trolls-lebron-james-with-tax-on-rumored-nyc-home/187765/

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