61. Bringing Innovation into Accounting & Finance | with Jordan Kleinsmith

Today’s show is all about innovation – which, let’s face it, it’s not something the accounting and finance profession is known for. We’re all about accounting for what has happened, and history tells us that what will happen is not our problem.   Except, here’s the thing: We’re living in a world where we’ll be flattened by what’s in front of us if we don’t take the time to look for it, if we don’t take the time to turn around and look for what futurist Andrew Zolli would call those “weak signals of disruptive change” on the horizon. If we don’t start training ourselves to look forward to what’s next as much as we look back to what’s happened, we’re doomed. And here’s why: A few years ago, the Sleeter Group released the results of a survey that showed the top reason why clients decided to leave their CPA firms is that their CPAs were providing reactive services instead of proactive advice. In other words, their CPAs were holding them back instead of helping them become future-ready. At the same time, CPA.com released a survey that found 92 percent of CPAs said they weren’t prepared to provided that proactive advice. So, to recap: Our clients are demanding proactive, future-ready advice – and 92 percent of us aren’t prepared to provide that type of advice. That’s a problem. And that’s where this week’s guest comes in. Jordan Kleinsmith is the Director of Innovation for the Tax and Accounting business at Thomson Reuters. He’s the guy who’s keeping an eye on what’s happening in the profession and figuring how Thomson Reuters needs to respond, in terms of innovative new ideas, strategies, and products. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog. Resources: Checkpoint Edge: tax.tr.com/checkpoint/edge LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jordankleinsmith Learn more at MACPA.org/future-learning Future-Proof is produced by Podcast Masters