Jonathan Reich 
Alright y’all, let’s put two very different philosophies under the same light: Digits (AI-native, “autonomous GL” energy) vs Wave Accounting (the freemium crowd-pleaser for soloists and micro-teams). Both claim they’ll save you hours. Both can get your books into fighting shape. But they were built for different jobs and that’s totally acceptable. But today’s comparison … Read more
waiting for! We’ve got a new guy on the block who has a bone to pick with the legacy accounting platforms, and from what I’ve seen of the platform, Digits means business. Digits is not an overlay or a dashboard bolted onto somebody else’s ledger, it is the ledger, and it runs under a litany … Read more
What The Heck is Digits Anyway? Digits calls itself “accounting software for the AI era,” and unlike bolt-on “AI features” slapped onto legacy systems, the AI is the engine here. At the core is the Autonomous General Ledger (AGL going forward because that is indeed a mouthful) is purpose-built to automate categorization, reconciliations, invoicing, A/P, … Read more
Alright y’all, here’s the matchup everyone’s been waiting for: the entrenched incumbent vs. the AI-native upstart. Intuit’s QuickBooks Online is the 600 lb gorilla in the room, and is the most widely used small-business accounting platform in the U.S., and for good reason. It’s flexible, familiar, and can be configured for just about any industry. … Read more
As a CPA who spends a lot of time with owners at major crossroads, I’ve often helped guide business owners on what to do with their life’s work. Some arrive in my office with a tired look and a shoebox of receipts ready to toss in the towel, and others bring dashboards, excel sheets, and … Read more
As a CPA, I find myself advising clients on things I would’ve never even thought of as a possibility. One of those things is, “What do I do with my business now that I’m ready to hang up the mantle? Sell it? Shut it down? Piece meal it out?” The business owners are often tired … Read more
As a CPA who has cleaned up more ledgers than I dare admit, I judge automation by one thing: does it cut typing without hiding risk or just plain, flat out getting things wrong. In my experience, the best tools connect bank and card feeds, apply exceptionally clear rules, route bills for approval, and surface … Read more
What up, number crunchers and SMB owners? I’ve run a CPA for a while now and see how “small” workflow choices ripple into real costs like lost time chasing signatures, rescans because a seal isn’t clear, or a client who gives up halfway through identity checks. Remote Online Notarization (RON) solves a lot of that, … Read more
When clients ask me for “the best apps for tracking receipts,” what they’re really asking for is fewer late-night hunts for crumpled paper, fewer miscoded meals, and a cleaner year end tax filing. I’ve tried out a lot of tools as a CPA that primarily serves small businesses, contractors, and startups, and the right pick … Read more
If you’re like me (and every other accountant that walks the earth), you probably don’t like change. If things aren’t broken, they don’t need to be fixed. Normally, I’d wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, and luckily, I don’t run the world, otherwise we’d never have discovered fire, and we’d still be living in huts. Luckily, … Read more
I’m a CPA who’s spent years living inside payables and receivable doing things such as closing months, clearing audits, and rebuilding workflows when growth outpaced process. And let me tell you, small quality of life items like batch processing is where you win back hours. It sounds small, but it is absolutely worth thinking about. … Read more
What’s up bean counters, finance bros, and SMB owners? I’m a CPA, and therefore live in the weeds of payables, bills, managing invoices, you name it, I’ve handled it. I manage vendor payments for construction crews, retailers, and service shops, among others. When a vendor asks, “Did the ACH clear yet?” it’s my phone that … Read more
Alright, let’s talk about something that is somewhat new to me, and probably is to you, too. This year, I ran across Remote Online Notarizations, which are something I’d never heard of before. It’s sort of like DocuSign but for notarizations. It takes no time, is easy, and overall, I was super impressed with it. … Read more
If you’re reading this, you’re probably trying to get away from your current payroll provider and into one that actually works. As a CPA who has set up and run payroll for hourly teams for years, let me tell you, there are systems out there that work, and systems that will never quite do what … Read more
Owners ask me this a lot: ADP or Homebase? I’m a CPA who sets up payroll and time for restaurants, shops, and field crews. Both pay people, file taxes, and issue W-2s and 1099s. The real difference is focus. ADP is payroll-first with HR and benefits you can add. Homebase is schedule-first with time clocks, … Read more
Bench’s sudden shutdown left a lot of small businesses without access to their accounting and tax files right at year-end. If you were one of them, you’re not imagining it. Bench did close operations on December 27, 2024, and was acquired days later. As is typical after a buyout, many layoffs, cuts, and transitions immediately … Read more