insights for cpa firms

Stephano Slack LLC Expands Regional Footprint with the Mergers of Boyer & Boyer CPA and Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP Stephano Slack LLC, a premier regional accounting and advisory firm announced two strategic mergers that will strengthen the firm’s presence across Delaware and Greater Philadelphia. Boyer & Boyer CPA has officially joined the firm, and Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP (KLA) will join effective January 1, 2025. Optimum Strategies’ Chief Operating Executive Ir

M&A is a strategic lever for CPA firms to grow, secure succession, and sharpen market positioning. Yet today’s buyers and sellers are looking beyond geographic strengthening; special service offerings, niche expertise, firm size, and reputational strength are often more important. In the Winter 2025 issue of Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Optimum Strategies' Ira Rosenbloom offers his expertise and insights for buyers and sellers on how to position themselves more effectively and i

Regional accounting and advisory firm HBK CPAs & Consultants announced that McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond (MKS&H), a Maryland-based accounting firm, is joining HBK effective December 1, 2025. The acquisition establishes HBK's first presence in Maryland. Ira Rosenbloom of Optimum Strategies advised both firms on the transaction. For more information, read: Press release on HBK's website Baltimore Business Journal (login required) Philadelphia Business Journal (login requi

The level of success of tax season can make or break the financial position of CPA firms and can be extremely influential on the terms and negotiations of a possible post-tax season merger or sale of a firm. Many firms will enter tax season knowing they want to get a deal done and others will emerge from tax season realizing that a deal is the right answer. Whether you are currently deal-minded or not, putting tax season to your best advantage is a very smart business move. A

We are living at a time when—if you are not being contacted by a PE group or broker on behalf of PE—you need to scratch your head and wonder why! PE continues to disrupt and continues to modify the scale of acquisitions. Bigger is still better; generally, firms with annual volume of $3-$5 million are at the low end of PE targets. M&A—whether PE-driven or not—is not the answer for every firm. But every firm should be ready with the right questions to properly conduct first-pha

HBK, a leading accounting and advisory firm, announced today the acquisition of Konner, Harbus and Schwartz, PC (KHS), a boutique accounting firm based in Paramus, New Jersey. \ The transaction, closing at the end of October, will establish the firm’s newest office location in Northern New Jersey. Ira Rosenbloom of Optimum Strategies advised both firms on the transaction. Find more information: HBK website Accounting Today (login required)

Consolidation is reshaping the accounting firm landscape. M&A, private equity, capital investment, and other moves have led to the disappearance of many independent, local CPA firms — especially those with 20 to 50 team members or $5 million to $10 million in annual sales. Ironically, these are the firms that many acquirers seek! In a recent Accounting Today article (login required) , Ira Rosenbloom explained why being a $5 million to $10 million firm is a sweet spot not onl

The post-pandemic period has been a golden era for many CPA firms, with meaningful gains in both top-line growth and bottom-line performance. Yet with all that momentum has come new pressures. Firms are busier than ever and facing greater challenges. For firm owners, the nonstop demands of client service can make it difficult to focus on the business side of a successful firm. With talent challenges mounting and capacity stretched thin, many leaders find that maintaining a he