Episode Details

Which accounting firms really deliver sane hours and happy teams? Dom Piscopo (Big Four Transparency) reveals this year’s best—and worst—by job satisfaction and hours, including surprising outliers. Blake and David also unpack how AI startups are carving up PwC-style services, why Hazel AI rattled wealth managers and Intuit/Xero stocks, and where GLs still hold a moat. Plus, a practical way to use AI for W‑4/withholding—and an accountant’s take on Carvana’s too-good-to-be-true margins.

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• (01:19) - Pets, Candy, Jewelry & Prefixed Dinners: Where the Money Goes
• (03:14) - Live Chat Shoutouts + Today’s Guest Tease: Big Four Transparency
• (05:53) - Yours, Mine & Ours: How Couples Split (or Merge) Money
• (08:56) - Financial Secrets vs. “Cheating”: The Bankrate Survey Findings
• (11:01) - Meet Dom Piscopo + 2025 Best/Worst Firms by Job Satisfaction
• (15:43) - How the Rankings Work: Sample Size, Methodology & Office Variance
• (19:28) - Service Lines Compared: Tax vs Audit vs Advisory Satisfaction Trends
• (22:28) - Hours Worked Rankings + Do Hours Actually Drive Happiness?
• (25:04) - Where the Big Four Land: Satisfaction & Hours Benchmarks
• (26:51) - AI Disruption Debate: “Every PWC Webpage Is a $10B Startup” Tweet
• (28:47) - AI Startups vs QuickBooks: The SaaS Attack Cycle Restarts
• (29:55) - Hazel AI Shakes Wealth Management: Tax Planning at Scale
• (32:19) - Consumers Trust AI Money Advice + A Withholding/W-4 Use Case
• (35:11) - “Good Enough” AI: How Firms Can Productize & Review AI Work
• (36:38) - What Humans Still Do: Taste, Comfort, and Serving the Underserved
• (41:51) - Intuit & Xero Stocks Drop: CEOs Defend the Data-and-Trust Moat
• (45:11) - TurboTax Disruption? Building Tax Engines with AI Agents
• (46:52) - Vibe Coding Reality Check: Small Tools Now, ERPs Much Later
• (51:32) - Carvana Accounting Red Flags: When Margins Don’t Add Up
• (56:04) - Wrap-Up: Big Four Transparency + CPE Credits via Earmark

Show Notes

Valentine's Day Spending Expected to Reach New Records 

https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/valentine-s-day-spending-expected-to-reach-new-records

Survey: Most Couples Keep At Least Some Of Their Money Separate 

https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/couples-finances/

Survey: 2 In 5 Americans In A Relationship Have Kept A Financial Secret From Their Partner 

https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/financial-infidelity-survey-2025/

AI Tax App Crashes Financial Stocks on Wall Street 

https://cpatrendlines.com/2026/02/10/ai-tax-app-crashes-financial-stocks-on-wall-street/

Americans Are Asking AI for Money Advice, But Should They Trust It? 

https://www.bestmoney.com/financial-advisor/learn-more/do-americans-trust-fin-ai

82% trust AI for financial information and guidance 

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