Gaining an Understanding of the Client’s Industry
Understanding your clients is absolutely essential to offering the most effective guidance. We explore practitioner best practices and resources for onboarding and getting to know new clients including how to do your research.
James R. Sullivan, CPA – CFO, ATS Advisors, A CPA Firm, Plymouth

Insider Insights: State of Michigan Department of Treasury Panel Discussion
Gather updates and insights from the Michigan Department of Treasury regarding the flow-through entity tax, taxation of retirement income, and non-traditional tax situations like cannabis sales.
Jesse Kirchner – Administrative Law Specialist, State of Michigan Department of Treasury, Lansing
Angela Matelski – Income Tax Specialist, State of Michigan Department of Treasury, Lansing
Moderator: Sam Hodges, CPA, CGMA – Partner, Sam Hodges & Associates, Troy

Bring your best ideas, experiences and questions to swap with peers and other professionals during this moderated event.

Bring your best ideas, experiences and questions to swap with peers and other professionals during this moderated event.

ESG at Scale: The Small Firm Perspective
Economic, social and governance (ESG) issues are a huge concern among large organizations, but are they scalable? Determine the value of ESG initiatives at the small firm level with a frank discussion about scope, incentives and impacts.
Laurie Hoose, PMP – Senior Manager, ESG Practice Lead, Plante Moran, Southfield
Trevor Kuenz, CPA – Audit Senior Manager, Deloitte, Detroit
Moderator: Bob Wexler, CPA – CPA, PLW CPA, PLLC, Sterling Heights

Planning for the 2026 Sunset of Gift and Estate Tax Exemptions
The scheduled reduction of the Federal Estate Exemption amount by one half on January 1, 2026, is causing a great many affluent taxpayers to consider what actions to take with respect to large gifts and other strategies. These clients will be best served by consideration of what planning techniques or series of techniques can be used to maximize estate tax reduction while allowing the client to maintain as much control as possible and remaining assets and/or access thereto to assure that the clients do not run out of assets during their lifetimes.
John Giarmarco, JD, LL.M. – Trusts and Estates Practice Group, Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, P.C., Troy

Ask the Experts Panel: Investing in a World of Uncertainty
Investing amid economic uncertainty can feel a lot like rolling the dice. Avoid missteps by investigating strategies for identifying strong investment opportunities and contingencies when economic markets throw mixed signals.
Jeff Manzella, CFP, AIF– President, 30,000 FT Wealth Management, Sterling Heights
Mark J. Rogers, CIMA® – Managing Director, Institutional Consultant, Family Wealth Director with Graystone Consulting – Farmington Hills from Morgan Stanley
Moderator: Matthew S. Kidd, CPA – Partner, Blunden & Kidd Accounting & Consulting PC, Livonia

Analytics and Metrics – Building a Client Financial Dashboard
Want to see how a financial dashboard can be used to help clients track, visualize and make more informed decisions? Determine the necessary information for building a client financial dashboard as well as which tools are best for data analysis and how to import financial data from multiple sources.
Wesley G. Salisbury, CMA – Senior Consultant, Maner Costerisan, P.C., Lansing

Qualified Retirement Plans: A Study and Review
Open discussion on different plan design strategies, such as SEP’s and SIMPLE’s vs 401(k) and Cash Balance.  Discuss the different types of Safe Harbor plans and the four methodologies for Profit Sharing calculations. Identify what is the “gold standard” formula so you can help your clients by optimizing these tax mitigation strategies, succession planning and more.  Use case studies to examine these different types of Qualified Retirement Plans so you can help your clients.
Tricia Bailey – VP-Sales Consultant, Future Plan by Ascensus, Waterford

Using Microsoft Automate in Accounting
Robotic process automation (RPA) is easier and more attainable than many realize as software as a service (SaaS) options become more widespread. Explore Microsoft Power Automate’s capabilities while learning how to automate recurring processes, from creating engagement letters to importing financial data, to reclaim time and grow your business.
Greg Frazier, CPA – Owner, Greg Frazier, CPA, PLLC - Detroit