NASBA Enters the Chat on PE in Accounting & Intuit to Open Retail Stores

Is private equity eroding the soul of the accounting profession? Blake and David unpack NASBA’s PE task force, the BDO–First Brands meltdown, and why ‘appearance of independence’ matters. They also break down the end of IRS Direct File, Intuit’s TurboTax stores, the Supreme Court’s skepticism of Trump tariffs, and a new IRS notices law. Plus: AI agents that fall for scams. Learn what these shifts mean for firms, auditors, and your clients this tax season. Sponsors Relay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/relay BILL - http://accountingpodcast.promo/bill Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas Chapters (00:00) - Welcome to The Accounting Podcast (01:16) - Viral Tweet and Personal Anecdotes (01:53) - Interview with Furloughed IRS Lawyer (05:45) - Government Shutdown Economic Impact (10:11) - Intuit's New Retail Stores and IRS Direct File Shutdown (14:30) - IRS Leadership and Controversies (17:28) - Trump's Pardons and IRS Math and Taxpayer Help Act (24:53) - Supreme Court Hearing on Tariffs (31:17) - Major Authority and the Power of the Purse (32:03) - AI Agents Falling for Scams (35:32) - NASBA's Private Equity Task Force White Paper (37:02) - Concerns Over Auditor Independence (49:10) - BDO and First Brands Scandal (01:02:35) - Wrap up and Final Thoughts   Show Notes Longest Shutdown in History Costs U.S. Economy About $15 Billion Each Week https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/11/05/longest-shutdown-in-history-costs-u-s-economy-about-15-billion-each-week/172368/ IRS tells states Direct File 'will not be available' in 2026 https://federalnewsnetwork.com/it-modernization/2025/11/irs-direct-file-will-not-be-available-in-2026-agency-tells-states/ Intuit to open 20 brick-and-mortar TurboTax stores+offices https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/intuit-to-open-20-brick-and-mortar-turbotax-stores-offices Social Security, IRS Leader Bisignano Panned After Fiserv Stock Tanks https://401kspecialistmag.com/social-security-irs-leader-bisignano-panned-after-fiserv-stock-tanks/ Trump Tariffs Face Supreme Court Challenge From Chicago Toymaker https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-11-02/trump-tariffs-face-supreme-court-challenge-from-chicago-toymaker Supreme Court justices appear skeptical that Trump tariffs are legal https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/05/supreme-court-trump-trade-tarrifs-vos.html AICPA Applauds the Passage of the IRS Math and Taxpayer Help Act https://www.aicpa-cima.com/news/article/aicpa-applauds-the-passage-of-the-irs-math-and-taxpayer-help-act First Brands founder accused of looting company https://fortune.com/2025/11/05/first-brands-bankruptcy-founder-allegations-patrick-james/ Are Alternative Practice Structures in Private Equity Considerations and Questions for Boards of Accountancy (NASBA White Paper) https://nasba.org Microsoft Gave AI Agents Fake Money to Buy Things Online. They Spent It All on Scams https://decrypt.co/347709/microsoft-ai-agents-fake-money-buy-online-they-spent-scams Need CPE? Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.com Subscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.com Get in Touch Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040. Sponsorships Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus. Need Accounting Conference Info?  Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com Limited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessities TeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merch SubscribeApple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcastsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcastSpotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/SpotifyPodchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaserStitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/StitcherOvercast: http://cloudacctpod.link/Overcast Classifieds Collective by DBA - https://collective.cpa/  Want to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Let the listeners of The Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad. Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAd Transcripts The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page