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2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for the accounting profession.

Rob Brown and Chelsea Summers walk through 10 data-informed predictions that highlight where firms are headed and where the biggest risks and opportunities lie. Drawing from IPA benchmarking data and ongoing conversations with firm leaders across the country, this episode looks at how multiple forces are converging all at once.

Topics include:

1. Why AI will become fully embedded into firm systems and why governance matters more than ever
2. The emergence of a real productivity divide between firms that modernize and those that don’t
3. Advisory moving from a service line to the strategic center of the firm
4. How the partner role continues to evolve, opening doors to new leadership paths
5. The second wave of private equity and why it looks more disciplined and targeted
6. Global staffing models becoming fully integrated, not just outsourced
7. Why pricing models tied to hours are finally starting to crack
8. How succession challenges are accelerating mergers and combinations
9. And why 2026 may bring the largest year-over-year increase in female partners

This episode isn’t about making bold claims for the sake of it. It’s about identifying patterns, pressures and decisions that firm leaders are already facing and what those signals suggest about the year ahead.