News & Updates

Understanding how prices are set helps you make smarter decisions and see the “story” behind every product. What makes a $6 Starbucks latte feel “worth it”? Why do we pay more for designer brands—or splurge on movie theater popcorn? This episode of Student-led Conversations will change how you see every price tag—from coffee shops to online subscriptions. Whether you’re a student, entrepreneur, or curious consumer, you’ll walk away thinking differently about the invisible psychology behind every purchase.

Firms set goals, build guardrails, and train relentlessly so AI creates measurable value. Large-firm CIOs are buzzing about Copilot and other AI—but should you flip the switch for everyone? Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto unpack what effective rollout looks like, compare agentic AI vs. plain automation, talk prompt discipline, and explain why “start now—but be strategic” is the only path.

Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto dig into what accountants really do in an AI era: less typing, more thinking. From prompt design to agentic AI, from pricing strategy to client education, this episode shows how firms turn automation into advisory. Get the practical next steps—plus a little tough love for the “AI will replace us” crowd.

Amazon Returns Reaction:Prime visibility, premium complexity. Amazon’s easy returns come with hidden costs—and accountants can help fix it. Accounting ARC hosts react to a viral video on Amazon returns and waste, unpacking fees, Nexus and sales tax after Wayfair, referral fee math, ESG impacts, and the boom in liquidation pallets.

The Center for Accounting Transformation proudly celebrates its founder and inspiration architect, Donny C. Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, for being named to Forbes’ 2025 list of the Top 200 CPAs in America.   This national recognition honors CPAs who exemplify ethics, independence, and public service—professionals who, as Forbes describes, “put the public before their clients and champion the cause of integrity.”   Shimamoto’s

When Congress Stops, Ledgers Lurch. A government shutdown doesn’t just halt politics—it disrupts payrolls, squeezes nonprofits, and tangles the ledgers that keep public funds moving. In the latest episode of the Accounting ARC Podcast, hosts Liz Mason, CPA, Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA, and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA unpack what really happens when federal funding stops—and how accountants across sectors pick up the pieces once the lights come back on.

This episode of Student-led Conversations explores how accounting shapes the pop culture we love, from hit TV comedies to classic crime dramas. Through stories about streaming, royalties, and forensic finance, the guests reveal how accountants keep creativity funded, ethical, and true to the numbers.

In this timely Accounting ARC episode, Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto unpack how free speech shows up at work, online, and inside firms—plus where professional responsibility draws the line.

What happens when accountants stop crunching numbers and start transforming lives? In this episode of Accounting ARC, Donny Shimamoto sits down with Rory Henry—author of Holistic Wealth Management—to explore how CPAs can step into nontraditional roles, blend tax with financial planning, and even act as life coaches.

From hauling cash between 13 beach hotels in the ’90s, to rolling out Lotus Notes on audit laptops, to observing overnight casino cash drops in Vegas—our hosts share the wild, formative gigs that launched their careers (and the lessons that still pay off).