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Let’s Speculate About: The Next Accounting Firm Merger

Posted on by Caleb Newquist

The word on the street is that the pace of accounting firm mergers will increase in the coming year. That's pretty fun for all of us because we occasionally like to spoil the surprise for everyone. Plus, the new name game is everyone's favorite.

In the past few years, there have been several notable mergers including Weiser and Mazars, Eisner and Amper Politziner, Dixon Hughes and Goodman & Co., Clifton Gunderson and LarsonAllen, and most recently, Reznick Group and J.H. Cohn.

There have also been a few notable mergers that didn't happen including Eide Bailly and Wipfli, WeiserMazars and Marks, Paneth & Shron, and of course there were Moss Adams/Grant Thornton rumors flying around for some time without anything materializing.

But forget about the past. We're moving on! And the best way to do that is to speculate about what's to come. For practical purposes, let's assume that the Big 4, second tier (i.e. McGladrey, Grant Thornton BDO, Mayer Hoffman McCann [yep!]) firms are not going to do any major. All these firms have over $500 million in U.S. revenues per Accounting Today's Top 100 Firms ranking and there are huge international implications for all of them, so it's not likely they'll be making a move. I realize that's not much fun, so unless there's a really great name combo that you're dying to share, leave these firms out.

But don't worry, there are still a number of larger firms that may be looking to do a deal including a few of the newly combined firms that are probably still on the hunt for their next dancing partner. Let's look at a (relative) short list:

  • Crowe Horwath
  • CliftonLarsonAllen
  • BKD
  • Moss Adams
  • Plante & Moran
  • EisnerAmper
  • Reznick Cohn (or whatever they decide on)
  • Marcum
  • Dixon Hughes Goodman
  • Baker Tilly (looking for a savior?)
  • UHY Advisors
  • Rothstein Kass
  • Eide Bailly
  • WeiserMazars
  • Wipfli
  • Citrin Cooperman & Co.

All these firms have at least $100 million in revenues per AT, with Crowe Horwath currently the largest at ~$481 million. Obviously there are several factors that have to be considered when two firms merge, so you can ponder those if you like, or you can simply smash two firms together for the sheer entertainment value. Creativity – while not your strong suit – is encouraged.

And of course, if you've heard about discussions of a merger, rumors of a merger, or any second-hand wild speculation of a merger, email us and we'll check it out.

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This Trick *May* Give CPA Candidates a Sneak Peek at Whether They Passed the Final Section of Their Exam

Maybe we shouldn’t publish this, lest TPTB catch on and close this loophole but as it’s soon to be CPA exam score release season, we figured it might be helpful to share this little trick to get your score early.


Note, word is it only works if you are on your last section and testing in a NASBA state. It doesn’t work all the time and will really only give you your score a day or so earlier than you would have actually received it from your state.

So if you’re waiting for a score now, don’t bother, it doesn’t work until the AICPA releases scores to NASBA, which is supposed to be within a 7-10 day period beginning the third week of September for this quarter.

To try it, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the CPA exam section of NASBA’s website and select Ohio regardless of which state you are testing in.

2. Choose Apply Now under the “Re-applying for the Uniform CPA Examination” tab.

3. You will be asked if you have an Ohio jurisdiction ID. Choose no and it will ask you if you have a Social Security number. Choose yes.

4. Follow the rest of the prompts, plug in the information it asks you for and if you get the following message, congratulations, the loophole worked and you passed:

We are sorry. Our system shows that you have already passed all parts of the Uniform CPA Examination. If you have questions, please call your Coordinator at the number given below. Please call the number below.

800-CPA-EXAM
615-880-4250

Some have stated that the loophole also works if you’ve failed. If you get in and see the exam section you are checking on not grayed out, that means it’s allowing you to get a new NTS which obviously means you did not pass.

Bottom line: maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. If you’re driving yourself insane refreshing your score page waiting for an answer, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try at the end of the month but you’re really only getting the news a few hours earlier than you would have if you just waited.

Grant Thornton Employee Curious If Fellow Accountants Are Sleeping with Partners, Propositioning Colleagues

Let’s start off with a little anecdote:

I work at GT and recently a male associate began dating a newly named female partner. The associate has since put in their two week notice, most suspect due to his newfound sugar momma who’s divorced with 3 kids, or to give him more time with his other girl. It was recently revealed he not only likes older ladies but hit on a guy at national training offering up “favors.”

Apparently, at the training, the associate repeatedly asked another guy to go to his room with him during a game of pool. Since he was making no progress here, he flat out told his fellow pool player what acts he would like to provide.

Well! That’s quite a busy accountant. J��������������������rying to sleep up the ladder and offering up “favors” that may or may not include a pool cue and/or an 8-ball gag. Sexual activity aside, our tipster is curious as to just how…curious some of you are:

I was wondering if you could start a thread/story about office romances and open it up for comments to see just how alternative some accountants/cpas are. I wonder if this sort of thing is normal, or if society is just changing quicker than I am noticing.

Wait, are you asking if sex is normal? Or if accountants having sex with each other is normal? OR if accountants swinging both ways or engaging in other adventurous activity is normal? I’ll save you the trouble and answer all these questions: “Duh,” “HELL YES,” and “It depends.”

It’s been widely discussed around these parts that a situation that includes: accountants, working long hours, after-work booze will inevitably lead to some accountant sex. Whether you care to engage in sex with another accountant is largely a question of convenience and/or if you’re really interested in someone who’s also an accountant.

As for adventurous activity, you probably all remember Annabel McClellan, a former Deloitte employee accused of insider trading, who prior to her legal troubles, was developing a mobile app called “My Nookie” that basically amounted to Facebook for swingers. There was also the blind item we ran earlier this year about a partner whose fondness of exotic hookers landed him in divorce court. Oh! And then there was the PwC partner in Houston who allegedly made a move on an associate at a happy hour. Can’t forget that one.

As for juggling a divorcée partner with another girl and then offering BJs to a colleague at national training – it’s really hard to say how widespread this type of behavior is. Most accountants barely have enough game (or time) to get one person in the sack, let alone juggle two and then try to explore their bi-curiosity. Plus, are you aware of any of your co-workers that are bisexual or bi-curious? From the phrasing of your question, I’m guessing no.

Let’s not forget that you’re working in a very conservative industry and those in the business that do like a little swing party or simply swing both ways would probably prefer to keep those activities on the DL. Luckily for all of you, GC is the type of place where you can speak about the all the fun you’re having freely.

So, then. If you’re the “alternative” type, as our tipster asks, please elaborate. Do you keep it purely outside the office? Do you look for similarly interested accountants at your firm? Are you open about it or is the culture at your firm a little behind the times? If you prefer not to comment, email us your story (with details!) and we’ll handle the rest.