Which accounting firms really deliver sane hours and happy teams? Dom Piscopo (Big Four Transparency) reveals this year’s best—and worst—by job satisfaction and hours, including surprising outliers. Blake and David also unpack how AI startups are carving up PwC-style services, why Hazel AI rattled wealth managers and Intuit/Xero stocks, and where GLs still hold a moat. Plus, a practical way to use AI for W‑4/withholding—and an accountant’s take on Carvana’s too-good-to-be-true margins.

Sponsors
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
UNC - http://accountingpodcast.promo/unc
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Chapters

(01:19) - Pets, Candy, Jewelry & Prefixed Dinners: Where the Money Goes
(03:14) - Live Chat Shoutouts + Today’s Guest Tease: Big Four Transparency
(05:53) - Yours, Mine & Ours: How Couples Split (or Merge) Money
(08:56) - Financial Secrets vs. “Cheating”: The Bankrate Survey Findings
(11:01) - Meet Dom Piscopo + 2025 Best/Worst Firms by Job Satisfaction
(15:43) - How the Rankings Work: Sample Size, Methodology & Office Variance
(19:28) - Service Lines Compared: Tax vs Audit vs Advisory Satisfaction Trends
(22:28) - Hours Worked Rankings + Do Hours Actually Drive Happiness?
(25:04) - Where the Big Four Land: Satisfaction & Hours Benchmarks
(26:51) - AI Disruption Debate: “Every PWC Webpage Is a $10B Startup” Tweet
(28:47) - AI Startups vs QuickBooks: The SaaS Attack Cycle Restarts
(29:55) - Hazel AI Shakes Wealth Management: Tax Planning at Scale
(32:19) - Consumers Trust AI Money Advice + A Withholding/W-4 Use Case
(35:11) - “Good Enough” AI: How Firms Can Productize & Review AI Work
(36:38) - What Humans Still Do: Taste, Comfort, and Serving the Underserved
(41:51) - Intuit & Xero Stocks Drop: CEOs Defend the Data-and-Trust Moat
(45:11) - TurboTax Disruption? Building Tax Engines with AI Agents
(46:52) - Vibe Coding Reality Check: Small Tools Now, ERPs Much Later
(51:32) - Carvana Accounting Red Flags: When Margins Don’t Add Up
(56:04) - Wrap-Up: Big Four Transparency + CPE Credits via Earmark

Show Notes

Valentine's Day Spending Expected to Reach New Records

https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/valentine-s-day-spending-expected-to-reach-new-records

Survey: Most Couples Keep At Least Some Of Their Money Separate

https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/couples-finances/

Survey: 2 In 5 Americans In A Relationship Have Kept A Financial Secret From Their Partner

https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/financial-infidelity-survey-2025/

AI Tax App Crashes Financial Stocks on Wall Street

https://cpatrendlines.com/2026/02/10/ai-tax-app-crashes-financial-stocks-on-wall-street/

Americans Are Asking AI for Money Advice, But Should They Trust It?

https://www.bestmoney.com/financial-advisor/learn-more/do-americans-trust-fin-ai

82% trust AI for financial information and guidance

https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/82-trust-ai-for-financial-information-and-guidance

Intuit Is Down 33% Year to Date. Here's Where the Stock Could Be Headed in 2026

https://www.tikr.com/blog/intuit-is-down-33-year-to-date-heres-where-the-stock-could-be-headed-in-2028

Intuit Stock Is Down 24% Already In 2026. Time to Buy?

https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/01/30/intuit-stock-is-down-24-already-in-2026-time-to-bu/

Xero (ASX:XRO) Shares Crash 13% in Tech Selloff—Broker Urges Hold

https://kalkine.com.au/news/technology/xero-asxxro-shares-crash-13-in-tech-selloffbroker-urges-hold

Xero share price slides 14% in a week — what to watch next for ASX:XRO

https://ts2.tech/en/xero-share-price-slides-14-in-a-week-what-to-watch-next-for-asxxro/

I've tested and ranked the 10 best vibe coding tools in 2026

https://www.techradar.com/pro/best-vibe-coding-tools

Your Complete Guide To Vibe Coding Tools In 2026: Build Apps Just By Talking To AI

https://softtechhub.us/2026/02/11/guide-to-vibe-coding/

AI startup Replit launches feature to vibe code mobile apps

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/15/ai-startup-replit-launches-feature-to-vibe-code-mobile-apps.html

Vibe coding - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibe_coding

What's actually driving Carvana's margins?

https://www.cfo.com/news/whats-actually-driving-carvana-margins-ernie-garcia-drivetime-bridgecrest-zach-shefska-ray-shefska-/810911/

Need CPE?

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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.

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