78% of Americans are more worried about inflation stealing their money than AI stealing their job.
— WalletHub
Dean Quiambao
SF BAY AREA, CALIF.
After 12 years as an auditor for Armanino, Dean became the firm’s “Chief Relationship Builder,” helping private companies, private schools, performing and fine arts organizations and others address their tax, audit and accounting needs. He’s the CPA you want to date, not marry, he says—he connects you to the ones you want to marry.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day brings new challenges and conversations. At the core, people want to know what we’re hearing and what the numbers are telling us. My job is to keep a pulse on our clients’ businesses and make sure they have the insights they need to succeed.
What keeps you coming back to your work?
I feel valued and I know I’m making a difference. From an aspirational standpoint, success is going to happen for someone, so why not for us? Why not for me? That mindset motivates me to show up every day. A lot of people do what’s required of them, but very few go above and beyond. It’s that additional effort—the curiosity, the commitment—where all the opportunity lies. I love finding and seizing those opportunities for my clients and my team.
What would people not expect of accounting?
Your ability to explain complex accounting concepts in plain language and show how they impact a business or an individual is everything. This profession is far more personal than people think. It’s about relationships, trust and helping people make better decisions.
What should people know about accounting?
Accounting opens more doors and teaches you more about business than you could ever imagine. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about understanding how businesses work and how to help them grow.
What do you hope for the future of the CPA profession?
I hope the profession continues to embrace AI and emerging technology—and does so quickly. I want to see young accountants learn these tools, not fear them, and use them to level up their skills and serve clients better. That said, work ethic will always matter. You have to put in the effort. When people ask if this career is hard, my answer is always, “Yes, but these are the problems I prayed for.” I’ve been in this field for more than two decades and I stay because I can make an impact with my clients, my colleagues and my community. That’s what keeps me going.
Accountants are Naturals at ‘Decision Intelligence’
by Donny Shimamoto, CPA, CITP, CGMA
Nov. 14, 2025
“Decision intelligence,” according to data scientist Cassie Kozyrkov, is “turning information to better action—any scale, any setting.” It means breaking down silos between data, psychology, managerial science and risk—something squarely in accountants’ wheelhouse as they sit at the intersection of information and risk assessment.
For three main reasons, accountants are the natural leaders of decision intelligence as they translate strategy into criteria, evidence into action and risk into outcomes:
Evidence discipline. The profession formalizes documentation, materiality and reliability of information.
Risk fluency. Accountants are trained to quantify the likelihood, impact and control design of their work, not just expected value, as trade-offs emerge and guardrails must be set.
Ethics and accountability. Decision intelligence is as much about governance as math. Accountants bring independence, objectivity, and transparency to how decisions are made and monitored.
Pair these with AI-enabled decision workflows, and you find the ultimate leadership partner—human judgement amplified by machine creativity and bounded by well-designed controls.
An international team of archaeologists has uncovered new evidence that the vast line of more than 5,000 human-carved pits, stretching across a hillside in southern Peru, likely were part of an Indigenous system for accounting and exchange.
The Big 4 accounting firms use AI for audit doc review, unifying tech stacks, IT, client solutions and more. Smaller firms use it for tax research, return preparation and bookkeeping automation.
According to the AICPA, 75 percent of firms that brought on new employees in 2024 are expected to maintain or increase their recruitment levels in 2025.
The CPA and CFA exams are rigorous, multipart and time-consuming. As AI handles more of the work traditionally done by entry-level staff, the certifications will set employees apart.
Accountants didn’t create bubble wrap, but they saved it from an early demise ... Daily Accrual
In 1957, bubble wrap’s inventors sold their invention as a trendy, three-dimensional wallpaper—an idea that quickly flopped. But by reclassifying costs, capitalizing future-use R&D and carefully managing expenses, Sealed Air Company kept its balance sheet health enough to survive.
Today, as packaging material, bubble wrap is made in quantities large enough to wrap around the Earth ten times—evidence that good accounting is often the difference between a “pop” and a flop.
How do tax returns and forms processed by the IRS stack up against Mount Everest?
Daily Accrual
If you thought your desk was buried in paperwork, consider that for tax year 2024, the IRS could have stacked its paper returns higher than Mt. Everest (29,032 feet).
Of the 266 million tax returns and forms the IRS handled that year, more than 161 million came from individuals.
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