I recently attended the Geneva Group International (GGI) European Conference in Brussels, Belgium where I had the opportunity to interact with accountants and attorneys from across Europe and North America. Our membership in GGI gives us the opportunity to...
Our long standing clients John and Shara Weaver sold their business, Aspen Valley Landscape Supply, Inc. , to SiteOne Landscaping last week. The Weavers have operated the business for the last 30 years and build a very valuable enterprise...
Today, November 7th, 2016, we are excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of Mowery & Schoenfeld. Over the past 20 years, we have become a leading local firm in the Chicago market. We have been privileged...
During the week of October 17, I attended the 2016 World Converence and the 2016 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference for Geneva Group International (GGI), our international association. The conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand. GGI is a leading association of...
When I arrived for my recent trip to Bangkok, I found the nation in mourning over the death of King Bhumibol. He had reigned for over 70 years and was the longest reigning monarch in the world. Although he...
I recently attended the 2016 European Conference for Geneva Group International in Warsaw, Poland. I was accompanied by my friend and colleague, Jed Ang, Tax Manager at M&S. The conference consisted of 200 member delegates from countries throughout Europe...
I’m a certified public accountant, a lawyer, a certified financial planner, a father, a husband and a managing partner – you never know which hat(s) I may be wearing as I start writing my weekly blog posts. Although it...
Mowery & Schoenfeld is very unique among CPA firms as 28 of the 55 people in our firm were born after 1980. Many traditional CPA firms are dealing with succession planning issues as their partners near retirement age. Our...
According to an AICPA study, there are more people entering the field of accounting than ever. For many years, there were about 50,000 accounting degrees awarded per year. Beginning in 2002, these numbers fell drastically to about 35,000 in...
April 15 – It means many different things to so many people. Some happily await their refunds while others begrudgingly write their checks. Then there is always the race to the post office at the last minute. At Mowery...
The United States enjoys a huge competitive advantage among other nations due to our transportation system. No country in the world has a system like that of the United States which combines geography and constructed assets. The Mississippi River...
Mowery & Schoenfeld has merged/acquired three certified public accounting (CPA) firms in the last five years. We are very happy with our decisions. Our industry is in the midst of a wave of consolidation. So why do CPA firms...
A “lost” client is often a misnomer applied when a client or customer is no longer using you or your services. You didn’t “lose” the client – they are not like a towel you left at the beach. You...
I recently returned from the longest vacation I’ve taken since we started the firm 18 years ago. I was gone two full weeks traveling to Italy, Greece and Turkey. It was amazing! I’m one of those vacationers that generally...
Character Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood in the movie Magnum Force, so famously said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” After reading the book StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath, supported by The Gallup Organization, I’d like to modify...
In my experience, too many people seem down about the future; worried about things not being as good as they have been in the past. At Mowery & Schoenfeld, with more than half of our staff born after 1980,...
I’m honored and humbled to announce Mowery & Schoenfeld was recently named as one of the 2014 Accounting Today’s Best Accounting Firms to Work for. This is the fourth year in a row Mowery & Schoenfeld has received this...
“At times, the high-performing firm appears dysfunctional and in constant chaos, but this is part of their continual commitment to improve at greatness,” Allan Koltin, Koltin Consulting Group. This quote immediately resonated with me. A little chaos goes a...
Mowery & Schoenfeld is a member of Geneva Group International (GGI), the 6th largest worldwide alliance of well-established and experienced accounting, consulting and law firms. Our membership gives us, and our clients, access to resources and talent worldwide as...
Today’s blog post is a simple reminder that small words can make a big difference to your entire business. As a leader, I often cringe when I hear “I” vs. “we” or “work for” vs. “work with.” This may...
Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) is a new designation I recently earned. The designation recognizes the role of combining accounting and financial expertise with strategic insight to guide better business decisions. Why did I pursue the CGMA? I’m now...
Our long standing client and friend Albert H. Wohlers recently passed away at the age of 97. Al was a classic American success story. He grew up in Chicago and went to the University of Illinois with $200 in...
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the...
I often find that we operate in the world of the lowest common denominator. We hesitate to recognize excellence. We try to keep things equal and on an even keel by operating at a low level and wind up...
We completed our 19th busy season on April 15. That date marks the end of a nearly four month effort to help our clients meet their financial reporting commitments and tax obligations. This was once again a challenging time,...
I recently attended the European Regional Conference of Geneva Group International (GGI) in Lausanne, Switzerland. GGI is an international association of accounting, consulting and law firms. It has members in over 150 countries. Our Firm became a member of...
Our Firm has traditionally been very lean in the administrative department. We started our Firm at about the same time that technology transformed the accounting workplace. Our approach was to not have dedicated administrative assistants for partners; instead, we...
The final goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs was a memorable example of teamwork. After a change in possession, the Blackhawks’ winger Brandon Saad shot up the ice, drawing the attention of the Lightning’s defenseman and goalie. Saad...
I was recently asked to contribute to a survey of CPA Managing Partners by summarizing three unique practices that Mowery & Schoenfeld has used to hire, develop, and retain a great staff. It did not take me long to...
