The Balancing Act Podcast with SingerLewak

As a member of the leadership team, you wield significant influence over your organization’s destiny. When it comes to complex IT undertakings like ERP upgrades, your decisions can tip the scales toward success or failure. Unfortunately, many of these projects fall short of their intended goals, leading to cautionary tales shared by CFOs and CEOs. But fear not! Our March Balancing Act Podcast featuring two eminent Digital Transformation experts: Bob Green, Digital Transformation Advisor and Practice Leader of our SL Business Informatics team, and Steve Griffin, an Executive Partner at GARTNER (renowned IT research and thought leadership organization). Tune in to gain insights and actionable leadership advice to ensure your ERP implementation journey can achieve the results you desire.

Join us in this insightful episode as we sit down with our guests, Mike Mondelli, Director, and Ryan Nance, Manager, both from the Tax Department at SingerLewak. Together, they will unravel the crucial topics shaping this year's tax landscape. From key changes in tax laws to maximizing deductions, uncovering commonly overlooked tax breaks, and navigating the pandemic's impact on filings, this episode provides invaluable advice for individuals and small business owners alike. Stay tuned as we delve into the tax implications of economic stimulus packages, share best practices for record-keeping, and offer guidance on investing and avoiding audit triggers. Whether you're a seasoned taxpayer or just starting your financial journey, this is your roadmap to informed and strategic tax planning.

Episode 14 | How to Leave a Legacy: Understanding the Importance of Estate Planning 

Alice Pearl from the Law Offices of Michael K. Lanning and Jessica Nadler, an SLBiggs Partner at SingerLewak, discuss the significance of estate planning. Estate planning helps to maximize one's legacy while minimizing taxes and maintaining peace among loved ones. They cover several topics, such as explaining what an estate plan and a trust are, the consequences of not having an estate plan, estate taxes and trust income taxes, proactive planning tips to ensure your desires are fulfilled, and best practices for trustees to have a successful administration, including record-keeping and trust accounting.

Welcome to another episode of "The Balancing Act", where we explore life and long-term care insurance and what it is, and why businesses need it. With us are Lara Buitrago from SingerLewak Business Solutions Group and the Managing Director of Life/Long Term Care at BGA Insurance. We discuss popular types of life insurance, life insurance with savings, long-term care, and its potential legislative approaches. We also explore the relevance of this issue to business owners and the tax implications of premiums.

Gain insights into end-of-life care, long-term care options, costs, and benefits. Unravel the legal and financial implications of your decisions. Stay balanced!

Episode 12 | Business Buzzcast: Business Success Through Relationship Management

In this episode, Lara Buitrago, a Partner of SingerLewak's Business Solutions group, joins David Ackert, the CEO of Ackert Inc., for a dynamic conversation. David is not only the mastermind behind PipelinePlus, a powerful business development tool but also a seasoned executive coach with expertise in business development strategy assessments. Together, they delve into the world of relationship management, discussing why relationships are a vital asset for business owners and providing valuable insights on managing and nurturing them successfully.

Episode 11 of the Balancing Act podcast is finally here, and we're thrilled to share it with you! Join us in exploring the world of Professional Development alongside our incredible guests, Jeremy Dillard, Technical Standards Partner, and Emnet Saari, Senior Web Designer at Brand House Marketing.

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, growing professionally is more important than ever. Learn about the significance of personal development and discover how platforms such as LinkedIn can be your secret weapon to showcase your skills and build meaningful connections.

Episode 10 | Cybersecurity: A Pragmatic Approach for the C-Suite and Business Owner

Join Bob Green, Lead Partner of SL Business Informatics, and Cybersecurity lead advisor, Eric Rockwell, as they examine the executive's role and responsibilities in guiding their organizations along the Cybersecurity Maturity continuum. This podcast is not intended to scare you about Cybersecurity, but rather to provide practical insights into why a Cybersecurity Program is necessary and how to initiate one correctly. This discussion follows the theme of a previous Balancing Act podcast in which Bob spoke with Clar Rosso, CEO of ISC2, the world's leading provider of professional Cybersecurity education and certifications.

Episode 9: Better Leaders, Better Companies, Better Lives

A conversation with Xan Pearson, CEO & President of the Colorado Thought Leaders Forum and Ed Schenkein, Assurance & Advisory Partner at SingerLewak. An inquiry that reveals how leadership growth and development elevates individuals, teams, businesses, communities.

Episode 8: What to Expect During an IRS Examination

An overview of IRS examinations (IRS audits) where SingerLewak Partner Mark Cook and Director Mike Mondelli discuss the different IRS divisions, the different types of examinations, what the examination process is like, and how to respond when the IRS contacts you. 

Episode 7: SingerLewak’s Managing Partner, Jim Pitrat discusses how clients drive value at a CPA firm.

Clients play a vital role in any business, and accounting firms are no exception. Jim has been with SingerLewak for 26 and counting. He has experience with both Private and Publicly traded companies and has also advised on cost management, internal controls, corporate restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions. Jim has client service responsibilities in the business sectors of Investor-Backed Private Companies, Family-Owned Companies, as well as Public Companies.

Episode 6: Tony Cardiel CPA/ABV, CFE and Paul Carroll, CFP of Avion Wealth discuss common missteps and issues of selling a business and his book Tips & Traps: Selling Your Business While Maximizing Your Wealth. 

Episode 5: Cybersecurity: Global Trends, Good Practices, and Potential Threats with Bob Green and Clar Rosso

• Trends in the global cybersecurity landscape
• How ISC2’s certification and education mission is improving our collective capabilities to combat cybercrime
• What's next in cyber defense? Share some good news - and what risks we should be worrying about

Episode 4: Introduction to SingerLewak's International Practice

In this episode you will learn:

1. What is the International Practice and its objectives?

2. What international services we provide here at SingerLewak?

3. Why should someone work with the International Practice?

Episode 3: Success with Enterprise Resource Planning-- An essential part of your ERP Project Success "Secret Sauce" ERP Project ahead? Want the best from your chosen vendors? Remember that these projects are a 2-way street. You want to be satisfied, and so do your vendors – particularly if you want to have them available to have you optimize their solution for years ahead. We interview 2 of our favorite ERP reseller CXO’s for a rare chat about what they would want you to know about what it’s like to sell, implement and work on projects for you – and how to build meaningful partnerships with them. We find that the best implementations come from collaborative relationships with the providers you choose (and hint: if they are in demand, they choose you, too).

This podcast supports our SLBI (SL Business Informatics’) Foresight methodology – helping plan ahead for our clients’ success with ERP, CRM and other complex IT projects.

Hosted and moderated by Bob Green, CPA.CITP, CGMA – Lead Partner, SingerLewak SLBI, with special ERP guests David Cieslak from RKL eSolutions, and Jennifer Harris from Technology Management Concepts. David’s firm specializes in Sage ERP products, and Jennifer’s firm focuses on a broad array of Microsoft solutions, and both have been successfully serving mid-market clients for several decades. Learn –

• Specific actions you can take to prepare for your software vendor - from demos through the throws of implementation projects - so your team can look back and measure success from the project, not failure.

• Discuss how strategic foresight and risk assessments are so vital to complex ERP, CRM and IT projects

Episode 2: Cybersecurity is an essential topic that business owners should be educating themselves about. Cyber-attacks have become increasingly common. We are constantly hearing about businesses from large profile companies to small companies or even organizations in the public sector like utility companies. The reality is that most cyber-attacks target small or mid-sized businesses because they are the most vulnerable. In today’s episode, you will learn about cybersecurity and the threats that cyber-attacks can have on a business. Lara Buitrago who is a SingerLewak Partner of our Business Solutions Group is joined by Corey Kaufman, the general manager for Accent, Computer Solutions. Keep listening to learn about the risks that business owners should be aware of and how they can avoid cyber-attacks.

Episode 1: Digital Transformation and the “Human” element: How to ensure your staff will adopt and champion the results from your next ERP or CRM project

We are joined by Partner Bob Green who founded the SL Business Informatics division at SingerLewak and guest speaker Dr. Jeremy Lurey, Ph.D., expert at organizational change management and organizational development and serves as SL Business Informatics’ Digital Transformation Change Management Lead Advisor.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why adoption is in the top 3 factors for ERP and CRM project success, yet why it's so difficult to achieve
• Best practices to increase your likelihood of your team adopting the new systems
• Why foresight and readiness is vital to planning these projects
• Complexities specific to implementing technology in certain types of businesses