When it comes to tax and technology, our understanding of the implementation often ends at, “My clients upload their data to the cloud.” But there’s so much more to technology in finance than just “the cloud.” There are many ways people in the tax profession can benefit from embracing today’s revolutionary accounting technology. Sometimes tax professionals can be resistant to change, but embracing accounting technology doesn’t have to be scary.   On today’s episode of the Taxgirl podcast, Kelly is joined by Jody Padar to talk about technology and what it can bring to the tax profession. Jody was the CEO and Principal of the New Vision CPA Group, a public accounting firm based in the Chicago area, for 14 years. Now, she is Vice President of Strategy at Botkeeper. She is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader in the tax and accounting profession. She is the author of The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm, a book that sparked a movement within the accounting profession focusing on four tenets: cloud technology, social business, value pricing, and process. She has also recently authored a new book, Botkeeper for Dummies. Listen to Kelly and Jody talk about tax and technology: Some folks in the tax profession are more resistant to change than others. What is Jody excited about in regards to today’s technology? Why embracing technology, especially during tax season, benefits clients as much as it does tax professionals. How technology can help tax professionals save time and become more organized. Do machine learning and artificial intelligence threaten job security in the industry? What might a career as a tax professional look like in ten years as accounting technology continues to evolve? The impact of encouraging small and medium sized firms to learn and use new financial technology tools.  How to introduce technology into your practice with research, collaboration, and experimentation. Dealing with the feeling of “giving up” control of a task to a technology tool. How tax software can help tax professionals guide their clients to be more proactive. Tax programs can scan for outliers in decades of previous returns, preparing tax professionals and their clients for more informed financial conversations. Evolving technology in the finance world frees up young professionals from doing “grunt work” and allows them to truly begin their career in the field. Tax and accounting software is coaxing professionals to approach tax and financial statements in the context of data and projection. Do new accounting graduates have the skills they need in the changing industry? How to make all the new accounting technology feel less intimidating.  More about Kelly Phillips Erb: Kelly is the creator and host of the Taxgirl podcast series. Kelly is a practicing tax attorney with considerable experience and knowledge. She works with taxpayers like you every day. One of the things that she does is help folks out of tax jams, and hopefully, keep others from getting into them. Links mentioned: Kelly’s Website – TaxgirlJody Padar -- LinkedInJody Padar -- Twitter