Tax Forum’s flow-through tax planning programs give CPAs and attorneys the technical knowledge they need about the latest concepts and strategies in flow-through taxation. In addition, they also offer a way to level up the consultative services that accounting and law firms offer their clients.

To find out more, we sat down with MyKim Tran, director of learning and development at Aldrich. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Oregon, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors LLP is a top 70 accounting firm, serving clients nationwide from eight offices across the Western United States. She spoke to us about helping the firm’s tax team develop professionally, the importance of both consultative and technical skills, and how her team upskills by attending Tax Forum programs on a regular basis.

Tell us about your role at Aldrich Advisors.
I’m director of learning and development. My background with the Big Four, local and regional firms has provided me the foundation to oversee the professional growth of our team members in all capacities—including both soft and hard skills.

As director of learning and development for tax accountants and business advisors, what is your goal?
We know AI is coming. It’s here. Software is going to make everything easier. We’re going to do things faster, right? Eventually, data entry and spreadsheets will become a much smaller part of accountants’ work, freeing them to focus on higher-value work. So we wanted to ensure that our people have a consultative mindset. We’re looking to have a big impact on our client’s businesses—that’s our primary focus, to be the person they call before they make critical decisions that impact their business. By attending Tax Forum’s programs, we are presented with ideas and concepts that we can apply to our unique client situations and help them grow. This program supplements our people’s natural instinct to help our clients achieve their goals.

How did you get involved with Tax Forum?
Our firm has been sending our team members to Tax Forum’s Tax Planning Forum and Fundamentals of Flow-Through programs for decades. I first got involved when I was asked by our people, what programs do we love and which do we want to replicate. In past years, we sent fewer than a half dozen accountants; this year, we have nearly 40 attendees. The partners are excited to open up this opportunity for our tax team to attend the Tax Forum seminars—helping us learn more about what is happening in the flow-through world.

What do your team members say about Tax Forum?
The Tax Forum’s reputation speaks for itself, which is why several of our team members are planning to attend both the Tax Planning Forum and Fundamentals of Flow-Through programs this year. They use what they learn right away, and the information that they don’t use right away, they know they will in the future. For instance, we had a really big client that we recently helped convert to an ESOP, because the owner wanted his employees to own part of his company. Our team members were prepared to do that, to help explore those options, because of what they have learned at the programs. And our less tenured team members are better prepared to help support our more sophisticated clients.

How does Tax Forum help you reach your learning and development goals with your team?
They’re learning foundational information, and they are learning how to explore, which is important as we are their consultants. That’s what our clients are looking for. They don’t want to read the tax law. They don’t need to calculate how much that’s going to save them in tax saving strategies. Our clients want to hear that this can be done, and they want to hear about other opportunities we can provide for them. When great CPAs, attorneys, and financial advisors come together, it’s a really powerful tool for clients. You can create amazing synergies. Tax Forum’s programs are a great foundation for getting us to where we want to go.

For more information about our available programs, visit our program schedule and details page or contact our program coordinator Michelle Petrus at (800) 286-4760 or m.petrus@taxforums.com.