He Verified His Own ID. His Co-Director Didn't. He Was Fined
The first Insolvency Service convictions for identity verification landed on 16 September. One director had verified himself. His co-director had not.
Practice
Professional body updates, ethics, audit standards, and the business of running a solo cloud-accounting practice, with notes on what the headlines actually mean at the coalface.
Practice
556 ACSPs Are Now Ceased or Suspended. I Read the List
Companies House has ceased or suspended 556 authorised agents, 168 of them in August alone. I downloaded the register. Here is what it means for your files.
What I Check in the Old Accountant's Files Before I Say Yes
When a client switches to me, I read the outgoing accountant's handover the way audit taught me to read working papers. Here's the checklist I run first.
Why I Cap My Client List and Turn Away Good Clients
In a one-person practice, capacity is the whole product. Why I keep a hard ceiling on my client list and waitlist good businesses instead.
Careless, Reckless, Criminal: Where HMRC Draws the Line
HMRC wants 'reckless' tax declarations to be a criminal offence. Here is where careless, reckless and dishonest actually sit, and what it changes for me.
What a Year in Audit Taught Me No Certification Covers
Cloud certifications test whether you can drive the software. A year in audit drilled three instincts into me that no Xero or QuickBooks course ever will.
The New AML Rules: Less Box-Ticking, More Judgment on Me
The Money Laundering Regulations 2026 lighten the box-ticking but push the judgment onto me. Here is what changes for a sole practice from 30 June.
Mid-Tier Firms Hire Around AI. Solos Sell Up the Stack.
ICAEW found mid-tier firms are hiring around AI, swapping graduates for school leavers. A solo practice can't. Here's the one lever I actually have.
Why I Still Reach for Excel Before Syft on a New Engagement
On a new client engagement the first 90 minutes belong in Excel, not Syft. Here is why audit-trained practitioners still reach for a flexible grid first.