David Erard, CPA

Bio

David has more than 20 years of experience in the accounting industry, including seven years at a Big Four firm (two years of which were spent at their national tax office in Washington, D.C.). He provides consultation on business matters and related tax provisions of partnership/LLC operating agreements, distressed debt matters, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) tax consulting and compliance matters, net investment income tax considerations, and assists in structuring and implementing transactions executed by private equity firms and other real estate investors. David holds an M.S. in accounting with an emphasis in tax from Brigham Young University and has lectured on several occasions at the USC Gould School of Law Tax Institute.

Q&A

Accountants have a reputation in popular culture for being boring, but I found Armanino to be the exact opposite. The entrepreneurial spirit here really makes accounting fun, and I wanted to be a part of it. The firm's vision for the future of accounting is similar to my own, and I saw a great opportunity to bring some of my niche experience to help build on what Armanino was already doing.

Changes in technology have given us access to a lot of financial data, and I've seen clients who didn't know how to use it get lost in the mire, as well as some CPAs. I think the amount of actionable information is only going to increase, and we need to demonstrate that we have the expertise to analyze and contextualize this increasingly available pool of data to help our clients make informed decisions.

I'd like to see states develop practical solutions for pass-through entities and owners to reduce their compliance burden. For example, states could give every partnership the ability to file a composite return and pay state tax for all of its partners rather than going through the highly burdensome process of managing composite filings. It would eliminate the need to determine eligibility for each partner, cut down on the administrative processes that go along with making that determination, and generally make state compliance simpler. I think it would be a win-win opportunity for businesses and states.

I spend time thinking about better preparing myself for change in the industry. It's easy to get very busy and focused on what's right in front of you, but we need to invest time and attention into being ready for the future of accounting. So I try to ensure that I and my team are knowledgeable about the newest techniques, tactics and technologies that are going to benefit our clients.

My goal is ensure that my team knows that I'm there to support and empower them. That means that sometimes they are going to be asked to seek out solutions to challenging problems and recommend answers to me, rather than me telling them what I would do if I were them. I do my best to prepare them for the exciting challenges that are a part of working with smart clients who ask hard questions.