Beyond the Sale: How Dealerships Can Turn Service Departments into Profit Powerhouses
For dealerships across automotive, agricultural equipment, RV, and powersports sectors, the pressure to maintain profitability has never been higher. Margins are tighter and financing costs remain elevated. These challenges have pushed many dealerships to look beyond the showroom for stability, and increasingly, they’re finding it in the service department. W
Exit Planning Mistakes That Kill Business Value
Most business owners spend years, often decades, building their companies. Yet when it comes to planning an exit, many wait until they are ready to retire, respond to an unsolicited offer, or hit a point of burnout. By then, some of the most important opportunities to protect and grow business value have already been missed. […]
Headlights Newsletter – 4Q 2025
The latest issue of Headlights, a publication of the AutoCPA Group, is now available. Please click here to access the newsletter.
Harnessing Data Analytics to Drive Smarter Public Decisions
Across the public sector, leaders are under growing pressure to make decisions that are efficient, transparent, and backed by evidence. Whether it’s budgeting, capital planning, or tracking community outcomes, data analytics has become one of the most powerful tools governments can use to guide smarter choices. At Brady Martz,&n
The Fine Print this Holiday Season: How States Tax Gift Certificates
As holiday shopping picks up, many businesses and organizations turn to gift cards and certificates as a simple way to say, “thank you.” But when it comes to sales tax, timing matters — and the rules can vary from state to state. Here’s a quick summary of how eight states treat the sale and redemption […]
Navigating Interest Rate Volatility: Strategies for 2026
After several years of unpredictable rate movements, community banks and credit unions are entering 2026 facing continued uncertainty. While inflation pressures have eased, the interest rate environment remains anything but stable. Margins are tighter, liquidity is in flux, and competition for deposits continues to shape the balance sheets of financia
Budgeting in a Post-Inflation World: A Q&A with Amanda Scanson, Principal at Brady Martz
Rising costs, shifting revenues, and evolving community needs have redefined what it means to manage public funds effectively. Even as inflation stabilizes, local governments continue to face lingering budget pressures — from higher operating costs to competing demands for services. To explore how municipalities, counties, and school districts can plan
New Participant Count Rules for When an Audit Is Needed
Understanding when an employee benefit plan requires an audit has always been an important aspect of compliance for plan sponsors. Recent updates to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) rules have changed how plan size is determined for audit purposes, impacting which plans are classified as “large” and therefore subject to an ann
Transparency 2.0: Using Data Dashboards to Build Citizen Trust
In today’s digital age, citizens expect more than just annual reports and budget summaries—they want real-time insights into how their government operates. From budgets and capital projects to public safety and community outcomes, local governments have an opportunity to strengthen public confidence by embracing a new era of transparency: Tra
AI in Credit Reviews: Efficiency vs. Bias
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform how financial institutions operate—from streamlining back-office workflows to enhancing fraud detection and customer service. One area seeing particularly rapid change is credit review and underwriting, where AI-powered models promise faster decisions, deeper data analysis, and more consistent risk