Beach Clusters 2023

Featured Speakers

• View Bio

  

  ×

  

  Jim Martin, CPA, CGMA, MAc

  Bio

  James (“Jim”) Martin is a true “general practitioner” in Atlanta, Georgia who, for 39 years, has specialized in both income tax and accounting and audit areas. In addition to serving the accounting and tax needs of 100 clients, Jim performs 75-80 continuing education seminars per year for CPAs and attorneys throughout the United States. To date, he has prepared and presented over 3000 full and half-day seminars on accounting and taxation topics. Jim’s philosophy of CPE is simple: spend the class time on topics of applicability and relevance to all and present the topics in an entertaining and fast moving manner. He also produces self-study videos that have been among the top sellers in the southeastern United States for the past several years. Jim regularly consults with CPA firms throughout the United States on a variety of accounting and auditing technical issues and serves as expert counsel in litigation manners.

• View Bio

  

  ×

  

  Bruce Ely

  Bio

  Bruce Ely is a partner in the Birmingham, Alabama office of the multistate law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and founder of its SALT Practice Group.  He represents taxpayers before various state and local government taxing authorities as well as the tax tribunals and circuit and appellate courts of Alabama and Mississippi, and before the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Tax Court.

  Mr. Ely is Past Co-Chair of the New York University (NYU) Institute on State and Local Taxation, a long-time Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, and has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers” for a number of years.   Until recently, he also served as Co-Chair of the ABA Tax Section SALT Committee’s “Task Force on the State Implications of the New Federal Partnership Audit Rules” and co-authored a model conformity/RAR statute now being advocated to the states.  He is also co-editor of the Bloomberg Tax “Pass-Through Entities Navigator” and serves as Alabama correspondent for both Tax Notes-State and Daily Tax Report.  He is a longtime member of the State Tax Advisory Board for Bloomberg Tax and received Bloomberg’s “State Tax Author of the Year” Award in 2017 and its Franklin C. Latcham Distinguished Service Award in 2021.

• View Bio

  

  ×

  

  Mike Frost

  Bio

  Mike Frost, CPA
  
  Mike Frost, CPA, of Albertville, Alabama, provides tax consulting, continuing education, and motivational speaking services through his company, Mike Frost Enterprises. Mike is a former shareholder of MDA Professional Group, PC, where he managed the tax department of the Albertville, Alabama office and has 30 years of experience in public accounting, including but not limited to: Business and individual income tax preparation and planning; mergers and acquisitions; estate, gift, and trust tax preparation; small business consulting; Medicare planning and other elder care; audit representation; and religious groups and clergy. Mike is an author and presenter for Surgent McCoy CPE, LLC, a leading provider of continuing education for CPAs and Enrolled Agents. Mike has received multiple Surgent CPE Excellence in Education awards and received the James L. McCoy Discussion Leader of the Year award for the 2018-2019 CPE year.
  
  Mike has conducted CPE engagements and seminars throughout the United States and has served as technical advisor for tax articles in The Sand Mountain Reporter, a local newspaper. Mike has been a featured presenter at the Alabama Society of CPAs Annual Meeting and the Federal Tax Clinic held annually at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
  
  Mike graduated with "high honors and distinction" from Jacksonville State University with a major in accounting and a minor in finance and a 4.0 GPA. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants. In addition, he is a graduate of the Tax Planning and Advising for Closely Held Businesses Certificate of Educational Achievement Program sponsored by the AICPA.