Five Questions With Forvis Mazars Partner Trey Ackerman

Bloomberg Tax Insights & Commentary is featuring a recurring questionnaire of prominent tax professionals who are willing to share their thoughts about their work and the practice of tax these days. Today we feature Trey Ackerman, who is partner and national tax service leader at Forvis Mazars.

What is the biggest challenge that tax practitioners are facing in 2026?

It’s probably the pace of change regarding technology and innovation, specifically the use of artificial intelligence. It will allow us all to be more efficient in what we do and how we do it, but we also need to make sure we have adequately addressed the quality and governance around it.

That’s also true with respect to our clients. Pretty much every client or future client I talk to is interested in innovation, transformation, data strategy, and AI. This includes how we can help them in terms of evaluating opportunities and use cases, implementing in their organizations, and addressing the quality and governance.

The opportunity and challenge is how can we best use AI, and how can we help our clients evaluate and use it, too.

What tax case is no one watching that they should be?

The ongoing resolutions around tariffs and potential developments—that’s one of the biggest topics globally right now with clients and future clients.

In terms of breaking news, there was a recent case in the Superior Court of California related to Smithfield—specifically three-factor apportionment, which is top of mind for those doing business in California.

What tax issue keeps you up at night?

I think a lot about the care and well-being of our team overall. We are in a human capital business, and we’re only as good as the team we have. Our careers and this profession can be demanding at times with deadlines and client deliverable milestones.

It’s important to ensure team members take time for themselves when possible. I’m a runner, so I always like to think about our careers as more of a marathon and not a series of unending sprints. We need time for recovery so we can finish the race effectively and successfully.

We should also understand that life happens, that things come up with family and with loved ones, and make sure that when we need to give people time, space, and flexibility, we do that. Camaraderie and team spirit make a huge difference in why we join the profession—and why we stay.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned in your early years of practice?

It’s hard to pick just one. Recognizing that people come into this profession and there’s a lot you don’t know—and it takes time to learn and really get to know the things that are necessary to be successful—is a big one. I’ve also learned to recognize that learning is lifelong and never stops. Even 20-plus years into my career, I’m still learning every day, and I welcome that.

The other thing that stands out for me is that it’s OK to make mistakes—failure doesn’t have to define us. Mistakes or failures don’t mean the game is over; rather, they’re opportunities to assess, evaluate, and apply those lessons learned as we move forward. This is true both personally and professionally.

Finally, our growth both as individuals and collectively as teams likely comes when we are challenged most. It’s not always fun when we’re challenged and when the trials and adversity surface. But growth happens when we’re stretched; this is where we learn the most about ourselves, our team, and our organizations. The book “True North” speaks to this as a necessary component for developing authentic leadership.

What was the last thing you believed beyond a reasonable doubt?

There are many, one of which is that it is always a great time to be in this profession. There is always the next ground floor where we are building, dreaming, and visioning about the future. This profession is always going to be in demand, and there are so many directions to take one’s career, which is exciting.

Learning and development are continuous, which is awesome for lifelong learners. I believe AI will enable what we do and how we do it, and there will always be a need for us to help, serve, and advise our clients.

I also believe we are in the business of changing lives. We use audit, tax, and consulting as ways to bring people together to positively change the lives of our team members and the clients that we serve. We help make a difference one moment at a time. At the end of the day, we have a lot to be excited about and much to be grateful for.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Tax, and Bloomberg Government, or its owners.

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