About the Show
Beer, Golf & Business. Right down the middle, most weeks.
RDTFM is a weekly podcast about beer, golf, and business, hosted by three CPAs who each run a small firm: Chris Hervochon, Chad Allen, and Dalton Sweaney. We try to keep all three right down the middle. Results vary.
Here’s how it goes. Everybody opens a beer. We talk about our latest rounds, the swing fix that worked for exactly one day, and whichever new club is supposed to solve it. Then we get to the part that’s (we think) actually useful: The Approach, where one of us brings a real business question from our own firms and the three of us work through it.
Past topics include businesses that are profitable but somehow broke, LLC vs. S Corp, cleaning up a new client’s messy prior-year returns, tax advice from TikTok, AI in a small firm, and why unplugging for a couple of days can make you a better leader. We don’t always agree. Honestly, that’s when it gets good.
What does RDTFM stand for?
Right Down The F***ing Middle. On air we usually say “freaking.” Usually.
Who’s it for?
Business owners, firm owners, accountants, and anyone who wants a good beer recommendation and a little swing commiseration. You don’t need to know what a debit is, and you don’t need to break 80. Grab a beer and join us on the tee box.
Heads up
The show is explicit. Some of the language isn’t safe for the office, which is kind of the point. Headphones are your friend.
The rating scale
1–2
No thanks
Pour it out. Politely.
3–4
Only if it’s free
Somebody hands you one, you’ll drink it. You’re not paying for it.
5–6
Solid
Respectable. No complaints.
7–8
Good beer
You’d buy it again.
9–10
Holy grail
Find out where they sell it and clear some fridge space.
The Leaderboard
The golf
Yes, we actually play
The golf part of the show is real. All three of us play, with three very different results. Chris played professionally (a smidge) and still carries an index just under 5, which mostly means his bad rounds hurt more.
Chad is in the middle of his first real swing rebuild after about three decades of teaching himself, and he tracks his range reps in a spreadsheet. Dalton is working his way back from hip and quad surgery, one walking nine at a time.
So you’ll hear about club championships, a membership audition in Southern California, surviving Cog Hill, charity scrambles, and new drivers that were supposed to fix everything. Some of it is useful. Most of it is just golf talk, and we’re fine with that.
The RDTFM Scorecard
Chris
Current project: anything but left
Handicap
Chad
Current project: the first real swing rebuild
Handicap
Dalton
Current project: walking nines after hip and quad surgery
Handicap
Format
The four holes
Hole 1
Pop That Top
Everybody cracks a beer and tells you what it is, where it’s from, and why they picked it. Sometimes the reason is the label. That’s rarely a good reason.
Hole 2
The Scorecard
A few minutes of golf. Recent rounds, swing fixes, new gear, and an honest accounting of what went wrong. Honest accounting is sort of our whole thing.
Hole 3
The Approach
The heart of the show. One of us brings a real business question from our own firms, and the three of us talk through how we’d think about it. We don’t always agree. That’s usually the good part.
The fine print
RDTFM is for general information and entertainment only. It’s not tax, accounting, legal, or investment advice, and listening doesn’t make any of us your CPA. Your situation is your own, so talk to your own advisor before you act on anything you hear here. The views on the show belong to the hosts, not their firms. The language is explicit. And if you’re drinking along, be 21 or older and drink responsibly.