Cards or Accounts? Choosing the Right Entry Point into Modern Banking

Let’s be honest, nobody got into accounting to duct tape together spend tools and play reconciliation whack-a-mole.

In our third webinar of the “Modern Firm Banking” series, I sat down with Jackson Hanssen, Product Manager of Accounting & Reporting at Rho, to unpack one of the most common, but least discussed, decisions firms face when modernizing client financial operations: Where should they start, cards or accounts?

And just like that, the conversation revealed more than expected. Because this isn’t just about where the money sits, it’s about how firms work, where they feel pain first, and how to pick the lowest-friction path into transformation.

Cards as Strategy, Not Just Spend

Cards often get dismissed as tactical. Pay the bill. Swipe and forget. But Jackson and I pushed back, hard.

“Cards are a visibility machine,” Jackson said. “They help firms see where money is going in real time, apply guardrails, and automate what used to be painful.”

For many firms, the client’s problems start with spend: uncontrolled purchases, missing receipts, rogue approvals. So if that’s where the pain is, why not start there?

I reminded attendees that Rho’s 2% cashback cards* are more than a nice-to-have, they’re an immediate ROI lever. Paired with real-time GL sync to QuickBooks, NetSuite, or Xero, they shift cards from clerical chaos to client value.

Why Banking Isn’t Always the First Move

While traditional banking feels like the “logical” starting point, it’s not always the most strategic. Jackson laid out how Rho’s deposit accounts, bill pay, and treasury tools work better once a firm has already centralized client control through cards.

“Firms used to think, ‘We need a bank account first,’ but that’s just not true anymore,” I said. “You can lead with spend, and build trust from day one.”

The takeaway? Cards are a gateway. When used right, they open the door to the entire Rho ecosystem, banking, treasury, expense workflows, and firm-level control.

Building Confidence Through Visibility

One of the biggest hurdles for firms is implementation fatigue. Too many tools. Too many rollouts. Too much pressure to be the expert on every fintech.

That’s why Rho’s effortless onboarding is designed around the accountant. Not just the firm partner, but the person doing the books, managing the process, and answering the client’s late-night emails.

“The accountant is the one stitching the tools together,” Jackson said. “Rho gives them one login, one dashboard, one way to win.”

This isn’t just modern UX, it’s modern respect.

Explore Rho for Accountants

About Will Lopez

Will Lopez, chief architect of People Advisory and fellow accountant, has dedicated his career to supporting accounting professionals and small businesses with more than 20 years of public- and private-sector experience, including founding and scaling a modern, cloud-based accounting firm.