Rea Business Advisors Uses Full Population Testing to Gain the Upper Hand

Built for Something Else

Historically, EBP audit software wasn't built with employee benefit plan audits in mind.

“Historically, any auditing software that has been used is built off of that platform,” Finzer says, referring to financial statement audit tools. “Then it became piecemeal: let's add an EBP feature and let's add something else.”

The methodology that came with those tools reflected that approach. Auditors selected a population, chose a sample, and moved on. “The historical thinking in the industry has always been that you'll select a sample and hope you don't find any significant issues,” Finzer says.

At the same time, Department of Labor scrutiny (DOL) was increasing and margins were tightening across the industry. Yet many firms continued to view EBP audits primarily as work that filled capacity outside of tax season.

A Different Starting Point

When Finzer evaluated Autire, the answer to her first question was clear. “The first thing that spoke to me was the fact that this was built by someone who understood employee benefit plan audits.” Not adapted from a financial statement audit platform or an AI feature added on.

Autire is software designed from EBP first principles, built to test full populations rather than samples. “I viewed it as an opportunity to provide a more complete audit for our clients,” Finzer says. “Full-population testing allows us to deliver a higher level of assurance because we're evaluating the entire population, not just a sample.”

Like many firms considering a new audit methodology, Rea had concerns about what full-population testing might uncover. Would testing every participant surface so many exceptions that it created more work rather than less? And for ongoing clients, would finding something new under full population testing lead them to ask why prior-year audits had missed it?

“One concern I had was implementing Autire on an existing engagement,” Finzer says. “If it identified an issue that hadn't been detected before, clients could understandably ask why it hadn't surfaced in prior audits.”

Despite those concerns, Finzer believed the potential benefits outweighed the risks and committed anyway.

“When I saw what Autire could do, I knew it would be a game changer for our practice.”

Finding Every Flagged Record

Full-population testing means every record is reviewed rather than a sample, allowing firms to identify exceptions that may otherwise go undetected. “You open the file hoping there won't be many flags,” Finzer says. “When you see 8,000, it's staggering.”

Most of those flags ultimately traced back to a single pay-code configuration issue. Once it was addressed, the remaining exceptions highlighted legitimate items that warranted further review and may not have been identified through traditional sample testing.

“Full-population testing gives us a more complete picture,” Finzer says. “Rather than relying on a sample, we're able to review the entire population and provide clients with greater insight.”

The apprehension about client pushback was flipped. “If there is an issue, I would rather find it, identify it, and share that information with the client,” Finzer says. “That gives them the opportunity to address it before a regulatory audit uncovers it.”

The transition required more than implementing new software; it required a shift in mindset. “It changed how we think about these audits,” Finzer says. “Instead of relying on a sample to be representative, we're able to understand the full picture.”

Margins, Efficiency, and the Upper Hand

The benefits came on multiple dimensions, and Finzer is candid about their pace. “If firms think they're going to go from 100 hours down to 30 overnight, that's not realistic,” Finzer says. “There's a learning curve.”

Since adopting Autire, Rea has reduced hours per audit by 40 percent while improving profitability.

“It allows us to address the margin pressures we've been seeing and, in some cases, increase those margins.”

But Finzer's strongest argument for Autire isn't about internal efficiency. It's about what full population testing means when a prospect is comparing firms.

“I want Rea to be able to offer something that differentiates us in the marketplace,” she says. “Full-population testing allows us to provide a level of audit coverage that many firms still aren't offering.”

When asked what would make her choose Autire over competing products, her answer was straightforward.

“It's not an apples-to-apples comparison. Their tool addresses part of the audit process, but it doesn't fundamentally change the audit approach the way full-population testing does.”

Four Years In

Since adopting Autire in 2022, Rea has expanded its use of the platform, committed additional plans in 2026, and collaborated with Autire on the development of its ESOP module.

Finzer also points to the partnership behind the technology.

“Having direct access to senior leadership is very positive,” she says. “And having an assigned representative speaks volumes about the company's commitment to its clients' success.”

She encourages firms considering a similar approach to think beyond efficiency gains. “Even if a firm isn't looking to grow its practice, there are benefits to creating additional capacity,” Finzer says. “It gives teams more opportunity to have sit down conversations with clients and identify other ways they can provide value.”

A Top 100 firm that started with a pilot in 2022, helped shape a new module, and expanded its commitment in 2026, Rea has seen measurable gains in efficiency and profitability. But for Finzer, the greater impact has been the ability to provide a more comprehensive audit experience, helping clients identify issues earlier and strengthening the overall quality of the firm's EBP audit services.