Partner

Lincoln Gray, CPA

Audit and Assurance

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

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Bio

Meet Lincoln

Lincoln is a partner in Armanino’s Audit practice and has a specialized focus in serving financial services-related entities. His broad experience includes providing audit and other attest services to banks, credit unions, securities broker-dealers (clearing and fully disclosed), registered investment advisors, private equity funds, subprime lending institutions and investment/hedge funds.

With expertise in the financial services industry, Lincoln provides clients with counsel on complex business matters and process improvement, internal controls and risk management and cost reduction strategies. Additionally, Lincoln’s experience and exposure in dealing with FINRA, the SEC and other regulatory agencies, as well as with personnel and corresponding regulations, allows him to be an invaluable resource for his clients governed by these regulatory bodies.

Prior to joining Armanino, Lincoln was a partner in the Audit practice at Brown Smith Wallace, where he led the Financial Services industry group.

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Experience

Professional History

Associations

  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
  • Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MOCPA)
  • SIFMA Financial Management Society

Education

  • Southeast Missouri State University

Experience

  • Brown Smith Wallace LLP

Honors/Awards

  • St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40
  • MOCPA Outstanding Young Professional Award
  • Brown Smith Wallace Founders' Award

Community

  • Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis, Board of Directors and Development Committee
  • Kids & Clays, Co-Chair
  • Southeast Missouri State University Partners in Progress, Advisory Board Member
  • Hope Happens, Board Member
  • Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, Board Member
  • Duckfest, Inc., Board Member and Treasurer

Q&A

Q. What is it about accounting and consulting that first drew your interest?
The ever-changing environment. There are always new challenges, laws and regulations to familiarize ourselves with, and our clients always have new hurdles for us to help them overcome. The dynamic environment always keeps things interesting.
Q. Make a prediction; describe your vision of the future of the general business environment for your area of expertise or the industries you serve.
Our practice and firm as a whole will continue to see the technology industry take off and ramp up dramatically. The audit practice will be completely revamped as we strive to incorporate new and updated technologies that become available to us.
Q. What law or regulation in the accounting industry would you like to see changed?
Broker-dealers being audited under PCAOB regulations should be changed because it’s an unnecessary burden on a certain subset of these firms and makes the job from our side unnecessarily more complex.
Q. Without naming names, tell us about your favorite client and why you enjoyed working with them.
The client is active, successful and has a leadership team that we truly value from a personal and professional standpoint. They challenge us to operate at the same level of intensity that they do, and it makes the job really fun as we support them in achieving their objectives.
Q. Please tell us one fun fact about yourself.
We have a farm in northeast Missouri where we spend as much time as we can. It’s a little over 700 acres, so it’s a lot of work, but it’s even more fun. There’s always something to do to keep tractors running, planting (we sharecrop most but do some ourselves) and regular upkeep. It is a wonderful getaway and one of my favorite places on the planet.
Q. Describe your work style.
I’m big on empowerment and passionate about the growth and success of those around me. I like to empower my colleagues to do well in their jobs and I’m also very client-centric, focusing on helping them be as successful as possible.
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Industries Served
Lincoln's Thought Leadership
How the 7 New SEC Private Fund Rules Create a Need for Innovation
Article
How the 7 New SEC Private Fund Rules Create a Need for Innovation
What’s the impact of the new rules and what opportunities do they offer for investment advisors?
November 29, 2023
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