Rick LaNeve, CPA
Founder & CEO, Buds Group
Rick LaNeve is the founder of Accounting Buds and the Founder and CEO of Buds Group. He is a senior executive, board member and consultant with over 25 years of experience.
Rick works with C-level executives, owner-operators, legal counsel and key business personnel to perform analysis, drive decisions, build companies and implement change. He is a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in developing and implementing strategic plans for organizations of every size. He has led process re-engineering and transformation, merger integrations, project management, internal controls and team building at global organizations, and has helped smaller organizations build their businesses from the ground up.
Rick has presented to boards and audit committees, worked on a large corporate bankruptcy, participated in two initial public offerings, led three global merger integrations, investigated a major fraud, and provided written and verbal communication to the Chief Accountant in the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance.
Professional roles
- Past Chairman, Cannabis Committee of the New York State Society of CPAs (June 2022 to May 2024)
- Instructor, NY Office of Cannabis Management Legacy to Legal Program (2022)
- Guest Lecturer, Rutgers University Certificate in Cannabis Law & Business
- Advisory Board Member (Finance Expert), Premier Consulting & Integration
Speaking and media
- Speaker, Woodard Scaling New Heights 2024
- Speaker, NECANN (multiple years)
- Speaker, CannaOne 2022 and Xpo Cannabis 2022
- On-air accounting and finance expert, Pro Cannabis Media
- Podcast and radio guest on cannabis shows including DopeCFO and Cannabis A-Z Radio
Articles
Author
The Bifurcation Is Official: 280E Relief for Medical Cannabis Is Here
State-licensed medical cannabis is in Schedule III; adult-use is not. What it means for medical-only and dual-license operators' books and audit files.
Author
Executive Order Signed: Cannabis Moving to Schedule III
The December 18, 2025 executive order expedited cannabis rescheduling. What it did, where 280E relief applies today, and the steps operators should take.
Author
How to Prepare Your Cannabis Accounting for Schedule III Rescheduling (Step-by-Step)
A step-by-step guide to auditing your books, moving to GAAP and documenting deductions as cannabis moves to Schedule III, medical first and adult-use pending.
Author
Why 2026 Will Be a Big Year for Cannabis M&A
Rescheduling, 280E relief for medical cannabis, banking access and institutional capital are converging. What small, mid-size and multi-state operators can do.
Author
New York Cannabis Accounting & Tax Guide: Regulations, 280E & Compliance (2025)
New York's cannabis regulators, license types and fees, adult-use taxes, filing deadlines, penalties, the NYC 280E decoupling and BioTrack, as of March 2025.
Reviewer
Get Ready, Seismic Shifts Are Coming to the Cannabis Industry (Pt. 1)
Interstate commerce, decriminalization and legalization could upend cannabis quickly. Part 1: what court rulings on interstate commerce mean (March 2023).
Reviewer
Think Massachusetts Cannabis Prices Are Low Now? Just Wait Six Months
David Rabinovitz digs into Massachusetts canopy and price data from late 2022: falling flower prices, pending canopy and why the glut may grow (March 2023).
Reviewer
Why Are Cannabis Prices Really Crashing?
The supply glut is the symptom, not the cause. David Rabinovitz on missing demand and capacity data, shadow canopy, and why prices crash (March 2023).