News

Pushing the right buttons — it’s an essential skill for leaders when the clock is ticking, whether you’re directing an accounting team or a football team.

Top 10 Firm BDO USA has announced that it is merging in Mississippi-based Top 100 Firm Horne LLP, in a deal that is expected to close Nov. 1.

The 2025 Accounting Talent Index shows a profession under pressure, with the talent shortage continuing to threaten the future of firms.

The accounting profession is evolving faster than ever before, and firm leaders seek clarity on what they must do — not just what they can do — to build sustainable, future-ready organizations.

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) today released the results of its 2025 National Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Survey revealing that firms across the country are reporting strong revenue growth and continued increases in staff compensation at all levels.

Regarding the skills needed to succeed in accounting and finance roles, less-experienced employees and their managers aren’t on the same spreadsheet.

The Internal Revenue Service is alerting taxpayers about a growing number of fraudulent tax schemes circulating on social media that promote the misuse of credits such as the Fuel Tax Credit and the Sick and Family Leave Credit. These scams have led thousands of taxpayers to file inaccurate or frivolous returns, often resulting in the denial of refunds and steep penalties.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) announced that it is postponing for one year, to December 15, 2026, the effective date for QC 1000, A Firm’s System of Quality Control, and other new and amended PCAOB standards, rules, and forms adopted by the Board on May 13, 2024. The Board’s action also postpones the related rescission date of certain rules and standards that are currently in force.

Accounting — the language of business — is facing a talent crisis. Across the country, fewer students are choosing to major in accounting, and CPA exam participation has dropped sharply. This shrinking pipeline comes at a time when the profession faces a wave of retirements and an increasingly complex business environment. If this trend is not reversed, firms will face critical staffing shortages, investors and creditors will struggle to access timely and reliable information, and regulators will find it more difficult to detect fraud.

Weinstein Spira provides time for study, food for study groups, and a $10,000 bonus for staff who successfully complete the CPA Exam process.

A click on a link in an email that could have brought down Catharine Drake Madeley’s CPA firm instead caused 40 clients whose tax information was exposed in a data breach to think of her and her staff even more as trusted advisers.

If you possess the skill, smarts, and persistence to become a licensed CPA, that should be something to celebrate and declare in your business dealings.

Bringing someone new onto the team is more than just handling forms and saying hello. It's your first real opportunity to show them what it means to be part of your organization — and to lay the groundwork for their long-term success and sense of belonging.

A merger of top-15 accounting firms Baker Tilly and Moss Adams will create the nation’s sixth-largest advisory CPA firm.

Governor Ned Lamont announced that he is encouraging businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities in Connecticut that have been impacted by recent actions from the federal government to report that information to the state so that it can be compiled into a central database and provide state policymakers with a better understanding of how these directives are affecting various groups, geographical regions, and sectors of the economy.

Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) have gained popularity among accounting firms in response to some of the profession’s biggest trends — the influx of private equity (PE), the struggle to recruit and retain staff, and the need to fund partner retirements.

Whether you are approaching retirement age, want to spend more time with your family, or looking to start something new, selling your CPA firm requires proper preparation. Careful consideration of timing and paying attention to details can help ensure a smooth process when you are ready to sell your CPA firm.

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the use of generative AI is gaining currency in the accounting profession. Not only are CPA firms integrating generative AI into administrative workflows, but a growing number of firms are investigating how deploying generative AI can help them more efficiently deliver solutions to clients. Generative AI options range from publicly available platforms to custom-built systems and include essential programs that also make use of generative AI, such as technical research software. Regardless of the platform or software, CPAs are increasingly asking, “Should we inform our clients about our use of generative AI, and if so, how?“

At the March State Board of Accountancy meeting, the issue of advertising attestation services and peer review enrollment was addressed. Previously, the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) prohibited CPAs from advertising attestation work unless they were enrolled in the peer review program.

When Michael Ly launched his CPA firm in 2015, his then-revolutionary work model led to some unexpected, and hilarious, circumstances during interviews with potential employees.