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The are fewer CPAs, which is a problem for entrepreneurs, but while some lament the loss, others are looking to fill it.

There is no more hiding from the eventuality of the effective date for new Federal regulations affecting the institutions serving students in programs leading to a license or certification. Institutions and the U.S. Department of Education (Department) have a common goal to support a student participating in an educational program leading to a state license to complete the state educational requirements to pursue their goal of becoming employed in the occupation for which they were trained and educated.

At the beginning of the legislative session, CTCPA's Governmental Accounting and Auditing (GAA) Committee proposed a change to state law to assist many municipalities and governmental auditors. The committee requested extending the deadline for filing certified reports required by the State Department of Education (SDE) from December 31 to January 31. This extension would provide much-needed relief for municipalities and auditors, recognizing the challenges school districts face in meeting the December 31 deadline and allowing for a more systematic and less stressful process.

The House adjourned Sine Die on June 27 after passing Emergency Certified Senate Bill 501 in concurrence with the Senate. The bill was immediately transmitted to the Governor, who has said he will sign it. As a reminder, although the main impetus for special session was to address a flaw with the property tax for commercial vehicles, the bill became omnibus legislation impacting a number of different areas.

Establishing a safe and inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees is an essential part of promoting a culture of respect, innovation, and productivity within an organization. Finance leaders and executives are pivotal in championing key inclusion initiatives and setting precedents within their firms.

In the midst of the generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) hype, automation often takes a backseat, with the assumption that AI will solve our problems. However, effective automation and AI implementation are impossible without proper processes, technology, and organization. Keeping this in focus, we’ll explore tools to help your firm achieve its goals and foster a healthy work-life balance for your team.

With no grand announcement, Connecticut quietly expanded employee’s paid sick time benefits. The bill greatly expands the law’s reach.

The Stamford BDO Counts team recently hosted its first Week of Service event. The team came together to pack and donate an assortment of snacks, non-perishable goods, and essential hygiene items to the New Covenant Center in Stamford. The event was organized and lead by Melissa Siino and Ryan Woodward. With cars loaded to the brim with donations, the team made their way to the donation center, where their contributions were warmly received and deeply appreciated.

Whittlesey continued its annual day of volunteerism with various projects across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. For more than a decade, Whittlesey team members have stepped away from their desks to engage in activities that directly impact the communities where they live and work. This year, Whittlesey mobilized team members throughout the region to collaborate with the Bushnell Park Conservancy, the Diaper Bank of Connecticut, and the Zoo in Forest Park. Volunteers engaged in a variety of activities, including park clean-up efforts, mulching, planting flower beds, and repairing and painting fences. At the Connecticut Diaper Bank, team members sorted and repackaged diapers to support families in need.

Traditionally, the challenge in using a 529 plan to save for higher education expenses has been figuring out how much to save to cover the beneficiary's college costs without overshooting and saving more in the 529 plan than is actually needed.

Many LGBT+ employees feel they are at more of a disadvantage now than five years ago, with the US having the highest recognition of discrimination among seven countries, a new survey shows.

This spring, two dozen Connecticut residents graduated from the 2024 Connecticut Professionals’ Leadership Academy, a program designed to strengthen leadership skills, develop and build relationships, and create a collaborative professional services community. This landmark program brings together professionals from various industries and backgrounds, including accounting and finance, law, insurance and architecture.

This spring, several Connecticut residents graduated from the 2024 class of the Connecticut Professionals' Leadership Academy, a program designed to strengthen leadership skills, develop and build relationships, and create a collaborative professional services community. This landmark program brings together professionals from various industries and backgrounds, including accounting and finance, law, insurance and architecture.

“Write a 1,200-word article regarding how CPA firms can manage risk related to the use of ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI.” This easy ChatGPT request would have resulted in the production of this month’s column in a far more expeditious manner than writing one from scratch, but would it have been as informative or accurate? ChatGPT is an example of generative artificial intelligence (AI), and its popularity has soared since its introduction to the public in November 2022. Given ChatGPT’s versatility, speed, and ability to engage in human-like conversations, it’s easy to see why.

Programs will responsibly enable non-profits to do more good with the latest AI technologies and help equip the future workforces with critical AI skills.

At the June 6 Recognition Reception, Educators of Excellence ("Eddys") awards were handed out to Michele Ganon of Western Connecticut State University and, posthumously, to the family of longtime University of Connecticut professor and CTCPA past president Larry Gramling.

In May, CTCPA Executive Director Bonnie Stewart headed to Orlando, FL with AICPA Council members Katherine Patnaude of PKF O’Connor Davies and Amber Moore of Goldblatt Bokoff for the spring AICPA Council. Katherine and Amber had a front row seat to the profession, gleaning insight on where we stand today

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 4 percent of organizations now offer unlimited paid time off. That number may continue to rise as startups and large organizations alike continue experimenting with this policy.

For Sue Coffey, questions about the talent pipeline for the accounting and finance profession have become as common as 100-degree days in Las Vegas.

See how both the Big 4 and smaller firms are utilizing AI in their workflows.