CPA Now Blog

In a preview of her Careers & Lifestyles column from the summer 2021 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Elisabeth Felten, CPA, assistant professor of business at DeSales University in Center Valley, joins us to discuss testing accommodations available to those with disabilities seeking to pass the CPA Exam. Among the aspects covered are eligibility guidelines, frequently requested accommodations, and necessary documentation.

Ira Rosenbloom, chief executive officer of Optimum Strategies in Spring House, Pa., joins us to close our three-part series on the top expectations for specific personnel units of CPA firms. In this final episode Rosenbloom addresses the qualities best possessed by human resources departments. He discusses the need for leaders here to be motivational, creative, and more.

In this podcast, Steven G. Blum, CPA, CFE, principal with Control Risks Group in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Pennsylvania CPA Journal Editorial Board, previews his feature from the summer 2021 Pennsylvania CPA Journal. Blum offers tips for helping companies manage thorough whistleblower investigations, including having an established process in place and effectively responding to allegations.

In the second of a three-part series on the expectations CPA firms should have for targeted personnel within their operations, Ira Rosenbloom, chief executive officer for Optimum Strategies in Spring House, Pa., explores the function of the CPA firm marketing professional. Rosenbloom details their need to be data and research savvy, persistent, and results-driven.

Bill Bergman, director of research for Truth in Accounting, joins us to discuss recent proposals by the Government Accounting Standards Board and their effect on accrual accounting. He explores the status of GASB Projects 3-20 and 3-25, whether the new proposals change the definition of accrual accounting, and how they relate to revenue recognition.

In the first of a three-part series on the expectations CPA firms should have for targeted personnel within their operations, Ira Rosenbloom, chief executive officer for Optimum Strategies in Spring House, Pa., discusses the role of the CPA firm operations manager. Rosenbloom explains how an individual in this position must be analytical, proprietary, and accountable.

For a CPA firm to thrive, it is a good idea to know what your would-be clients want from their trusted adviser. Hinge Research Institute recently conducted a study titled “Inside the Buyer’s Brain,” a comprehensive look at the buyer-seller relationship. Lee Frederiksen, managing partner of Hinge in Reston, Va., joins us to examine what the findings say about client service in the accounting landscape.

In a follow-up to their presentation at PICPA’s Technology for Public Accounting Conference, James Ruffin, manager, IS assurance and advisory services, at RKL, and Stephane Smith, human capital management consulting practice leader at RKL, discuss best practices for remote onboarding. The two highlight setting expectations for new employees and keeping them engaged once they settle in.

Passing the CPA Exam is an arduous process, but one with immeasurable rewards for those who achieve their goal. Organizations with staff members who attain the CPA designation also experience extensive benefits and return on investment. Therefore, it behooves organizations to help would-be CPAs on their payroll to pass the test with flying colors. Enter, CPA coaching. Erin Daiber, CEO of Well Balanced Accountants in the San Diego area, joins us to explore CPA coaching and why it is more beneficial than traditional mentoring when it comes to the CPA Exam.

You know the issue you are advocating for is urgent when it ends up being the first item on a new legislature’s agenda. That’s the position the PICPA government relations team found itself in when the Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness provision it supported ended up becoming Act 1 of 2021 on Feb. 5. Peter Calcara, PICPA vice president of government relations, walks us through the origin story of this important, PICPA-member-driven legislative victory.

At the height of a busy tax season, it is understandable should a CPA experience feelings of burnout. Combine that pressure with a pandemic that has surpassed a full year, and it would be surprising if one did not go through some internal turmoil. To discuss ways for CPAs to prevent getting run down by their many responsibilities, we reached out to Loren Fogelman, price and profit coach at Business Success Solutions. For more information, feel free to check out Loren’s time management tips for busy firms.

Changes are coming fast and furious amid another hectic tax season. In this episode of CPA Conversations, we focus on two alterations that CPAs need to keep an eye on: the PPP loan calculation methodology and its effect on Schedule C taxpayers and the recently released IRS guidance on the employer retention credit. We discuss these matters with two representatives of Louis Plung & Company LLP in Pittsburgh: principal Kevin Wilkes, JD, and senior manager Tony Montanaro, CPA, ABV, CFE.

The American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, and it comes with a series of provisions that will impact the tax landscape in a major way. In addition to its COVID and stimulus provisions, the act changes credits in the areas of child and dependent care, earned income tax, and employee retention. To give us an overview of the tax changes contained in this landmark legislation, we are joined by Julio Gonzalez, CEO of Engineered Tax Services and an official member of the Forbes Finance Council.

Handling the stress of busy season is a chore for CPAs under the best of conditions. Amid a pandemic that has resulted in over a year of working from home, the stress can be overwhelming. Small-firm CPAs (and accounting personnel of all stripes) must make sure to monitor their mental well-being at this time. We spoke with Carl Peterson, vice president, small firm interests, public accounting, for the AICPA on this vital topic, touching on resources for employees, what it means to stop focusing on time, and the importance of firm leaders serving as role models.

The merits of value pricing compared with the traditional billable hour have been debated within the accounting industry for many years. But according to today’s guest, Lee Frederiksen, managing partner of Hinge in Reston, Va., the coronavirus has increased the attractiveness of charging on value rather than time.

In this podcast we are joined by Cory Ng, associate professor of instruction at Temple University in Philadelphia, and John Alarcon, founder and principal of BEARN, a management consulting firm in Philadelphia, to discuss their book, Artificial Intelligence in Accounting: Practical Applications. The authors, who are also Pennsylvania CPA Journal Editorial Board members, look at artificial intelligence’s current usefulness within the profession, the importance of robotic process automation, and the challenges and considerations CPAs will have to face when adopting this technology into their processes.

In a preview of her Accounting & Assurance and Employee Benefit Plans columns in the spring 2021 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Dr. Nancy Stempin, director of technical accounting at Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz in Camp Hill, Pa., and an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, joins us to discuss changes to SAS Nos. 134, 136, 137, and 139, and the effect they will have on auditors going forward.

In a preview of his presentation at the March 18-19 PICPA CFOs and Controllers Conference, “CFO Whisperer” David Axson, a CFO strategist and adviser, joins us to discuss the role of the organizational advisor. We also touch on how COVID-19 has shaped the function as well as the future for finance professionals.

In a preview of his Business & Industry column in the spring 2021 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Barry M. Pelagatti, CPA, a partner in the audit services group of RKL LLP in Exton, Pa., discusses the importance of cultivating stronger relationships with your organization’s lenders, especially during times of economic upheaval.

With tax season coming up quickly, it is never too early for tax preparers to start refamiliarizing themselves with many common forms. In this podcast, we take a detailed look at Form 1099-R, which pertains to distributions from pensions, annuities, retirement plans, and more. Walking us through the specifics are Gail Hauseman, owner of Berkshire CPAs LLC, and Rodger Krause, owner of Rodger Krause CPA, both of whom are based in Wyomissing, Pa. They cover differences between state and federal versions of the form, what constitutes an eligible retirement plan, and more.