CPA Now Blog

In a podcast related to her feature in PICPA’s Guide to CPA Careers in a Changing Business Landscape, the 2020 digital-only, special edition of the Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Kathy Gutierrez, director of human resources for RKL LLP in Lancaster, Pa., discusses the traits needed to succeed at the manager level of a CPA firm, including strategic thinking, project management skills, and the ability to motivate.

In the final episode of his five-part series on the top priorities for CPA firm management, Ira Rosenbloom of Optimum Strategies covers the foremost efficiency concerns, including standardization, engagement selectivity, and automation. Make sure to check out the rest of the series with episodes on personnel, succession planning, client-service systems, and performance metrics.

The coronavirus pandemic has made it clear: it is absolutely essential for the modern CPA firm to enable its staff to work remotely. But what other traits are essential for the modern CPA firm? According to our guest, Ryan Lazanis of Future Firm Inc., that list includes bolstered technology solutions, a scalable business model, and an openness to new pricing models. Listen to his podcast and get more of his insights at https://futurefirm.co/.

In a preview of her presentation at the July 13-14 PICPA Not-for-Profit & Government Accounting Conference, available exclusively via webcast, Diane Edelstein, partner with Maher Duessel in Pittsburgh, joins us to dissect goings-on in the world of single audits. She shares changes to uniform guidance, the status of the 2020 compliance supplement, and alterations made necessary due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The traditional full-time job is the employment path followed by a large percentage of American workers, but there is a growing segment that prefers something different. Many are opting to work for an employer for a specified time, performing an agreed-upon function, and then moving on the next benefactor when the job is done. It’s what is known as the gig economy, and ADP Research Institute reported on it in its Illuminating the Shadow Workforce: Insights into the Gig Workforce in Businesses. In this podcast, Dr. Ahu Yildirmaz, co-head of ADP Research Institute, walks us through the report’s findings and what effect the style of employment is having on the CPA world.

In a podcast related to their feature in the summer 2020 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Paul Epperlein and Erron Stark of ADP in New York City discuss the CPA’s role in helping both their clients and their employers navigate the complications of rebuilding businesses after the coronavirus outbreak. They explore the needs of small business, the particulars of change management, and the long-term benefits of handling clients with care during trying times.

While there is no way to make lease accounting implementation a joy, there may be a way to make it less challenging. Consider lease accounting software. Ane Ohm, cofounder and CEO of LeaseCrunch, joined us to discuss lease accounting software’s advantages over traditional spreadsheet solutions, the benefits of time saved and information security, and the differences in the needs of private and public firms.

Ira Rosenbloom of Optimum Strategies in Spring House, Pa., joins us for the fourth of his five-part series on CPA firm management priorities. So far, he has covered metrics, client service systems, and succession planning (all available at www.picpa.org/conversations). In this podcast, he focuses on personnel and covers aspects such as gathering feedback, assessing skills, and addressing incentive compensation.

According to our guest, Natalie Nixon, creativity strategist and president of Figure 8 Thinking and author of The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work, creativity is not solely the realm of the artist. It can benefit all manner of professionals, including CPAs. She joins us to discuss the development of creativity, the importance of asking better questions, and the ways by which improvisation skills can help in an office setting.

Before the coronavirus took hold of our lives, heading to the office every day was something that could be taken for granted. Now, with health and safety taking top priority, there are numerous considerations that firms and organizations have to keep top of mind when deciding if they are going to allow employees to leave their homes and come back to the company’s physical location. To explore the questions that organizations need to answer before going back to business as usual, we met with Stan Sterna, vice president for Aon Insurance Services.

In a preview of her Personal Financial Planning column in the summer 2020 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Laurie A. Siebert, CPA, discusses changes to required minimum distribution rules as a result of two important pieces of legislation: the SECURE Act and the coronavirus response CARES Act. She goes in-depth on how the changes will affect advice to clients and the need for a coordinated effort by a client’s team of advisers.

Following up on a podcast we did in October 2019, we are joined again by Skip Braziel, vice president of state regulation and legislation for the AICPA, and, for the first time, by Veronica Meadows, senior director of strategy for the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards. In this podcast we discuss the ongoing fight to ensure responsible licensing for professions that protect the public interest. We also have valuable updates on a national survey conducted to measure public opinion on professional licensing, and discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has affected this issue.

In a preview of his Accounting & Assurance column in the summer 2020 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, James J. Newhard, CPA, talks to us about the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on financial reports, focusing on areas such as revenue recognition and risks and uncertainties. He also discusses the general turbulence the crisis is bringing to the auditor’s role.

In a preview of his presentation at the May 29 PICPA Pennsylvania School District Conference, Peter Amuso, a partner with Rudolph Clarke LLC, sits with us to discuss outsourcing in public schools. Particularly, he addresses the adding of Section 528 to the Public School Code, the effect on labor negotiations, and the benefits of third-party contracting.

Search the internet for articles on cloud computing: it wouldn’t be hard to find stories covering the benefits of cloud computing for CPAs. However, it also wouldn’t be difficult to find pieces warning about the dangers of housing client data on an external server. So, we figured why not talk directly to a CPA about her cloud computing experience and then let you decide for yourself. That’s why we are talking to Irene Wachsler of Wachsler CPA LLC. Wachsler addresses the fears about data security in the cloud, the technology’s effect on time savings, and its usefulness for tax season prep.

In the third segment of our five-part monthly series on the top priorities for CPA firm management, Ira Rosenbloom of Optimum Strategies in Spring House, Pa., explores the musts in the area of succession planning. Among the aspects he discusses are team composition, organizational vision, and timeline concerns.

Forensic CPAs are among the most curious and inquisitive of accountants just by the nature of their jobs. But innate curiosity doesn’t mean that one automatically knows everything about conducting a good forensic interview. Frederick Kohm, partner, forensic advisory services, with Grant Thornton in Philadelphia, joins CPA Conversations to share a series of tips for conducting more effective and efficient forensic interviews. He explores the importance of setting an interview’s tone, the value of nonverbal cues, and what it means to establish a baseline to gauge an interviewee’s truthfulness.

In a podcast related to his feature in PICPA’s Guide to CPA Careers in a Changing Business Landscape, this year’s digital-only special edition of the Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Walter Gavula, director of talent development for Drucker & Scaccetti in Philadelphia, discusses why tax organizations need to evolve with their workforce in the areas of upskilling and alternative work arrangements.

Times of economic struggle are fertile ground for fraudsters, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. In fact, according to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans have fallen victim to $13.4 million worth of COVID schemes since the beginning of 2020. To discuss the types of scams that are going on right now and how CPAs can arm both themselves and their clients to avoid the traps, we met with Steven Blum of the compliance, forensics, and intelligence department of Control Risks.

The coronavirus not only has wrought havoc on our collective health, but also on the stability of our businesses and the economy. As a result, many organizations will be filing business disruption claims in an attempt to stem some of the damage. In this podcast, we talk with Jeffrey Willoughby, director with Forensic Resolutions Inc. in Westmont, N.J., to discuss the number of business disruption claims, the basic components of such claims, and the timeframe for the recovery of businesses who go through this process.