CPA CONVERSATIONS PODCAST

The CPA Conversations podcast series focuses on accounting-related news and hot topics.

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Episodes

How to Pass the CPA Exam Faster

May 2, 2022

How to Pass the CPA Exam Faster By Jim DeLuccia Bob Gayhardt, business development manager for UWorld, provides high-level tips on passing the CPA Exam. Gayhardt stresses the importance of identifying strengths and weaknesses of subject material and why it’s important to avoid overthinking during the study process. Megan Burke, Gayhardt’s colleague at UWorld, also wrote about these tips for CPA Now.

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CPAs Have a Vital Role in Keeping Small-Business Clients Compliant

Feb 7, 2022

Matthew May, founder and vice president of sales and marketing for Acuity CFO Online Bookkeeping Accounting and Business Tax, joins us to talk small-business compliance with standards and regulations. In particular, May stresses the role CPAs can play in making the process easier.

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Benefit Clients by Upgrading Your R&D Credit Knowledge

Jan 31, 2022

The research and development (R&D) tax credit is available to many organizations to help reduce their tax liability and overall financial expenditures. Unfortunately, many organizations don’t know everything they need to know to fully take advantage of the credit. To help educate these organizations, as well as the CPAs who represent them, we spoke with Ashley Chikes, director of operations for R&D experts EPSA USA, about steps CPAs can take when advising a client about the R&D credit, the ins and outs of the Pennsylvania R&D credit, and more.

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Knowing the Basics of Blockchain Is a Boon for CPAs

Jan 24, 2022

Kathy Brunner, founder, CEO, and president of Acumen Analytics, joins us to explore the basics of blockchain. She sheds light on the four different types of blockchain networks, how blockchain is currently being applied in business environments, opportunities for CPAs, and more.

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Surveying the Landscape of CPA Ethics and Acts Discreditable to the Profession

Jan 17, 2022

In a wide-ranging discussion about professional ethics, “Ethics Sage” Steven Mintz, professor emeritus with California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., highlights professional and personal behavior that would be considered injurious to the profession. Mintz also touches on how the current societal landscape can challenge CPA ethics as well as the positives and negatives of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct.

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CPA Evolution Exam Alterations Offer New Paths to Future Professionals

Jan 10, 2022

In this episode of CPA Conversations, Jonathan Zigman, senior CPA content developer for UWorld LLC, provides an update on the current status of CPA Exam and the CPA Evolution initiative. He touches on what the CPA Exam is now and what the AICPA and NASBA hope it will become, the immediate benefits of the new proposed model, the advantages for would-be CPAs looking to move into specializations, and much more.

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When It Comes to Auditing, There’s No Place Like the Office

Jan 3, 2022

Accounting work, like so many other fields of business, has been drastically changed by the coronavirus pandemic. Many CPAs are working from home and seeing no measurable drop in their productivity and efficiency. However, when it comes to auditing, John Mulcahy of FMC Corporation in Philadelphia says there is no substitute for working in tandem with your client in their office. In this podcast, get more details on the primary benefits of in-person auditing, why issues get overblown when auditing remotely, and more.

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PPP Fraud Is a Problem Nobody Is Looking At

Dec 27, 2021

Eighteen months after the release of the Paycheck Protection Program, it is fair to say the program has been generally successful. However, one giant drawback is its susceptibility to fraud. According to our guest, Allison Greenfield of Forensic Resolutions Inc., the fraud is widespread enough to raise red flags. Get her view on who is responsible for monitoring for PPP fraud, why time lags may be preventing us from getting a full picture of the deception, and more in this CPA Conversations podcast.

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Tell Your Organization’s Financial Story with an Engaging MD&A

Dec 20, 2021

In a look behind his feature for the winter 2022 Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Mike De Stefano, chief financial officer for RKL in Lancaster, Pa., discusses how CFOs can better engage colleagues on financial details via a management discussion and analysis, or MD&A, report. He explores the sorts of illuminating information that should go into an MD&A: financial, nonfinancial, and more.

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Strong Ethical Practices a Must for Government CPAs

Dec 13, 2021

Nicholas Ring, controller at Pine Ridge Construction Management in Williamsport, Pa., joins us to discuss how COVID-19 has challenged governments and government CPAs, how you define transparency as it relates to government CPAs, and more. This podcast complements his column in the winter 2022 Pennsylvania CPA Journal.

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CPA Firms: Know the Signs of Large Malpractice Claims

Dec 6, 2021

Nothing can be more injurious to a CPA firm’s reputation – not to mention its bank account – than a client introducing a large malpractice claim. Based on her article for the Journal of Accountancy by Sarah Ference, CPA, risk control director for the accountants program at CNA Insurance, explores the signs that a large malpractice claim could be on the horizon as well as potential damages that can take place if the situation is not handled in a brisk manner.

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Accounting Internships Remain a Vital Ingredient of CPA Success

Nov 29, 2021

The accounting internship is one of the many aspects of the CPA experience that has been changed dramatically by COVID-19. Still, it remains a great way to set a would-be CPA’s career on the path to success, whether it is conducted virtually or in-person. Get tips for ensuring an internship becomes a full-time offer and learn about skills that can be acquired during an internship from our guests, Eryn Conard and Tara Heller of Baker Tilly US LLP.

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Preparing Students for Sustainability Reporting

Nov 22, 2021

Joseph Ragan, professor of accounting and Edward G. Sutula chair in accounting at Saint Joseph’s University Erivan K. Haub School of Business, joins us to talk sustainability reporting and environmental, social, and governance measures. Specifically, he details why businesses are looking at these issues more closely, the specific role CPAs have to play in conservation efforts, and what colleges and universities need to do to prepare students for these changes in the business world.

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Lease Accounting: For CPA Firms, a Major Lift but Doable

Nov 15, 2021

Ane Ohm, cofounder and CEO of LeaseCrunch, checks in with an update on lease accounting implementation. She walks us through readiness for compliance, issues affecting debt covenants, and lease modification and concession implications. Does that all get your anxiety up? Don’t worry: Ohm also looks to ease the mind of those stressed out by the approaching implementation deadline.

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It’s Imperative for Employers to Monitor OSHA’s COVID Guidelines

Nov 8, 2021

Debra S. Friedman, a labor and employment attorney with the Philadelphia law firm Cozen O’Connor, joins us to provide the latest information on OSHA guidelines related to COVID. A few items she highlighted for consideration include inquiries about vaccination status, legality and growth of mandatory vaccines, and continuing rules for masking and social distancing.

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Professors Earn Award for Data Visualization Prowess

Nov 1, 2021

The evolution of the accounting profession requires new and innovative ways to teach aspects of accounting that may have previously received little exposure. One of these that is of growing importance is data visualization. Our guests – PICPA member Michael Ozlanski, associate professor and accounting department chair for Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., and Suzanne Seymoure, associate professor of accounting at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. – have made data visualization engaging for their students and received an honor from the AICPA for their efforts. We sat with them to learn more about their approach as well as the award they received.

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House Democrats’ Spending Plan and Its Effect on Taxation

Oct 25, 2021

Michael Fischer, CFP, director and wealth adviser for Round Table Wealth Management, provides an in-depth exploration of the preliminary proposal recently presented by U.S. House Democrats to fund President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending package. As part of his examination, Fischer looks at the impact it could have on the tax landscape for individuals, retirees, businesses, and more.

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Mastering the Art of High-Value Client Consultations

Oct 18, 2021

For many small and medium-sized firms, a consultation with a “high-value” firm can be a nerve-wracking experience that takes them out of their element. In this episode of CPA Conversations, Loren Fogelman, price and profit coach for Business Success Solution, provides tips on the focal points to drive home when delving into the CPA sales process.

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Recognize the Signs that Your CPA Firm Could Be Ready for a Merger

Oct 11, 2021

Ira Rosenbloom, chief executive officer of Optimum Strategies LLC in Spring House, Pa., joins us to examine the signs that it might be time for a CPA firm to think about a strategic merger. Among the signs he points to are weak new business, clients getting restless, and referrals beginning to run low.

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Big Changes to the Monthly Child Tax Credit

Oct 4, 2021

Kemberley Washington, CPA, a tax analyst with Forbes Advisor, joins us to discuss the monthly child tax credit. She goes in depth into who qualifies to receive it, whether taxpayers have to repay it, how eligibility is determined by the IRS, and more.

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