Jun 21, 2022, 16:51 PM by David Duffus, CPA, ABV, and CFF

Discusses how a recent court decision in Pennsylvania has shed light on how businesses can protect trade secrets in a remote work environment.

Jun 21, 2022, 16:50 PM by Richard F. Fischer, CPA, CGMA

Breaks down reportable findings related to SAS No. 136, including how to identify and communicate them to prevent major deficiencies in audits of ERISA plan financial statements.

Jun 21, 2022, 16:49 PM by Matthew Melinson, CPA, Narj Bhogal, CPA, Patrick Skeehan, JD, and Thomas Boyle, JD

Covers the additional risks businesses face as remote work arrangements continue to become more commonplace.

Jun 21, 2022, 16:48 PM by Mark L. Lubin, CPA, JD, LLM

Discusses the best practices to determine tax basis of interests in business entities, including C corporations, S corporations, and partnerships while avoiding crucial errors.

Jun 17, 2022, 15:32 PM by J. C. Blewitt, PhD, and Rebecca Kinzinger, CGFM

Social entrepreneurship efforts tend to be industry-specific and lean on professional practices to enact valuable changes. This feature weighs how public accounting can adopt social entrepreneurship through an analysis of two important industry stakeholders: firms and millennials.

Jun 17, 2022, 15:31 PM by Nicholas A. Boyer

CPAs, in both public accounting and industry, are well-positioned to collect, measure, and interpret the financial data needed to navigate organizations through a potentially long inflationary period. Reevaluating operational cost structures, calculating unit cost for products sold and services provided, tracking changes in gross margins, and assisting with pricing strategies to maintain profitable operations are a few important ways CPAs can guide and support leaders and executives. This feature will help you identify and weigh the prospects of a potential inflationary period.

Jun 8, 2022, 18:21 PM by Matthew McCann

On our 125th anniversary, the PICPA would like to share a few highlights from the past and some of our plans for how we will continue coming together to enhance the profession, serve the public, and work together to resolve common issues, big and small. Specifically, this feature looks at our membership, advocacy efforts, professional learning channels, the pipeline of new CPAs, and the profession’s reputation and ethics.

Jun 8, 2022, 18:13 PM by J. L. “John” Alarcon, CPA, CGMA, CITP, Kevin C. Moffitt, PhD, and Cory Ng, CPA, DBA, CGMA

As more tools become necessary for analyzing large and unstructured data sets in today’s digital environment, the open-source programming language Python has emerged as an important contributor to audits, internal audit, IT audit, business planning and forecasting, as well as traditional accounting roles. This feature explains why Python has gained popularity among financial professionals and discusses its relevance to CPAs.

Jun 1, 2022, 09:53 AM by James J. Newhard, CPA

When the very first IKEA store came to the United States in 1985, there were signs and billboards two years beforehand declaring, “IKEA is coming!” I lived in Plymouth Meeting where it was built, saw the signs, and heard the news. Still, I had no idea what this store was about, let alone whether it would catch on. In my professional life, the new lease accounting standards exposure draft was issued in 2010, and we have long endured the “New lease accounting is coming!” promotions. Finally, it is here: Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 842 is in effect for 2019 for public companies and 2020 for nonpublic companies.

Jun 1, 2022, 09:50 AM by Akriti Anand

The universe of data continues to grow – in volume, velocity, and variety. For forensic accountants, that means the scope of potentially relevant evidence is growing too. Moreover, forensic accountants must increasingly contend with evidence that is unstructured – meaning the information format doesn’t fit with conventional databases. Between the complexity of emerging data types and the sheer volume, manual methods of data management and analysis can’t keep up.

Jun 1, 2022, 09:50 AM by Judith Herron, CPA

According to CoinMarketCap.com, at the start of 2018, virtual currency markets were worth about $560 billion. By the end of the year, that same measure was $130 billion. Most people would characterize this as nothing but bad news. However, CPAs are skilled at finding an upside in a disaster. Now that Bitcoin mania has calmed, is there a tax-saving opportunity buried among the wreckage?

Jun 1, 2022, 09:40 AM by Loretta M. Tubiello-Harr, CPA, ABV, CVA, and Kim A. Vandergrift, CPA

CPA firms and the services they provide continue to evolve as the profession responds to a changing business environment. Many are expanding into business advisory services. This can provide great opportunities for growth if firms clearly grasp their professional independence requirements.

Jun 1, 2022, 09:36 AM by Vito A. Cosmo Jr., CPA, CGMA, Matthew D. Melinson, CPA, Katherine M. Piazza, JD, and Patrick K. Skeehan, JD

The City of Philadelphia has been busy formulating its tax positions in response to both the South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. decision and Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This column summarizes the changes affecting the city’s Business Income and Receipts Tax and Net Profits Tax.

Jun 1, 2022, 09:34 AM by Paul R. Brazina, CPA, CGMA, CFF, Bruce A. Leauby, CPA, CMA, CFE, and Charles Sgrillo, CISSP, CEH

It is mind-boggling to think what the future of technology holds, but the ever-present challenge is how to manage the relentless threats from cybersecurity intrusions. Cyberattacks are ranked as the top global risk to business leaders in advanced economies, and the takedown of a single cloud provider could cause $50 billion to $120 billion in economic damage.

Jun 1, 2022, 09:33 AM by J.L. “John” Alarcon, CPA, CGMA, CITP, Troy Fine, CPA, CITP, CISA, and Cory Ng, CPA, DBA, CGMA

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have become industry buzzwords. This article discusses the state of AI and machine learning as they relate to accounting, and the challenges the profession may face moving forward as these technologies start to spread.

Mar 18, 2022, 11:26 AM by Lisa A. Ritter, CPA, CFE, CITP

Reviews SAS Nos. 134 through 140, standards released by the Auditing Standards Board to address matters such as employee benefit plans, information included in annual reports, the concept of materiality, and more.

Mar 18, 2022, 11:25 AM by Wendy M. Lakatosh, CPA

Offers a host of tips to help company finance leaders make the most of the arduous task that is the annual company audit.

Mar 18, 2022, 11:25 AM by Michael F. Cade, CPA, CGMA

Delves into what the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has taught CPAs working in the not-for-profit arena.

Mar 18, 2022, 11:23 AM by Meredith Foster

Drives home the importance of branding to a CPA firm, explaining what constitutes a brand and what does not, the power of a strong organizational brand, and how you can tell if it is time for a refresh of your brand.

Mar 18, 2022, 11:23 AM by Alyzabeth R. Smith, CPA

Suggests a series of credentials for CPAs to pursue if they want to optimize their attractiveness to employers in a competitive job market.