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CPA Now Blog Archive

This is the archive of CPA Now blogs posted on the PICPA website through April 30, 2025. Want more recent blogs?

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  • Fraud Interviewing – Not Always Comfortable, But Necessary

    May 6, 2016
    Interviewing key members of management and those charged with governance about their organizational fraud risk assessment is outside the comfort zone of many CPAs. It is the auditor’s responsibility to address fraud risk while not expanding the scope of the audit. The key is knowing what questions to ask and why.
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  • Round Out Our Top 10 List

    May 2, 2016
    PICPA’s April 20 Council meeting provided opportunities to discuss the topics that will have a direct impact on your profession. Want to see our short list?
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  • Your Most Important Member Benefit: Meeting Fellow Members

    Apr 29, 2016
    Being part of a network of professionals is a core element of PICPA membership. Are you taking advantage of this valuable member benefit? If not, you could be missing out on vast opportunities.
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  • Learn and Implement the Lessons of Tax Season

    Apr 28, 2016
    Each and every tax season takes on its own personality and brings its own challenges. Learning from the pros and cons of each will only benefit your practice.
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  • Are Your Seasonal Tax Employees Really Seasonal Employees?

    Apr 27, 2016
    A CPA firm recently found itself in front of an unemployment compensation referee to determine if a seasonal employee was entitled to unemployment benefits. How could this be? Well, the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Law does not recognize or define “seasonal” employees. What does this mean to your firm?
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  • Connections Can Bring Electricity to Your Presentation

    Apr 25, 2016
    Whether you have been doing public speaking for many years or you’ve been invited to speak before a group for the first time, it’s important to stay connected with the audience. Reed these 10 tips to help you keep your audience engaged.
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  • Active Participation, Outstanding Growth Opportunities

    Apr 22, 2016
    Giving back is not just becoming a nominal member of a committee or organization to build one’s résumé, but rather to be actively involved through contributions of one’s time and talents. Find out one member's story about what he has brought to the PICPA and what he has received in turn.
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  • Pa. CPA Journal Readership Survey: Your Thoughts on Your Journal

    Apr 20, 2016
    The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) recently conducted a survey of its members to gauge satisfaction with the organization’s flagship publication, the Pennsylvania CPA Journal. It is clear that membership finds the magazine to be an important PICPA benefit.
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  • Don’t Believe the Rhetoric! "Property Tax Independence" Is a Dreadful Bill

    Apr 12, 2016
    The so-called “Property Tax Independence Act,” or Senate Bill 76, is once again vying for the attention of Pennsylvania lawmakers. To be clear, SB 76 would not eliminate all school property taxes as advocates claim.
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  • From Cradle to Campus: Tax Planning Tips for Parents

    Apr 8, 2016
    In the tax world, having a child is definitely a significant change that could affect your tax status for more than 20 years. Here’s a quick summary of some immediate parenthood tax plans to think about, as well as some long-range strategies to consider.
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  • New Uniform CPA Examination Changes

    Apr 6, 2016
    The American Institute of CPAs has stated that the next version of the Uniform CPA Examination will launch April 1, 2017. Find out what some of the big changes will be.
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  • Proposal on Overtime Pay Cause for Concern

    Apr 4, 2016
    The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed major changes to the white-collar exemptions to federal overtime pay requirements. The proposal, if allowed to go into effect, could have significant ramifications to PICPA members, their firms, and the clients they represent.
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  • Just Move the Milk

    Apr 1, 2016
    Why do women make up such a small percentage of directors or trustees? And why has the number barely moved in the past 30 years? The reasons and the solutions are multifaceted, but be assured that there are solutions.
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  • Savings Plans to Take Some Sting Out of College Expense

    Mar 30, 2016
    When it comes to education savings, it’s good to have a reminder of what is available in case changes in your financial situation have altered your eligibility for one or more programs.
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  • Did Pennsylvania CPA Exam Stats Improve in 2015?

    Mar 28, 2016
    The launch of the new CPA Exam next year has created what would appear to be a surge of applicants in 2015. Nationally, the number of new candidates in 2015 rose to the highest it’s been in the past five years. But what about Pennsylvania?
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  • Seven Strategies for Taming Your Inner Critic

    Mar 25, 2016
    Have you ever heard the voice in your head that is yelling you can’t, you shouldn’t, or you shouldn’t have? That voice may preventing us from feeling fulfilled and satisfied from our accomplishments. Learn how to quiet the voice of our inner critic.
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  • My Experience with a Diversity Initiative

    Mar 24, 2016
    The implementation of a diversity initiative should make it easier every year to hire a diverse workforce and retain that talent. With a work environment that has been prepared for diverse hires, incoming talent will feel well received and will most likely be advocates for more diverse hires to join the company.
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  • Can a CPA Represent You if You Get Audited by the IRS?

    Mar 23, 2016
    Who will stand with you if audited by the IRS? CPAs are specifically identified as professionals who are permitted to represent clients before the IRS.
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  • Accomplished Woman CPA Shows the Way to the Top

    Mar 21, 2016
    It’s hard to win the trust and confidence of people who think and act differently than you, but if you want to be a leader, it’s critical to figure out how to do it.
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  • Leveraging Technology to Transform the Audit while Engaging Millennials

    Mar 18, 2016
    New technologies that enable the analysis of huge quantities of data are poised to radically transform auditing. While the use of data extraction software has increased and provided incremental improvement to the audit process, advances in workflow automation and artificial intelligence will soon result in a complete overhaul of the audit process.
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