CPA Now Blog Archive

Events in the Pennsylvania capital this summer have mostly consisted of a few public policy hearings, gubernatorial press conferences, and a handful of rallies. But one bill in particular was proposed that deserves our members’ attention: it focuses on property tax.

An individual retirement account is an excellent tool for saving for retirement. However, there may be an occasion that arises when the monies saved need to be accessed for costs other than retirement. You need to be aware of the penalties if you are considering this path.

Buying your first home is a major undertaking. If you are not properly prepared, it could cost you.

How do you feel about the CPA profession? Most CPAs are very proud of their hard-earned credential. So when talking to others about your work, make sure to share the joy of what you do.

Not all businesses are liquid enough to stockpile cash to take quick advantage of expansion opportunities when they arise. However, there are things small businesses can do to raise or keep cash in a pinch.

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy's board of directors recently approved changes as to when and how candidates can sit for the CPA Exam. Check out this adjustment and review some other recent updates.

Few Pennsylvania residents need to worry about paying the federal estate tax, but this doesn't absolve anybody from the need for estate planning. And the biggest estate planning issue for Pennsylvania residents is the state inheritance tax.

The pace of change in professional development continues to increase. The PICPA is working hard to ensure that the content we distribute in all of our programs meets the current and future needs of CPAs.

For individuals just entering the profession, advancements in technology will affect more than just work assignments. These breakthroughs will bring changes to CPA licensing as well as alterations to the CPA Exam.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act implemented a new anti-deferral tax on certain earnings of controlled foreign corporations, known as global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI). It may have been intended for companies with significant overseas income, but it has resulted in unintended consequences for noncorporate taxpayers.

A digital services tax (DST) is often referred to as a turn-over tax or gross receipts tax. Twenty-three countries presently have some form of DST based on gross receipts. And now France has joined them. Why? It's all linked to base erosion and international tax conflicts.

Student loan debt doesn’t have a great reputation. But when compared to other forms of debt, you will find that student loans are considered “good debt” rather than “bad debt.”

Christopher Turtell, CPA, and David Nester, CPA, both of whom spoke about GASB updates at PICPA’s 2019 School District Conference in May, recap their discussion on recently implemented standards and their potential effects on school districts.

For college freshman, your academic journey will be a little easier and less stressful if you make sure your personal finances are in order.

The IRS unveiled a draft of the latest W-4 on May 31, 2019. The new Form W-4 is condensed to one page and uses a fairly straightforward four-step process for calculating the appropriate withholding amount.

The PICPA is a leader among state CPA societies in embracing podcasts as an effective and valuable member service. If you are excluding yourself from this medium because of some perceived age barrier, don’t. Podcasts are not just for kids.

More than a year has passed since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This five-part blog is an analysis of what was promised compared with what has actually happened to date. This is part 5, which addresses the goal of stimulating additional economic growth to offset the revenue reduction of tax cuts, and offers a final observation as to whether the TCJA has to date kept its many promises.

More than a year has passed since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This five-part blog is an analysis of what was promised compared with what has actually happened to date. This is part 4, which covers the stated goals of encouraging companies to bring back jobs from overseas, discouraging inversions, and encouraging companies to repatriate about $3 trillion in profits “trapped” overseas.

More than a year has passed since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This five-part blog is an analysis of what was promised compared with what has actually happened to date. This is part 3, which covers the stated goals of businesses sharing their tax savings with workers through increased wages, unprecedented capital expensing to stimulate new investment, and establishing more permanence in our tax code.

More than a year has passed since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This five-part blog is an analysis of what was promised compared with what has actually happened to date. This is part 2, which covers the stated goals of making individual tax rates lower, tax relief for small businesses so they can better compete, and tax relief for multinational businesses so they can better compete.