CPA Now Blog Archive

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.