CPA Now Blog Archive

There is an old joke people make when referring to their grandparents’ criticisms of what they perceive as a lax culture. In a good-natured mimic of their elders, they say, “When I was young, I walked to and from school! … In the snow … in my bare feet … and it was uphill … both ways!”

PICPA leadership has decided to review our governance and structure model to determine its ongoing effectiveness in the changing profession in which you operate, as well as to be sure that we are providing engagement, or volunteer opportunities, to all of our members across multiple generations.

You worked hard to expand your expertise, build your practice, gain the trust of your clients, and create a livelihood. You probably don’t want to leave it all to chance or wait until retirement is on your door step before addressing what should happen to your business.

The talent and commitment of our member volunteers who choose to engage with the PICPA directly contributes to the value that all members receive for belonging to the organization. And the more members who become involved only strengthen the PICPA and improve our value to you.

Reforming PSERS and SERS is a priority for the Corbett administration and many legislative leaders. Actuarial valuations are revealing, and a cause for budgetary concern.

The PICPA Professional Issues Update tour around Pennsylvania is an excellent opportunity for PICPA members to receive two hours of free CPE while interacting with PICPA leadership and your peers on key issues affecting your profession.

The Philadelphia Business Journal recently published a special report, "The Quest for Diversity: Accounting Lags Behind" that discusses how the profession’s poor performance trails others in recruiting minorities. Are you rolling your eyes yet? I’ve been to enough Diversity Committee meetings to guess that you probably are.

I’m not really sure when we lost the notion, but there was a time when technology was supposed to make our lives more efficient. It doesn’t seem as if it has.

It never ceases to amaze me though, that we continue to get members to step up to the plate for media interviews, phone banks, and other tax assistance programs, regardless of the time of year. I could understand if our call for volunteers elicited a few, “It’s tax season, don’t bother me” responses, but luckily, that’s not how 40 members responded who helped us fill volunteer requests so far this tax season.

As a communicator, I’ve done a fair amount of research on intergenerational issues. I know lots about the traits of the boomers and generation X’s and Y’s. I won’t say it keeps me up at night, but I have wondered how the next generation will be coined?

I recently went to see The Artist. For those of you who are not familiar with the plot, it’s a movie about a silent movie star in the 1920s who refuses to adjust to the new “talkie” technology. I think we can all predict the conflict for this actor. As I watched the movie, I kept thinking about the revolutionary changes that are happening today, and how they will help CPAs, and the PICPA, succeed.