CPA Now Blog

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.

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.

March is Women’s History Month, and to commemorate it the PICPA asked some of our female members to share their personal stories. But let’s kick off our month-long celebration with a timeline on the history on women in the accounting profession.

If your customer or client base is diverse, then your employees should be diverse as well. The varied perspectives and experiences of your employees only work to improve the customer or client experience.

The arrival of W-2s, 1099s, 1098s, and other income notices are the harbingers that tax season is upon us. Whether you go to a preparer or prepare yourself, here are some tips to help you get this task complete so you can move on to more exciting things.

Diversity continues to be top of mind for business and accounting leaders across the country. So, how have we done? What progress has been made across our industry? Unfortunately the answer remains, not much. Certainly not enough.

The PICPA had a lot to say in 2015. In fact, PICPA’s committees, task forces, professional team members, and multiassociation coalitions have weighed in on more than 20 issues affecting CPAs.

At PICPA’s first blended learning class participants had to complete four-hours of on-demand “homework” before attending the class. This type of program allows participants to take half the class on their own time, and the other half discussing the issues with the other participants.

By my calculations, it took 2,402 member contributions to reach 311,540 consumers, based on our data from May 1 – Nov. 15, 2014.

For the third time, the PICPA Fiscal Responsibility Task Force is gearing up to put the spotlight on the top fiscal issues facing Pennsylvania as we enter a new legislative session and bring in a new administration. Also for the third time, the task force’s report will examine the public pension situation in Pennsylvania.

CPAs volunteer for many different causes in their communities and love doing it. This year Jerry Maginnis, PICPA president, wants to shine a light on all these volunteer activities.

The variety of CPA job options and the opportunity to make good money have always been a part of the message because most students have been receptive and interested in those points. More recently, though, there has been a shift to also convey the higher purpose of an accounting career as we work to appeal to the millennial generation and the one behind it.

I always think of September as the beginning of the PICPA year. Everyone seems refocused after enjoying some vacation during the lazy, hazy days of summer, and calendars start to tighten up.

The PICPA’s “busy season” is just beginning to roll with the start of chapter annual meetings. I look forward to this renewal every spring — the weather improves, member activity resurges, and many networking opportunities open up for our members.

The #GuardianCPA tax campaign is the brainchild of PICPA’s CPA Image Enhancement Committee. It describes some of the complicated tax changes that could require the assistance of a CPA to more accurately complete this year’s tax return.

How interesting would it be for firm partners to learn that a benefit considered a big deal by a senior partner has little or no influence on a younger firm member when making choices about staying or leaving a firm? Do you know how your firm’s benefits stack up with others?

I find myself reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead. But before I get too far ahead of myself, I need to express some gratitude for the reason the PICPA exists – our members!

I work closely with PICPA’s Pennsylvania CPA Journal Editorial Board and the CPA Image Enhancement Committee, and these questions are what we talk about at the committee meetings. The conversations are interesting, enlightening, engaging, and, believe it or not, fun!

The end of a busy tax season for our members represents the beginning of a busy season for PICPA networking, and we look forward to re-engaging with members.

I don’t know about you, but when I first heard that the pope had resigned, I was waiting for the punch line. By now, we know it wasn’t a joke. The white smoke confirmed that there is a new leader of the Catholic Church. How does that relate to accounting? Change. Succession planning. Diversity.