Audit & Accounting

Accounting and auditing software developer CaseWare is protesting the Securities and Exchange Commission's recent introduction of its IDEA interactive financial-filing system, claiming the name infringes on the trademark of CaseWare's own IDEA software.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged three former senior executives from software developer Embarcadero Technologies with stock options backdating.

The Treasury Department's decision to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and put them under conservatorship has prompted questions about the implications for accountants and their clients.

United Rentals has agreed to pay $14 million to settle charges that it engaged in financial fraud and a broad range of improper accounting practices.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has released three new guides to help companies make the transition to International Financial Reporting Standards.

Crowe Chizek has changed its name to Crowe Horwath to reflect the firm's membership in the Horwath International network.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have issued new regulations that will make it easier for charities to gain tax-exempt status.

Rising gas prices, a declining housing market, the weakening of the dollar and fear of a recession — today’s economic conditions continue to point south, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Critical to these issues is the role of internal accounting and finance professionals, who in large part are responsible for making decisions that contribute to the success or downfall of an organization.For our economy to remain competitive, there needs to be a renewed emphasis on proper regulation and guidance within the profession. The demise of financial institutions over the years (the collapse of Bear Stearns, as an example) continues to validate why fundamental changes should be made to help ensure that financial reporting and internal control standards shift to a globally accepted method of risk management.

When the hot-air balloon lifted off, the dawn weather was impeccable. Shortly thereafter, a terrible storm hit and engulfed the airship in thick clouds, heavy rain and unpredictable winds. After hours of bad weather, the pilot was relieved to once again see the ground, but the landscape was unrecognizable. Soon, however, he spotted a strolling figure and cried out, “Where am I?” The person on the ground shouted: “You’re in the basket of a hot air balloon!” The pilot cried out: “You must be a CPA!” The surprised stranger answered: “How did you know?” The pilot smiled and shouted, “Because you gave me very accurate but totally useless information.”The CPA on the ground in this after-dinner-speech ice-breaker reminds us of those in our profession, probably a majority, who still cling to the status quo in spite of plentiful evidence and common sense that it no longer serves the purpose that it once might have, many decades ago.

Successful small-business owners tend to be hard-working, tenacious, smart and highly focused. They have to be. According to a study by Dun & Bradstreet, businesses with fewer than 20 employees have only a 9 percent chance of surviving a decade.Yet even those that are successful fail miserably when it comes to planning for their financial future. In fact, it’s their proclivity to hone in so intensely on their business — certainly an attribute of being successful — that often gets in the way of their personal financial planning.