Accounting

Accounting News & Professional Insight

Accounting Today delivers news, rankings, thought leadership, and analysis for accounting professionals so they can navigate change in standards, firm strategy, technology adoption, talent, and the overall business environment.

Accounting professionals are facing rapid transformation, including shifting professional standards, demographic change, technology disruption, practice consolidation, and changing expectations for advisory services. Our coverage surfaces these strategic dynamics and provides insights and analysis for firms, leaders, and the accounting profession.

Big data

Accountants to rely more on big data in 2020

Technology such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain and robotic process automation will be playing a greater role in the accounting profession this year, according to a recent report from the Institute of Management Accountants.

By Michael Cohn
Editor-in-chief, AccountingToday.com

January 14
KPMG

KPMG opens Lakehouse campus in Orlando

The Big Four firm's $450 million, 55-acre learning and development center is set to host 28,000 professionals through its first year of operation.

By Sean McCabe
Senior Editor

January 14
AT Think Art of Accounting: Preparing for a client meeting

I always prepare for client meetings. Sometimes I overprepare because I don’t want to be unprepared and also because I want to control the pace, direction and timing of the meeting.

January 13

Edward Mendlowitz

Withum
International accounting

German payment processor's chair resigns amid of accounting controversy

Wulf Matthias of Wirecard AG resigned after months of controversy over the digital payments company’s accounting practices.

By Bloomberg News

January 13
Accounting education

Professors recognized for research paper on performance-based incentives

The AICPA and the American Accounting Association presented three researchers with the 2020 Greatest Potential Impact on Management Accounting Practice Award.

By Sean McCabe
Senior Editor

January 13
AT Think Better Every Day: From advisor to arbiter of elegance and civility

Accountants should be ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.’

January 13

Darren Root

Rightworks
Payroll

Run my own payroll? No thanks

Most small businesses do run their own payroll, but they also wish they didn’t have to.

By Ranica Arrowsmith
Technology Editor

January 10

Resources

The latest Accounting Today research and discussion:

The changing world of government financial reporting

The serious new pressures facing governments of all sizes are changing their financial reporting, says GASB Chair Joel Black.

Sponsored by Intuit Quickbooks
Special Report Technology and CAS

Handling the compliance work that is the foundation of modern CAS while also creating time and insights for the advisory overlay that really drives its value to clients requires the careful deployment of a suite of technology tools — and that suite is constantly evolving, meaning accountants need a strategy to keep up.

Sponsored by Canopy
The future of the accounting workforce

While concerns remain about the profession's pipeline of new accountants, Cathy Moy, chief people officer at BDO USA, sees plenty of ways to keep it full.

Sponsored by Intuit Quickbooks

Accounting: Key Questions & Analysis

What are the key trends and strategies emerging from accounting industry leaders?

Top leaders are focused on structural challenges facing firms, including succession planning, evolving service mix, and long-term sustainability of traditional models.

How are accounting firms positioning themselves for the profession’s next phase?

Firm leaders are redefining and evaluating their strategy for growth. This includes investing in people and systems as well as rethinking how firms deliver value to address changing client needs and competition.

What role does professional identity play as accounting continues to change?

Debate continues over how accounting defines itself. This is due to accounting expanding into advisory, consulting, and technology-enabled services. These changes can raise questions about standards, training, and long-term credibility.

How are accounting firms managing leadership and succession risk?

Demographic shifts are accelerating in accounting. This means more firms are confronting leadership transitions and ownership succession which can create critical strategic risks that influence growth, culture, and valuation.