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.

Tax season

Seasonable doubt: Preparers discuss hiring temp help

For many tax pros, temporary staff aren’t worth the trouble.

By Jeff Stimpson
Freelance writer

January 7
Tax season

IRS sets the opening of tax season

Filing will begin on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.

By Jeff Stimpson
Freelance writer

January 6
CECL

Banks prepare to communicate CECL disclosures

Financial institutions are getting ready to begin complying this year with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s new credit losses standard, which means they will need to start making disclosures about their loan portfolios.

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

January 6
Apps

Receipt Bank raises $73M in Series C funding

The money is earmarked to extend the company’s product suite and expand in Europe, Australia and North America.

By Ranica Arrowsmith
Technology Editor

January 3
Accounting firm services

Practice Profile: Cultivating the next Bay Area boom

BPM’s consumer products group is scaling success in the growing food-tech space.

By Danielle Lee
Editor-in-Chief

January 3
Accounting firm services

Budding opportunities for accountants

Cannabis and related industries are the next big thing for accountants.

By Daniel Hood
Editor-in-chief

January 3
AT Think Countdown to CECL: What SEC filers have learned about implementation

All eyes will be on the large SEC registrants in January as they become the first financial institutions to adopt the current expected credit loss model, or CECL.

January 2

Mary Ellen Biery

Abrigo

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.