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

Early returns: Preparers field clients’ strangest comments

Kids don’t say the darnedest things -- tax clients do.

By Jeff Stimpson
Freelance writer

February 19
AT Think Art of Accounting: We are being dragged kicking and screaming ...

Self-satisfaction and complacency is what has led many well-known institutions into oblivion.

February 18

Edward Mendlowitz

Withum
AT Think Value beyond the numbers: How to grow with your clients

Firms are now diversifying their offerings with additional services that support clients throughout their lifecycle.

February 15

Taylor Macdonald

Intacct
AT Think Intuit is exploring bookkeeping, and it’s not a bad thing

QuickBooks will actually increase the market for bookkeepers.

February 15

Cathy Iconis

Iconis Group LLC
AT Think Four steps to building up your firm’s niche skills

Built right, a new service offering can boost not just profitability, but employee retention, too.

February 15

Andrea Morhardt

Aksehen LLC
Certified Management Accountants

Jay Leno to celebrate 100th anniversary of IMA

The comedian and former “Tonight Show” host is scheduled to help the Institute of Management Accountants mark its centennial.

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

February 14
Revenue recognition

FASB proposes changes in accounting for deferred revenue in business combinations

The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued a proposed accounting standards update Thursday on the recognition and measurement of deferred revenue in business combinations.

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

February 14

Resources

The latest Accounting Today research and discussion:

Predicting the next 15 years in accounting

Take a look at what the accountant and the accounting firm of the future will look like with AICPA chief Mark Koziel.

Sponsored by BILL
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

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.