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.

Accounting standards

FASB proposes changes in accounting for cloud computing costs

The Financial Accounting Standards Board wants to improve how to deal with implementation charges for hosting service contracts.

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

March 1
Audit

Steinhoff says PwC reviewing off-balance sheet transactions

Steinhoff International Holdings NV said a review by auditors at PwC into its accounts is focused on certain off-balance-sheet structures and deals with related parties and is likely to find that some assets, revenue and profit figures have been overstated.

March 1
AT Think Confessions of a Millennial CPA: Taking sexual harassment seriously in accounting

Accountants need to have this conversation as much as anyone else.

March 1

David Isaacs
International accounting

AICPA and NASBA sign pact with Scottish accountants

The American Institute of CPAs and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy have inked a mutual recognition agreement with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland to provide a streamlined process for accountants to practice in each other’s country.

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

February 28
Audit

Study supports shorter auditor tenure

Efforts in the U.S. and Europe to encourage public companies to change audit firms have largely failed, according to new academic research.

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

February 27
Audit

AICPA plans to update SSARS

An omnibus revision to the Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services will come out after tax season.

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

February 26
Financial reporting

GE revamps board, adding former FASB chair Leslie Seidman, as CEO asks investors to look past troubles

General Electric Co.’s boss wants investors to know that all the negative headlines dogging the manufacturer don’t tell the whole story.

February 26

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.