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.

CSR reporting

SASB sets technical agenda for 2017

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board has released its 2017 Technical Agenda, listing the priorities and research areas that SASB plans to pursues this year.

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

July 31
AT Think Three things that aren't your firm's culture

Creating a cultural foundation requires more than just slogans.

July 31

Daniel Hood

Accounting Today
AT Think Protecting clients from their families

For many, the biggest threat to their wealth is their relatives.

July 31

John P. Napolitano

Napier Financial
AT Think The Spirit of Accounting: To FASB — what’s the point of your power if you don’t apply it to real problems?

Nothing stands in the standard-setters way except itself.

July 31

Paul B.W. Miller

University of Colorado and Colorado Springs
Tax preparers

Funny ideas: Preparers discuss clients’ misconceptions

Many tax pros feel like they're not getting enough respect.

By Jeff Stimpson
Freelance writer

July 30
Tax preparers

The most common misconceptions about tax preparers

Clients often don’t understand the practitioners who file their returns.

July 28
AT Think Best practices for valuing contingent consideration

Contingent consideration, also referred to as an earnout, is commonly used to bridge a valuation gap, provide continuing incentive to business sellers or account for the achievement of technical or other milestones.

July 28

Edward Hamilton

Valuation Research Corporation

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.