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 methods

Trump's path to a balanced budget paved with accounting gimmicks

Presidents have long used creative math and budget gimmicks to create the illusion that the trillions of dollars in spending they propose will somehow wind up reducing the deficit. Donald Trump’s $4.1 trillion budget is especially ambitious: It combines many of the tricks his predecessors tried over the years, and adds a few of his own.

May 24
Tax preparation

NCCPAP takes its tax ideas to Washington

Representatives of the small-firm organization made their annual trip trek to D.C. to present reforms that would help members and their clients.

By Roger Russell
Senior Editor

May 23
Tax reform

What reform will mean for tax pros

The Trump administration’s proposals may create opportunities for practitioners.

By Roger Russell
Senior Editor

May 23
CPAs

AICPA transitions its budget to a new international association

The American Institute of CPAs presented its budget and finances at its Spring Meeting of Council in Washington, D.C., on Monday as the organization undergoes a transformation into an international association with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

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

May 22
AT Think The 8 biggest mistakes accountants make

If firms aren’t proactive, it’s all too easy to drive away clients and lose business (text version).

May 22

Bill Tsotsos

BD Consultants
Audit

Scoping out the audit of the future

A virtual roundtable of experts looks at how technology and other trends are reshaping a core service of the accounting profession.

May 22
Audit

Deloitte leads in Q1 SEC audit clients

The Big Four firm topped all auditing firms in new engagements.

By Daniel Hood
Editor-in-chief

May 19

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.