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.

Audit

Hoogervorst Expects to Minimize Costs of Changes in Lease Accounting Standards

International Accounting Standards Board chairman Hans Hoogervorst said in a speech Wednesday the IASB is aware of concerns about the potential costs of the converged lease accounting standards that the IASB has been developing with the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board, and he assured the audience that those costs would be kept to a minimum.

February 5
Accounting standards

Assurance News

A roundup of audit and attest news from the previous month.

February 1
Regulatory actions and programs

FASB, PCC Finalize Private Co. Framework

The Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Private Company Council have issued the final version of their Private Company Decision-Making Framework: A Guide for Evaluating Financial Accounting and Reporting for Private Companies

February 1
Audit

FASB’s U.S. GAAP Codification Offered for Tablet Devices

The Financial Accounting Foundation has announced that the Financial Accounting Standards Boards FASB Accounting Standards Codification has been enabled for use on tablet devices.

January 31
Audit

IASB Releases Interim Accounting Standards for Rate-Regulated Utilities

The International Accounting Standards Board has released an interim standard for businesses that engage in rate-regulated activities, such as gas, electric and water utility companies, even as a new report from two prominent accounting profession organizations outlines some of the challenges the IASB is facing.

January 30
Audit

GASB Provides Implementation Guide for New Pension Standards

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board has released an implementation guide for the new GASB standards for accounting and financial reporting for pensions.

January 30
Accounting standards

Former Blackrock CFO Buller to Chair FASAC

The Financial Accounting Foundation has appointed Steven E. Buller, the managing director and former CFO of the investment management firm BlackRock, as the new chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council, a key advisory group for the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which the FAF oversees.

January 30

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.