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 practice

IRS Beefs up Penalty Regulations

The Internal Revenue Service has issued proposed regulations that provide rules for assessing penalties against tax advisors who fail to file a true and complete tax return on a timely basis.

December 23
Audit

FASB, IASB Issue Revenue Recognition Paper

The Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board have published a discussion paper that takes a joint approach to solving some perplexing questions about the recognition of revenue.

December 22
Tax practice

Obama Picks FINRA CEO to Helm SEC

President-elect Barack Obama has named Mary Schapiro as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing Christopher Cox.

December 19
Audit

SEC Approves XBRL Mandate

The Securities and Exchange Commission has officially adopted a rule requiring public companies to begin filing their financial statements in an interactive data format, starting next year.

December 18
Marketing

Accounting Firm Forms Madoff Task Force

Marcum & Kliegman has created a task force to advise investors who may have been defrauded by Bernard Madoff and his investment management business.

December 18
Audit

FASB Proposes New Standards on Fair Value After M&A

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has issued a proposed standard to address the controversial issue of applying fair value accounting to assets and liabilities acquired from a business combination.

December 17
Audit

Who's to Blame for the Madoff Scam?

The SEC, a tiny auditing firm, and some of the most sophisticated financial companies and hedge funds are just some of the players who missed the warning signs in the Bernard Madoff scandal.

December 17

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.