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.

  • The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to address the Sarbanes-Oxley compliance burden by scaling-back testing and documentation requirements for smaller public companies.

    December 13
  • A senior accountant at PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and a former Ernst and Young partner have agreed to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that they played a role in PNC filing reports that inflated the company’s 2001 earnings.

    December 13
  • A proposal from the Financial Accounting Standards Board would require companies to provide more information about the effects of derivative and hedging activities on financial statements.

    December 12
  • The Tax Policy Center has released a series of data tables taking a look at the effect of the major tax changes enacted since 2001.For each table, the center compares the amount of tax owed under current law with the amount that would have been paid if the law had stayed the same as it was in 2000. Estimates are computed both for dollar-income classes (for example, $40,000 to $50,000) and for percentiles of income distribution (for example, middle quintile, which includes households in the middle 20 percent of the income distribution).

    December 11
  • In a long-awaited move, the Financial Accounting Standards Board has proposed new accounting for mergers and acquisitions by not-for-profit organizations.Reflecting a proposed standard on for-profit business combinations, Not-for-Profit Organizations: Mergers and Acquisitions proposes the elimination of the pooling-of-interests method, the measurement of assets and liabilities at fair value, and the recognition of goodwill upon initial recognition of another entity, be it for-profit or not-for-profit.

    December 11
  • Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Max Baucus, D-Mont., struck an agreement with House lawmakers on bipartisan, bicameral legislation to extend expired and expiring tax, health, trade, and other provisions.

    December 11
  • New York — A majority of companies have instituted formal anti-fraud programs and controls as a response to the heightened regulatory environment, according to an online poll recently released by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services.

    December 11
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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.