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.

Technology

SEC crackdown on options in tech sector hits Intuit

QuickBooks parent and tax and small business software provider Intuit Inc. has become the latest in a series of companies to have the Securities and Exchange Commission question their stock-option grants.The regulator served Intuit with an informal inquiry notice in June, after a Center for Financial Research and Analysis report questioned Intuit's granting policies, and the company later announced that it had implemented a self-review.

July 23
Technology

Strengthen your IT governance, focus and evaluation

Who is responsible for IT in your firm? Do you have a written technology plan and budget? Is technology viewed as a strategic asset, or as overhead? Are you adequately staffed in the IT department, and in the firm as a whole? Do you have the right people on your IT team?These are all important questions, and your firm should be able to provide definitive answers if you expect to compete in a rapidly changing digital and global economy. Many traditional services are being commoditized, and profit margins are under pressure. With the right technology, you can compete, as well as offer new, higher-value services.

July 23
Audit

Former Brocade CEO First Charged in Options Probe

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed the first charges in its stock options practices investigations, charging the former chief executive of Brocade Communications Systems Inc. Gregory Reyes with misconduct linked to option grant practices.

July 20
Audit

Lease Standards Added to FASB's Plate

As expected, the Financial Accounting Standards Board formally added a project to its agenda to reconsider the current accounting standards for leases.

July 19
Audit

Cox the Politico

By my count, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox must have stamped out at least another couple of brushfires over these recent summer months.

July 18
Audit

Casey Sworn In as SEC Commissioner

Kathleen L. Casey was sworn in as the 88th Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner by Chairman Christopher Cox on Monday.

July 18
Audit

FASB Expected to Vote on Lease Project

The Financial Accounting Standards Board is likely to formally add a project on lease accounting to its agenda this week, according to published reports.

July 18

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.