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 European Parliament approved the controversial Eighth Directive, a sweeping reform measure that mandates new oversight rules for auditors.

    September 28
  • In a ruling that may affect the future of state job creation strategies across the nation, the Supreme Court will rule on how states can use tax incentives to entice large concerns such as car companies to make capital investments.

    September 28
  • Without the release of all pertinent documents by San Diego's pension board, attorney's office and firefighters union , auditor KPMG says that its review of the city's 2003 year could drag on even longer.

    September 27
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox will recuse himself to avoid any appearance of impropriety in the agency's investigation of Cox's former congressional colleague, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

    September 26
  • The board of trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation appointed telecomm executive Robert J. DeSantis as president and chief operating officer.

    September 26
  • To aid the convergence of International Public Sector Accounting Standards with International Financial Reporting Standards, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board has issued a new exposure draft, "Improvements to International Public Sector Accounting Standards."

    September 25
  • A new set of proposed regulations from the Internal Revenue Service aims to change the way companies use accounting methods to switch profits from countries with high corporate tax to countries where corporate taxes are low.The regs - all 85 pages of them - create an ambitious regime with a number of nebulous new concepts, including an "investor model," to insure that businesses value intangibles, such as marketing, research and development, and patents, in a way that will maximize exposure to U.S. tax.

    September 25
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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.