AT Think

The AICPA will release the next quarterly results of the AICPA PFSi (Personal Financial Satisfaction Index),the economic gauge that measures the personal financial standing of typical Americans, at 7:00 a.m. EDT, Thursday, July 16.

Optimism about the nation’s economic outlook among U.S. business leaders rose in the second quarter of the year, according to the Grant Thornton International Business Report.

Two free accounting programs will be offered at the University of Hawaii at Manoa starting in August, according to Pacific Business News. The introduction of UH Manoa’s Governmental Accounting and Certified Public Accountant Review programs is based on interest from UH's Shidler College of Business’ current students and alumni.

The online Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) degree offered by the University of South Dakota's Beacom School of Business has been ranked the best in the nation by OnlineU. USD's program was selected due to its affordability and the high proportion of graduates who pass the CPA exam," the school said in a statement.

The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) recently released a report titled, Firm Culture and Its Impact on the Future of the Firm. The report shares the findings of a 2014 study of 1,000 Pennsylvania CPAs on career trends and what role firm culture has on attracting and retaining talent in the public accounting industry, as well as generational and gender breakdowns regarding values, career goals, motivators, and ideal benefits.

KPMG has launched a new quarterly publication to provide chief tax officers, corporate leaders and board members with a view of how their peers are coping with major tax topics and the related challenges and opportunities.

Last Friday saw nearly 200 interns at Protiviti participate in the firm's second annual U.S. Intern Day of Service. Protiviti's interns, joined by nearly 700 of the firm's employees, volunteered in 25 cities concurrently for not-for-profit organizations including: Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, Ronald McDonald House, Meals on Wheels, among several others.

The biggest challenge for accounting and finance professionals when working with coworkers in other departments is interacting with a variety of personalities, according to CFOs in a new poll.

The inaugural classes for the online Master of Science in Professional Accounting program at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, Accounting@Syracuse, will begin live face-to-face classes on Saturday, July 18, according to the school. Course content, accessible online 24/7, will be available to students beginning Friday, July 10.

No doubt there are many fans of science fiction and fantasy among accountants, but what’s surprising is how many accountant characters there are in the genre.