AT Think

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a small business workshop called “My Job to M.O.B.”. It was a three-day conference held in Chicago focusing on those who were interested in “my own business” planning. What was my biggest takeaway? CPAs are not informing, helping, servicing, delivering, and, much less delighting their clients.

New York University Stern School of Business has announced a new one-year, full-time Master of Science in Accounting that will begin accepting qualified college graduates to start in the fall semester 2016. This program will satisfy the 150-credit-hour education requirement needed as a prerequisite for New York State’s CPA certification.

The AICPA awarded CPA firm DiSanto, Priest & Co., of Warwick, R.I., the 2014 Public Service Award for Firms for its commitment to the community. The annual award honors a firm that has demonstrated outstanding public service.

The International Federation of Accountants has submitted a response to the European Commission regarding a recent green paper on building a stronger capital markets union.

Thomson Reuters Checkpoint released a special report on Monday to highlight the prevalence of tax-related identity theft and guide practitioners representing victims.

Fans of the award-winning AMC cable TV series “Mad Men” are anxiously awaiting the series finale on Sunday, but many longtime viewers may not be aware that the show about Madison Avenue advertising agency executives was partly inspired by a movie about an accountant.

Gumbiner Savett, a Santa Monica-based full-service accounting, taxation and consulting firm, recently congratulated Danny Vivier, the recipient of the "UCLA Department of Economics - Gumbiner Savett Inc. Endowed Undergraduate Prize for 2014-2015."

The AICPA released a Six-Point Plan to Improve Audits on Thursday that provides a roadmap for the profession’s continued journey to improving audit performance in an increasingly changing business world. The plan concentrates on financial statement audits for private companies, employee benefit plans and governmental entities in the United States.

Nearly half of all states impose taxes on memberships in gyms, health clubs, athletic clubs and fitness clubs, while the rest either exempt memberships or don’t have state sales taxes at all, according to new research.

Career and leadership development portal TaxTalent released its 4th annual Tax Hiring Outlook on Monday, based on a survey of U.S. corporate heads of tax. The Hiring Outlook included 356 total respondents ranging from middle market to Fortune 10 companies. This year, 69% of those surveyed stated they would be hiring in the coming year, representing a 28% increase from the 2014 hiring data.