The Latest

We're teaming up with Rebecca Ryan, of Madison, Wis.-based Next Generation Consulting, to answer your questions about generational issues. Ryan answered her first question on Accountingtomorrow.com, which addressed whether it's OK to listen to iPods while at work:

It's a new era ... and the profession's next generation of leaders put life-work balance at the top of the priority list.

Washington, D.C. - Americans may be in for shocking news soon. Under a new standard issued by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, the federal government is going to have to issue annual reports on its fiscal sustainability.

PCAOB SEES ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN AS5 AUDITS

Accounting firms are not exempt from the influence of social networking and social media. The questions firms face are: Is it better to control or influence social networking? And how can social media help accelerate business?

Nobody elected chair of the American Institute of CPAsgets to pick their agenda.

Tax prep software vendors are counting on an upswing in the professional tax preparation market to fuel their own growth during the upcoming tax filing season.

RECOVERY SPENDING LIKELY TO GO TO TECHNOLOGY

Along with preventive elements such as codes of conduct, hotlines, and whistleblower mechanisms, continuous auditing and continuous monitoring can be a key component of an effective fraud risk management process. In addition, CA/CM shifts management's and internal audit's focus and review from a traditional retrospective/detective approach to a proactive/preventive stance.

What seems like a lifetime ago, I was sitting in 7th grade math class - come to think of it, that was a lifetime ago - being lectured by Mrs. Kennedy on the U.S.'s inevitable conversion to the metric system. Mrs. Kennedy was ruddy-faced, rail-thin and hailed from County Mayo, Ireland. She had a penchant for white-framed cat's-eye glasses and, when angered, was able to reach a decibel level that could mute a heavy metal concert. She augmented the regular curricula with a focus on metric problems and conversion exercises, and by the end of the year, we were able to map out car trips in kilometers and judge the results of encroaching puberty in kilograms and centimeters.