Audit and attest news from the previous month

Lessons for auditors from the Peregrine scandal

Here at Accounting Today, we love celebrities.

Imagine a firm that looked beyond traditional metrics to measure strengths and weaknesses -- a firm that discounted the hype surrounding "efficiency" and worked to provide services of real value to clients and a positive culture for staff. What would this kind of firm look like? Could it be a profitable and challenging place to work? Would it be a place to develop and nurture staff, where no one is expected to manually complete time sheets? This type of firm exists. In fact, I recently witnessed a "rebirth" of sorts of a large firm, and I want to share the story.

Yes, we're living in an increasingly mobile world. I've got a smart phone. You've got a smart phone. Our employees all have smart phones. And we all love our smart phones. We get it.

While the outcome of the 2012 election is still up in the air, the nation's accountants are putting their money behind a candidate many of them hope will change Washington -- Republican Mitt Romney.

This past year, nonprofits have continued to be a lagging economic indicator, adopting several strategies from their leading for-profit counterparts to survive a slow and delayed recovery.

The past tax season saw continued growth in the do-it-yourself market, while the complexity of the Tax Code, and the likelihood of end-of-year or next-year retroactive changes, will increase the need for software at both the consumer and professional levels.

A little (blue) bird suggested paying attention to these worthy handles

IMGCAP(1)]We here at Accounting Today are pretty proud of all of our various lists, from our Top 100 Firms and Top New Products reports in late winter, to the series that we're in the middle of now, which runs from our VAR 100 and Top Firms by AUM lists through last month's Top 100 People and this month's Managing Partner Elite, and on through our Best Firms to Work For roster, the members of which were recently announced -- though we're holding back the actual ranking of the list until the end of the month.

Letters to the editor from our October issue

An AP accounting course could be a global passport to the profession

Several months ago, the Mitt Romney campaign made his 2010 return public, along with an estimate for 2011. I had no intention of reviewing it, but sometime in mid-August, I linked to the return from a news story about the $4.8 million capital loss carryover on his 2010 Schedule D.

There are basically two types of succession plans. one addresses the transfer of the practice at a time of the owner's choosing. The second addresses a transfer in the event of death or disability of the owner - a disaster.

Why has the U.S. developed such outstanding women leaders across the board and yet, when it comes to the accounting profession, there is a significant gap?

In a recent conversation with Friedman managing partner Bruce Madnick, I gained insight into the company's successful China initiative, and their best practices of finding a strategy and growing a niche.

A roundup of major accounting news and events

Meet Our Accountant of the Month

Clients will write testimonials if you ask -- and if you show them how to do it

Public accountants can look forward to reasonable pay bumps next year, according to the 2013 Salary Guide for Financial and Accounting from staffing and placement company Robert Half.