Wealth management

The American Institute of CPAs has written a letter to members of Congress to support legislation that would block the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2010 proposal to change its definition of fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to include appraisers of employee stock ownership plans.

With the formal release of the 2013 AICPA Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, there are two valuation concepts that are new to the updated guide, but are already in fairly wide use.

There’s more to estate planning than simply trying to minimize taxes under the provisions of a will and various trusts, as criticism over the will of the late James Gandolfini attests. A number of estate experts have weighed in the provisions of the will, which was filed last week in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court.

Most CPAs these days consider themselves the trusted advisor, yet few are clearly separating themselves from their competitors. iLumen chief executive Rob Ganjon explains how practitioners can look to current tools to help make that distinction.

The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a new rule Wednesday to implement a JOBS Act requirement to lift the ban on general solicitation or general advertising for certain private securities offerings for business startups, while also adopting rules to discourage fraudsters from touting the investments and to add new protections for investors.

To address the market demand for training in Extensible Business Reporting Language, or XBRL, the American Institute of CPAs and XBRL US, the nonprofit consortium for XBRL business reporting standards in the U.S., have introduced an XBRL US GAAP Certificate Program.

Only 14 percent of capital markets executives at leading investment banks believe the JOBS Act is having a positive impact on increasing the number of IPOs on U.S. exchanges, according to a new survey by BDO USA.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s custody rule governing investment advisors’ custody of client assets imposes various requirements and, in turn, costs on investment advisors, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

The Financial Planning Coalition submitted a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission saying it would "vigorously oppose" attempts to weaken the fiduciary standard for broker-dealers and submitted research showing a client-first standard does not limit advice to “mass market” clients.

Check out the digital edition of the July 2013 issue of Accounting Today.

The Internal Revenue Service has proposed tax relief for money market fund investors in response to concerns about proposed reforms from the Securities and Exchange Commission in the money market industry that could trigger so-called “wash sale’ tax rules.

John Napolitano, chairman and CEO of U.S. Wealth Management, sat down with managing editor Tamika Cody to discuss the mistakes CPAs make when they head into the world of financial planning.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., have introduced legislation in the Senate and the House to block foreign governments from collecting taxes on securities transactions.

Nearly 70 percent of people in the Millennial generation have no retirement plan, according to a new survey.

John Napolitano, chairman and CEO of U.S. Wealth Management, sat down with managing editor Tamika Cody to discuss what market trends CPA financial planners should be paying attention to, and the mistakes that firms make when they venture into financial planning.

A new research program aimed at uncovering the secrets of success for CPA financial planners

In the lull after filing season, many firms are finding new practice areas to explore

How much should an advisor give away in a social setting before suggesting that an inquirer pay for such information? More broadly, how should planners respond effectively when an acquaintance, friend or relative seeks free advice - or even asks to become a paying client?

Everything you need to know about the DOMA ruling but were afraid to ask ...

Almost half of CPAs indicated that they offer some kind of financial planning services, but a far smaller number have a formally structured practice with their own Registered Investment Advisor or an affiliation with an outside broker/dealer or RIA, according to a new study.