Journal of Accountancy Podcast

Denise Dettingmeijer, CFO of Randstad North America, is part of a panel discussion at AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE in June in Las Vegas. In this podcast episode, she previews the theme of that session and explains why having fellow CFOs "along the same part of the journey" is helpful. Dettingmeijer also shares advice on how professionals can get the most out of attending a conference. Also, here are links...

Jill Schlesinger, a CBS News business analyst, author, and podcast host, built her brand as a purveyor of financial advice in part through radio call-in shows. She's a seasoned speaker on all things money and the guest on this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast. Schlesinger is slated to be an emcee at AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE in June in Las Vegas, where she looks forward to hearing more abou...

"If anybody wants to accomplish anything, at some point, they have to believe it's possible." Those are the words of this episode's guest, mental performance coach Chris Palmer. He discusses why belief is important, how it can be confused at times with arrogance, and why growing a sense of belief in ourselves can be done. Also, get an update on several IRS-related issues, including an update to Sc...

John Garrett is rarely at a loss for words. A former CPA turned stand-up comic, Garrett these days is a speaker, podcast host, and author, and he's a repeat guest on the Journal of Accountancy podcast for good reason. This episode puts a 2022 spin on two previous discussion topics: advice for presenting to groups and the tie-in between outside passions and work. And make sure to listen to Garrett'...

Floyd Amuchie, CPA, has been the corporate controller at Virgin Galactic, the space travel company, for about a year. In this episode, Amuchie discusses his early fascination with astronomy, why the phrase "lift as you climb" is meaningful to him, what parenting a newborn was like during the pandemic, and why "invest" is part of his career advice to aspiring CPAs. Also, hear a summary of two recen...

CFOs and other finance leaders "are all on the same quest" to transform finance into more of a value partner, according to Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, executive vice president–Business Engagement and Growth for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Hood's 2021 conversations with finance leaders led to the formation of the Future of Finance Leadership Advisory Group, wh...

Chris Ortega is speaking on multiple topics at AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE in June. One topic is a guide for CFOs on people and process optimization. Ortega, CEO of the consulting firm Fresh FP&A and a regular speaker at financial planning and analysis events, delves into the critical role CFOs played at the start of the pandemic and why he says FP&A practices are evolving. Also, hear his advice about vul...

Transformation of the audit goes beyond simply automating rote tasks, as Amy Pawlicki, vice president–Assurance and Advisory Innovation at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, explains in this episode.   She details some of the ways that audits can be more data driven while still complying with standards. The interview with Pawlicki is part four of a series on audit...

In the midst of the Great Resignation, organizations need continued vigilance when it comes to recruiting job candidates. As it relates to the hiring of CPAs, this episode touches on advice and a new program that can help businesses cast a wider net for talent. Beth Berk, CPA, CGMA, writes in a recent Journal of Accountancy article that "hiring professionals need to go about their recruiting effor...

Steven Harris was not always the outgoing firm leader he is today. Harris, the subject of The Last Word in the March issue of the Journal of Accountancy , said he struggled to connect with other professionals early in his career, but once he learned to be vulnerable and to listen, he was able to form strong bonds. Harris calls that connection breakthrough "magical." He shares advice on emphasizing...

A rapid shift to auditing remotely was especially challenging for CPAs who audited not-for-profit entities. Those NFPs might not have had top-of-the-line technology when the COVID-19 pandemic changed so much about the world two years ago, including the ability of auditors to visit client sites. To learn more about the state of remote auditing of NFPs, hear insight from accounting firm principals K...

K-2 — isn't that a mountain? K2 is, but to tax professionals and with the hyphen, it's Partners' Distributive Share Items — International (and, for S corporations, a similar form), the new schedule filed with the returns of passthrough entities with "items of international tax relevance" and partners in foreign partnerships. Along with its "twin peak" of Schedule K-3, Partner's [or Shareholder's ]...

Some issues facing small CPA firms are the same as those facing large firms or other organizations — talent retention, change management, and more. But there are some issues that are specific to small firms, and potentially more acute, as explained in this Journal of Accountancy podcast episode with Carl Peterson, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA's vice president–Small Firm Interests.   Also, learn about rece...

Amy Vetter, CPA/CITP, CGMA, wrote in 2021 that advanced technology for CPA firms was no longer a nice-to-have option ; it's a requirement. Vetter shared more about the future of tech-enabled CPA work in this podcast episode.   In addition to looking forward, she also looked back — all the way to the 1930s, telling a story about her grandfather's time as a CPA and some of what she learned about him...

Tuesday, March 8, is International Women's Day. To celebrate the day, the guest on this podcast episode is Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, the founder and CEO of KET Solutions and a former AICPA board chair. Ellison-Taylor has seen gains for women in public accounting partnerships, and in business and industry, but she stresses that more work must be done. Ellison-Taylor also explains how wome...

CPA decision-makers in business and industry in the United States maintained an overall positive outlook for their organizations, but plenty of factors could sour that sentiment quickly. Hear or read the analysis of Bob Sannerud, CPA, CGMA, a CFO in the Midwest, and Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, an associate director from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, representing AIC...

How many slides should be in a PowerPoint presentation? What are some steps to ensure your presentation has a consistent format? Byron Patrick, CPA/CITP, CGMA, has answers to these questions. He's one of the Journal of Accountancy' s Technology Q&A authors, the general manager at Botkeeper, and someone always looking to improve presentation skills. In this podcast episode, Patrick expands on some...

Robin Thieme, CPA/CITP, CGMA, the CEO and founder of KBS CFO, was consulting remotely well before she was forced to do so by the COVID-19 pandemic, so communicating with clients who were not in the same room was familiar. Still, the changes society and business experienced in early 2020 forced her to learn new skills and alter her communication style and strategy. In this episode, she shares advic...

In the February edition of The Last Word , Ozlem Davis, CPA/CFF, alluded to some aspects of firm ownership as being "scary." In this podcast episode, she explains more about why she had those fears, how she has overcome them, and how she escapes the pressure of work.

Calvin Harris, CPA, senior vice president of finance and CFO of the National Urban League, says he would not be in the position he is in today without the help of numerous mentors. In Part 1 of the conversation , Harris explained why donations at the National Urban League increased in 2020 and what the organization did with that revenue. In Part 2, hear more about the role mentors have played in h...

Calvin Harris, CPA, the CFO of the National Urban League, is the Journal of Accountancy podcast guest for a two-part conversation this week. In this first part, Harris explains why the National Urban League was well positioned to receive an increase in donations at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, what the organization did with that revenue, and how he approaches retention and developme...

Tax season is well underway, and the AICPA is part of a coalition asking for the IRS to make tax filing go smoother. The coalition has made recommendations to improve IRS service issues, and in this episode those recommendations are detailed by Melanie Lauridsen, the AICPA's senior manager for Tax Policy & Advocacy. Also, get a summary of recent news coverage on IRS service challenges and the IRS...

"We have to focus on culture," says Jennifer Wilson, partner and co-founder of Convergence Coaching LLC. She's talking about firm leaders and how they can better position themselves to take advantage of the growing opportunities related to client advisory service (CAS) offerings. Also, get article overviews on the following news items: A new process for appealing partial PPP loan forgiveness An an...

Two CPAs are featured in this episode, which also highlights news of a rapid rise in malware attacks related to Microsoft Excel add-ins . First, Di Krupica , CPA, CGMA, of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, discusses the creation of the Blockchain Universal Glossary . Next, Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, the CEO of Allinial Global, shares some of the ways CPA firms can i...

As humans, "we are wired to see change as a warning sign of danger," says Britt Andreatta, Ph. D. Andreatta is the author of Wired to Resist and other books, and she is a speaker and consultant to a wide variety of organizations. She was a featured speaker at the Future of Finance Summit, a meeting of finance executives, in December. With all the change and uncertainty people have faced because of...