March 2012 - Journal of Accountancy

For about 20 years, the popular internal control framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) has been like a favorite tool in a craftsman’s shop. Its guidance has held up over time with original components that have been so sound that a large majority of

The business world is experiencing an extraordinarily challenging period. The multiple pressures exerted on executives in terms of global competition, increasing regulation, climate change and growing expectations from consumers has resulted in a call for a new business paradigm. At the end of last year, the AICPA joined forces with

As parents plan for their children’s higher education, they may choose from an array of tax-favored savings vehicles and deductions and credits. Options include education savings plans, education credits, deduction of educational expenses, education savings bonds, education loans and other alternatives. No single option works best for everyone, but by

Newton D. Becker, whose preparatory course led to CPA exam success for hundreds of thousands of accountants, died Jan. 2 in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness. He was 83. Becker was the founder and driving force behind Becker CPA Review, which he started in his hometown of Cleveland and

Jerry Sullivan, who served as executive director of the Public Oversight Board, died Dec. 10 at his home in Wilton, Conn. He was 78. From 1989 to 2002, Sullivan was head of the Public Oversight Board (POB), a private-sector entity that played a critical role in self-regulation of the auditing

The rapid growth of cloud computing is whipping up a storm of change and challenges, opportunities and obstacles for CPA firms. While many firms have embraced the Internet as a place to conduct business more efficiently and effectively, others are holding back, often due to concerns about the security of

As Americans enter old age in rapidly increasing numbers, more accountants will run into situations like the one a Virginia CPA encountered last year. The CPA spent five hours rummaging through the home of a 94-year-old client, trying to find the paperwork needed to complete the man’s 2010 tax return.

Organizations of all types struggle with information technology (IT) budgeting. This often happens because the IT team doesn’t understand the budgeting process and the finance team doesn’t understand IT. CPAs, whether in public practice, business and industry, the not-for-profit sector or government, can remedy this disconnect by changing their organization’s