Where CPAs stand on economic sentiment, what’s next for the JofA podcast

What’s the view of finance executives about the U.S. economy and their own businesses? And what’s the latest from the IRS on new Trump accounts? Find out more in this quick-hitting episode that summarizes several topics, including the December digital edition of the magazine.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• A summary of CPA decision-makers’ sentiment about the economy and their own businesses.
• The planned publication schedule for JofA podcast episodes in December and early January.
• A mention of recent IRS news in the JofA.
• The future-focused look at the profession and other content in the JofA’s December digital edition.

Play the episode below or read the edited transcript:

— To comment on this episode or to suggest an idea for another episode, contact Neil Amato at Neil.Amato@aicpa-cima.com.

Transcript:

Neil Amato: Hello, this is Neil Amato with the Journal of Accountancy. You likely know this by now, but you’re listening to the Journal of Accountancy podcast.

We took last week off for Thanksgiving. We hope everyone enjoyed that holiday. This week, I’m providing an update on a few news items and also a peek at what to expect for the rest of the year on the podcast.

This episode is our first of three planned for December. Next week, I’ll be on location at the Digital CPA Conference talking to profession leaders on the topics that matter most to our audience. That’s for the Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 episodes but also for the first few episodes of 2026.

If you want to know what tax filing season might look like, or you want to hear some of the key trends affecting CPAs in the new year, be sure to tune in. Our first episode of the new year will be on Thursday, Jan. 8.

But getting back to this week’s news, today, Thursday, Dec. 4, the quarterly Economic Outlook Survey results were released, and the outlook of CPA decision-makers in business and industry remains negative overall. Just 28% are optimistic about the U.S. economy. That’s down from the previous quarter’s 34%. But a higher number, 41%, are optimistic about their businesses for the coming 12 months. Bryan Strickland of the JofA has that news on journalofaccountancy.com, and that’s an article we’ll include in the show notes for the episode.

In other news, the IRS on Tuesday provided some particulars about how the new Trump accounts, which are a type of retirement account for children, will work. Martha Waggoner has that coverage that you can find on journalofaccountancy.com and in the show notes.

Also, the JofA’s December digital edition takes a look at the Rise2040 project — if you haven’t heard about that, be sure to check it out.

It is an ambitious project that essentially aims to map out what the next 15 years will look like for the accounting profession. Futurist Dan Burrus supplies some of the forward-looking insight in the form of a Q&A he did with JofA editor-in-chief Jeff Drew and Financial Management editor-in-chief Oliver Rowe.

The December JofA also delves into the growing role of the chief accounting officer, personal branding tips for CPAs, and much more.

Thank you for listening to this express episode. If you are not subscribed to the show on your favorite podcast platform already, please go ahead and give us a follow and share the show with those who you think might find it useful. Also, if your podcast platform has this feature, please leave us a rating — five stars always appreciated. Please also leave us a review — what you like about the show or what you’d like to hear from future episodes.

So, thanks again for listening to the Journal of Accountancy podcast. I’m Neil Amato with the JofA. We’ll talk again soon.