Formal mentoring relationships can help young CPAs sharpen their skills, plot their goals, and achieve their objectives, but what does it take to set up a successful mentoring program? This article looks at the types of planning, people, and processes that must be in place for mentoring relationships to flourish and for employers and employees to reap the benefits.
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Professional development
The pros and cons of nonequity partnerships
The number of firms using nonequity partner programs has grown dramatically over the past several years. This chart explores the benefits and drawbacks of nonequity partner programs across five important firm management attributes.
How real work experience can help students, businesses
Getting work experience while in college can give accounting and finance students an edge in their post-graduation job search, according to a new survey. Meanwhile, businesses that provide work opportunities for students can build a network of promising talent that will pay big dividends in the future, experts say. Eighty-three
How to manage internal succession
Young talent is at the core of successful internal succession plans. How can firms identify and develop the leaders they need to replace retiring partners? Find out in the eighth installment of the series “CPA Firm Succession: Solidifying the Future.”
Scholarships awarded to high-achieving students who plan to become CPAs
Ten students received 2013–2014 AICPA/Accountemps Student Scholarship awards. These scholarship awards are given annually to undergraduate and graduate-level accounting majors who aspire to become CPAs, demonstrate academic excellence, and show exceptional leadership. Eligible applicants must have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.0 and completed at least 30 semester hours in
Consider this before serving on a board
The role and responsibilities of a board member significantly differ from those of a CPA in public practice. To explore the unique responsibilities of external board members—and the exposures they face—two attorneys who defend claims against external board members and accountants were interviewed for this column.
Program combines scholarships with community service and leadership skills
The Institute awarded more than $370,000 in scholarships to 117 undergraduate and graduate students through its AICPA Legacy Scholars program. AICPA Legacy Scholars are Student Affiliate Members (a free AICPA membership option available to all students) who have received a one-year AICPA scholarship and will continue to receive benefits beyond their
Institute hosts 2013 Leadership Academy class
The AICPA’s fifth annual Leadership Academy was held Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 in Durham, N.C. During the five-day program, the 37 participants—all under age 36—learned leadership theory and strategic planning techniques while developing tools for handling complex management challenges. They also discussed pressing issues facing CPAs and the accounting
How to land an overseas assignment
Securing an overseas assignment may look like a daunting challenge to a U.S. CPA who isn’t working for a Big Four accounting firm with offices worldwide, but it can be done. The JofA sought tips from three experts on how U.S. CPAs can gain international experience. Senior editor Sabine Vollmer talked
A leadership tutorial from education innovator Sal Khan
Sal Khan’s story has many of the markings of a classic Silicon Valley narrative. Khan, an investment analyst working in Boston at a hedge fund, in 2004 began using Yahoo Doodle and phone calls to tutor a faraway cousin struggling with math. That evolved into posting simple video lessons on
Six trends that are reshaping business
Accountants excel at analyzing numbers and developing strategies based off them. The way University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor James Johnson, Ph.D., sees it, the numbers describing the demographics of the United States leave accountants little choice today but to embrace diversity and new business practices. Johnson spoke
Survey shows mixed report on progress for women in finance careers
A new survey presents mixed views on the progress women have made in the past 10 years in their ability to advance in the finance field. More than half (53%) of CFOs say there has been no change in women’s ability to advance in careers in the finance field in
Five key objectives for in-demand internal auditors
The perception of internal audit as a function that can add value in addition to enforcing compliance is placing importance on several objectives for internal auditors. “I think the expectation from the executive suite has increased,” PwC’s Walter Smiechewicz, CPA, said in a telephone interview. “And they are looking for
How to network and find new clients across borders
Companies increasingly are investing across borders. That includes foreign companies establishing operations in the United States or Canada. The North American investments require accounting and tax services, making foreign companies potential new clients for North American accounting firms. But what is the best way to network across borders and attract
Women’s initiatives: A strategic advantage
The recent AICPA supply and demand survey found that women constituted 44% of accounting employees at CPA firms but only 19% of the partners. The partnership percentage was a step back for women in public accounting. The percentage of female leaders in firms had risen from 1% (partners and principals)
Supply and demand for accounting talent at record levels
A new study examining supply and demand trends in accounting found that the profession is thriving—with college enrollments, degrees awarded, and demand for new accounting graduates all reaching all-time highs. CPA firms hired 40,350 new accounting graduates last year, including 23,793 graduates with bachelor’s degrees and 16,557 with master’s degrees,
Can you succeed in finance without international experience?
As commerce increasingly transcends borders, international experience is becoming a valuable asset for accounting and finance professionals. Almost seven in 10 (69%) of more than 2,100 CFOs in large U.S. metropolitan areas said international experience will be at least somewhat necessary for accounting and finance staff five years from now,
Demand for accounting grads reaches all-time high
A new study examining supply and demand trends in accounting found that the profession is thriving—with college enrollments, degrees awarded, and demand for new accounting graduates all reaching all-time highs. CPA firms hired 40,350 new accounting graduates last year, including 23,793 graduates with bachelor’s degrees and 16,557 with master’s degrees,
The leadership cycle: How to enable collective leadership
James Quigley, CPA, was CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. from 2007 to 2011. He retired from Deloitte LLP in June 2012, after 38 years with Deloitte. He serves as a trustee of the IFRS Foundation and is co-author of the 2011 book As One: Individual Action, Collective Power, which
The leadership cycle: The 10 C’s of great leaders
Allan Koltin, CPA, is CEO of Koltin Consulting Group, a Chicago-based consultancy that works with financial and professional services firms in the areas of practice management, mergers and acquisitions, executive search, and practice growth. Recognized as among the most influential thought leaders in the accounting profession, Koltin frequently is quoted
Features
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Build reusable Skills in Anthropic’s Claude AI
Instead of rewriting prompts each time, CPAs can turn routine tasks into reusable AI Skills. This Technology Q&A walks through how to build Claude Skills that process files, ask setup questions, and export clean Excel outputs.
From The Tax Adviser
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Current developments in taxation of individuals: Part 2
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