The AICPA professional ethics executive committee (PEEC) defers until December 31, 2004, the effective date of its recently established requirement—originally effective September 30, 2003—that a member document in writing his or her understanding with a client regarding all nonattest services to satisfy general requirement no. 3 of Interpretation 101-3, “Nonattest
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IRS practice & procedure
Financial Planning
The AICPA and five other organizations joined forces to sponsor the Project for Financial Independence, which offers free financial planning advice to individuals in need ( www.consultaplanner.org ). Also participating are the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Financial Planning Association, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, the
Financial Reporting
The Institute, in cooperation with industry experts, has updated and revised illustrative financial statements for banks, savings institutions, credit unions and mortgage companies (in separate versions), which members can find online at www.aicpa.org/members/div/acctstd/illustrative_fs.asp . These illustrative statements also are available in the AICPA publication, Checklists and Illustrative Financial Statements for
FYI
The board of trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) appoints Robert H. Attmore chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). He succeeds Tom L. Allen, who served as GASB chairman since 1995. Attmore is president of Attmore & Associates, Albany, New York, a consulting firm serving government agencies
International
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) publishes an exposure draft, ED 6, Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources, which proposes guidance for extractive-industry entities required to comply with international financial reporting standards (IFRS) beginning in 2005 ( www.iasb.org/uploaded_files/ ). Because there is no related guidance in place and the
The Toughest Compliance Requirements
Source: Insights on Today’s Sarbanes-Oxley and Corporate Governance Challenges, Protiviti, Inc., www.protiviti.com , 2003.
Choose the Right Tools for Internal Control Reporting
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CPAs CAN PROVIDE A VALUABLE service to their employers or clients by helping them plan their strategic approach to compliance with section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. NEW SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CAN IMPROVE corporate governance and external communications about financial performance. They also can enhance the efficiency
Unclaimed Property
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WITH MORE STATES CONDUCTING AUDITS, CPAs need to encourage companies to pay greater attention to their unclaimed property liability. This includes both reporting unclaimed assets to the right state and making sure the company properly reflects the liability on its balance sheet. UNCLAIMED PROPERTY HOLDERS MUST exhaust all
Accounting
For news from the AICPA and state societies, visit www.cpa2biz.com , which also offers online CPE, AICPA professional literature, practice management aids and links to state society Web sites. FASB issues four staff positions (FSPs) addressing FASB Statement no. 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Both
Government Accounting
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board releases a publication, Reporting Performance Information: Suggested Criteria for Effective Communication, which offers 16 criteria state and local governments can use when preparing reports on the nature and results of services they’ve rendered. The report can be downloaded free online ( www.seagov.org/sea_gasb_project/suggested_criteria_report.pdf ) or ordered
Compliance
The SEC proposes two rules that would allow it to supervise broker-dealers and their affiliates on a consolidated basis ( www.sec.gov/news/press/2003-134.htm ). One proposal would create an alternative method for computing certain net capital charges for broker-dealers that are part of a holding company that manages risks—and consents to SEC
Stanley Person: 1934–2003
OBITUARY CPA Stanley Person, the founder and managing partner of Person and Co. in New York City, died on November 1, 2003, at the age of 69, after a long battle with heart disease. Person, who devoted much of his professional life to serving the accounting profession, was a tireless
Auditing
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) issues a briefing paper describing its plans for overseeing—in cooperation with appropriate auditing regulators in other countries—the activities of U.S. accounting firms fully or partially responsible for auditing public companies in a foreign jurisdiction ( www.pcaobus.org/rules/Release2003-020.pdf ). The paper also described the board’s
Smart Stops on the Web
COMPLIANCE SITES Sarbanes-Oxley Act/PCAOB Implementation Central http://cpcaf.aicpa.org/Resources/Sarbanes+Oxley/ The+Changing+Regulatory+Landscape.htm Auditors and CPAs looking for background material and implementation guidance on the 2002 act will find documents including “How the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Impacts the Accounting Profession” at the Institute’s Web site. Visitors also can download “Key Internal Controls for Management”
FYI
The Accounting Hall of Fame inducts Phillip W. Bell, Edgar O. Edwards and James J. Leisenring into its ranks. Bell served on many university faculties in the United States and has held visiting professorships throughout the world. He and Edwards, who taught at Princeton and Rice Universities, are coauthors of
International
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) publishes a proposed set of reforms ( www.ifac.org/Downloads/ReformProposals.doc ) to harmonize international auditing standards, strengthen the processes used to set them and ensure the international accounting profession serves the public interest. The proposal would establish a public interest oversight board to monitor IFAC’s standard-setting
AICPA Issues Nonattest Services Independence Rules
It is important to remember that regardless of which nonattest services a member provides to any attest client, he or she must comply with ethics Interpretation 101-3’s broad-based provisions, including the requirements discussed in this article. Of equal significance are the nonattest services provisions contained in the independence rules of
Investment Adviser Advertising
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE SEC REGULATES THE ADVERTISEMENTS investment advisers create to promote their services under rule 206(4)-1 of the Investment Adviser Act of 1940. The goal is to prevent advertisements that are false and misleading. RULE 206(4)-1(a) INCLUDES FIVE RESTRICTIONS advisers must follow. They can overcome two of these restrictions
CPAs as Audit Committee Members
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WITH THE ADVENT OF SARBANES-OXLEY, CPAs ARE LIKELY to receive more invitations to serve on the audit committees of corporate boards of directors. Before accepting these offers, accountants should make sure they are ready for the time commitment and other responsibilities that come along with them. MANY CPAs
Sarbanes-Oxley Software: Ten Questions to Ask
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires a company to document and periodically test its internal controls and the company’s external auditors to offer an opinion on those controls. While public companies are developing their project plans and evaluating software applications to help them manage this process, the
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The key to success with CAS is selecting the best clients. Tools like ideal client profiles (ICPs), buyer personas, and even artificial intelligence can help identify the businesses that best fit each CAS practice.
From The Tax Adviser
March 31, 2026
Current developments in taxation of individuals: Part 1
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Current Developments in Taxation of Individuals: Part 1
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