Chris Dyer, whose recent book details seven pillars of corporate culture, joined the Journal of Accountancy podcast from the Future of Finance Summit in San Diego to explain some of the ways companies can get culture right — and the ways they get it wrong. For instance, Dyer said that a common approach of individuals and organizations, after a strengths and weaknesses assessment, is to think about the areas where their performance is mediocre. “They want to … start with the ones they’re OK with,...
Feb 06, 2025•18 min
It’s not even five weeks into 2025, and already there’s a bevy of news affecting tax practitioners. Melanie Lauridsen, the AICPA's vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy, joined the Journal of Accountancy podcast amid all the tumult to update listeners on several fronts. Lauridsen discussed the latest on beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting and the Supreme Court, how IRS service might be affected by various executive orders, and what aspects of a new tax bill or bills are being fol...
Jan 30, 2025•16 min
On LinkedIn, the congratulatory messages poured in for Janice Stucke, CPA, after she completed an Ironman triathlon in October. Those messages all had named authors — her LinkedIn contacts. One message, from a still unknown author, attached to her bike on race day, continues to resonate with Stucke, the CFO of CREW Network. In an earlier podcast episode , Stucke detailed her nontraditional path to becoming a CPA and, later, a CFO. In this conversation, Stucke recaps the obstacles she faced in th...
Jan 23, 2025•13 min
Risk management, in the words of Sarah Ference, CPA, doesn’t have to be overly complicated or time consuming. “It’s really a mindset,” said Ference, an author of the JofA ’s Professional Liability Spotlight column and the guest on this week’s episode of the JofA podcast. Ference shares several risk management maxims that have resonated with her – ones that are the focus of the January column, Risk Management Mantras to Add to Your Daily Practice . In addition, Ference details the topics in some ...
Jan 16, 2025•15 min
What’s the future of fully in-office work? What’s the hiring outlook for finance and accounting roles in 2025? Steve Saah, the executive director of the finance and accounting permanent placement practice at Robert Half, tackles those and other questions in this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast, recorded in December in San Diego. Saah discusses how companies have to walk a fine line when it comes to requiring in-office minimum hours or days – and how that tightrope can affect the pa...
Jan 09, 2025•17 min
Last week in San Diego, a group of 165 finance leaders convened for the fourth Future of Finance Summit. This JofA podcast episode is a compilation of takeaways from the event and a look at key areas of focus for leaders in 2025. It is the first of several Future of Finance recordings. The speakers for this episode are: n Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA's executive vice president–Business Growth & Engagement n Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, the CEO of KET Solutions and former...
Dec 19, 2024•29 min
It’s no secret anymore: Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, is retiring as CEO of AICPA & CIMA. He was first named CEO of the AICPA nearly 30 years ago, and he leaves the now global organization with a legacy of change . His last official day is Dec. 31, and Mark Koziel , CPA, CGMA, is his successor. In this episode of the JofA podcast, recorded earlier this week at Digital CPA in Denver, Melancon explains why he’s not counting down the days of his tenure, why there likely will be more recreation in ...
Dec 12, 2024•14 min
The potential for less regulation is one factor driving optimism among CPA decision-makers in a quarterly survey, according to Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA associate director–Management Accounting Research and Development. Witt joined the JofA podcast to discuss fourth-quarter results of the Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey — statistics that were dramatically different from the third quarter . The executives are mostly optimistic about the domestic economy in 2025. They als...
Dec 05, 2024•7 min
Melanie Lauridsen, vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy for the AICPA, reflected on how election results might inform future tax legislation and why any change in administration and tax policy can make it more difficult for practitioners seeking clarity. Lauridsen also discussed advocacy related to beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting and what might change related to IRS funding, the corporate tax rate, and more in this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast. What you’ll l...
Nov 21, 2024•18 min
Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, executive vice president–Business Growth and Engagement at AICPA & CIMA, understands why accounting skills are often ranked outside the top five of key skills in informal polling of finance audiences. “It’s not because they're less important, but because the other skills are more important,” Hood said. The core requirements remain, but the ability to adapt and add new skills has grown in importance with the pace of transformation accelerating. In this episode of the...
Nov 14, 2024•17 min
Stig Nybo is not afraid to admit that he’s made mistakes. He’s also happy to have been part of a movement that improved the thinking around retirement savings. Nybo, a keynote speaker at the Employee Benefit Plans Accounting, Auditing, and Regulatory Update , a Dec. 4-5 virtual event, co-wrote the book Transform Tomorrow: Awakening The Super Saver in Pursuit of Retirement Readiness . In this episode of the JofA podcast, Nybo talks about finding passion at work, why attempts to fix things can lea...
Nov 07, 2024•16 min
Digital disruption is everywhere, including in the practice of internal audit. An audit leader joined the JofA podcast recently to discuss how technology can be harnessed instead of feared or resisted. Anthony Pugliese, CPA/CITP, CGMA, president and CEO of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), said it is understandable for fast-moving technology to be daunting. But such technology presents opportunities as well as risks. One tie-in is the new tools’ ability to attract the next generation of ...
Oct 31, 2024•16 min
Scott Simmons is co-managing partner at the firm Crist Kolder Associates. In more than two decades handling executive searches for clients, he’s seen the qualifications for the CFO role change dramatically. The pressure on CFOs to deliver value has also grown. While some skills remain constant, of course, so do the paths to landing a CFO role. In this JofA podcast episode, Simmons takes listeners through some of the recent statistics in the firm’s annual Volatility Report, discussing the importa...
Oct 24, 2024•17 min
In less than four weeks, IRS officials and tax practitioners will gather in Washington for the AICPA & CIMA National Tax Conference . The event begins six days after Election Day, when it’s possible there will be clarity about election results and about the future of tax legislation. On this episode of the podcast, two speakers closely tied to the conference explain what it will offer attendees, detailing agenda specifics. April Walker, CPA, CGMA, is lead manager–Tax Practice & Ethics at...
Oct 17, 2024•16 min
Alicia Antonetti-Tricker, a principal at Crowe LLP, remembers a time when she saw very few women in leadership roles in the accounting profession. Whether barriers were real or perceived, she said, “there were barriers for women advancing in the profession.” Today, that’s changing, and events such as the AICPA & CIMA Women’s Global Leadership Summit , which is in November in Bellevue, Wash., have helped to continue the momentum for women ascending to accounting leadership roles. In this podc...
Oct 03, 2024•16 min
Becoming a CFO isn’t easy. Neither is completing an iron-distance triathlon. Janice Stucke, CPA, is doing both, and she relies on accounting skills to improve in triathlon and applies triathlon persistence to her role as finance chief. Stucke is the CFO of CREW Network, the acronym standing for Commercial Real Estate Women. In this JofA podcast episode, Stucke shares her somewhat unconventional path to becoming a CPA, how she developed interest and expertise in technology implementations, and ho...
Sep 26, 2024•18 min
Jeff Drew, the JofA’ s editor-in-chief, is the guest on today’s episode, the 400th in the history of the JofA podcast. He’s recapping for listeners some of the top articles of the summer and looking ahead to content in future issues. Drew, a former JofA senior editor and manager with the AICPA's Private Companies Practice Section, has focused on content for the daily and monthly magazines for more than a decade. He reviews or previews coverage on numerous topics, including the retirement of AICP...
Sep 19, 2024•21 min
Carla McCall, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of the firm AAFCPAs, began her one-year term as AICPA chair in May. In this JofA podcast episode, she said that “whirlwind” was a good description of the first few months in the role, “but in a good way.” “If you truly love what you do, somehow it doesn't seem so arduous and it goes by real quick,” McCall said, labeling interactions with numerous people in the profession as “rewarding.” In this episode, McCall reflects on what she’s learned about herself...
Sep 12, 2024•20 min
Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA associate director – Management Accounting Research and Development, discusses in this JofA podcast episode the reasons that finance executives in a quarterly AICPA & CIMA survey continue to lower their optimism about the U.S. economy. He also reveals what CPA decision-makers now view as their organization’s top challenge. For the first time in a long time, it’s not inflation. On the episode that detailed the previous quarter’s survey , Witt noted that i...
Sep 05, 2024•11 min
In about two months, Corey Ciocchetti will deliver a keynote session at the AICPA & CIMA Governmental and Not-for-Profit Training Program . He previewed that session in this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast. In the conversation, Ciocchetti discusses how he chose what law school to attend, why his more recent presentations mention the importance of civil discourse, and what he remembers about a speech by the founder of a prominent mutual fund company. What you’ll learn from this ...
Aug 29, 2024•13 min
On this episode of the JofA podcast, Melanie Lauridsen, vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy for the AICPA, explains some of the tax-related repercussions of recent Supreme Court decisions. One case could have a dramatic effect on future rulemaking, and the other could have a decades-long retroactive effect. On June 28, the Supreme Court overturned its decision in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. , 467 U.S. 837 (1984), holding that the Administrative Procedure ...
Aug 22, 2024•13 min
Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, was named the leader of the AICPA when he was in his mid-30s. Now, in his final months as CEO of AICPA & CIMA, he discusses the events that challenged the profession, risks that could be obstacles in the future, and why he’s optimistic about the role accountants play. In this conversation, the second of two parts, Melancon challenges the notion that the profession is slow to change, explains why trust will continue to be important, and emphasizes the importance of ...
Aug 15, 2024•20 min
Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, was named leader of the AICPA when he was in his mid-30s. Now, in his final months as CEO of AICPA & CIMA, he discusses his background and upbringing, his unlikely path from rural Louisiana to speaking to leaders around the world, and why he puts extra emphasis on trust. Part 2 of the conversation, recorded in July, will be published next week. Below are links to the previous two-part discussion with Melancon, episodes that were published in December and January: n...
Aug 08, 2024•22 min
The National Pipeline Advisory Group published its final report on talent solutions for the accounting profession, and the group’s chair, Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, joins the Journal of Accountancy podcast to hit on the high points. Kessler is AICPA vice chair and also mid-Atlantic leader for the firm Aprio. In this episode, she shares next steps for the profession. What you'll learn from this episode: An overview of the six major themes of the report. How a “plethora of perspectives” came togethe...
Aug 01, 2024•15 min
Tom Vartanian, executive director of the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center, joined the JofA podcast recently to discuss concerns about the rapid pace of technology adoption. Although he sees the benefits technology has had, he also sees drawbacks. “It's not that we shouldn't have technology, it’s not that we shouldn’t applaud tecnology,” Vartanian says in the episode. “It's just that our balance is off.” Vartanian, a former federal banking regulator and the author of nine books, is...
Jul 25, 2024•18 min
The AICPA & CIMA Cannabis Industry Conference starts Aug. 12 in Aurora, Colo. Rachel Gillette will be one of the event’s front-and-center speakers and moderators. Gillette joined the Journal of Accountancy podcast recently to discuss some of the trends and issues affecting the industry from a legal and regulatory perspective. Gillette, a Denver-based attorney, also explained how she ended up in this niche practice area. What you’ll learn from this episode: · Background on the proposed resche...
Jul 18, 2024•19 min
Melanie Lauridsen, vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy for the AICPA, joined the Journal of Accountancy podcast earlier this month to discuss the latest developments related to several items of note for tax practitioners. Lauridsen shared data from a survey of members about IRS performance during tax filing season. She also analyzed recent IRS proposed regulations related to interest recapture on excess COVID-19 credits. In her previous podcast update, Lauridsen focused on IRS data related ...
Jul 11, 2024•21 min
Tony Nitti, CPA, discusses a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that some observers viewed as having the potential for wide-ranging changes in tax law. In the end, the decision was a narrow one, but the details of what was addressed and what wasn’t make for an interesting conversation on this collaborative podcast episode. Nitti, partner–National Tax at EY, joins April Walker, CPA, CGMA, lead manager–Tax Practice & Ethics at AICPA & CIMA, for this episode, jointly produced by the JofA an...
Jul 02, 2024•27 min
Calvin Harris, CPA, knew he wanted to be an accountant well before he got to college. He had several mentors who helped him make that decision. It’s one reason he believes that accountants need to reach students early and tell a better story about the profession. Harris was first on the JofA podcast in February 2022 , when he was CFO of the National Urban League. Today, he’s CEO of the New York State Society of CPAs and keenly aware of some of the profession’s issues related to available talent....
Jun 26, 2024•19 min
Byron Patrick, CPA/CITP, CGMA, took time from his schedule during AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE a few weeks back to join the JofA podcast. Patrick, recently named CEO at a startup company, has been a regular on the show over the years, talking mainly about technology topics. He continued that theme in this episode, discussing artificial intelligence, how the roles of chief technology officer and chief information officer have changed over the years, and why accounting professionals shouldn’t feel over...
Jun 20, 2024•10 min
