connect the dots…
check these recent posts. see a trend?
is “independence†really essential?
“independence may not be the cornerstone of audit. aicpa is looking into reliability as being the standard, particularly for small and private businesses.â€
brown smith wallace exits it business
independence issues cited.
scrap independence?
the survival of cpa firms could depend on it.
for betty, the owner of an “all-female” accounting firm in cincinnati…
busy season is slowing down. all the deadlines, the incredibly tight deadlines, have been met, sometimes surpassed, and our clients are happy with us. it was the easiest busy season we’ve ever had. the teamwork we accomplished would have put p&g to shame, i think. i’m proud of the folks i work with, proud of the clients i serve, proud of my accounting firm…oops. i meant to say, our accounting firm. (blush)
more from inside betty’s head…
bkd veteran jeffrey a. layman has been named chief investment officer of bkd wealth advisors, llc, a wholly owned subsidiary of bkd, llp.
see jeff layman on cnbc, here.
layman is the first individual to hold this high-level post since the subsidiary’s inception in 1998, according to the firm. with $1.5 billion in assets under management as of december 31, 2007, bkd wealth advisors serves more than 1,100 clients in 32 states. office locations are in little rock, indianapolis, denver, kansas city and springfield.
“this promotion signals another milestone in the firm’s strategic development,” says jack e. thurman, president of bkd wealth advisors, llc. “with the growth of bkd wealth advisors, we are positioned to expand our integrated wealth management services under jeff’s leadership as chief investment officer.”
with nearly 20 years of experience in portfolio and investment management, layman is chair of bkd wealth advisors’ investment committee. he develops, implements and oversees the firm’s investment management process, including investment selection for high net-worth families and institutions.
layman is a chartered financial analyst® charter holder and received an mba in 1995 from missouri state university, springfield. before joining bkd, he was senior portfolio manager in the private bank group of a nationwide banking organization.
one year to the day after failed merger, uhy advisors is heading back to boston.
larry kaplan (pictured), managing partner of uhy’s massachusetts practice, has told the worcester (mass.) business journal that the firm has laid off three employees from the westborough, mass., office, and will shut it down may 1, a year to the day after the company’s merger with westborough-based carlin, charron & rosen was supposed to close.
the remaining 10 staff members, mostly tax accountants, will move to uhy’s boston offices.
he said leaving westborough had “nothing at all to do†with the failed merger last year between uhy and carlin charron & rosen. uhy would’ve taken on ccr’s more than 280 employees in westborough, providence, r.i., and glastonbury, conn.
uhy has about 1,200 employees in 20 offices, including about 120 in boston and about 100 between two offices in hartford and new haven, conn.
firm now has 34 in charge.
mahoney cohen cpas in new york has named mark bednarz, john j. cronin, mitchell plattman, cindy e. rosenberg, erika j. rothheim and carol surowiec as shareholders, bringing the number of partners to 34. the firm ranks about 42nd among the top 100, with 285 staffers in offices in new york city, miami, boca raton and houston. mahoney cohen is a member of moore stephens international limited. read more →
and how much could it hurt the iasb?
rob lewis (pictured) at financeweek.co.uk makes five great points:
the iasb entered 2008 £3.5 million short of its annual budget… securing the remaining funding could prove difficult if cash-strapped financial institutions no longer see anything to gain from fair value now that the downturn has kicked in. or, indeed, from advancing a system of standards that some see as partly responsible for the market’s instability in the first place.full article, here.
what do “the swiss spaghetti harvest,” “the left-handed whopper,” and “the taco bell liberty bell” have in common?
they’re three of the 100 greatest april fool’s day hoaxes.
and, thanks to brian tankersley, we know the scoop on google’s latest top-secret beta project, tisp, the next leap in the interwebs.
cheers!
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what should accountants worry about in the current economic downturn?
bruce w. marcus has some answers:
more at the marcusletter.com…
marcy locastro has succeeded bernie leone as the managing partner of the new york office of tatum.
after three years of working with the new york team to triple the practice, leone is forming his own consulting business serving entrepreneurs and business owners as he did in 30 years with ernst and young. leone remains with tatum through april 30 to help ensure a smooth transition.
marcy had been an associate managing partner in the new york office since september, 2007. marcy has more than 30 years of experience working with ceos and cfos. she was the first woman partner at jh cohn llp, arthur andersen and ernst & young in their nj offices.
she is a 2007 njbiz “best 50 women in business,” and has been quoted and featured in regional broadcast and national print media. marcy is currently president of the executive women of new jersey, the oldest professional women’s group in the state, and has been honored numerous times by njawbo – new jersey association of women business owners, garden state woman’s magazine and njscpa. her ability to serve the financial staffing and technology needs of tatum’s clients combined with her insight and perspective on the art and benefits of networking is unparalleled.
marcy will continue to be supported by frank morelli, associate managing partner, who heads tatum’s growing controller practice as well as the expanding team of ny partners and principals. both marcy and frank will report to rick kramer, the eastern regional managing partner.
survey: three out of four execs are “comfortable” job searching while employed
menlo park, ca — job seekers don’t mind setting their sights on greener pastures even while on their current employers’ payrolls, according to accountemps. read more →
up-to-date it systems become a competitive necessity
“the majority of cpa firms are not even close to taking full advantage of technology,” according to william c. fleenor (left) and randolph p. johnston (right) in the aicpa’s management of an accounting practice handbook, now available online. “your firm, however, may be the exception.”
how many of the following questions can you answer “yes†for your firm? read more →
eight in 10 report employee-centric hr policies.
by rick telberg
on careers
listen to the podcast, recorded by bill sheridan at cpa success.
finance and accounting employers are among the most progressive in american business with all but a few adopting leading-edge employee-centered human resources strategies.
to be sure, no single staffing strategy stands out as a remedy for today’s understaffing and workplace morale woes. but that’s not stopping accounting firms and finance departments from trying anything they can think of.
the human resources strategy aimed at achieving a reasonable work-life balance appears to be gaining ground, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 study. in the study, 41 percent of cpas said a balanced work-life strategy is in effect at their workplaces.
the survival of cpa firms could depend on it.
that’s the heretical advice of jim peterson (pictured), once an in-house lawyer for arthur andersen, now a practicing multinational attorney and columnist for the international herald tribune.
he writes:
i say it is time to stop making nice and to discard a 150-year-old piece of conventional wisdom. the concept of auditor independence does not serve the interests of investors. read more →