Journal of Accountancy Podcast

Transformation of the audit goes beyond simply automating rote tasks, as Amy Pawlicki, vice president–Assurance and Advisory Innovation at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, explains in this episode. She details some of the ways that audits can be more data driven while still complying with standards. The interview with Pawlicki is part four of a series on audit evolution in action. Here are links to the previous three parts: An introduction to the topic, including the key drivers of the transformation. A closer look at audit data analytics with two firm leaders. The importance of "digital mindset" in audit transformation.

In the midst of the Great Resignation, organizations need continued vigilance when it comes to recruiting job candidates. As it relates to the hiring of CPAs, this episode touches on advice and a new program that can help businesses cast a wider net for talent. Beth Berk, CPA, CGMA, writes in a recent Journal of Accountancy article that "hiring professionals need to go about their recruiting efforts differently than they did in years past." The article offers reminders and strategies for identifying accounting candidates. And, there's a new program that can help organizations get a head start on linking up with candidates. Joanne Fiore, an AICPA & CIMA vice president, explains the benefits of the Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners program, an effort recently approved by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Steven Harris was not always the outgoing firm leader he is today. Harris, the subject of The Last Word in the March issue of the Journal of Accountancy, said he struggled to connect with other professionals early in his career, but once he learned to be vulnerable and to listen, he was able to form strong bonds. Harris calls that connection breakthrough "magical." He shares advice on emphasizing collaboration in a hybrid work environment and discusses the talent development tie-in to bringing work back into the office. Harris also explained his affinity for OneNote and the movie The Godfather.

A rapid shift to auditing remotely was especially challenging for CPAs who audited not-for-profit entities. Those NFPs might not have had top-of-the-line technology when the COVID-19 pandemic changed so much about the world two years ago, including the ability of auditors to visit client sites. To learn more about the state of remote auditing of NFPs, hear insight from accounting firm principals Kelly Rancourt, CPA, and Deetra Watson, CPA, CGMA. Rancourt works for Clark Nuber, a firm in the Seattle area, and Watson is employed by the North Carolina firm Blackman & Sloop.

K-2 — isn't that a mountain? K2 is, but to tax professionals and with the hyphen, it's Partners' Distributive Share Items — International (and, for S corporations, a similar form), the new schedule filed with the returns of passthrough entities with "items of international tax relevance" and partners in foreign partnerships. Along with its "twin peak" of Schedule K-3, Partner's [or Shareholder's] Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc. — International, these formidable forms have been much discussed by CPAs and other tax practitioners lately. Here to help us better understand them is John Samtoy, CPA, who has written about Schedules K-2 and K-3 for the Tax Insider newsletter recently.

Some issues facing small CPA firms are the same as those facing large firms or other organizations — talent retention, change management, and more. But there are some issues that are specific to small firms, and potentially more acute, as explained in this Journal of Accountancy podcast episode with Carl Peterson, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA's vice president–Small Firm Interests. Also, learn about recent JofA coverage of criticism of the updated Form 1099-K reporting threshold.

Amy Vetter, CPA/CITP, CGMA, wrote in 2021 that advanced technology for CPA firms was no longer a nice-to-have option; it's a requirement. Vetter shared more about the future of tech-enabled CPA work in this podcast episode. In addition to looking forward, she also looked back — all the way to the 1930s, telling a story about her grandfather's time as a CPA and some of what she learned about him through one simple email.

Tuesday, March 8, is International Women's Day. To celebrate the day, the guest on this podcast episode is Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, the founder and CEO of KET Solutions and a former AICPA board chair. Ellison-Taylor has seen gains for women in public accounting partnerships, and in business and industry, but she stresses that more work must be done. Ellison-Taylor also explains how women can be self-advocates, how organizations can provide opportunities for advancement, and why she disagrees with a colleague's notion that she is a "legend."

CPA decision-makers in business and industry in the United States maintained an overall positive outlook for their organizations, but plenty of factors could sour that sentiment quickly. Hear or read the analysis of Bob Sannerud, CPA, CGMA, a CFO in the Midwest, and Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, an associate director from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, representing AICPA & CIMA. They discuss the reasons for optimism and pessimism in the Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey and some of the challenges facing business in the year ahead.

How many slides should be in a PowerPoint presentation? What are some steps to ensure your presentation has a consistent format? Byron Patrick, CPA/CITP, CGMA, has answers to these questions. He's one of the Journal of Accountancy's Technology Q&A authors, the general manager at Botkeeper, and someone always looking to improve presentation skills. In this podcast episode, Patrick expands on some of his advanced PowerPoint tips from the November issue of the JofA and discusses ways to avoid common PowerPoint mistakes.