Category: Values
-
Activism revisited
I became a civic activist in my early 30s, about the same time I became a father. Like the planning for other aspects of my life, I try to approach it with a clear 5 step process: vision, mission, goals, strategy and plan B. Now is a good time to review, clarify and focus on…
-
Boycott list
Uline Wendy’s CVS Taco Bell Estes Lauder Equinox SoulCycle Marvel Home Depot Hobby Lobby Goya MyPillow Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe
-
How we handle tax fraud
I wrote this comment tonight to a young Enrolled Agent struggling with a client committing tax fraud who described herself as naïve about the human behavior behind it. “XXXXXXX, this is a general comment and not in any way meant as a negative personal thing. I would suspect that anyone putting the massive time and…
-
CPAs have a public image problem
CPAs have a brand image problem. The three words that the public most often associates with “CPA” are “accounting”, “audit”, and “tax”. Yet those words do not match the self-identity of any of the CPA firms I’ve known. We know our role as the most trusted strategic adviser for our clients. But we do a…
-
ESG Reporting for small businesses
The purpose of this post is to overview the topic of ESG reporting for small businesses in simple, brief Q&A format. What is ‘ESG’? ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. What is ‘ESG Reporting’? ESG Reporting is the preparation and communication of data about the organization’s environmental, social and governance actions, impact and plans.…
-
Is dumbing down curriculum our only hope?
The field of accounting is losing CPAs at an alarming pace. The statistics are disturbing. Older practitioners are still working well beyond their planned retirement age and younger candidates are choosing to bypass the rigorous professional training. I’ve been involved with NJCPA’s student outreach efforts and I can confirm that in my experience, students are…
-
Recognizing Black CPAs
Yesterday the Journal of Accountancy podcast focused on the journey and accomplishments of black CPAs in the 20th century, featuring the testimony of two CPAs who witnessed black CPA history firsthand: Ruth Harris, the first black female CPA in Virginia, and Frank Ross, one of the founders of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA).…
-
Political support policy for 2021 and 2022
I’ve been an advocate of written policies in aspects of financial management, whether investment policy, expense approval policy, charitable donations and more. This post is about my own political support policy for the next couple of years. I’m probably in the majority of Americans concerned with the actions by a minority of more radical but…