Journal of Accountancy Podcasts

The onset of COVID-19 meant that more people became online shoppers out of necessity. Ordering groceries by phone or computer also means more of us are putting potentially sensitive information online. Robert Westley, CPA/PFS, shares advice to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, expanding on the tips in a recent Journal of Accountancy article. Alistair Nevius, J.D., the JofA’s editor-in-chief, tax, explains more on recent legislative changes to the employee retention credit. Also, the AICPA Auditing Standards Board has issued proposed standards designed to change the way firms manage quality in their accounting and auditing practices.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and the start of tax season are two topics squarely on the minds of CPAs these days. This episode analyzes the Jan. 25 update by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) about processing second-draw loan applications and looks at what recent IRS announcements mean for tax season. Kari Hipsak, CPA, CGMA, a senior manager at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, and Alistair Nevius, J.D., the JofA’s editor-in-chief, tax, are the guests for this quick look at recent news that affects the accounting profession. What you’ll learn from this episode: Why PPP loan applicants should be patient and vigilant. The practical applications of the SBA’s recent update. A preview of the JofA’s February print issue. What the announced date that the IRS begins accepting tax returns means for practitioners and filers. Effects of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), P.L. 116-260, on tax season.

Earlier, Eileen Sherr, CPA, CGMA, MT, a director of the AICPA’s Tax Policy & Advocacy team, discussed prospects for reversing by legislation the IRS’s position regarding deductibility of business expenses paid with loan proceeds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that are ultimately forgiven. Now, that legislation has been enacted, by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), P.L. 116-260. Sherr returns to outline that and other changes. Plus, we look ahead to possible developments during 2021 in tax legislation and pandemic relief. What you’ll learn from this episode: What the CAA resolved regarding deductibility of business expenses paid by loan proceeds from the PPP, along with other AICPA advocacy priorities — and what remains unresolved. Possible emphases for tax legislation going forward from the Biden administration and the new Congress. Ongoing pandemic-related tax relief measures and advocacy at the federal and state levels.

Accountants played a crucial role in helping millions of organizations, most of them small businesses, receive $525 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans last year. Now, the PPP is back and businesses will again be looking to CPAs for advice and assistance in accessing the program, which provides forgivable loans that borrowers can use for payroll and other essential expenses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to roil the economy. What do CPAs need to know about the new PPP? How is it different from the program that ran for five months before its loan application window closed in August? And what should accountants be doing to help businesses access the $284 billion available in the PPP’s second iteration? Those topics and more are addressed by Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of the AICPA’s business subsidiary CPA.com, and Lisa Simpson, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA’s vice president–Firm Services. What you’ll learn from this episode: When lenders can start submitting PPP loan applications to the U.S. Small

In late 2020, Robert Half’s Paul McDonald delved into the hiring outlook for 2021. The second part of that conversation addresses the ways organizations can keep those already on staff during COVID-19. McDonald, Robert Half’s senior executive director, says the businesses that already had strong culture in place were better equipped to adapt to COVID-19. He offers advice for managers, details on their retention concerns, and insight into what employees are looking for beyond flexible work arrangements. What you’ll learn from this episode: The reasons nearly 90% of senior managers are worried about losing talent. The steps companies and managers can take to show that they value employees. Why McDonald says company culture is more like an ocean liner than a speedboat. The types of nonfinancial benefits workers are seeking in the absence of raises. The steps employees can take to make themselves more marketable. McDonald’s thoughts on what office work might look like in 2022.

As the year draws to a close, many clients are pursuing charitable giving. Mike Landsberg, CPA/PFS, partner at Homrich Berg in Atlanta, discusses what he’s seeing in terms of charitable giving this year, how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, P.L. 116-136, has affected giving, and how clients can use giving to save on taxes while contributing to causes that matter to them. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why 2020 is a good year to give to charity. (1:43) How the CARES Act has affected charitable giving. (2:47) Giving strategies clients can use to save on their taxes (5:03), even if they’re not high-net-worth. (8:25) How to start talking about charitable giving with your clients. (8:59) One way to help clients specifically interested in COVID-19 relief. (11:11)

Eileen Sherr, CPA, CGMA, MT, director of the AICPA’s Tax Policy & Advocacy team in Washington, D.C., discusses recent IRS guidance regarding the tax treatment of loans under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This guidance holds that the amount of a PPP loan that is forgiven under the SBA’s procedures is not included in the loan recipient taxpayer’s gross income, but any expenses used to qualify for the forgiveness cannot be deducted on the taxpayer’s income tax return as an ordinary and necessary business expense. We also look ahead to what the change in presidential administration in 2021 might spell for a broad range of taxpayers. What you’ll learn from this episode: How PPP loan forgiveness is excluded from taxpayers’ gross income for income tax purposes, but the IRS regards related business expenses as nondeductible. The progress of efforts by members of Congress to clarify in new legislation that the PPP forgiveness-related expenses are intended to be deduct

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented hiring freezes, job losses, or furloughs in 2020. While the outlook on hiring remains somewhat unsteady, there are reasons for optimism, according to Paul McDonald, the senior executive director at staffing firm Robert Half. In this episode, McDonald discusses the roles and certifications that are in demand, how remote work’s rapid rise has affected organizations’ approach to recruiting and hiring, and why the broad unemployment rate is not one that McDonald pays attention to the most. McDonald is the guest on the Journal of Accountancy podcast for the first of a two-part conversation. The second part, focusing on company culture and retention concerns, will be posted in early 2021. What you’ll learn from this episode: The types of jobs that continue to be in high demand in the United States. How organizations are rethinking geographic obstacles to hiring. Why McDonald says that a preliminary discussion about salary is not a negotiation. The specific unemploymen

Kelly Richmond Pope, CPA, CGMA, Ph.D., is an accountant and a professor. She’s also a storyteller and TEDx speaker. Keeping people engaged is a better way to educate, said Pope, an associate professor at DePaul University’s School of Accountancy and MIS in Chicago. In this episode, Pope discusses another way to keep learners engaged: gamification. Turning learning into a game helps with the recall and understanding of new concepts, whether in a college classroom or continuing professional education for accountants. What you’ll learn from this episode: Examples of gamification that are already part of our daily lives. How learning to drive a stick-shift car applies to gamification. Why gamification is not just for younger generations. How COVID-19 has disrupted traditional CPE and how virtual meetings could be better for learning in some cases. How a speaker’s style can help maximize learning through PowerPoint slide presentations. The ways organizations can gamify CPE-worthy content such as podcasts or TED T

Several months into the pandemic, we take a look at how some CPA parents are faring. They talk about the struggles they’ve faced, how they balance parenting and working from home, what they do to recharge, and the unexpected joys they’ve experienced while spending more time with their families. Our guests for this episode are Lindsay Stevenson, CPA, CGMA, and Chris Hervochon, CPA. Stevenson is vice president of finance at 1st Financial Bank in North Sioux City, S.D., founder and CEO of Origin Evolution LLC, and mom to three sons: a 19-year-old college student, a 17-year-old high school student, and a 7-year-old second-grader. Hervochon is the owner of Chris Hervochon CPA, located in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and dad to a 7-year-old boy and 4-year-old twins.

In an economic downturn such as the one that resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, not-for-profit organizations can feel pinched in two ways. People who have lost jobs or fear losing them may be less likely to donate to the NFPs at a time the services offered by the organizations are needed most. Strategies and models must be changed to find new opportunities and deal with the challenges presented on multiple fronts. Amy West, CPA, CGMA, the CFO of AHRC in New York City, shares advice on how to adapt and find new paths during tough times. West also is a member of the AICPA Not-for-Profit Advisory Council.

Corporate board work may have changed forever as a result of COVID-19. The lessons corporate directors take away from the pandemic will be critical to company survival and success beyond 2020. Paula Loop, CPA, the leader of PwC’s Governance Insights Center, explains in this podcast episode how boards have been changed and what they’re thinking about as they navigate the pandemic’s effect on business. What you’ll learn from this podcast episode: - Why Loop says now is the time to learn lessons and be better prepared for the next crisis. - Why there seems to be a disconnect between board members and corporate crisis management plans. - The lessons boards have learned about digital transformation, customer habits, and corporate real estate needs. - The board topics on which male and female directors differ.

Cannabis for medicinal or recreational use is a fast-growing business, and the advisory opportunities for accountants in the industry are also growing. Along with those opportunities are emerging issues on the regulatory and risk fronts. Ron Seigneur, CPA/ABV, the managing partner of Colorado firm Seigneur Gustafson LLP, shares more on the topic, including what to look for in proposed federal legislation. What you’ll learn from this episode: - An explanation of the difference between cannabis, hemp, and marijuana. - More on the cannabis-specific guidance for accountants offered by the AICPA and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. - The professional risks to consider before adding clients from cannabis-related industries. - The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on cannabis businesses. - Why legalization in some states does not mean those states become cannabis epicenters. - How legislation could change the landscape for cannabis businesses.

This podcast episode follows up one posted on Aug. 20 about President Donald Trump’s memorandum directing Treasury to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of workers’ 6.2% Social Security or Railroad Retirement tax for the last four months of 2020. Since then, Treasury and the IRS have issued much-anticipated guidance on just how the deferral applies and how the taxes are likely to have to be repaid. Ed Karl, the AICPA’s vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy, described the memorandum in the first podcast episode. Now he returns to describe what the guidance in Notice 2020-65 provides — and what it still leaves unclear. He has also written a post on the AICPA Insights blog titled “Employee Payroll Tax Deferral — Is It Workable?” that outlines what CPA advisers can tell their business clients with employees about the deferral. What you’ll learn from this episode: -The notice puts the responsibility for deferring — and repaying — the taxes squarely on employers. -Although the notice doesn’t say so dir

Finance executives in the United States are more confident about their own businesses than about the overall economy. Why is that? And what is the hiring outlook for companies for the next 12 months? Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, a senior manager for management accounting and member engagement at the AICPA, provides further detail and analysis on the quarterly Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey, the last before the Nov. 3 presidential election. What you’ll learn from this episode: - How finance leaders view the domestic economy and their own businesses. - Why election season brought about a change to the list of top challenges this quarter. - The component in the CPA Outlook Index that ranks higher than others by a wide margin. - The business sectors showing improvement and the ones that continue to struggle. - How the pandemic may be changing the real estate needs of businesses.

This episode explores the huge implications for state and local taxes raised by workers more often untethered from the employer’s physical location, sometimes in another state. And now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote teleworking has become the rule for many professions. Eileen Sherr, CPA, MT, and Mo Bell-Jacobs, J.D., bring us up to speed. Sherr is a senior manager with the AICPA’s Tax Advocacy team in charge of the AICPA State and Local Tax Technical Resource Panel, or SALT TRP, and Bell-Jacobs is a senior manager at RSM National Tax in Washington and a member of the SALT TRP.

In this podcast, we touch base with Ed Karl, the AICPA’s vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy, to discuss questions the AICPA Tax Executive Committee has raised in official comments to Treasury and the IRS concerning President Donald Trump’s Aug. 8 memorandum ordering Treasury to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of payroll taxes imposed by Sec. 3101(a) — better known as the employee portion of Social Security tax, currently 6.2% of covered wages and compensation — and a comparable rate of tax under Sec. 3201 — that’s the Railroad Retirement tax — for Sept. 1, 2020, through the end of the year. We’ll explore the range of issues that Treasury and the IRS face as they implement this order and what it all could mean for employers and employees.

The changes brought about and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic are numerous. Our day-to-day lives have been altered, forcing rapid adaptation. A new report from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and EY Seren, explores the patterns of behavior emerging from this uncertain time. The report, Human Signals, also offers actions for accountants to take. This podcast, the second of two parts, takes an in-depth look at what the report’s findings mean for leaders and organizations. In part one, Association CEO and AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, shared more about this transformational time. Then Joel Bailey, a director at EY Seren and a report author, delved into the research behind the report. In this second part, executive coach and consultant Gretchen Pisano offers practical applications from the report and discusses how its findings dovetail with what she’s hearing from leaders. Pisano is the CEO and co-founder of pLink Leadership, a management consultancy

The changes brought about and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic are numerous. Our day-to-day lives have been altered, forcing individuals and organizations to adapt quickly. A new report from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and EY Seren explores the patterns of behavior emerging. The report, Human Signals, also offers advice for accountants in an era of uncertainty. This podcast is the first of two parts that take a closer look at the report’s findings and action items. In this episode, Association CEO and AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, shares more about this transformational time. Then Joel Bailey, a director at EY Seren and a report author, delves into the research behind the report. In the second part, executive coach and consultant Gretchen Pisano offers practical applications from the report and discusses how its findings dovetail with what she’s hearing from leaders.

The culture of a workplace, be that in a company or an accounting firm, determines how employees and customers are treated, says Stephanie Creary, an identity and diversity scholar and professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. To assess how racism is a factor requires open, frank conversations and leaders willing to listen and learn what they probably didn’t know. What you’ll learn from this episode: - Starting conversations about racism with Black Lives Matter and police violence may not be the most effective thing to do. - An expert or coach can facilitate conversations about racism, help people work with their emotions, and create learning environments. - It’s necessary to customize diversity and inclusion training based on the roles and positions people hold in the organization. - Programs that succeed in recruiting and mentoring Black employees involve everybody in the organization.