Skip to main content

News

Why is MTCPA opposing the tax credit?

March 20, 2023

You may have seen a news story about one of the many tax credits that have been proposed during session this year. Maybe it was related to a topic you support and as you read you were surprised to see that the Montana Society of CPAs was the lone opponent to the bill. So why is the Society opposed to tax credit?

  • advocacy
  • econnect
  • blog
  • legislature
  • press

Most accounting professionals want more mental health help: study

February 08, 2023

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of accounting professionals globally want more from their employers when it comes to addressing their mental health needs as burnout remains a top concern, according to a report released Wednesday by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

  • mental health

Enhancing Employee Resilience: How to Bounce Back from Job Stress and Burnout

February 01, 2023

It is widely understood that job stress can lower job satisfaction and performance while increasing feelings of stress and burnout. This is especially true in public accounting—a profession notorious for its high levels of job stress. For decades, employers have considered stress management an individual responsibility that employees should handle on personal time. Recent research suggests that there may be a more effective strategy. Active workplace interventions that help employees build resilience may help firms to effectively lower employees’ susceptibility to job stressors, retain valuable staff, and improve productivity. In fact, enhancing employee resilience levels can have a powerful protective effect against three common causes of job stress: role overload, role conflict, and role ambiguity.

  • mental health

Managers Have Major Impact On Mental Health: How To Lead For Wellbeing

January 29, 2023

New data suggests that for almost 70% of people, their manager has more impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor—and it’s equal to the impact of their partner.

  • mental health

3 tips to manage tax season

January 25, 2023

CPA firms are extremely busy during tax season, as you know, and many tax accountants become swamped during this stressful time of year. You want to give the best service possible for each person, and it’s important to be open and honest with your clients throughout tax season.

How to Affordably Support Employee Mental Health

January 25, 2023

Improve the health of your employees and your business with these methods.

  • mental health

A Storm is Brewing: The Accountant Shortage Is Already Affecting Nonprofits

January 18, 2023

It is no secret that nonprofit organizations have historically struggled to recruit and retain quality accountants, controllers, and CFOs. That struggle is about to get worse.

  • econnect
  • pipeline

An Update on the Future of Accounting Education

January 04, 2023

The future of accounting education has been a topic of concern for the profession’s leaders for years in the light of demographic shifts, competition for talent, and declining enrollments. The authors, following up a previous article on the subject, take another look at trends in enrollment, hiring, and sitting for the CPA exam. The authors fear that without major changes—more flexibility in education and licensing, higher salaries, and greater work/life balance—these trends will continue in a negative direction and imperil the future of the profession.

  • general
  • pipeline
  • student

The CPA Examination in Evolution

January 04, 2023

The recent CPA Evolution Project represents the accounting profession’s attempt to transform the CPA licensure model to fit the skills and competencies that new CPAs will require today and in the future. It marks the most significant change to the Uniform CPA Examination in many years. This article describes the changes to the structure and content of the exam, assesses the likely impact of the changes, and discusses how universities will need to adapt their curricula to new exam.

  • general
  • pipeline
  • student

AICPA Unveils Blueprints for Redesigned CPA Exam

January 03, 2023

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) released the updated Uniform CPA Examination® Blueprints, the official document of content eligible for assessment on the Exam. The Blueprints are based on the knowledge and skills required of a newly licensed CPA to meet the demands of firms, employers and clients.

  • pipeline
  • student

CPA Exam Transition FAQs

January 01, 2023

The current Uniform CPA Examination® is changing significantly in January 2024 under the CPA Evolution Initiative. It is important that you learn about this initiative and the upcoming changes to the 2024 CPA Exam to fully understand how it may impact your journey to become a CPA.

  • student

Montana State student honored with national accounting scholarship

December 15, 2022

A Montana State University graduate student was one of fewer than 100 students nationwide to be recognized this fall with a scholarship aimed at increasing the diversity of the accounting profession.

  • student
  • member spotlight

5 steps to align a firm sale with your aspirations

December 13, 2022

Know the value of your firm by having a formal valuation done by a third-party professional; otherwise, you could leave money on the table. Ask for advice from an attorney, advisor, or coach. Take their advice seriously. Put everything in writing; if it is not written down, it does not exist.

  • retirement

4 audit challenges firms could face in 2023

December 12, 2022

As auditors navigate the financial waters ahead, what challenges might exist and how can you best prepare for 2023? Using a data-driven approach through the Enhancing Audit Quality initiative, AICPA & CIMA have identified possible issues and ways to overcome them in four main topics: risk assessments, single audits, auditor's reports and technology-enabled auditing.

  • general

How Employee Mental Health Impacts the Finance, Marketing, Healthcare, and Technology Industries: Facts and Strategies

December 07, 2022

Working professionals and companies that employ them are in much need of information regarding mental health. Several industries, including finance, technology, healthcare, and sales and marketing, struggle to address this topic among employees. As a result, these industries experience high turnover rates and burnt-out professionals. Globally, depression and anxiety account for 12 billion missed work days each year, and companies lose $1 trillion in productivity annually.

  • mental health

Architects, Accountants Worry That Gianforte's 'Red Tape Reduction' Initiative Goes Too Far

December 05, 2022

The Montana Society of Certified Public Accountants, or CPAs, said it’s been generally supportive of the administration’s efforts to reduce the number of policies and “red tape.” Allen Lloyd, chief executive for the society, said often government adds more policies while forgetting to update and eliminate old, outmoded ones.

  • protect-cpa
  • press

6 Essential Practices to Protect Your Firm from Cyberattacks

December 01, 2022

Is your accounting firm taking steps to protect against a cyberattack? If not, you may be putting your firm’s future at risk. On average, cyberattacks cost companies $4.24 million in 2021, up from $3.86 million in 2020. On top of that, an estimated 60 percent of small businesses go out of business within six months of a cyberattack.

  • econnect

Enhancing Employee Resilience: How to Bounce Back from Job Stress and Burnout

December 01, 2022

It is widely understood that job stress can lower job satisfaction and performance while increasing feelings of stress and burnout. This is especially true in public accounting—a profession notorious for its high levels of job stress. For decades, employers have considered stress management an individual responsibility that employees should handle on personal time. Recent research suggests that there may be a more effective strategy. Active workplace interventions that help employees build resilience may help firms to effectively lower employees’ susceptibility to job stressors, retain valuable staff, and improve productivity. In fact, enhancing employee resilience levels can have a powerful protective effect against three common causes of job stress: role overload, role conflict, and role ambiguity.

  • econnect
  • mental health

Virtual Interviews: Five Tips for Excelling Through the Screen

December 01, 2022

Job interviews can be intimidating, but virtual interviews can often be even more intimidating. Many employers have transitioned to virtual recruiting and interview processes. While this has many benefits for both parties, it opens the door to some possible complications or challenges. You should enter a virtual interview with the same mentality as you would for an in-person interview

  • the climb
  • student

IRS raises interest rates for Q1 2023

November 29, 2022

With inflation at nearly a 40-year high, the Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday that interest rates will increase for the calendar quarter starting Jan. 1, 2023.

  • irs