Opinion: On-the-Job Experiential Learning Credit to Meet the 150-hour Requirement Makes Sense
Ed. note: the following is by Joseph P. Petito, Esq. Joe currently serves on the Maryland State Board of Accountancy and the board of directors of the NASBA Center for the Public Trust. Full bio at the bottom. I love accounting. Though an attorney and not a CPA, I’ve spent over 30 years in and […]
‘The American Accounting Association Is Not Serious’ and Other Such Thoughts From a Professor Who’s Quitting the AAA
Editor’s note: The two essays you are about to read were sent to us by J. Edward Ketz, Associate Professor of Accounting at Penn State. In the first, he explains why he is quitting the American Accounting Association (AAA). The second essay — “Ernst & Young in an Ethics Scandal: Ho-Hum” — is the opinion […]
Waste, Inefficiency, and Egregious Spending Abound at the PCAOB, Says Employee
Ed. note: We received the below letter from an anonymous PCAOB employee who is trying to blow the whistle on what they perceive to be excessive waste and inefficiency at the audit regulator, the gory details of which are described thoroughly in the letter. It has not been edited and is published here on the […]
Letters to the Editor: CPAs Give Their Perspectives on Why No One Wants to Be an Accountant Anymore
Last week, we published a letter written to Fortune by a former CPA who pivoted to driving 18-wheelers and found far more career happiness than he ever would have in accounting (good for him). It seems his words resonated with a few people who felt compelled to reach out and offer their own perspectives. Here […]
EY Throws a Fit When Your Job Circumstances Change
I got an offer in a corporate role and turned in my two week notice at EY. Everything was fine: HR treated me well and wished me luck in the next chapter of my career. However, on my LAST DAY at EY, the new company rescinded their offer for reasons that I won’t get into […]
One KPMGer ‘Annoyed’ By New Enhancements to 401(k) Match and Pension Programs
I wanted to make a comment about KPMG’s new 401(k) rules. As a recent US hire, the changes annoyed me in some ways. Here’s why: What the article (“Changes to KPMG’s 401(k) Contribution Policy Seem to Be Getting Positive Reviews”) didn’t mention or what your source material may have left out is that in addition […]
Opinion: The Profession Is Not ‘Diluted,’ It Is Evolving
[Ed. note: The following is a letter we received in response to a reader letter we published in September which lambasted the AICPA for diluting the profession. We are publishing it with permission from its author, who we have chosen to keep anonymous due to the anonymity of the original letter writer. We hope this […]
Opinion: It’s the AICPA’s Own Fault No One Wants to Be a CPA Anymore
[Ed. note: we received the following in response to my newsletter column dated September 14, 2021. In the column, I referenced the 2019 AICPA Trends report, which stated that non-accounting majors made up 31% of all firm new hires at that time. The reader comment is published here with permission from its author who wishes […]
Female Big 4 CPA: ‘My Performance and My Compensation Do Not Match’
Just wanted to say that this article (“Women, Can You Love Your Job But Still Be Pissed About Your Compensation?”) really struck a nerve, because it is TRUE! This week in particular, I found myself having this exact conversation on multiple occasions. I absolutely love my job, my team, and the partner I work for, […]
Ex-KPMG Advisory Employee Is Pissed Off By Wave of New Hires Following Mass Layoffs
I was one of the many lucky individuals laid off from KPMG US Advisory last October. I was catching up with one of my former colleagues earlier and learned that at least 10 people have recently been hired to the group that I was let go from, ranging in levels from associate all the way […]
PwC Traps Employees For Financial Penalties
PwC just fined me 3% of my annual pay for not reporting a few stocks that my spouse bought prior to the time when I joined the firm. Note this is not a conflict of interest issue or insider trading issue because the stocks my spouse owned had no connection with PwC’s client. When I […]
FASB and PCAOB Do a Poor Job on Diversity and Inclusion
I’ve spent a good portion of my career monitoring the accounting and auditing standard-setting world and Big 4 firms. So, I read with great interest the letter to the editor to Going Concern on whether the Big 4’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts are corporate BS. It made me think about the FASB and […]
Deloitte U.S. Delivery Center Employees Should Get the Same Parental Leave Perks As Everyone Else
I am an employee of the Deloitte U.S. firm. I am part of the consulting practice through their U.S. Delivery Center (USDC) model. We work closely with core consultants for Deloitte, often on the same project teams operating at the same level. USDC practitioners have travel capped at 20-30% and our three offices are located […]
The Big 4, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Is it Just Corporate BS?
I am a Big 4 alum and I spent many years in the audit profession before I transitioned to academia. I teach accounting in the Southeast at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), which means that at least 25% of the students are Hispanic. I am also Hispanic. I grew up at Deloitte, the same as Joe […]