Would Mobility Go Away Without the 150-Hour Rule?
by Sharon Lassar, PhD, CPA (Florida) John J. Gilbert Professor and Director of the School of Accountancy, University of Denver There has been much discussion about the 150-hour rule recently. Going Concern previously reported the AICPA and NASBA are trying to strong-arm Minnesota into maintaining the 150-hour rule. I wrote that NASBA can be a […]
One of Minnesota’s Largest Accounting Firms Can Totally Get Behind the Alternative Pathway to CPA Licensure
In a LinkedIn post published March 3, CLA CEO Jen Leary — who graduated wayyyy back when only 120 units were required — threw her support behind Minnesota Society of CPAs’ initiative to add a second pathway that would allow CPA licensure at 120 units and two years of experience. It may not seem like […]
Is It Ethical to Endorse an Educational Path That Is Susceptible to Cheating?
By Sharon Lassar, PhD, CPA (Florida) John J. Gilbert Professor and Director of the School of Accountancy, University of Denver The AICPA’s website includes a statement titled Purpose in action that, in its 129 words, uses “trust” (twice), “integrity”, “ethics”, and “public interest”. Yet, its pipeline acceleration plan proposes an Experience, Learn & Earn (ELE) […]
MNCPA to Educators: “We Do Not Need New CPAs Who Have Additional College Credits; We Need More CPAs, Period.”
Minnesota Society of CPAs has sent a message to educators in the state regarding legislation that would introduce an alternative pathway to CPA licensure and the message to these stewards of the next generation of accountants is clear: no one is trying to eliminate MAcc programs. As you should well be aware, MNCPA wants to […]
PSA: Do Not Suggest That We Make the CPA Exam Easier in Order to Solve the Accountant Shortage
Y’all need to calm down, I’m running out of “angry person” stock photos. With the accountant shortage in full swing and the profession’s talking heads, peanut galleries, unwashed masses, and unelected old white guys in charge discussing ways to ease it, it’s inevitable that we’ll start throwing out some WILD ideas. Like this one: Want […]
Why NASBA Can Be a Bully and What CPAs Can Do About It
By Sharon Lassar, PhD, CPA (Florida) John J. Gilbert Professor and Director of the School of Accountancy, University of Denver Going Concern previously reported on bits of an interview with Ken Bishop, President and CEO of NASBA, published in Journal of Accountancy. A cut out in the article includes this quote, “Should any state or […]
Integrating Experience and Education is One Way to Ease the Accountant Shortage at Least a Little
There’s a contentious battle raging over the 150 unit requirement for CPA licensure as we speak and in the meantime we have to figure something out to ease the accountant shortage that has a bit more immediate impact (and doesn’t involve paying people more because clearly the firms are not down with that idea). Wherever […]
The Beef Between the AICPA and Minnesota Over the 150 Hour Rule Heats Up
I’m dating myself here but do you remember the East Coast/West Coast rap beef of the 90s? That’s sort of what’s happening in the profession right now over proposed legislation in Minnesota that offers an alternative to the traditional 150 units of education required for licensure. Except in the case of 90s rapper beefs, Tupac […]
What You Should Know About Changing the 150 Hour Rule Before You Debate For or Against It
All-around awesome person Byron Patrick tweeted a bit of a manifesto on the 150 hour rule today and I want to share it as a movement to lower the CPA licensure requirement of 150 units to ease the CPA shortage is currently underway. Minnesota just introduced a bill to add a 120 units/two years of […]
The Accountant Shortage Isn’t Bad Enough For NASBA to Entertain Dropping the 150 Hour Requirement
When we talk about why no one wants to be an accountant anymore, a handful of things come up in every thread. Let’s quickly get them down in case an alien who just landed on Earth this morning Googles “accountant shortage,” arrives on this article, and wishes to learn more about the causes. Salaries — […]
It’s Official: 120 Units is All You Need to Sit For the CPA Exam in Illinois
Ed. note: I couldn’t find a good image to go with this post so I’m using this dog. Dogs are always good. According to the AICPA, a traditional four-year undergraduate program is not adequate for obtaining the requisite knowledge and skills to become a CPA. The reasons offered for this center around the increasing complexity […]
ICYMI: Indiana Joins Other States Softening Their Requirements to Sit For the CPA Exam
Effective November 2, Indiana CPA exam candidates need just 120 education units to sit for the exam making Indiana one of 47 jurisdictions that allows prospective CPAs to sit before meeting the 150 unit requirement for licensure (150 are still required for the big three letters after your name). At its July 29 meeting, the […]
EY Is Helping Its Broke Interns Get Their 150 Credits
In the war for talent, it’s not (imaginary) prestige or ping-pong tables that will win the battle but cold hard cash. Or, in this case, a little help with what is often a costly and time-intensive venture for future CPAs. Last week, EY announced their new Career Path Accelerator, the TL;DR of which is an […]
The 150-Hour Rule is Kinda Bullsh*t, Says Guy
It’s only been about a generation of CPAs or so subject to the national implementation of the 150-hour rule, which is now in effect for all 54 CPA exam jurisdictions. As all of you know, the 150-hour credit requirement has been touted as a way to ensure modern CPAs are equipped to handle an ever-changing […]
Some CPA Candidates Aren’t Won Over By New Hampshire’s New 150 Hour Rule
This is the first we're looking at the matter but apparently some New Hampshire candidates are not very excited about their state going 150: New Hampshire upgraded their education requirements (to be effective July 1, 2014) by a shitload and are applying it to all candidates retroactively, regardless of when they sat for the exam. […]
Is It Ever a Smart Idea to Tackle the CPA Exam AND a Master’s At the Same Time?
Hey I just met you and this is crazy but here's my email so write me maybe. Hey Adrienne, I have a career question that you may have heard before, but I really need some advice. Just a quick background, I am a 27 year-old student graduating with my bachelor's in accounting in just a […]