EY Thinks It Is the Harvard of the Big 4
Big 4 CEOs comparing their firm’s acceptance rates to those of an Ivy League school is soooo 2012. And soooo 2015. Deloitte Global CEO Punit Renjen used to do it all the time, proclaiming Deloitte as the Harvard of the Big 4. But the whole “we’re more exclusive than Harvard” boasting had quieted down some […]
Flash Drives Are Contraband at IBM Now
In a seemingly unenforceable move, IBM has banned its employees “from using removable memory devices such as USB sticks, SD cards and flash drives.” The company’s global chief information security officer Shamla Naidoo said that “the possible financial and reputational damage from misplaced, lost or misused removable portable storage devices must be minimised.” And sure, okay. […]
Deloitte’s Claim That It’s More Exclusive Than Harvard Is Pretty Stupid
Deloitte, the largest professional services firm in the world, likes itself a little too much. It’s like Mindy Kaling without the charm or clever sexual overtones. The firm hires thousands each year across the globe and harps about it. It gives back to the community and harps about it. And, most annoyingly, is a hard […]
Accountant Trading Cards: I’ll Give You a Luca Pacioli If You Give the Accounting Profession Its Dignity Back
So accountant trading cards are a thing. Because there’s nothing more thrilling than the adrenaline rush of trading cards combined with the raw excitement of accounting. Accountant trading cards are similar to the Most-Wanted Iraqis playing cards issued by the Bush administration during the Iraq War. The main difference is that the Most-Wanted Iraqis cards […]
You Should Totally Brag About Being a CGMA on LinkedIn
In a shameless attempt to further the CGMA brand and perhaps lend it much-needed credibility, the AICPA is encouraging CGMA holders to brag about their "accomplishment" on LinkedIn. By accomplishment, we mean ability to mail in a check and sign some paperwork. Here's a snapshot of the suggestion as emailed out to CGMA holders yesterday: […]
EY Going for an Amputation-Free Emmy Awards Again This Year
If you really want to know the winners in advance, it will cost someone at EY their arm. EY implements numerous precautions to help ensure accuracy and safeguard results until they are announced on stage, including multiple sets of sealed envelopes transported to the ceremony in separate cars, triple-checking all results, keeping control of each […]
More Accountants Carrying Guns, Says Guy Who’s Heard Some Stories
Here's something I didn't expect to read today: It’s been more than 85 years – back in the days when gangsters Dean O’Banion and Al Capone went to war over Chicago – that accountants have felt compelled to carry firearms for personal protection. Yet the anecdotal evidence is that a rising number of accountants are […]
Survey: CFOs Digging Deep Into Bag of Tricks to Attract Talent
In an unexpected revelation, an Accountemps survey found that CFOs plan to offer more money and better benefits to attract professionals with "in-demand skills." Of the 2,100 finance chiefs surveyed, 46% are improving benefits and 45% are boosting compensation. In an earlier survey, Accountemps found that CFOs are on the lookout for professionals with "[g]eneral […]
Apparently, Referring to a Taxpayer as ‘Constitutionally Challenged’ Is Frowned Upon
I gotta plead on ignorance on this one; it sounds perfectly PC to me. Some Internal Revenue Service employees continue to use the term “tax protester” to refer to taxpayers despite a 1998 law prohibiting the use of the designation, according to a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. TIGTA found that […]
Going Concern March Madness: Busy Season Survival — Food & Beverage vs. Technology, The Elite Eight
This blogging gig sucks. The publisher, Gail, is up my ass about this March Madness thing. Says we have to follow through even though it was Colin's stupid idea. Everyone knows that booze is the only thing you need to survive busy season; not sure why we have to go through all the trouble.
The tech guy, Stonewall, is helping out though, so I guess we'll just try to get through the Elite Eight.
But seriously, just keep some hooch in your drawer at work like me. If you need anything else — including more than 4 hours of sleep a night — to power through busy season, then I don't want you on my team.
A Picture of a Cat Led to a Suspect in the Stolen Romney Tax Returns Caper
Remember when all anyone could talk about was Mitt Romney's tax returns? Sure you do. Do you also remember when some anonymous group claimed to have broken into PwC's Franklin, Tennessee office, stole said tax returns and then demanded $1 million in Bitcoins? Of course! At the time, everyone seemed to think that this was […]
Some Guy Wandered Around the PwC Office Where Mitt Romney’s Tax Returns Were Allegedly Stolen and Took Some Crappy Photos
Yesterday, we learned that some hackers/burglars allegedly broke into PwC's Franklin, Tennessee office and copied all of Mitt Romney's tax returns that they could get their hands on. They now say that they are holding the 1040s ransom for $1 million in Bitcoins to the fastest draw. It's probably the strangest story that we've been […]