Hiring best practices: How to succeed in a competitive labor market
What’s the future of fully in-office work? What’s the hiring outlook for finance and accounting roles in 2025? Steve Saah, the executive director of the finance and accounting permanent placement practice at Robert Half, tackles those and other questions in this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast, recorded in December in San Diego. Saah discusses how companies have to walk a fine line when it comes to requiring in-office minimum hours or days – and how that tightrope can affect the pay they offer new employees. The episode is the first of 2025 and the second from the Future of Finance Summit. In the first summit-focused episode, four CPA leaders looked back on what they learned and ahead to their expectations for 2025. What you’ll learn from this episode: · Saah’s assessment of the future of fully in-office work. · The tie-in between required time in an office and recruiting new hires. · How the amount of time agreed upon to spend in the office could affect a new hire’s pay. · Is the annual employee review a thing of the past? · The hiring outlook for finance and accounting professionals and the in-demand skills for those roles.
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16:51
Seeing the future: 4 CPA leaders look ahead to 2025
Last week in San Diego, a group of 165 finance leaders convened for the fourth Future of Finance Summit. This JofA podcast episode is a compilation of takeaways from the event and a look at key areas of focus for leaders in 2025. It is the first of several Future of Finance recordings. The speakers for this episode are: n Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA's executive vice president–Business Growth & Engagement n Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, the CEO of KET Solutions and former AICPA chair n Becca Shane, CPA, CGMA, the CFO of Blue Marlin Ventures n Okorie Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, vice president–Sarbanes Oxley at Kaiser Permanente and former AICPA and Association of International Certified Professional Accountants chair What you’ll learn from this episode: · More about Tom Hood's summation that the event "leveled up." · The top priorities of finance leaders, based on polling last week at the Future of Finance Summit. · Why Kimberly Ellison-Taylor says she’s looking forward to “clarity” in 2025. · Why the phrase “feed forward” and an emphasis on positivity resonated with CFO Becca Shane. · Okorie Ramsey's focus on the talent pipeline and relevance. · His explanation of the profession’s need to “tell a better story.”
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29:01
Farewell Q&A as CEO: Melancon talks retirement, passion for profession
It’s no secret anymore: Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, is retiring as CEO of AICPA & CIMA. He was first named CEO of the AICPA nearly 30 years ago, and he leaves the now global organization with a legacy of change. His last official day is Dec. 31, and Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, is his successor. In this episode of the JofA podcast, recorded earlier this week at Digital CPA in Denver, Melancon explains why he’s not counting down the days of his tenure, why there likely will be more recreation in his future, and why he expects he will “still wake up every day and think about the profession.” What you’ll learn from this episode: · Why Melancon hasn’t been counting the days until his tenure as CEO ends. · His “stellar” assessment of how he will transition into retirement. · His relationship over the years with incoming CEO Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA. · The “unsettled” nature of the world and how accountants can help. · Why Melancon prioritized the profession and the members before thinking of the organization. · The “humbling” messages he has received.
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14:27
A change in optimism about the US economy
The potential for less regulation is one factor driving optimism among CPA decision-makers in a quarterly survey, according to Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA associate director–Management Accounting Research and Development. Witt joined the JofA podcast to discuss fourth-quarter results of the Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey — statistics that were dramatically different from the third quarter. The executives are mostly optimistic about the domestic economy in 2025. They also have a brighter outlook as it relates to their own organizations, although that increase since the third quarter was more muted. What you’ll learn from this episode: A breakdown of the quarter-over-quarter change in optimism. What challenge returned to its familiar top spot in this quarter’s survey. The reasons that optimists and pessimists feel the way they do, according to Witt’s analysis. The hiring outlook for 2025.
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7:24
2025 tax preview: Perspective from an AICPA tax policy advocate
Melanie Lauridsen, vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy for the AICPA, reflected on how election results might inform future tax legislation and why any change in administration and tax policy can make it more difficult for practitioners seeking clarity. Lauridsen also discussed advocacy related to beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting and what might change related to IRS funding, the corporate tax rate, and more in this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast. What you’ll learn from this episode: · An update on AICPA advocacy related to BOI reporting relief. · Why Lauridsen expects any changes to the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) to be “hybrid” — as opposed to all TCJA provisions becoming permanent. · Discussion about the future of the deduction limit for state and local taxes, aka the SALT cap. · The fate of IRS funding from the Inflation Reduction Act — and why a “rebalance” might be possible. · Lauridsen’s summation that 2025 “is a huge tax year.”