Three Quick Questions for: Mike Mirretti, Becker CPE

The CPA world – post-meltdown.

Mike Mirretti, CPA, MBA
Program Manager, Continuing Professional Education
Becker Professional Review

1. How concerned should CPAs be right now?

Change is the one constant in the accounting and finance professions. It is incumbent upon CPAs and their employers to stay ahead of the issues and be prepared to properly apply today’s standards to the unprecedented situations we are seeing in the market. The penalties for not doing so properly could be disastrous for them and their companies.

2. What are the key issues CPAs should be looking at now?

The foundation of any market recovery that will take place will be accurate information and transparency. If increased regulation and a change in standards are coming, as we believe they are, then continuing professional education will be crucial for CPAs and other finance professionals to ensure accurate interpretation and transparent reporting of financial results moving forward.

3. How will the accounting field and CPAs be different after all this?

We anticipate that the accounting profession will continue to grow in the coming years. And so will the challenges that accounting and finance professionals will be asked to certify and interpret. Related fields, such as continuing education, will also need to adapt as well to help organizations and its professionals mitigate the risks they will face. It will need to provide CPAs and other finance professionals with the tools they need to do their jobs successfully.

Bio: Mike is the Program Manager for Becker’s Continuing Professional Education products. He was responsible for the management of product concept testing, market research, customer pilot, and the market introduction of Becker’s online Continuing Professional Education program.

He began his career with McGladrey & Pullen managing Audit, Tax and Consulting engagements. After leaving McGladrey & Pullen, Mike held several prominent finance positions for large retail and consumer packaged goods organizations. His roles included: evaluating and implementing new business opportunities, selection and implementation of financial systems, and the support of multiple new product introductions. Prior to joining Becker, Mike had successfully introduced multiple new web-based analytical/data warehouse products within the software and market research verticals.