OUTLOOK & ANALYSIS

Accounting Industry Buoyed by Positive Image

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But only until the next scandal.

By CPA Trendlines

The accounting profession ranks among the top five in Americans’ views of 25 major U.S. industries, trailing only farming, computers, restaurants and automobiles, according to a new Gallup survey.

The findings show accounting with 41% of adults holding a positive view, reflecting modest but stable standing amid generally weak perceptions of U.S. business sectors.

MORE: Accounting’s Reputation Hits 14-Year High | Accounting Reputation in Recovery | Are CPAs Fretting Too Much?

The survey also shows the public cares or knows little about the profession, suggesting vulnerability the next time a scandal rocks the industry.

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Hood: Forces Shaping Accounting | MOVE Like This

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Technology, demographics, and ESG are colliding to reshape advisory, career paths, and firm leadership.

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MOVE Like This
With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
For CPA Trendlines

On the latest MOVE Like This, host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk welcomes Dan Hood, editor-in-chief of Accounting Today, who has covered the profession since the late 1990s. From his vantage point, the defining theme isn’t a single issue, but the sheer volume of change: accelerating technology (especially AI), shifting demographics, new expectations for work, and the slow-building opportunity of ESG. He argues these forces are intertwined: tech is enabling the shift to advisory, advisory demands new skills and career paths, and those shifts collide with multigenerational teams navigating different priorities. 

MORE MOVE

The conversation quickly zeroes in on culture as a differentiator in the talent market. Firms that thrive don’t rely on “nice people” and pizza in busy season; they treat culture as intentional work. That looks like clearly articulating values, reinforcing them constantly, and translating them into practices employees actually feel, including thoughtful benefits and flexibility, yes, but also visible sponsorship, personal investment in careers, and rituals that signal “this matters here.” Culture, Dan notes, should permeate every process, from how meetings are run to how milestones are celebrated. 
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Walking Violation: When Showing Your CPA Gets You in Trouble | ARC

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State boards, private equity, and outdated laws are forcing CPAs to downplay the very credential that defines them.

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Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

For many CPAs, the three letters after their name are more than a credential—they’re a badge of honor. Yet, a new wave of regulatory challenges and firm structures is calling into question when, where, and even if CPAs are allowed to use the designation they worked so hard to earn.

MORE Accounting ARC: Audit Bags to TikTok Tags, Gen Z Talks Success | Students Challenge Accounting’s Traditional Career Path | True Grit: Recognizing Struggles That Shape Our Successes | More Admins, Fewer Students, No Plan | What Career Advice Gets Wrong for Gen Z – And How to Fix It |Your Identity is Not a Liability | What Happens in Vegas… Gets Reported on a Tax Return | Burnout, Be Gone: Accounting Needs a Boundary Breakthrough | The Ultimate Business Hack You’re Probably Ignoring | Resilience, Real Talk, and the Road to Mental Wellness | Blockchain Could Still Reshape Accounting | What Gen Z Wants from Business | Firm Differentiation Depends Upon Client Service

In the latest episode of Accounting ARC, hosts Liz Mason, CPA; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, dig into one of the most contentious issues facing the profession: restrictions on displaying the CPA license in alternative practice structures and across state lines. READ MORE →