My Experience at the AICPA Leadership Academy

November 14, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Leadership, Professional Development, Volunteers, Young Professionals Tags: AICPA, Austin Schuerg, Barry Melancon, Donna Salter, Jeremiah Rouane, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA, Tim Christen, Young Professionals 2 Comments

by Austin Schuerg

In October I had the honor of representing Montana at the AICPA’s Leadership Academy (LA), thanks to the MSCPA Legacy Foundation. This four-day intensive program was designed to engage young professionals in a self-examination of leadership, what that means and how that impacts their personal life and career path. The facilitators of this Academy, Tom Hood (CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs) and Gretchen Pisano (CEO of p.Link Coaching Center) were truly amazing. If you’ve ever met Tom or Gretchen, you know they are both passionate and energizing people, key to a successful program.

The program itself consisted of 38 young CPAs from around the country with very diverse backgrounds. An application process was required that consisted of two short essays documenting the applicant’s thoughts on what the future holds for a leader in the accounting function, whether private or public, as well as how each applicant feels they would benefit from such a program. Outside of the program itself, a key component of LA was the networking and socializing with the other CPAs. This has already been super valuable in that we have formed a private Facebook group and have bounced questions and ideas around numerous times already.

Prior to the academy, the first step was identifying each of our own leadership strengths. LA utilized the book Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath which was accompanied by a Clifton’s Stengthsfinder assessment. I had always had an idea of where my leadership strengths lie, but this assessment really cemented that for me and pushed me to begin identifying how to leverage those in my daily professional and personal life. After I returned from LA, I sat down with the leaders in my current company and walked through my strengths. We have since redesigned my career path to one that will most benefit my strengths as well as the company. Actual action, I love that.

During LA, the facilitators walked us through an intensive study of the i2a facilitation process. The generalized concept here is to create buy in from team members to really help drive projects forward. As a team, you attempt to really break down an issue to its most basic form and then create a plan to overcome this. I plan to implement this process over q4 in my current role to identify ways to overcome some obstacles we are facing related to our interdepartmental relationships. If you are unaware of the i2a facilitation process, feel free to reach out to me and I will gladly provide a run down.

Barry Melancon | Austin Schuerg | Tim Christen

One of the highlights for me from the week was interacting with Barry Melancon, President of the AICPA, and Tim Christen, Board Member of the AICPA and Chair of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. During one of our “networking” nights, we had North Carolina barbecue and a bags (corn hole) tournament in which my team got knocked out in the semi-finals. The last evening of LA, we had the opportunity to have a two-hour Q&A session with Barry Melancon in which we learned about his career path as well as where he sees the profession headed. He is truly an inspiring leader and the insights he provided were amazing.

Overall, the three key takeaways for me from this program are self-awareness of my own strengths, awareness of what drives other’s motivation, and that leadership is facilitation.

Donna Salter and Erin Carson from the AICPA did a superb job in organizing this academy and I would highly recommend it to any young professional in the accounting industry who is looking to either take, or position themselves to take, that next step in their career. A special thank you to the Legacy Foundation and the MSCPA for their support in my attendance to the LA. I truly feel it was game-changer for me and I hope to assist and give back to the profession here in the state as much as I can.

Schuerg Leadership Graduation 2016 a.jpg

2016 AICPA Leadership Academy Graduates

Austin Schuerg is only the second Montanan to have the honor of attending the AICPA’s prestigious Leadership Academy, thanks to the support of the MSCPA Legacy Foundation. The first Montana attendee was Jeremiah Rouane (First Interstate Bank) back in 2010, so you can see that Austin’s attendance is landmark for Montana CPAs.

Austin works as a senior accountant with Simms Fishing Products in Bozeman. He serves as the Young Professional member on the MSCPA Board of Directors and is very active in all MSCPA initiatives to promote the success and involvement of our YPs.

Profiles: Jim Woy

October 3, 2016September 30, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Networking, Peer Review, Volunteers Tags: AICPA, Anderson ZurMuehlen, Jim Woy, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA, Peer Review Leave a comment

Profiles is MSCPA’s blog series highlighting the impact Montana CPAs are having on the national level.

Jim Woy, Shareholder, Anderson ZurMuehlen, Butte

I have served on the Education and Communications Task Force (ECTF) of the AICPA Peer Review Committee since 2013. The Committee is comprised of members from around the country who are peer reviewers, technical reviewers, Report Acceptance Bodies (RAB) and administrators of state peer review committees. The task force provides input to the AICPA Peer Review Committee and AICPA peer review staff. The task force has been instrumental in addressing and providing input regarding many of the recent changes in the AICPA peer review program. The task force also sets forth the agenda for the annual national peer review conference.

Volunteering as a task force or committee member on the national level allows me to meet and discuss some of top issues of the day with individuals who are in the moment, on new and soon to effective standards. These individuals become friends you can call upon when questions occur and the breadth of knowledge shared in committee meetings is excellent. It helps me understand the “what’s behind” many of the changes occurring in our great profession.

I really enjoy the opportunity to provide feedback on issues impacting the peer review process. The AICPA Peer Review Committee and AICPA peer review staff do listen to our feedback and welcomes it, and in many instances, changes get made due to this feedback. It is very rewarding.

Profiles: Ryan Screnar

September 19, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Industry & Financial Professionals, Membership Value, Networking Tags: AICPA, Ethics, Glacier Bancorp, Joint Trial Board, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA, Ryan Screnar Leave a comment

This article is the next in our series “Profiles” highlighting the impact Montana CPAs are having on the national level.

Ryan Screnar, Glacier Bancorp, Helena

When I became involved with MSCPA I had no idea the doors it was going to open for me. I joined the MSCPA Board in 2004 and served as President in 2008-2009. It was in that role as President that I began going to AICPA meetings as the AICPA Designated Council member. And that’s where I started meeting people that have helped me charter a national course of volunteer experience.

When you meet people at the AICPA Council meetings, you have this automatic exposure to 500 people who value the CPA so you instantly have that in common. It’s a fraternity of people who share this common bond and you grow it from there.

I was appointed to the AICPA Nominating Committee for a term from 2011-2013. This group chooses the AICPA Board members, the at-large Council reps and the next chair. I was asked to join the AICPA Awards Committee in 2013. From there I became a member of the AICPA Ethics Committee in 2009-2012. I was part of this group when we codified our ethics, restructuring the standards so that members and other can apply the rules and reach the correct conclusions more easily. That volunteer gig turned into a new one on the Joint Trial Board (JTB) in 2015. When ethics complaints are investigated, the JTB is the body the CPAs can appeal to. It’s a tough gig. It’s about life stories and we hold their futures in our hands. It’s a heavy responsibility and not one I take lightly.

I’m lucky, my employer supports me completely in this national networking. I got into volunteering because I wanted to be involved in the profession: learning and seeing the issues from a national perspective. And I love it! It’s been a lot of fun. You are on the front line. With each new committee I’ve served, I’ve gotten to meet more people and that’s what has had the most impact, meeting the people from across the country and the lasting relationships you develop.

Profile: Ron Yates

September 6, 2016August 24, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Membership Value, Networking, Volunteers Tags: AICPA, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA, Ron Yates Leave a comment

This blog post is part of our Profiles Series where we highlight the amazing accomplishments of Montana CPAs who volunteer nationally to make a difference for the accounting profession.

Ron Yates, CPA, Eide Bailly LLP, Billings

I am very fortunate and proud to have had many opportunities as a Montana CPA to represent CPAs, the accounting profession, and the Treasure State at the national level.

Currently, I am starting the second year of a three-year term on the AICPA Tax Practice and Procedures Committee (TPPC). This committee monitors developments in and changes to IRS procedural and administrative guidance. Among other things, the TPPC keeps AICPA members informed of changes to tax procedure, tax administration, regulatory guidance, and IRS services, and develops guidance, information and resources for AICPA Tax Section members to help CPAs understand and comply with the complex rules of practice before the IRS. We also serve as a resource to the IRS Advocacy & Relations Committee, as well as other technical resource panels and task forces, on matters of tax administration and procedure. The TPPC is an oversight committee for the Tax Checklist Task Force (which is responsible for developing and maintaining the Annual Compliance Kit) and the Foreign National Task Force (which is responsible for creating various resources to help members with international tax issues). We participate in a monthly committee call and meet at least twice yearly in person. Each committee member commits to writing one reviewed article for the AICPA’s Tax Adviser magazine annually. If interested, you can read my article in the April 1, 2016, edition (“PATH Brings Changes to Federal Penalty Computations”).

Also, this spring I was officially nominated by the AICPA Nominations Committee to fill an open board seat for a three-year term on the AICPA Board of Directors. The official election of board members will occur in October 2016 at the AICPA Fall Council / Annual Members meeting. I’m very excited for this tremendous opportunity to represent all CPAs at the national level.

From October 2012 through October 2015 I had the privilege of serving as Montana’s elected AICPA Council Representative, succeeding Dan Vuckovich of Great Falls. Montana is guaranteed one representative on the AICPA Council, which is the governing body of the AICPA and includes elected representatives from all U.S. states and territories. In 2015 Gordy Thompson of Havre was elected as my successor as AICPA Council Representative. Gordy is doing a fantastic job representing Montana CPAs at the national level. Gordy discussed the importance of this role in his July 18 Montana CPA blog, a great read.

Finally, from 2011-2014, I served on the AICPA Life Insurance / Disability Plans Committee, including serving as the Product Development Task Force chair in 2013. This committee’s purpose it to make available, through the AICPA Insurance Trust/AICPA Group Insurance Trust, a variety of self-supporting insurance products that are responsive to the needs of the membership and to provide oversight for plan administration and premium levels. This committee, which reports directly to the AICPA board of directors, handles millions of dollars of annual premiums providing hundreds of millions of insurance coverage to CPAs and their families. It was a great personal and professional experience and I would highly encourage you to consider applying for future service to this committee. Many of you may recall that Montana’s own Ellen Feaver chaired this committee about a decade ago.

These service opportunities have helped me to grow personally and professionally and I would highly encourage all MSCPA members to consider “raising your hand” when volunteer opportunities arise at the state or national level.

Profiles: Gordy Thompson

July 18, 2016July 5, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Membership Value, Networking Tags: AICPA, AICPA Council, Anderson ZurMuehlen, CPA, Gordy Thompson, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA Leave a comment

Note: This is the third is a series of blogs highlighting the dedication of Montana CPAs and their service nationally to the accounting profession.

Gordy Thompson, Anderson ZurMuehlen, Havre

ThompsonGordy2016 Presently, I am the elected AICPA Council member representing the state of Montana. The AICPA Council is the governing body of the AICPA with representation from all fifty states and territories based upon membership.

I am just beginning a three year term in which we normally have meetings three times a year at various locations around the country. We meet at least every other year in Washington DC where are main focus is advocacy for CPAs. We meet with all of our state Senators and Representatives to discuss and promote (or not promote) bills and legislative agendas that have an impact on our profession.

The AICPA is the organization that promotes, as well as offers guidance and tools to practice, as well as enforces the standards that we as professionals must maintain. Being on Council provides me the opportunity to meet other professionals from around the country to discuss the issues effecting all of us. It also allows you to network with some of the brightest minds in business. What I enjoy the most is listening to what all the experts have to say about what the profession will look like in the future and how do we prepare for that.

I am very proud to be able to represent the great state of Montana and to provide input from the Big Sky Country and would strongly encourage anyone to get involved at the state or national level. Being a CPA is not just how I make living. It is who I am!!

Profiles: Maria Christiaens

July 11, 2016July 6, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Membership Value, Networking Tags: AICPA, EBPAQC, Eide Bailly, Maria Christiaens, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA Leave a comment

Note: This is the second in a series of blogs highlighting the great work Montana CPAs are doing on the national level through volunteer service.

Maria J. Christiaens, Eide Bailly LLP

Maria Christiaens 2016 Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center (EBPAQC). The EBPAQC was established to assist CPAs with meeting the challenges of performing quality audits in this unique and complex area.

With the recent U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) scrutiny of plan audits, the EBPAQC has been very active with enhancing quality within the membership. I am in the second year of a three-year term on the Executive Committee, and in that time I have been involved in the following:

EBPAQC Training
o Speaker – AICPA EBP National Conference (May 2015)
o Moderator –AICPA Multiemployer Plans Webinar (January 2016)
o Speaker – AICPA EBP National Conference (May 2016)
o Subject Matter Expert –Audit Competency Exam for Health & Welfare (May 2016)
EBPAQC Quality Initiatives
o AICPA Task Force on Improving Audit Quality
o AICPA Task Force on Reporting and Assurance Models (Chair)
EBPAQC Resources
o Fatal Flaw Reviewer for Primers and Audit Tools
o Development Team for Audit Aids

My experience with the AICPA Quality Center staff has been invaluable. They are a group of smart and dedicated professionals who sincerely wish to serve the AICPA membership. The EBPAQC keeps the lines of communication open between the practitioner and the regulators (DOL, IRS, PCAOB) in order to find the balance in serving the client and protecting the public. By participating in meetings with the EBPAQC and the regulators, I am now acquainted with people who will serve as excellent resources beyond my term of service.

Montana CPAs have a unique perspective that we can bring to the AICPA. In most cases we are directly in contact with the owners of small businesses and we are in a position to demonstrate how the practitioner can follow the audit and accounting standards in a cost-effective manner without compromising the quality of our work. Understanding this, I encourage everyone to seize the opportunity to serve our profession at the national level, as we all have the ability to make a positive impact.

Profiles: Rick Reisig

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Membership Value, Networking Tags: AICPA, Anderson ZurMuehlen, Auditing Standards Board, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA, NASBA, Rick Reisig 1 Comment

This blog is the first in a series featuring Montana’s national accounting leaders. For a state with our size population, we have a tremendous representation of leaders serving at the AICPA, NASBA, ASWA and more. In this series we will learn more about the work they do and why they feel it is important to volunteer. We are grateful for their service and the impact they make.

Rick Reisig, Anderson ZurMuehlen, Great Falls

Reisig Rick 2014 Presently, I’m involved with two national groups – the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board.

NASBA’s mission is to enhance the effectiveness and advance the common interests of the various state boards of accountancy (including Montana, of course) that regulate all certified public accountants and their firms in the United States and its territories.

The AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board is the AICPA’s senior committee for auditing, attestation, and quality control standard-setting applicable to the performance and issuance of audit and attestation reports for non-issuers (non-public companies).

With NASBA, I’m in my third year on the Board of Directors, the first year as a Regional Director and the last two as an At-Large Director not tied to any particular region. For the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board, I’m in the last year of my three-year term on the board.

While the missions of both groups are very different, my involvement, and my main take-a-way from serving, is very similar. For both, my service is focused on the strengthening of the profession, while protecting the public interest. To serve in that role, for the profession I love, is tremendously rewarding! That leads, of course, to my main take-a-way from serving – the opportunity for professional and personal growth that comes from working with the brightest, most committed, individuals in our profession. At each meeting, for each organization, I try to be a sponge absorbing all the knowledge I can for the time that I’m there. I’ve learned so much from my participation, and made so many wonderful life-long friends from all across the country that share my love of the profession.

I would definitely encourage any involvement on a national level, as you will then have a real “say” in the future of our profession along with meeting some fabulous individuals that feel as strongly about the profession as you do!

AICPA’s Proposed Joint Venture with CIMA–A Member’s Perspective CON

March 17, 2016March 10, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Industry & Financial Professionals, Membership Value, Rules & Regulations, Strategic Planning Tags: AICPA, Brenda Byrnes, CIMA, Clint Morrison, Josh Herbold, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA Leave a comment

by Joshua Herbold, PhD. CPA, MSCPA Secretary/Treasurer

In this blog post, Josh will address the CON side of the proposed venture between the AICPA and CIMA. Scroll down to see previous posts on this issue from President Brenda Byrnes and MSCPA Director Clint Morrison.

Josh Herbold, MSCPA Secretary / Treasurer

The American Institute of CPAs has proposed a joint venture with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (based in the UK). While there are some benefits to such an endeavor, I believe this proposal is, overall, not in the best interests of CPAs for the following reasons:

It dilutes the “CPA” brand in pursuit of membership growth
The AICPA is trying to be too many things to too many people
The value of the CGMA designation has not yet been established in the marketplace
Closer to home: For non-CPA members, the Montana Society of CPAs will be providing benefits (i.e., incurring expenses) with no control over the revenues from those members

The following paragraphs explain these points in more detail.

Those members who have been around for a while probably remember when the AICPA proposed to open AICPA membership to non-CPAs. These non-CPA members were to be called “Cognitors,” and the proposal went on to state that the term would also refer to CPAs. This proposal was soundly (and wisely) rejected by the AICPA membership. After all, what would be the point of becoming a CPA/Cognitor if others could qualify for the same designation without completing the “four Es” (education, experience, ethics, and the CPA exam)? How would a CPA signal to clients and employers the extra effort and dedication that they put forth to become more qualified? Obviously, it would be difficult for anyone outside of the profession (and even for some of those within the profession) to determine how a Cognitor had earned that credential, and AICPA members were rightly concerned about this brand dilution. The current proposal makes things even more confusing by using the same acronym for the new organization as the American Institute of CPAs: the Association of International CPAs. This proposal allows for both CPAs and non-CPAs to earn the CGMA (Chartered Global Management Accountant) credential and become members of this new organization, and thus has the same potential as the failed “Cognitor” designation to dilute the CPA brand.

Related to that point, one of the stated goals of the joint venture is to “further advance advocacy, achieve economies of scale and better support accounting professionals.” While I agree that all of these are worthwhile pursuits, I have to wonder which accounting professionals the AICPA has in mind. Not all accounting professionals are CPAs (even though I believe that the designation and the work required to achieve it would benefit most accounting professionals). Is it the job of the American Institute of CPAs to advocate for all accounting professionals? Or would our profession be better served by having the various professional groups (the AICPA, the IMA, the ACFE, and others) participate in a consortium of some sort? Furthermore, “advocacy” is a tricky issue even within a given jurisdiction; it gets trickier when an organization tries to represent multiple jurisdictions, which is exactly what the AICPA intends to do. The AICPA is trying to be everything to everybody—a strategy which usually ends up satisfying nobody.

And the fact is that the overwhelming majority of CPAs have opted against obtaining the CGMA designation. Prior to this year, current CPAs were grandfathered in and could obtain the CGMA designation simply by checking a box on their membership renewal and paying an extra fee. Even with no other effort required to obtain the designation, “90% of the AICPA’s members declined multiple invitations to become CGMAs.”[1] Also, when faced with the choice of which designation or designations to pursue, students have yet to see the value of the CGMA. (See http://ipassthecmaexam.com/cgma-designation/ for one blogger’s take on the decision between the CGMA and CMA designations.)

Finally, we get to some details of the joint venture that could have an impact on our state society. If the joint venture proceeds, CGMAs who are not also CPAs will become members of their respective state societies through their membership in the joint venture. On the surface, that’s great! But for those non-CPA members, dues will be set by and collected by the joint venture, then shared with the MSCPA. This means that we (the MSCPA) will be providing non-CPA CGMAs with all of the same benefits of membership that every member of the MSCPA receives, yet we will have no control over the dues that these members pay. While we expect the number of these non-CPA CGMAs in Montana to be small, incurring expenses when you have no control over your revenues seems like a risky strategy at best, and a losing proposition at worst.

[1] While the AICPA has noted that there are more than 150,000 CGMAs worldwide, only 40,000 of those are in the US. For more details, see: Miller, Paul B.W., and Paul R. Bahnson. “Transparency, integrity, prophecy and the AICPA merger.” Accounting Today 1 Jan. 2016: 22. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.

AICPA’s Proposed Joint Venture with CIMA–A Member’s Perspective PRO

March 16, 2016March 10, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Industry & Financial Professionals, Networking, Rules & Regulations, Strategic Planning Tags: AICPA, Brenda Byrnes, CIMA, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA 3 Comments

by Clinton J. Morrison, MSCPA Director

In this blog post, Clint will discuss the PRO side, the advantages to the AICPA’s proposed joint venture with CIMA. Scroll down to read the recent blog post by President Brenda Byrnes that introduced this subject.

Clint Morrison, MSCPA Director

Despite your busy schedule, you may have heard that the AICPA wants to join forces with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to create a new accounting association, the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, while continuing to operate the membership bodies of both existing associations. Your MSCPA board of directors reviewed this issue at its recent board meeting, and I was impressed with the vigorous discussion that took place among the board members regarding this topic.

First, it is important to point out that the AICPA dues should not be affected by this proposal, and your existing membership in the AICPA should not change. AICPA members would automatically become members of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. As a small business owner, I watch costs like a hawk, so this was the first hurdle that I was able to get over with this proposal. Though I am a tad skeptical in this regard, the proposal does include the integration of management and operations, which should provide economies of scale and cut costs.

By joining forces with CIMA’s 227,000 members, our voice in advocacy efforts will be that much stronger. To me, that is one of the most compelling arguments for this integration. In an era of increasing rules and regulations for our clients and our own businesses, advocacy is important. For me, oftentimes when I learn of a new rule or regulation, I can see the merits of its objective. However, nearly as often, the implementation of policies and procedures in an attempt to comply with the new rule or regulation are costly at best, and often impractical particularly for small businesses. In today’s environment, strength clearly comes in numbers, and sometimes, those numbers may be called upon to help create rules with common sense derived from professionals who understand and are affected by the consequences of such rules.

This proposal is also an extension of the joint venture between the AICPA and CIMA that launched the CGMA designation in 2012. As such, AICPA members, typically in industry, were able to receive the designation based on meeting certain criteria. But more importantly, these members, often accounting managers, controllers, and CFOs from small businesses, were afforded access to resources that were not readily available to them before this joint venture was launched.

Another aspect to consider is this proposal’s potential to broaden the appeal of the accounting profession to the next generation. As an adjunct instructor at Carroll College, I regularly interact with students. When I ask my Introduction to Business class, “What do CPAs do?” most students answer, “Prepare taxes”. I enthusiastically respond, “Yes, many CPAs prepare taxes, along with other professionals who do not obtain the CPA designation. But only CPAs can perform financial statement audits!” I don’t get a lot of enthusiasm in return. It is not until I speak of the broad array of consulting services and other aspects of the accounting profession that I seem to peak their interest. Thus, I believe that this new association will help broaden the appeal of our profession to students today, which may help encourage them to seek employment in accounting-related jobs, and once there, they will be able to realize their career goals and dreams.

Presidentially Speaking

March 10, 2016March 25, 2016Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Industry & Financial Professionals, Presidentially Speaking, Strategic Planning Tags: AICPA, Brenda Byrnes, CGMA, CIMA, Montana Society of CPAs, MSCPA Leave a comment

Brenda Byrnes MSCPA President 2015 – 2016

It’s a GREAT day to be a CPA! Now that is a catchy phrase but what does it mean to you? To me it is the perfect phrase to capture my feelings about our profession. As CPAs the opportunities available to us are really quite endless. Our education, training and background enable us to provide our clients and employers with a unique problem solving perspective and strategic way of thinking. It’s expected when they see CPA.

At the AICPA fall council meeting in October, I began to give serious thought to the meaning behind that designation as we tackled the topic of the future of our profession. During the meeting the representatives of the AICPA membership voted to expand the potential holders of the CGMA (Chartered Global Management Accountant) credential to others outside of CPA designation holders. These “others” are first required to pass the CGMA exam and then adhere to the experience, ethical and education requirements to maintain that credential outlined by the AICPA. As nonCPA CGMAs, they would be non-voting associate members of the AICPA. The current CPA, CGMAs would maintain their status with no changes. Please note that the CGMA is only offered by the AICPA. Other similar credentials exist with other organizations.

So how did this vote, affect you? Honestly here in Montana I did not see a big impact. From my discussions with many of you about it, I do not hear much concern. Our members in BING often struggle with garnering support from employers for their CPA so the CGMA will likely be just as troublesome as a standalone certification. We currently have 127 members of MSCPA who have chosen to adopt the CGMA. Now others who are not CPAs will have the same opportunity.

This vote was not an end result of planning though. It was a strategic step in a much bigger plan. Why belabor a topic that seems pretty innocuous to Montana? Well the next step is that the AICPA would like your vote for their proposal to create a new global accounting membership association called the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants in conjunction with CIMA. CIMA is the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, a global management accounting membership organization. (follow this link for more information http://www.cimaglobal.com/) This new association, cleverly acronymed AICPA, would represent public and management accounting professionals worldwide. Your membership in the American Institute of CPAs would automatically afford you membership in the new association AICPA with no additional dues.

Sort of makes one’s head spin, especially this time of year?

Again, this step causes me to pause and to ponder what does my CPA mean to me and others. Your MSCPA board of directors discussed this issue at length. We did pass a resolution in January supporting the AICPA in its efforts to put this new association venture to a vote of the members of the American Institute of CPAs. We viewed this as an opportunity for the membership to voice their thoughts on the future of our profession. Will we be known as CPAs or as either CPAs or CGMAs?

Coming up in the next blogs, board members Clint Morrison and Dr. Josh Herbold tackle the pros and cons of forming the new AICPA. I certainly have conflicted thoughts about it and I am sure you will too. Hopefully the two perspectives will assist you in your voting. We welcome your comments either way. In fact we would like to feature those in a follow up to the pro/con debate. You have the option to comment below or email your comments to jane@mscpa.org.

No matter what though, I still feel IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE A CPA!

UPDATE March 25, 2016: The AICPA’s governing Council has authorized an electronic member ballot on a proposal by the AICPA and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to create a new association representing the entire accounting profession, while preserving the AICPA and CIMA membership bodies. The organizations will integrate operations to strengthen advocacy and have more agility in responding to evolving member needs.

The proposal will keep the profession strong amid technological, demographic and international trends that are rapidly reshaping the business environment. The AICPA will continue to promote, protect and grow the CPA profession, with AICPA members continuing to receive all current benefits. From this broader platform of more than 600,000 current and next-generation professionals, the AICPA will have a stronger voice against burdensome regulations that are not in the public interest. It will also enhance and expand resources across public and management accounting.

Since the AICPA first brought the proposal forward to members on Nov. 2, it has received support from 51 state CPA societies. The AICPA Board of Directors and governing Council have both recommended approval. In addition, resolutions of support have been passed by the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section Executive Committee, the Business & Industry Executive Committee, the Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee, and the Government Performance and Accountability Committee.

Watch for your personal and confidential electronic ballot credentials the week of April 18 from the third-party vote administrator under the name “AICPA Independent Tabulator.” To make sure you receive this email with your unique credentials, simply add the following email address as an approved sender: noreply@directvote.net. CIMA members will be asked to endorse the proposal on a similar timeline. For more information, visit www.aicpa.org/horizons.