She will become the second
CPA in the Legislature after the November elections, joining Assembly Member Roger Niello,
CPA (R-Fair Oaks).
The composition of today's typical
CPA firm is very different than it was 50 years ago, and New York needs to keep up with the times.
"The profession's primary mission is to provide public service, and when we
CPAs act in unison, we're unbeatable," Williamson said.
Further, intensified competition in the middle-to-upper-income client universe has begun to erode a typically core market for
CPA services, especially with the advent of financial "supermarkets" that provide guidance and advice to clients "for free."
Despite the prevalence of
CPA programs, little is known about the ways in which they affect a citizen's beliefs and perceptions.
So should financial services and IT companies in the auditing business be governed by the same rules that apply to traditional
CPA firms?
David Gaino,
CPA, managing shareholder of 90-person, 40-CPA Moore Stephens Apple in Akron, Ohio, says, "When a client isn't doing well, 60% of the time it's a people problem." His firm started offering HR consulting after a former partner noted that clients asked repeatedly for help with staff issues.
CPAs may argue the scope of their service is merely "tax advice," perceiving some sort of inoculation from these rules.
The concept of a
CPA evolved from efforts of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in Great Britain to acquaint citizens with local law enforcement and its organizational structure.
Anyone inappropriately using the
CPA designation should consider the stakeholders affected by that decision.
* More family law attorneys are recommending their divorce clients hire a single, neutral
CPA to help handle the transition from their shared financial life to their new independent lives.
Most
CPAs agree it is in everyone's best interests to match clients with
CPA firms that are best suited to the clients' specific needs.
