Economy

A&A

AICPA Survey Finds Money Worries Taking Toll on Americans' Waistlines, Well-being

Feeling a little paunchy around the middle or particularly irritable when you pull into work in the morning? Don't blame it all on processed sugar or your two-hour commute. A recent AICPA survey found money worries are making many Americans impatient, unhealthy, and sleep deprived.
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A&A

Political 'Hangover' Holds Back US Business Confidence Despite Financing Boost

Business confidence has grown in the United States, according to new research from ACCA and IMA®. However, businesses are not yet in a position to take advantage of better trading conditions and easier access to financing.
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Education & Careers

Hostess Twinkies Set to Return, Union Laborers Won't

UPDATE: Fans of Twinkies won't have to wait much longer before the snack cakes return to grocery store shelves. Hostess Brands LLC – Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo Global Management's new incarnation of the baking company that liquidated in Chapter 11 – is reopening four bakeries in the next eight to ten weeks.
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Tax

President Obama's Budget Proposal: What's Ahead for the Estate Tax?

In a tough economy, it's not likely that any fiscal changes will be met with cheers, and the $3.78 trillion budget proposed by President Obama on April 10 was no exception. His plan seeks to trim the deficit by $1.8 trillion over the next decade, leaning heavily on high-income earners to fill the gaps.
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Education & Careers

Economic Outlook Still Murky as Job Market Remains Weak

The March US Department of Labor jobs report showed fewer jobs were added than in any month in almost a year, which adds to the uncertainties facing small businesses and accountants.
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Tax

Gone Fishing: IRS Closing Offices for Holidays

Now the sequester is getting really serious! The IRS may shut down its offices completely for a few days surrounding several upcoming holidays in order to accommodate the federal government's budgetary needs.
1327
Tax

Should You Spend or Save Your Tax Refund?

According to the AICPA's annual survey to determine Americans' top financial concerns and assess their financial well-being, taxpayers say they're likely to use their tax refund conservatively – to build up savings, pay for day-to-day household expenses, or put toward debt.
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AccountingWEB Life

Lack of Savings Is Americans' Top Financial Concern

Consumers admit they're in dire need of professional financial advice, at least according to 78 percent of those who participated in the 2013 Financial Literacy Survey conducted by the NFCC and the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association.
858
Tax

Federal Budget Talks Focus On – What Else? – Taxes

At the very least, key members of the House and Senate are talking to each other about the federal budget. But talk – unlike the mounting debt of the country – is cheap.
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A&A

Private Companies Grow; Strong Profit Margins for Accounting Firms

Private companies in the United States grew sales by approximately 9.7 percent in the period ended February 2013, about the same as in the period ended January 2013 and close to the 10.1 percent growth seen one year ago.
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Practice

AICPA Survey: CPAs More Upbeat on Economic Outlook, but Still Cautious

The first quarter American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey is out, and it looks like respondents are increasingly optimistic about the US economy and their own businesses' prospects compared to the fourth quarter of 2012.
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A&A

Accountants' Worries Range from Fuel Costs to Value of US Dollar

A new report, “Drivers of Change in the US,” is an analysis of a 2012 survey of 550 members of the ACCA and the IMA who were asked to rank their concerns about the changes and challenges facing the accounting profession now and in the future.
1300
Tax

Hollywood Hands Michigan an Empty Bag

A few years ago, with giant auto manufacturing plants sitting empty and the economy dragging, Michigan threw open its doors, literally inviting Hollywood to come in and produce films economically. The bait was federal film credits, which movie producers covet.
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A&A

Private Company Trends Remain Positive in January

Private companies in the United States continued to grow sales and expand their net profit margins in the period ending in January 2013. Private company credit risk also appears to be improving, with the average private company's likelihood of default currently standing around 3 percent.
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A&A

Private Company Credit Risk Shows Signs of Improving

Privately held companies in the United States, on average, have a slightly improved credit position than a year ago, according to new data from Sageworks Inc., a financial information company.
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A&A

House Panel Critical of PCAOB's Economic Analyses

A US House panel is investigating whether the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the nation's chief public company audit overseer, is doing enough to incorporate economic factors into new regulations it is proposing.
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Practice

Survey: Fiscal Cliff Uncertainty Weighs on Business Owners

The uncertainty surrounding the "fiscal cliff" is directly impacting the strategic decisions of many US business owners, according to a new survey by Sageworks, a financial information company.
2324
Tax

KPMG Survey: Senior Execs Weigh In on Fiscal Cliff

Almost half of senior executives polled said they don't expect an agreement on the so-called "fiscal cliff" negotiations by year-end, according to a survey of more than 2,500 business leaders conducted by KPMG's TGI.
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A&A

Economic Optimism among CPAs Continues to Decline

CPA decision makers, primarily CEOs, CFOs, and controllers, are becoming more pessimistic about the future of the US economy, according to the latest AICPA Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey.
2851
A&A

Smaller Retailers Could Use a Holiday Boost

Holiday shopping is off to a solid start - good news for small retail companies, which have been experiencing weaker sales so far this year, according to preliminary data from Sageworks.
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Pages

Voice of the Editor

Even though any accounting auditor would tell you it seems like there are an awful lot of tax accountants out there, surely one-third of the country isn't made up of tax preparers, so it's rather startling news to learn that one-third of Americans like to do their taxes. Who knew?
Read more
Gail Perry, CPA
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB
editor@accountingweb.com
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