Pondering

Have a post up at my other blog, Outrun Change, describing a conversation started in the humanitarian aid community about how to deal with military forces moving into the aid environment – Grappling with change – another sector talks about their environment.

That conversation is an example of one community trying to deal with the change that is taking place in their environment.

Have a post at my other blog, Outrun Change, pondering if today’s predictions of the future will look as silly in 50 years as the predictions from the 1950s look to us.

As you laugh at those ridiculous predictions from 50 years ago, ponder how today’s predictions will look 50 years from now

I was out-of-town four days towards the end of January.  Provided a peer review to a CPA firm.  Took a break from the ‘net as much as I could.

I drove across the Central Valley of California for the first time and after the project, enjoyed taking one of those away days seeing Yosemite.  Haven’t been there before.  It’s breathtakingly awe-inspiring. (Yes, I know. I don’t get out enough.)

While driving I came up with two or three ideas for blog posts. Couldn’t help but think about some things and translate them to blog ideas as I was driving and observing and pondering.

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Tell my again why there’s nothing to write about in accounting?Read More »

That’s a key idea from Bill Sheridan’s blog post, Learn. Share. Repeat.

As knowledge workers, CPAs need to have a lot of knowledge. And a broad base of information. And the wisdom how to use that knowledge.

We get paid for what we know! Cool!

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CPAs get to learn for a living!Read More »

A: Be ready to fire the apparent client.

If your real client is the stockholders or an NPO itself and not the CFO or CEO, then you may have to take a stand against the CFO or CEO.  How can you make it possible to do that since they can fire you?

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Q: How do you make sure you can take a stand for your real client, and stand up against the person that signed the engagement letter?Read More »

I have a series of posts up on my other blog, Outrun Change, discussing the radical changes in how books, music, and video are distributed today without having to use a traditional middleman.  There is a dramatic shift when it doesn’t cost anything to make and distribute one more copy of something.

This doesn’t just impact writers and musicians.  This has a huge impact on nonprofits that want to get their message and resources out, or businesses that want to start producing materials for education and promotion.

Check these out:

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What’s the impact when there is zero cost to distribute one more item?Read More »

Coming away from the 2011 CalCPA A&A conference, I realized again what a huge volume of change we are seeing in the accounting rules now.  There is a lot of stuff in exposure draft and more things just over the horizon.  

Just in terms of GAAP, I think that volume of change is going to increase.

In addition, I learned that SSARS rules are being rewritten into the clarified structure. Also, I’ve previously read the independence rules are being rewritten in clarified structure.

Coming to terms with that idea of increasing rate of change is the whole purpose behind my other blog, Outrun Change, by the way.

Have a post on my other blog, Outrun Change, linking to a great discussion by Tom Hood, CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs dealing with the changes in the nature of leadership taking place today.  Lots of other great resources on his post dealing with dealing with change. Check out Are you future ready? for more details.

The swinging of a pendulum is a great word picture for describing change.   Especially helps for explaining shifts in computing power.  The pendulum swung from dumb terminals to personal computers and now to ‘the cloud’.

I mention this in a post at my other blog, Outrun Change:  The computing pendulum has swung back to dumb terminals and service bureaus – will it swing back?

There I discuss and link to a post by John Bredehoft.

By the way, my ponderings about the change taking place around us are posted on the other blog.  That leaves this blog focused on attestation issues.

Delivering books in PDF format is old news.

Today I looked at the process anew and laughed in marvel at the simplicity, low-cost, and blinding speed of doing so. Posted my thoughts on my other blog Outrun Change at: It’s a blast being alive today, or, isn’t technology cool?