ADVERTISE PDF

May-June 2024

Flipbook

In this issue:

May 10, 2024

Delivering Value to Match Your Needs

By TXCPA's President and CEO Jodi Ann Ray, CAE

We’re ending another year of serving our amazing community of 28,000 members! Thank you for the trust you place in TXCPA year after year. 

To ensure we are responsive and nimble in the delivery of the services and benefits members value most, TXCPA conducts ongoing member research. Over the past year, when asked to rank the reasons members belong to TXCPA, they prioritize as follows: To protect their license; for education; to stay up to date on professional issues. 

These three core areas are where we consistently focus on delivering value and they are the foundation of our messages as we strive to grow our professional community.

In 2023-2024, TXCPA protected your license with advocacy on issues like supporting a delay in the implementation of Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) requirements and with responses to every professional standards exposure draft that was released. 

We also had a seat at the table over the last year for the national discussions around growing the CPA pipeline and helping members and their organizations manage the talent shortage and ensure the future of the profession. Trends and sentiments from Texas were shared with the National Pipeline Advisory Group for their work identifying possible solutions and opportunities. 

TXCPA’s education options for members continued to thrive in 2023-2024, with more than 15 conferences, free quarterly professional issues and Texas tax update webcasts, the continued offering of the free four-hour on-demand ethics course, the addition of timely content to the TXCPA Passport, and hundreds of technical and non-technical webcasts offered every day. 

As we receive updates on late breaking news, it is our first priority to communicate to members and help you stay up to date on professional issues. We post real-time updates on tx.cpa, as well as on our social media channels. Members receive regular email updates and useful content in Today’s CPA. And Chair Tim Pike visited with many of you personally as he delivered presentations in chapters across the state. 

Be sure to read the cover story in this Today’s CPA issue to learn more about how TXCPA connected, protected and advanced our members and the profes­sion over the past year. We look ahead to 2024-2025 with much anticipation for the great work we know we’ll accomplish with the support and commitment of our members and volunteers. 

Thank you for your membership! 

About the Author: Jodi Ann Ray is TXCPA's President and CEO.

How can TXCPA help you in 2024-2025? Drop me a note at jray@tx.cpa. 

 

May-June 2026

Flipbook

In This Issue

  • TXCPA Strategic Plan

    Building What’s Next: TXCPA’s 2025-26 Year in Review

    TXCPA’s 2025–26 Year in Review highlights how the organization is responding to rapid change in the accounting profession through a clear strategic vision focused on people, innovation and advocacy. Key efforts include new programs, enhanced CPE and learning through AcctoFi, and technology and chapter integration initiatives. The year also marked major legislative wins, positioning Texas as a national leader.
    View Article

  • CPE: Option-Based Contracts and Foreign Currency Transactions

    This article covers option-based contracts in foreign currency transactions and their treatment as derivatives under ASC 815. It highlights how options differ from forwards and futures, outlines call and put options and their accounting implications, defines key derivative terminology, and illustrates how FX options can hedge one-sided currency risk while preserving upside potential.
    View Article
    Underlyings
  • volunteer leadership

    Celebrating Progress. Shaping What’s Next.

    This issue of Today’s CPA reflects on TXCPA’s achievements during the 2025–2026 membership year while looking ahead to the future. It highlights advocacy successes, profession updates, expanded education offerings, technology investments, and strong member and volunteer engagement. As the year closes, members are encouraged to stay engaged and help shape what’s next.
    View Article

  • CARB vs. No-CARB – The California Climate Accountability Package

    California’s Climate Accountability Package significantly expands corporate climate disclosure requirements, mandating detailed greenhouse gas emissions reporting and climate‑risk analysis for companies doing business in the state. Ongoing legal challenges remain, but enforcement timelines are intact, placing growing responsibility on companies and CPAs to manage data quality, Scope 3 estimates and audit‑ready disclosures.
    View Article
    Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
  • Pro Bono Services

    Justice for Fraud Victims Project: Bridging the Justice Gap in Financial Fraud

    The Justice for Fraud Victims Project (JFVP) is a national program that delivers free forensic accounting and fraud investigation services to vulnerable individuals, small businesses and nonprofits. With partnerships among universities, anti-fraud professionals and law enforcement, they help uncover financial crimes and educate future forensic accountants. The model is expanding, including a new program at Lubbock Christian University.
    View Article

  • A Refresher on Auditor Independence: Best Practices Every CPA Should Know

    Auditor independence is essential to maintaining trust in the accounting profession, requiring both objectivity and the appearance of impartiality. Common threats - such as self-interest, self-review and familiarity - continue to lead to violations. Strong firm policies, ongoing training and effective use of technology are key to preventing these issues.
    View Article
    Quality Control Systems
  • Xero

    After QuickBooks Desktop: What CPAs Need to Know Now

    This article outlines the key implications of QuickBooks Desktop's phased discontinuation, including service discontinuation risks, operational failures, backup and archival strategies, migration challenges, and alternative accounting platforms. It also provides guidance for CPAs to take a proactive approach to managing and executing client migrations.
    View Article

  • Are Municipal Bond Investors Sitting on a Ticking Tax Bomb?

    Tax‑exempt municipal bonds purchased at deep discounts can quietly trigger ordinary income taxation under the IRS de minimis rule, eroding after‑tax returns and creating surprise tax bills at maturity. By comparing after‑tax “true yield” and proactively swapping discounted bonds for higher‑coupon alternatives, CPAs and financial advisors can help clients defuse a hidden tax bomb and improve portfolio outcomes.
    View Article
    Tax‑Exempt Securities
  • Quantum Computing

    Risks, Realities and the Evolving Role of CPAs Auditing Emerging Technologies

    Emerging technologies are reshaping auditing by embedding automation, advanced analytics and decentralized systems into core business processes. While these tools improve efficiency and insight, they introduce new risks that challenge traditional audit approaches. CPAs must adapt methods, rely more heavily on professional judgment, and uphold independence and integrity to sustain trust in financial reporting.
    View Article

  • What’s Happening Around Texas - May-June 2026

    TXCPA chapters across Texas are making an impact through service, networking and professional development. Recent highlights include volunteer and scholarship efforts in Austin, community engagement and member meetups in Dallas, student outreach and advocacy in East Texas, and career-focused events in Houston that strengthen connections within the accounting community.
    View Article
    volunteer advocacy
  • volunteer leadership

    Advocacy Update – Elections and the 2027 Legislative Session are Right Around the Corner

    TXCPA is preparing for the 2027 Texas legislative session as the 2026 elections shape the political and policy landscape. Key focuses include monitoring election outcomes, emerging legislative issues and national deregulation efforts that could impact CPA licensure and practice, while encouraging continued member engagement and advocacy.
    View Article

  • Why Positioning Matters More Than Ever for CAS Firms

    Client advisory services deliver the most value when firms clearly define who they serve and which problems they solve. Clear positioning enables standardized workflows, repeatable service offerings and more predictable growth.
    View Article
    Service differentiation
  • Word Challenge

    Take Note

    In this edition of Take Note: Renew Your TXCPA Membership; Accountants Confidential Assistance Network (ACAN); 2026 CPE Programs; Word Game - Positioning That Powers Growth
    View Article

  • Classifieds

    The Classifieds section of Today's CPA provides a one-stop destination to find practices for sale, connect with buyers, and access services that support growth, transition and market expansion.
    View Article

CHAIR
Mohan Kuruvilla, Ph.D., CPA

PRESIDENT/CEO
Jodi Ann Ray, CAE, CCE, IOM

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Melinda Bentley, CAE

EDITORIAL BOARD CHAIR
Jennifer Johnson, CPA

MANAGER, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Peggy Foley
pfoley@tx.cpa

MANAGING EDITOR
DeLynn Deakins
ddeakins@tx.cpa

COLUMN EDITOR
Don Carpenter, MSAcc/CPA

DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST
Wayne Hardin, CDMP, PCM®

CLASSIFIEDS
DeLynn Deakins

Texas Society of CPAs
14131 Midway Rd., Suite 850
Addison, TX 75001
972-687-8550
ddeakins@tx.cpa

 

Editorial Board
Derrick Bonyuet-Lee, CPA-Austin;
Aaron Borden, CPA-Dallas;
Don Carpenter, CPA-Central Texas;
Rhonda Fronk, CPA-Houston;
Aaron Harris, CPA-Dallas;
Baria Jaroudi, CPA-Houston;
Elle Kathryn Johnson, CPA-Houston;
Jennifer Johnson, CPA-Dallas;
Lucas LaChance, CPA-Dallas, CIA;
Nicholas Larson, CPA-Fort Worth;
Anne-Marie Lelkes, CPA-Corpus Christi;
Bryan Morgan, Jr, CPA-Austin;
Stephanie Morgan, CPA-East Texas;
Kamala Raghavan, CPA-Houston;
Amber Louise Rourke, CPA-Brazos Valley;
Shilpa Boggram Sathyamurthy, CPA-Houston, CA
Nikki Lee Shoemaker, CPA-East Texas, CGMA;
Natasha Winn, CPA-Houston.

CONTRIBUTORS
Melinda Bentley; Kenneth Besserman; Kristie Estrada; Holly McCauley; Craig Nauta; Kari Owen; John Ross; Lani Shepherd; April Twaddle; Patty Wyatt