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Make a Difference in a Student's Life

By Amy Pitter posted 8 days ago
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Like so many of you, giving back is at the core of our beliefs and values at the Society. We know there are a lot of demands on your generosity this time of year, but they say charity begins at home and there are loads of amazing young people who need your help in realizing their dreams of becoming a CPA ( you can read some of their stories here ). That's why I'm asking for you to consider giving back to your profession with a donation to the MSCPA's Educational Foundation Scholarship Program .   Thank you to everyone who donated on #GivingTuesday – it was our best year yet! Even though the day is over, you can still donate to the Scholarship Program through ...
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Greetings from Our Annual New England Practice Management (MAP) Conference!

By Amy Pitter posted 22 days ago
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Greetings from Foxwoods! I'm writing to you from our annual New England Practice Management (MAP) Conference and have spent the last three days networking with 160 firm leaders and learning from experts in the accounting industry. Conversations have centered on the latest trends transforming how firms operate and what we should do now to adapt to the sweeping changes affecting our industry. This conference was developed by the MSCPA's Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Committee, and I'd like to thank them, our sponsors and Society staff for not only making the conference possible, but for making it a roaring success! To learn more about the MAP Committee, ...
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Join the Find a CPA Directory

By Amy Pitter posted 29 days ago
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The Society is always looking for opportunities to help our members succeed. One of the ways we do that is by increasing your exposure to potential clients. Our Find a CPA Directory is a popular search engine for individuals and businesses looking for a CPA firm in Massachusetts. There were over 8,000 visits to the Directory in the last year, and the MSCPA actively promotes the Directory through advertisements targeting the general public and Massachusetts businesses throughout the year.  Sign up today and grow your client list before busy season! Firms that join the Directory will be listed through December 31, 2020, and those in our Firm Sponsored Membership ...
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MSCPA Firm Visits & More

By Amy Pitter posted 11-08-2019
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What a week! I've been visiting firms across the state to discuss trends in the profession and ways that we can better serve our members. One way we're trying to reach more of you is by making our programs and events more accessible to members throughout the Commonwealth (traffic, as we all know, is a nightmare for everyone). We recently expanded our regional roundtables to nine locations, and we've heard great feedback from members that you would like more opportunities to connect with local peers to share ideas, challenges and build your network. Our roundtables are topic-based, so if you have any suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover, please reach ...
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Recent and Upcoming MSCPA Events

By Amy Pitter posted 11-01-2019
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Last week was one of my favorite MSCPA events – our Women’s Leadership Summit – where over 200 attendees celebrated seven outstanding women in the profession. Congratulations to our 2019 Women to Watch Award winners Rebecca Connolly, CPA, Danielle Donovan, CPA, MSA, Kristen Longobardi, CPA, Mon Chau, CPA, Laura McNeil, CPA, Laura O'Brien, CPA, MST and Amy Phelan, CPA . You are extraordinary role models for other women in accounting and I look forward to witnessing first-hand as you continue to change both our profession and community for the better.  One highlight for me was the Women to Watch panel, which was expertly moderated by one of our keynote speakers ...
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The AICPA's Fall Council Meeting

By Amy Pitter posted 10-25-2019
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This week was the AICPA's Fall Council Meeting, which is an opportunity for CEO Barry Melancon and his team to share their views on the top challenges in the profession, and what they're doing to address them. Much of the discussion centered around CPA Evolution, and its potential changes to the licensure process and CPA Exam, which will focus more on technology and data science. This will help attract students with those skills and help firms find qualified new hires. The concept of CPA Evolution centers on these principles about the profession: We must adapt quickly due to technological disruptions such as data analytics, robotics, artificial intelligence ...
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Attend the MSCPA's First Cannabis Networking Group Meeting

By Amy Pitter posted 10-18-2019
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This summer, MSCPA staff attended the annual Interchange Conference, where state societies come together to learn, network, share ideas and discuss the latest trends we're hearing from members. One topic that was heavily discussed was the evolving cannabis industry and how our members can get involved, which led to a post on  the HUB , where we presented the idea of creating a Cannabis Networking Group for interested members.   With that being said, after receiving interest from 30+ members,  I am pleased to share that we will be kicking off our first meeting on Wednesday, October 30 at the MSCPA's Boston office from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.  If you are practicing ...
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2019 Federal Tax Camps

By Amy Pitter posted 10-10-2019
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I know that this is a busy time for many of our members as the October 15 deadline looms, and I wanted to let you know that the Society is here to support you. If we can be of any assistance to you during this time, please feel welcome to contact our main line at 617.556.4000 or you can contact me directly at apitter@mscpaonline.org . And, you can always ask your fellow MSCPA members questions by posting on the HUB, our member-only online community .  They say once tax season is over, a new one begins, and the Society has designed our Federal Tax Camps to help you prepare for what’s ahead. Offered in three locations and on broadcast, Tax Camp will bring ...
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The AICPA 2019 Trends Report

By Amy Pitter posted 10-04-2019
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The AICPA has just released its 2019 Trends Report. This biennial report identifies key trends in the U.S. for both supply (accounting enrollments and graduations) and demand (hiring of new graduates in the public accounting sector).  On the supply side, there is good and bad news. Bachelor and graduate enrollments are down, but still at historically high levels. The number of people sitting for the CPA Exam dipped to its lowest level in 10 years. Some, but not all of that can be attributed to candidates rushing to take the Exam in 2016 before a scheduled change to its length and complexity. The good news is that our efforts at increasing diversity in the ...
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Changes to the MSCPA Educational Foundation Scholarship Program

By Amy Pitter posted 09-27-2019
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I'm thrilled to announce that we've made some recent changes to our Educational Foundation's Scholarship Program . Our strategy is to provide fewer scholarships in higher amounts, so that we can have a greater impact on the lives of these students as they pursue accounting degrees and the CPA designation. Click on the video below to learn more: Please click here to donate . The deadline to contribute to our 2020 Scholarship Program is December 31, 2019. Thank you for your continued support
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2019 Women's Leadership Summit

By Amy Pitter posted 09-20-2019
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In honor of our year of Diversity and Inclusion, our annual Women's Leadership Summit will feature two powerful speakers: Kim Drumgo and Terri Trespicio. Kim is the is the director of diversity and inclusion at the AICPA where she provides expertise in driving cultural change through cross-functional team engagement and inspiring a community of understanding. Her presentation will explore the key characteristics of an inclusive leader and how they are helping to grow the accounting profession. Terri is an award-winning writer, speaker and brand advisor who works with individuals and organizations to help nail their messaging and engage clients, customers and ...
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Your Donation Makes a Difference

By Amy Pitter posted 09-13-2019
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The start of a new school year is exciting, but for the many students who struggle to afford pursuing their accounting degrees, it's also a challenging (and scary) time. Offering scholarships to accounting students is one way we can help fuel the accounting pipeline and build a diverse talent pool. As our Educational Foundation enters a new fundraising year, I'm asking for your support. By donating to the Foundation, you will help deserving students move one step closer to achieving their dreams of entering our profession, and you'll have a direct impact on their lives. "Thank you to all my donors for helping to grant me the MSCPA's Women in Accounting ...
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MSCPA Career Fair Prep Webinar Recording

By Hannah Naranjo posted 09-11-2019
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Listen to our Career Fair Prep Webinar hosted by Babson College to learn about how to make the most of your MSCPA student membership, what to expect from the new version of the CPA Exam and how to perfect your personal pitch and resume to stand out among your peers. To listen to the recording, click here . To sign up for the Career Fair & Graduate School Expo, click here
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Suggestions for Working on Your Business This Fall

By Amy Pitter posted 09-06-2019
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It was in the low 60s when I left the house this morning, so I think summer is really over! That means we are all back to the whirlwind of activity that characterizes our profession – as we like to say... it's always the 15 th of something. We are all challenged by the dual pressures of working both in and on our business.  I have two suggestions for working on your business that you can start this fall. The first is to attend the New England Practice Management (MAP) Conference at Foxwoods in November. It's filled with great speakers who will share ideas for how to make the changes that will lead to new successes for your firm, and it's packed with networking ...
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What's in Store This Fall

By Amy Pitter posted 08-30-2019
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Summer is winding down, but the MSCPA is gearing up for a busy fall! We’ve spent the summer months planning programs for you to network and learn (and earn CPE) with your peers. I’m excited to share what we have in store for you! We’ve lined up some incredible speakers for our fall conferences. They include  Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA , president and CEO of the AICPA; national speaker  Terri Trespicio, who’s TEDx talk has more than 5 million views  and who was recently named one of the “Top 15 Female Speakers who are Killing It” by  HubSpot ; and Sue Smith, CPA who’s back by popular demand at our  Federal Tax Camps  (which will be offered in three ...
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Welcome to CPAtrack News!

By Kara Kieran posted 08-28-2019
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Stay tuned for latest news & updates, more coming soon.
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My "Life in Accounting" Podcast

By Amy Pitter posted 08-23-2019
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A couple of weeks ago I spotlighted Beth Lyons in this space and promised to continue to spotlight others on the MSCPA staff in the coming months. Well today, I wanted to share some news about myself: I was a recent guest on the "Life in Accounting" podcast, a production of "Where Accountants Go!", which is dedicated to helping future and current accounting professionals grow by sharing stories of others in the industry.    I enjoyed talking about my career journey with host Mark Goldman, CPA. We discussed my early career in accounting, followed by my years in government service and consulting, which led to my passion for diversity and inclusion – and how ...
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2019 Women to Watch Award Winners

By Amy Pitter posted 08-16-2019
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I am pleased to announce that our 2019 Women to Watch Award winners have been selected! The Women to Watch Awards recognize outstanding women in the accounting profession and are given in two categories: Emerging Leaders (fewer than 15 years in the profession) and Experienced Leaders (15 or more years in the profession). There were many exceptional nominees this year, making it a very difficult decision for our judging panel. Congratulations to the following seven winners:    Emerging Leaders Rebecca Connolly, CPA, m anager, Burkhart, Pizzanelli, PC  Danielle Donovan, CPA, MSA, supervisor, Walter & Shuffain, P.C. Kristen Longobardi, ...
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The MSCPA's Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP)

By Amy Pitter posted 08-09-2019
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As you know, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) is a heavy focus this year for the MSCPA as well as several accounting firms and companies. However, for us to all be successful in incorporating it in the workplace, it is imperative that we help fill the accounting pipeline with diverse candidates. This year, the MSCPA partnered with NABA, Fisher College and Suffolk University to host the Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP), a free one-week, non-residential camp from July 29 – August 2 and from August 5 – August 9 for underrepresented high school students to learn more about the field of accounting and other business-related professions. I am ...
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Meet Beth Lyons, COO of the MSCPA

By Amy Pitter posted 08-02-2019
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From time to time, I'd like to use this space to introduce you to our team at the Society. Today, I'd like you to meet Beth Lyons, our COO, who is truly also the backbone of our organization. For 42 years, she has been working for the MSCPA, witnessing first hand the evolving profession and the growth of our members. We all value Beth, not just for her institutional knowledge, but for her uncommon good sense, warmth and amazing people skills. She has worn many hats during her time at the Society; many of our members have connected with her through peer review, membership programs and at our networking events. An avid golfer, Beth lives in Millbury with ...
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