David Stone, CPA, CFE, MBA, is the author of the most recent FVS Eye on Fraud report.

In this episode, Stone, senior manager–Financial Services Practice Group at BerryDunn, shares insights from the report, which focuses on internal and external fraud risks facing financial institutions. Stone explains how long‑standing schemes — from misuse of dormant accounts to persistent check‑fraud activity — continue to evolve even as institutions strengthen their controls.

Stone, a graduate of the AICPA Leadership Academy, also describes emerging, technology‑driven threats such as deepfakes, more sophisticated ransomware, and the potential impact of quantum computing on systems once considered secure.

Previous Eye on Fraud-focused episodes:

February 2026

July 2025

March 2025

What you'll learn from this episode:

• David Stone's explanation of perhaps the first recorded case of bank fraud.
• Defining internal and external fraud, both of which are focus areas in the March Eye on Fraud report.
• Why dormant accounts offer opportunities for fraudsters.
• The fraud stat that "astounded" Stone.
• How deepfakes and enhanced ransomware tactics are reshaping the threat landscape for financial institutions.
• What quantum computing could mean for the future of fraud prevention.

Two AICPA tax experts from the Washington, D.C., office joined the JofA podcast to discuss a recent Government Accountability Office report on paid tax return preparers and why its findings matter during a busy filing season.

Melanie Lauridsen, vice president–Tax Policy & Advocacy, and Todd Sloves, director–Congressional & Political Affairs, break down bipartisan legislation in Congress — including the TAS Act — and explain how its provisions could strengthen oversight and modernize IRS processes. The conversation also highlights the SAFE Act and its aim to simplify the task of filing extensions for taxpayers and practitioners.

The Q&A also outlines where broad consensus exists in the tax community and why this moment could be pivotal for long‑awaited tax administration reforms.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• What the statistics in a GAO report on paid tax return preparers show.
• How minimum professional standards could strengthen IRS oversight, and why the AICPA supports establishing competency and regulatory guardrails for all preparers.
• Provisions in the TAS Act recently introduced in the Senate, including reforms shaped by bipartisan work and those aimed at improving taxpayer service.
• Lauridsen's explanation of how the SAFE Act would simplify filing extensions, reducing the need for complex estimates.
• A reminder of the particulars of the "mailbox rule."
• The factors Sloves cites in his belief that the discussed legislation has a path to passage.

Optimism among U.S. CPA decision-makers in February improved when compared with the outlook in November, but overall sentiment remains guarded. That's one conversation topic in the latest Journal of Accountancy podcast episode.

In the episode, Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, associate director–Management Accounting Research & Development for the AICPA and CIMA, break down the sentiment about the domestic economy, the global economy, and respondents' companies.

The discussion also touches on top challenges, hiring plans, and recession expectations.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The increase in own‑company optimism from the previous quarter.
• The reasons that both optimists and pessimists cite for their views.
• The "dance" that inflation and domestic economic conditions have done on the survey's list of top challenges.
• Projected revenue and profit growth in the coming 12 months.

At several points over the past six years, employee retention has ebbed and flowed. In part, workforce trends have been tied to the COVID-19 pandemic hastening the predominance of remote and hybrid work. And, more recently, economic uncertainty has contributed to employee sentiment.

On this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast, two Robert Half executives discuss general hiring trends and the outlook for accounting and finance roles. Additionally, they examine the dynamics of promoting from within versus hiring externally.

And, in case you missed it, news dropped on publication day that even a Hollywood director might have found interesting: ENGAGE keynote speakers were announced.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why nearly 40% of employees say they plan to look for a new job in 2026 and how that compares with recent trends such as "the big stay."
• Some of the factors employees are considering in their decision to find work elsewhere.
• Steve Saah's reminder that the demand for accounting and finance professionals remains strong even as hiring managers say it's becoming more challenging to find skilled candidates.
• Kathy Burton's explanation for why companies should move away from thinking about "diminishing" skillsets.
• The importance of upskilling and reskilling and why "courageous curiosity" is a valued trait.

Early this month, the AICPA launched its Profession Ready Initiative. In this episode of the JofA podcast, Carl Mayes, CPA, the AICPA's vice president–CPA Candidate Quality and Competency, explained more about the initiative and why a rapidly changing workplace demands new skills from emerging and early-career CPAs.

He discussed how automation, AI, and offshoring are reshaping entry-level work — and how Rise2040 research is informing the initiative.

Listeners will learn how to get involved, what's planned for ENGAGE, and how the effort benefits both early-career professionals and experienced CPAs.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why the AICPA launched the Profession Ready Initiative.
• How Rise2040 research informed the approach to improving entry-level CPA skills.
• The ways automation, AI, and offshoring are reshaping the first years of CPA careers — and what new competencies employers say they need as a result.
• The initiative's multifaceted approach, including research, new learning solutions, academic collaboration, and state-level engagement.
• Ways that CPAs, educators, and firms can participate.
• How the effort will benefit both early-career professionals and experienced CPAs.

Tammy Thomas, CPA/CFF, CGMA, is a co-author of the most recent FVS Eye on Fraud report, focused on the importance of internal controls preventing employee embezzlement.

In this episode, Thomas breaks down how failures in segregation of duties allowed two major embezzlement schemes to persist for years. She explains how small control gaps and role consolidation can quietly erode an organization's defenses.

Thomas also outlines how deadline pressure and resource constraints can unintentionally weaken internal control environments.

Also, hear the previous Eye on Fraud podcast discussion, about the role of company culture, from July 2025.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• A definition of internal controls and why they function best as a dynamic, ongoing process.
• How weak internal controls and poor segregation of duties can create openings for employee embezzlement.
• Why deadline pressure around the month‑end or year‑end close can weaken internal control effectiveness.
• Practical steps organizations can take to strengthen internal controls, improve oversight, and reduce fraud risk.
• Why Thomas said it was important to remember that "internal control is not a checklist."

In this episode, Wesley Hartman, co‑author of the Journal of Accountancy's Technology Q&A column, discusses how AI is reshaping work for accounting firms.

He explains the difference between generative and agentic AI and why both matter for firm workflows. Hartman also outlines the most pressing AI risks for CPAs, including hallucinations and emerging deepfake‑driven scams, which he wrote about in the February Tech Q&A. He closes the conversation with practical guidance for adopting AI tools methodically while avoiding common pitfalls.

Also, here are a few Technology Q&A columns related to the discussion:

• "How CPAs Can Combat the Rising Threat of Deepfake Fraud," May 1, 2025
• "AI-Powered Hacking in Accounting: 'No One Is Safe'," Oct. 1, 2025
• "Creating an AI Agent in ChatGPT," Nov. 1, 2025

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The ways Hartman uses AI in his own work.
• The difference between agentic and generative AI.
• Why "confidently wrong" AI responses can present risks for firms.
• How inaction or "wait‑and‑see" thinking can create its own form of AI risk.

A new episode of the JofA podcast breaks down the AICPA's updated criteria for stablecoin controls, explaining what issuers and practitioners need to know as regulatory expectations evolve.

This episode explores how revised AICPA stablecoin criteria support more consistent reporting, disclosure, and control assessments across a rapidly developing digital asset landscape.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why the AICPA developed updated criteria for stablecoin controls and how they complement existing presentation and disclosure criteria.
• How the criteria help issuers and auditors evaluate controls over tokens in circulation and the related reserve assets.
• How the guidance aligns with regulation, including federal guidelines in the GENIUS Act.
• Who can use the criteria and how practitioners can apply them in assurance engagements involving stablecoins.
• What work the AICPA Attestation Subgroup is planning for digital asset-related controls and auditing guidance.

In this episode, former AICPA Chair Bill Reeb, CPA/CITP, CGMA, reflects on more than 40 years in the profession and why he believes accountability is the starting point for a successful leadership effort.

Reeb, speaking from the Digital CPA Conference in December, discusses how momentum, clarity of direction, and facing fear help leaders navigate today's rapid pace of change. He also addresses technological shifts including the rise of artificial intelligence and explains why a book he wrote about succession planning was not predominantly about succession.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Reeb's view of CPAs' unlimited career possibilities.
• What he and his wife learned on a shopping trip about 40 years ago.
• Why momentum, facing fear, and embracing change are essential elements of strong leadership.
• How accountability supports effective change management and keeps teams aligned on strategy.
• How rapid technological shifts have created higher standards but not necessarily time savings.
• Why the answer to "What is Bill Reeb's succession plan?" is complicated.

On this episode of the JofA podcast, an AICPA executive and regular guest discussed trends from discussions with numerous finance professionals, delving into how AI and hybrid work might affect accounting this year and beyond.

"Now we're going to be talking about managing AI agents in finance and accounting," Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, said. "That's going to be a whole different world, and it's going to be exponential in what we can do with it."

Hood, the AICPA's executive vice president–Business Engagement and Growth, also explained why CFOs are cautiously optimistic about growth and how the Rise2040 project is helping the profession prepare for long-term change.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• How AI is shifting from simple productivity tools to powerful finance agents — and what that means for accounting professionals.
• Practical strategies for making hybrid work more effective, including purposeful in-office collaboration.
• Why CFOs and finance leaders are cautiously optimistic about growth in 2026 despite economic uncertainty.
• How anticipatory thinking and hard-trend analysis can help accountants prepare for long-term change and disruption.
• Why trust and integrity remain core accounting values.

Samantha Bowling, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of GWCPA, shares how her firm eliminated busy season, limited hours, and improved morale while still meeting client needs. She also explained how thoughtful use of AI can support advisory services, boost efficiency, and help small firms get "unstuck."

This episode of the JofA podcast was recorded at Digital CPA in National Harbor, Md., in December 2025.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The steps Bowling's firm took to eliminate traditional busy season.
• How productivity and morale were affected by limiting hours and weekend work.
• The value the firm has found in "Foresight Fridays."
• Practical ways AI tools can speed tax research while managing regulatory concerns.
• How custom AI bots can support internal efficiency.
• Why clearer communication and accountability helped the firm solve problems it didn't know it had.