Journal of Accountancy Podcast

Finance leaders can become consumed by today's challenges, but long-term thinking is essential to staying competitive and relevant.

In this episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast, hear from former AICPA chair Okorie Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, on how the Rise2040 initiative identifies key forces shaping the profession, why embracing change is critical, and how trust can remain a powerful advantage for CPAs.

Ramsey, speaking from the Future of Finance Summit in National Harbor, Md., also discussed the purpose of the AICPA Foundation and why he enjoys being part of the Future of Finance Leadership Advisory Group.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• A framing of the Rise2040 initiative and how it can help finance leaders think beyond this week's task list.
• Ramsey's comment on Rise2040 including the statement from accountants that "our biggest threat is us."
• Why embracing change is a critical skill for the profession.
• The reason trust is particularly important now in Ramsey's mind.
• His focus areas as vice president of the AICPA Foundation.

Tiffany Willis, a former Starbucks finance executive, spoke recently at the Future of Finance Summit, presenting real and challenging boardroom scenarios for the audience.

In a podcast interview, she expanded on those ideas, sharing practical advice for handling high-pressure moments, communicating with executives, and presenting financial insights effectively.

Willis explained why preparation, audience awareness, and composure are critical skills. She also discussed the leadership lessons behind her book, Own Your Narrative, and the importance of authenticity in building successful teams.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why the "meeting before the meeting" can minimize surprises in the boardroom.
• How to tailor financial insights and data presentations for different audiences.
• Ways to maintain composure and credibility when your work is challenged.
• How finance leaders can bridge gaps between organizational goals and financial realities.
• Her emphasis on authenticity.
• Why Willis said she's "still developing" as a leader.

Employers continue to face headwinds when it comes to landing and retaining accounting and finance talent — with AI, demographic shifts, and evolving skills needs reshaping the hiring landscape.

This episode, a conversation with Robert Half executive Steve Saah, explores what leaders can do to attract and keep professionals, prepare future managers, and build teams equipped for the future of finance.

Saah — speaking at the Future of Finance Summit in National Harbor, Md. — also explains one of the ways that artificial intelligence is slowing down the hiring process, comments on insights from the Rise2040 initiative, and notes the role that workplace flexibility plays in the pursuit of talent.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why accounting and finance talent remains in short supply.
• The estimated number of Baby Boomers retiring each day.
• How AI-generated résumés are changing the hiring process.
• Some of the ways leaders can balance staffing needs and employee burnout.
• The skills that professionals need to stay marketable in an AI-driven future.
• Best practices for succession planning and leadership development.

Melissa Furman, a leadership coach and consultant, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address Oct. 19 at the AICPA Governmental and Not-for-Profit Conference in Dallas. She joined the Journal of Accountancy podcast to preview her session, touching on the challenges organizations face in dealing with multiple generations in the workforce.

She explained how differences in communication and technology preferences and workplace expectations can lead to conflict but also can create learning opportunities for employers.

Furman singled out her own generation as both "the problem and the solution" and made a college football-related comparison to the generation's communication style. She also advised professionals to learn more about colleagues and direct reports instead of relying on generational stereotypes.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why five (or more) generations in the workforce create both challenges and opportunities.
• How communication preferences differ across generations and affect workplace relationships.
• Why Melissa Furman calls Generation X the "Heisman generation."
• What millennial and Gen Z workers want from employers when it comes to flexibility, leadership access, and technology.
• A parting thought to leaders: "Get out there" and "learn your people."

Boards need more than reports to provide effective fraud risk oversight; they need structures that help them determine whether risk management programs work.

Jonathan Marks, CPA/CFF/CITP, CGMA, CFE, the author of the most recent FVS Eye on Fraud report, explains more about how boards should be involved — and how they shouldn't — when it comes to oversight of fraud risk.

Key points of the discussion include how information that reaches the board is often "scrubbed" and why the right questions can help directors stay in the loop on fraud risk.

Editor's note: The summer FVS Eye on Fraud report is available for download at the link above. It becomes exclusive to FVS Section members after Oct. 9.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why effective fraud risk oversight is a structural discipline rather than a reporting exercise.
• How boards can determine whether a fraud risk management program works in practice without stepping into management's role.
• Why feedback loops are essential to ensuring that directors receive and understand the right information.
• An explanation of the Candor Chain and the ways critical information can be softened, altered, or lost before reaching the board.
• How the COSO Fraud Risk Management Guide can help boards evaluate risks, controls, and the human factors behind fraud.

Overall, those who are pessimistic about the U.S. economy outnumber those who are optimistic this quarter. But, optimism rose slightly compared with the previous quarter, according to a quarterly survey of CPA decision-makers.

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

Witt also touches on top challenges and the CPA leaders' views on hiring, projected revenue growth, and spending plans for the coming 12 months.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The increase in optimism related to the domestic and global economies.
• The decrease in own-company optimism from the previous quarter.
• The familiar obstacle for CPA decision-makers that returned to No. 1 on the list of challenges.
• Projected revenue and profit growth in the coming 12 months.
• Projected spending on IT, training, and other capital expenditures.
• A farewell to the survey's longtime guru.

Artificial intelligence is accelerating the transformation of the finance function in ways that go beyond automation of existing processes.

Gartner senior director Mallory Bulman explains how finance teams can help organizations move faster, make better decisions, and prepare for 2030 and beyond.

The conversation explores digital talent, enterprise simulations, product management techniques, and what Bulman heard from attendees at the Future of Finance Summit about contending with volatility and deciding whether to be "AI-forward" or "AI-cautious."

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The number of CFOs that Bulman speaks with each week, and the universal truths she hears in those calls.
• What an OODA loop is and why, in Bulman's words, the "observe" part of that acronym will be getting shorter.
• A key theme of a Gartner finance presentation and its tie-in with one of Bulman's sons' science classes.
• How a product management mindset and self-service tools can help finance teams effectively deliver decision-ready information.
• Bulman's takeaways from the Future of Finance Summit earlier in August.

Rebekah Olson, CPA, CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs, returned to the Journal of Accountancy podcast for the first time since 2019 to discuss how community, collaboration, and relationships can strengthen the accounting profession.

She shared insights into efforts to address recruiting and retention challenges, the role of professional associations in creating value for members, and an update on CPA licensure.

Olson also explained the thinking behind the MACPA's Beyond the Bottom Line YouTube series and why engagement remains critical for the profession's future.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Olson's "best part of the accounting profession" and how it led her state association to start a YouTube series.
• Why Olson believes relationships and community are among the profession's greatest strengths.
• What she learned from Tom Hood.
• How Maryland's CPA licensure changes fit into broader efforts across the profession.
• What associations can do to create more value and engagement for members.
• Why positive news about accounting enrollment, in Olson's mind, doesn't eliminate the need for continued workforce development efforts.

For the 500th episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast, the show went on the road to the Future of Finance Summit.

The conversation with the AICPA's Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, executive vice president–Business Growth and Engagement, focuses on how finance leaders are moving beyond exploration of artificial intelligence and into active piloting and scaling.

Hood discussed priorities other than AI for finance leaders, who gathered last week in National Harbor, Md. Hood also looked back on the growth of the Future of Finance community, explaining how the "wisdom of the crowd" is one of the event's big draws.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• A brief look back at the start of the JofA podcast, which has published 500 episodes.
• What live polling at last week's Future of Finance Summit revealed about the pace of AI adoption in corporate finance functions.
• Senior finance leaders' top issues in 2026 other than AI.
• How finance leaders are trying to balance growth initiatives with continued pressure to control costs.
• Why Hood says the Future of Finance community is helping leaders learn faster through case studies, peer collaboration, and shared best practices.
• A look ahead to the 2027 Future of Finance Summit.

Eric R. Alexander, CPA, president of advisory service company Six Arrows Consulting, discusses the lessons he's learned throughout his career in finance and what being a finance leader means for him, and other insights from his upcoming book, Stewardship Leadership for Stinkin' Accountants: Serving as the CFO.

He shares key strategies for developing as a stewardship leader, including how he holds himself accountable, how he views his role as a trusted adviser for organizations, and the steps he has taken to improve in the relational and people aspects of the finance function.

"I've been most effective in my work when I've functioned as a steward, meaning I understood things had been entrusted to me to be responsible for," he said. "I was accountable to people, and fundamentally, it was not all about me."

Editor's note: This episode was originally on the FM podcast.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Why Alexander says the CFO role is not about you as a finance leader.
• Key elements of stewardship leadership.
• How to hold yourself accountable as a finance professional.
• Why getting into the finer details can complicate decision-making.
• What it means to own your results.
• Tips for enhancing people and soft skills.