Discover how CPAs add value and navigate financial challenges.

January 2026

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Making Sense

of What Comes Next

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Making Sense

of What Comes Next

One Big Number

60%
The number of Americans who think 2026 will be better financially than 2025 – WalletHub

Accounting All Stars
erin-roche-ms

Erin Roche

SANTA ROSA, CA

 

A tax partner at BPM, Erin helps business owners and individuals understand and plan for their tax obligations. With 15 years of experience, she’s previously worked as a controller for private manufacturing and service-based companies, specializing in harvesting, tracking and then interpreting financial data, always focusing on improving business. Outside the office, Erin, her husband and their two daughters attend The Great Dickens Christmas Fair every year. She even prepares costumes and, some years, her family wears them.

What does a typical day look like for you?

No two days look exactly alike, but they all revolve around people and strategy. Some days I’m deep in conversation with clients, helping them understand the bigger picture. Other days I’m focused internally, working with colleagues to position our technology resources in a way that supports exceptional user experiences for both our team and our clients. Whether it’s strategic planning, problem-solving or simply listening, every day is about making sure people have what they need to move forward confidently.

What keeps you coming back to your work?

The most satisfying part of my work is walking away from a challenging conversation knowing we made meaningful progress, that something important shifted. Getting there takes diligence and real effort, but it’s absolutely worth it. When a client reaches a stretch goal they’ve been pursuing for years, or when a colleague completes a project they’re truly proud of, that sense of accomplishment is contagious. 

What would people not expect of accounting?

My kids love to tease me because I still use a calculator to add 2 + 2! Truth is, accounting isn’t really about math, at least not in the way people imagine. It’s about patterns, seeing how information fits together, spotting what’s missing and understanding what the story behind the numbers is trying to tell us.

What should people know about accounting?

Accounting, when it’s done well, is very rarely boring. We’re constantly solving puzzles, doing detective work and applying strategy. It’s less about debits and credits and more about understanding how information flows through an organization and helping people use that information to make thoughtful decisions. At its core, accounting is about clarity, insight and impact.

readers-digest-fw

Navigating Change, Expectations Under OBBBA

by CAMICO Staff

Jan. 12, 2026

 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) ushers in some of the most significant tax law changes since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While many provisions are designed to simplify or stimulate economic activity, they also create traps for the unwary.

 

CPAs, and regular citizens, should remain alert to compliance challenges, client misperceptions and liability exposures as the IRS and state taxing authorities continue to issue implementing guidance.

 

Although not all-inclusive, this article highlights several risk areas and practical strategies for managing them through communication, documentation and engagement-scope clarity, including research and development costs; business interest expense; individual provisions; and compliance, credits and penalties.

 

Read the full article at CalCPA.

in-the-news

Sen. Roger Niello Introduces Resolution Celebrating CPAs

CalCPA

Sen. Niello, CPA (Inactive) introduced State Concurrent Resolution 111 commemorating, recognizing and celebrating the 125th anniversary of California CPAs; commending the California Board of Accountancy for its commitment to consumer protection and professional excellence; and honoring the many CPAs who have contributed to California’s economic strength, public accountability and community well-being.

 

A Surprising Line of Defense Against Cyberattacks: Accountants

The Conversation | Egor Komarov

Companies are often told cybercrime is unavoidable—that breaches are a matter of “when,” not “if.” So, responses tend to focus on technology, like firewalls, encryption, software updates and staff training. Important, yes. But research suggests a quieter line of defense against attacks is already embedded inside many companies: auditors—a specialized type of financial accountant.

How Does Nature Contribute to the Economy? These Environmental Accountants Are Trying to Find Out

Inside Climate News | Kiley Price

A growing number of economists and ecologists around the world are helping decisionmakers understand the full extent of the contributions to local and national economies made by plants, animals or entire ecosystems—and what’s at risk financially if they are lost. Experts are starting to formally catalogue the environment’s financial contributions to society through an approach dubbed “natural capital accounting.”

 

Accounting student enrollment outpaces rate across majors

Maura Webber Sadovi | CFO Dive

Undergraduate enrollment in college accounting programs during the fall semester rose for the third consecutive year, a year-over-year increase of 7.3% from the 2024 fall semester, according to recent data. The increase comes as the profession continues a multi-pronged effort to reverse a decline in accounting graduation rates that has persisted for several years.

Did you know?

Ever wonder what brought down Al Capone?
Daily Accrual

The gangster who ruled Chicago wasn’t convicted for bootlegging or murder. He was caught for tax evasion. IRS agent Frank J. Wilson and his team followed money prints, tracking Capone’s gambling profits, hidden bank accounts and lavish lifestyle. In 1931, Capone faced 22 counts of tax evasion and 11 years in federal prison. The irony? The man who bribed officials and dodged the law for years was stopped by ledgers instead. Crime might pay ... but accounting always wins.

did-you-know-mobile

Ever wonder what brought down Al Capone?
Daily Accrual

The gangster who ruled Chicago wasn’t convicted for bootlegging or murder. He was caught for tax evasion. IRS agent Frank J. Wilson and his team followed money prints, tracking Capone’s gambling profits, hidden bank accounts and lavish lifestyle. In 1931, Capone faced 22 counts of tax evasion and 11 years in federal prison. The irony? The man who bribed officials and dodged the law for years was stopped by ledgers instead. Crime might pay ... but accounting always wins.

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