Net operating loss (NOL) limitations have become a central theme in business tax planning. For tax professionals, understanding how today’s loss limitations work and how recent legislation has reshaped them is critical for modeling cash flow, entity choice, and strategic timing of income and deductions.

The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) has announced big changes in the CMA Exam, beginning in 2026! Find out what’s changing, why, what are the new CBQs, and how to prepare for the 2026 CMA Exam. Summary Starting in 2026, the IMA will update the CMA Exam by replacing the two essay questions with case-based questions (CBQs)—which utilize formats like numerical entry and drag-and-drop to provide faster scoring and improved accessibility—while maintaining the current 100 multiple-choice questions and core curriculum. 

A career in accounting offers a stable and rewarding path, but achieving true success requires more than just a talent for numbers. It demands a strategic combination of credentials, skills, and a commitment to lifelong learning. This guide outlines the essential steps and qualities you need to cultivate to succeed in public accounting. Understand the technical expertise, soft skills, and professional commitments that separate a good accountant from a great one and get clear insight on your next steps—be it starting your career or advancing from your current role. 

Whether you’ve chosen an accounting major and want to know what the future holds or are considering a shift into the profession, exploring accounting careers is an important step in defining your direction. We've here consolidated a comprehensive source of accounting career paths, designations, specializations, and more; plus additional links to explore areas of particular interest. Start here to explore careers in accounting.

Every business needs liquidity to survive, pay its bills, and invest in future growth. For accountants, accurately reporting this liquidity starts with a solid grasp of the balance sheet's most liquid asset category. Grasping the exact definition of cash and cash equivalents sets the foundation for precise financial reporting and robust cash management.

The IRS tax gap is a persistent concern that is central to how the Service sets priorities, so it's important for tax professionals to be aware of this issue. In practical terms, the tax gap shapes where enforcement resources go and which returns are most likely to draw scrutiny. To ensure your clients' compliance and documentation practices don't lead to any IRS red flags, we're sharing what the tax gap is, how the IRS calculates tax gap estimates, tax gap limitations and implications of the data.

If you’ve passed one CPA Exam section, the last thing you want is to lose that credit and be forced to retake the exam. Learn about CPA expiration dates and how you can complete your exam and application before they expire. Summary Candidates must pass all four CPA Exam sections within a rolling 30-month window to prevent their credits from expiring and follow specific state board timelines for licensure application to ensure their passing scores lead to a valid license. 

Advancing your career as an internal auditor means earning your Certified Internal Auditor (CIA®) certification. But if you already have a related professional certification, you may be eligible to join the streamlined CIA Challenge Exam program, which lets you get on the fast track to being a CIA. 

Everyone has to pay taxes, but the majority don’t have the time, skillsets, or desire to prepare and file them. As long as governments require tax payments (and all the many tax laws that accompany them), tax service professionals will be in high demand. Learn how to become a tax preparer to develop your career and advance a tax preparer business. 

Accountants have ample career paths from which to choose. They can enter private industry or public accounting, specialize in taxes or financial reporting, work for the government, or investigate financial crimes—to name a few. But if auditing has sparked your interest among all the options, learn more about what does an auditor do. Find out the importance of auditors, their role within a firm or organization, day-to-day responsibilities, skills, salary, and more to help you define your career goals.