Thought Leadership
Five Points, Companies
Five Points, Companies
California’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) represents a significant shift in how the State Bar oversees client trust accounting. A CTAPP compliance review is an agreed-upon procedures engagement performed by a State Bar–approved CPA firm. While annual CTAPP reporting applies broadly to most practicing attorneys, a smaller group is selected each year for review...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
The Securities and Exchange Commission is once again revisiting a question that has circulated in regulatory circles for years: whether public companies should continue reporting quarterly or shift to a semi-annual model. The debate over SEC quarterly vs semi-annual reporting is not theoretical for audit firms. A change of this magnitude would reshape the rhythm...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
SQMS is no longer new. Many firms still struggle with SQMS monitoring as they transition to system-level quality management. That transition has already taken place, yet many firms continue to manage their quality management systems through Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. This is not simply a technology gap. It reflects a deeper disconnect between how...
Five Points, Companies
California’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) has introduced a new level of oversight for attorneys handling client trust accounts. While only a subset of firms are selected each year for a CTAPP compliance review, the reality is that most firms maintaining trust accounts should expect to be reviewed over time. A CTAPP compliance review...
Five Points, Companies
California’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) represents a significant shift in how the State Bar oversees client trust accounting. A CTAPP compliance review is an agreed-upon procedures engagement performed by a State Bar–approved CPA firm. While annual CTAPP reporting applies broadly to most practicing attorneys, a smaller group is selected each year for review...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
The Securities and Exchange Commission is once again revisiting a question that has circulated in regulatory circles for years: whether public companies should continue reporting quarterly or shift to a semi-annual model. The debate over SEC quarterly vs semi-annual reporting is not theoretical for audit firms. A change of this magnitude would reshape the rhythm...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
SQMS is no longer new. Many firms still struggle with SQMS monitoring as they transition to system-level quality management. That transition has already taken place, yet many firms continue to manage their quality management systems through Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. This is not simply a technology gap. It reflects a deeper disconnect between how...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
SQMS monitoring is where most firms are now exposed. Firms that completed implementation often treated it as the finish line. It isn’t, and firms are not prepared. The AICPA’s System of Quality Management Standards required firms to design and implement their quality management systems by December 15, 2025. But the standard was never designed to stop there....
Accounting Firms, Five Points
PCAOB QC 1000 implementation is now an active compliance requirement for PCAOB registered firms that audit issuers and broker dealers, with a compliance date of December 15, 2026. Although there has been public discussion about restructuring the PCAOB, budget pressures, and changes in Board leadership sworn in on February 10, 2026, the text of QC...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
The PCAOB’s Quality Control standard, QC 1000, was originally set to take effect on December 15, 2025. On August 28, 2025, the Board announced a one year deferral, pushing the effective date to December 15, 2026. Importantly, the text of QC 1000 remains unchanged, and early adoption is still permitted. With the AICPA’s SQMS standards...
Accounting Firms, Companies, Guidebooks
Focused on the PCAOB—from registration to remediation—this edition of The Captain’s Log is part of our ongoing series of strategic guides helping firms and companies navigate complex and consequential challenges with clarity, candor, and confidence. Welcome Aboard Over the years, we’ve fielded hundreds of questions about the PCAOB — in training sessions, inspection prep calls,...
Companies, Accounting Firms, Guidebooks
Focused on AI and automation—this edition of The Captain’s Log is part of our ongoing series of strategic guides helping firms and companies navigate complex and consequential challenges with clarity, candor, and confidence. Welcome Aboard As technology reshapes the accounting profession, firms are exploring new tools that promise efficiency, accuracy, and insight. But evaluating those...
Five Points, Companies
California’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) has introduced a new level of oversight for attorneys handling client trust accounts. While only a subset of firms are selected each year for a CTAPP compliance review, the reality is that most firms maintaining trust accounts should expect to be reviewed over time. A CTAPP compliance review...
Five Points, Companies
California’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) represents a significant shift in how the State Bar oversees client trust accounting. A CTAPP compliance review is an agreed-upon procedures engagement performed by a State Bar–approved CPA firm. While annual CTAPP reporting applies broadly to most practicing attorneys, a smaller group is selected each year for review...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
The Securities and Exchange Commission is once again revisiting a question that has circulated in regulatory circles for years: whether public companies should continue reporting quarterly or shift to a semi-annual model. The debate over SEC quarterly vs semi-annual reporting is not theoretical for audit firms. A change of this magnitude would reshape the rhythm...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
SQMS is no longer new. Many firms still struggle with SQMS monitoring as they transition to system-level quality management. That transition has already taken place, yet many firms continue to manage their quality management systems through Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. This is not simply a technology gap. It reflects a deeper disconnect between how...
Accounting Firms, Five Points
SQMS monitoring is where most firms are now exposed. Firms that completed implementation often treated it as the finish line. It isn’t, and firms are not prepared. The AICPA’s System of Quality Management Standards required firms to design and implement their quality management systems by December 15, 2025. But the standard was never designed to stop there....
Accounting Firms, Five Points
PCAOB QC 1000 implementation is now an active compliance requirement for PCAOB registered firms that audit issuers and broker dealers, with a compliance date of December 15, 2026. Although there has been public discussion about restructuring the PCAOB, budget pressures, and changes in Board leadership sworn in on February 10, 2026, the text of QC...
