did my internship with Arthur Andersen , I was fascinated by the whole accounting prospect and being a CPA . I was an auditor then , but when I came back to the U . S ., I realized I didn ’ t really want to be in the audit practice .
I was then assigned to one of our litigation consulting projects . When I found out this was a potential career path , that was the end of my decisions . I dove right in , became a CPA , and ultimately became a partner and have spent my entire professional career as a forensic accountant .
Q : How have you seen the profession change over the years ? Things were so much more manual in my early years . We had yellow paper ; we had to write with a pencil . How ridiculous is that ? I remember they told us when the personal computer came along that it would eliminate the need for accountants and really change things . What it actually did was make us more efficient and even more valuable with a greater handle on data and the ability to do analytics .
The latest change that ’ s upon us is AI . It will be interesting to see how it can handle or streamline some of the more mundane tasks of our profession . I don ’ t see it putting us out of business . If anything , it may open job opportunities we haven ’ t even contemplated yet . I believe , based on experience , that it will impact some and provide a lot of opportunity to others .
There has also been an increase in the influence that CPAs and accountants have on business decisions . Historically , accountants were basically the number crunchers . But increasingly , the accounting profession is getting brought into more strategic decision making . I think that ’ s a trend that will continue , and having a CPA license will greatly assist in showing your competence and your commitment .
Q : You have a long involvement in the forensics community . Has that experience and background helped shape how you approach issues with the CBA ? Forensics really is such a niche practice area , but because of being in large firms for so long , I can appreciate that there are these smaller practices within the CPA profession that are important but we tend to forget about . Things that go beyond auditing and tax . Having a well-rounded view of the profession allows me to consider all aspects of the profession as the CBA deliberates on important topics .
Given the recent changes to the CPA Exam , I think it ’ s exciting that the exam is much better reflective of what CPAs are going to be working on in the future . It ’ s a good time to be graduating in accounting , especially given the pipeline issue , and accounting is a good career choice because CPAs are in demand .
Joseph Rosenbaum , CPA
Q : What does it mean to you to give back to the profession by serving on the CBA and how can others get involved ? Volunteering has always been very important to me , and I ’ ve been doing it since early in my career . My father did a lot of volunteering , so I must have picked it up from him . People often think “ someone ought to do something .” Well , who ? One of my first experiences with volunteering was when my oldest son was playing T-ball and I didn ’ t feel his coach was doing a very good job . My wife said , “ Well , what are you going to do about it ? Why don ’ t you do it yourself ?” Sure enough , that ’ s how it began ! Soon after that I was coaching with a friend of mine , then on the Little League board , then the president and so on . Fast forward a few years and I decided to get further involved with the community , so I ran and was elected to the school board in our town . And it ’ s just continued from there .
I always encourage colleagues and fellow professionals to consider volunteering and being a part of the CBA . The CBA has great opportunities with various advisory committees involved in licensing ( the Qualifications Committee ), the Enforcement Advisory Committee and Peer Review Oversight Committee , as well as being on the CBA itself .
Serving in any sort of a volunteer capacity and giving back to your profession gives you a sense of belonging and you get an opportunity to interact with like-minded individuals . Plus , you get to peek under the hood and see how the process really works . It will give you a much greater and deeper appreciation for the work the CBA does , and the practice of accounting in general . It ’ s a more fulfilling view of what it means to be a CPA involved in the public accounting field .
Q : What do you see as the biggest topics facing the profession this year and how is the CBA approaching those issues ? A big topic in accounting all around the country is of course the pipeline issue , referring to the number of college students that are seeking to graduate with a degree in accounting and then eventually seeking to become a CPA . Of late we are experiencing a bit of a challenge there because we ’ ve got a number of CPAs that are leaving the workforce due to retirement , and not enough new CPAs to replace them .
The CBA routinely conducts outreach to the next generation of potential CPAs , encouraging them to pursue their CPA license , and building a connection with them so they can view the CBA as a partner to help them reach their goal of licensure . www . calcpa . org MARCH / APRIL 2024 CALIFORNIA CPA 15