A Unique Publication

Accounting-related publishing has expanded exponentially over the 85-year history of The CPA Journal—and significantly, even since my days at Thomson Reuters as publisher of the Practical Accountant Magazine Group. My commercial colleagues disseminate “accounting news” hourly or more frequently—and there is a place for this. Our readers also read the national dailies, whose periodic criticism of our profession shapes the enduring public perception of our industry. There are also the accounting blogs and tweets, which ultimately coalesce into the great World Wide Web, but whose content passes subtle messages about our profession to their readers.

But The CPA Journal is a unique magazine among accounting publications in America. Its monthly frequency gives its editors, its editorial board members, and its authors time to sift through the thousands of megabytes of online information in order to identify, distill, and select important content and dismiss the unimportant, as well as to provide expert analysis, practical guidance, and a broader perspective in the fast-moving business world, without wasting readers' time with the nonessential. Unlike dailies or tweets, our publication is a professional reference that remains with you—for technical guidance, study, and review. It presents an enduring history of both the technical and nontechnical issues that affect our profession.

It is also a unique publication because it offers readers some of the best attributes of professional journalism. The CPA Journal delivers on three of the most critical cultural traits of successful enterprises: autonomy, mastery, and purpose (drawing loosely upon Daniel H. Pink's ideas in Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us):

• Autonomy. The content of the magazine is independent of commercialism; its authors and contributors reflect the members of the profession, whose integrity, objectivity, and ethics are among the highest in any profession.

• Mastery. Our authors and contributors offer deep analytic expert analysis and insightful guidance, and all of our articles are reviewed and improved by our various editorial board members.

• Purpose. Our objective is to help our readers improve their professional, technical, and nontechnical and soft skills (e.g., communication), all of which are critical to success. We also intend to present balanced controversy that allows for selfreflection by the members of the CPA profession.

Most importantly, The CPA Journal is your advocate; our aim is to proactively represent the CPA professional and the CPA credential to the public as the gold standard of business professionals and professional advisors. There is no other professional in America whose education, training, government licensing or credentialing, and internalized ethics speak the language of business better than that of the CPA.

Your Publication

The CPA Journal is an interactive partnership of unique communities: academics; members of the NYSSCPA, one of the most progressive professional societies in America; and CPAs in other states. It is your publication. It covers your critical issues and innovative ideas, from the technical to the nontechnical. Your thoughts are welcome here, and I highly encourage you to share your ideas; submissions and suggestions; and feedback, whether it's complimentary, constructive, or even critical. You will help inform our editorial calendar and provide our editorial team and readers with relevant coverage of the issues you face in your business or practice.

My role as Editor-in-Chief is to continually provide you with actionable guidance, expert advice, and critical analysis. As we go forward, you can expect the Journal to provide you with balanced opinions; thought-provoking commentary; and, at times, controversial viewpoints on the issues facing our profession today. It is our hope that we will remain relevant and an essential read, as well as continue our preeminence as the thought-leading journal for the profession and become the true “voice of the profession.”

What's Next?

In 2015, The CPA Journal will celebrate its 85th anniversary. Over the past decades, it has chronicled the events that helped shape America from the unique perspective of the CPA, America's most trusted business advisor. In 2015, the Journal will explore some of these issues, and I hope that our readers will contribute advice and stories from their businesses, practices, and archives for the benefit of all of our members and readers.

I wish all of our readers great professional success, and I want to thank you all for this opportunity. Please e-mail me with your comments. I promise that I will personally respond to each and every one.