News Updates

The emergence of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT will wind up affecting as many as 300 million full-time jobs around the globe and could lead to some job losses as well as enhanced productivity, according to Goldman Sachs. It also noted that "most jobs and industries are only partially exposed to automation and are thus more likely to be complemented rather than substituted by AI."

The artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT has become so popular that its free service is sometimes at capacity. Here is a closer look at ChatGPT and a list of alternative AI chatbots, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

A state appeals court in California has ruled that Uber and Lyft drivers can continue to be classified as independent contractors, reversing a lower court ruling that said that California's Proposition 22 was illegal. The case could still be appealed to the state's Supreme Court.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a law requiring employers to offer paid time off for any reason, making it the third state after Maine and Nevada to have such a mandate. Under the law, employees will gain one hour of paid leave per 40 hours worked, although certain kinds of workers will be exempt.

While many voters might not care about how much tax corporations are asked to pay, they do care about the opportunities these employers provide in their communities, so a state’s tax policies have to be aligned with the goal of landing corporate relocations and expansions. Nebraska currently has the 18th highest corporate income tax among all states. It used to be even higher.

"Should any state or jurisdiction lower the licensure requirement to 120 hours, their CPAs would no longer be automatically substantially equivalent and would no longer enjoy the mobility and reciprocal practice privileges they currently are afforded," NASBA President and CEO Ken Bishop said in a recent interview.

Women and racial and ethnic minorities continue their rise to executive roles, although the percentages remain low. The percentage of CFOs who are women hit an all-time high last year, and the number of female CFOs has almost doubled over the past 10 years, according to the Crist Kolder Volatility Report.

Dan Geltrude is unequivocal about what’s in store for accounting firms. “It’s absolutely a gamechanger for the entire profession,” the CPA told NJBIZ. The gamechanger is a new pilot program, being tested in New Jersey, to create an alternative path to the 150 credits needed to be eligible for a CPA license.

The AICPA is making multiple changes to the CPA Exam to reduce exam construction complexity, improve CPA Exam software performance, and provide greater flexibility in future delivery, all while maintaining a rigorous exam. Rather than implement these changes now and delay score releases, the AICPA will make these changes concurrently with the launch of the CPA Evolution-aligned CPA Exam in January 2024, taking advantage of score delays that will occur with the launch of the new exam.

In December 2021, the STEM Education in Accounting Act, S. 3398, was introduced in the Senate. The legislation would help bolster the argument that accounting is a STEM field by allowing STEM K-12 grant funding to be used for accounting awareness and education.

The newly launched Nebraska Chamber Foundation Workforce & Economic Dashboard offers insights into Nebraska's economy.

The Nebraska Revenue Committee recently heard LB1264, a bill to modernize Nebraska’s tax structure by reducing income tax rates, repealing the inheritance tax, expanding the sales tax base, and eliminating most incentives. Here's what the Tax Foundation has to say about the bill.

The story of Nebraska has been under-told and under-sold and it's time for that to change. Join us as we promote our welcoming communities, work-life balance and the widespread opportunities that exist in our state. Help us be a voice for Nebraska as we show the rest of the country that the Good Life is Calling.

The FIRE movement, which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early, involves thinking about retirement in terms of a financial number, rather than an age. Here is a closer look at what the movement entails and how people can achieve their target number by slashing expenses or by employing other strategies.

HHS and CDC have put together three easy ways to find the closest locations to you that are administering vaccines 1. Text a zip code to GET-VAX (438-829). 2. Go to www.vaccines.gov and click “Find Vaccines.” 3. Call 1-800-232-0233 to speak directly with someone. If you would like more information on best practices, what to do if you are feeling ill, and up-to-date updates, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. You can also contact the CDC for more information at 800-232-4636.