A.E. Feldman Blog

Salaries are climbing along with demand for accounting talent. Despite fears of a recession and layoffs, accountant salaries have jumped to their highest levels ever. That’s according to a recent survey conducted by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). The IMA’s 2007 Salary Survey, which polled roughly 1,600 internal auditors, treasurers, forecasters and planners at [...]

Wind has emerged as the fastest growing source of renewable energy around the world. Globally, rapid growth is predicted in the wind market and the United States is one of three nation’s leading future growth in the industry, reports Reuters. In fact, the Department of Energy projects that wind power is capable of becoming a [...]

Recent stress in the financial markets has prompted the Fed to move to improve its ability to oversee the stability of the financial system. Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, and SEC Chairman, Christopher Cox, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two agencies that will deepen their information sharing and cooperation as well as [...]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed that companies publicly traded in the U.S. adopt a specific new technology, known as eXtensible Business Reporting Language or XBRL, for financial disclosure. The mandate issued by the SEC outlined a graduated process for adoption of XBRL, although Fortune 500 companies would be required to adopt as [...]

While the U.S. economy is slowing, business is booming in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi, in particular, is experiencing a surge in mega-projects in real estate and infrastructure. Meanwhile, Qatar has both the highest GDP per capita in the world and one of the highest rates of economic growth, according to UBS. As a result, [...]

Institutional investors around the world are increasingly turning to non-traditional investments. The Louisiana State Employees Retirement System recently committed $160 million to alternatives, reports Money Management Letter. Japan’s public pension fund, the world’s largest, is also sizing up alternative investments, according to Reuters. Moreover, a recent survey of investment practices at public pension plans has [...]

Investment in America’s infrastructure is a hot topic in Washington. U.S. presidential contenders, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have spent the past week articulating policy goals for shoring up and modernizing the nation’s infrastructure, according to Reuters. The country’s infrastructure is also a topic of growing interest on Wall Street as politicians and [...]

Today, corporate boards face a challenging set of issues in responding to the need for improved oversight of risk management. A full 70% of financial institutions place such oversight responsibilities with the board, up from 57% in 2002, reports Financial Week citing a survey by Deloitte Global Risk Management. Financial Week quotes Lionel Allan, CEO [...]

World energy use is expected to skyrocket. The Energy Information Administration projects energy consumption to jump 50% by 2030 due to population growth and rapid economic expansion. The government report adds that as energy use soars, greenhouse gases will see a similar surge and oil prices will range from $113 to $186 a barrel. High [...]

Transfer pricing continues to be one of the most critical matters facing multinational companies. In fact, Ernst & Young’s Global Transfer Pricing Survey 2007-2008 shows that transfer pricing continues to be the number one international tax issue of interest to multi-national enterprises. Why? E&Y says it’s a risk issue for financial reporting. The IRS and [...]