IS YOUR FUTURE BLEAK?

As the cold winter winds make bare the landscape and the gray skies of January dampen spirits, it is easy for some to become depressed. In the same way, accounting professionals are looking at recent chilling developments in their world--increasing competition from non-CPA sources, replacement of low-end services by technology, decreased demand for audit services--and also getting depressed. A look three or five years into the future based on today's trends raises questions as to the actual survival of some firms, especially those that depend on traditional tax and financial statement services.

One state society of CPAs, in seeing the threat to survival, developed a series of workshops for CPAs to help them examine the current trends and what new and other services they can offer to replace the dwindling demand in some service areas. The CPA Journal spoke with the facilitators and presenters who conducted the "Survival Skills Workshops" to understand the issues and the response thereto by the CPAs attending the workshops. Their remarks and comments are the basis for this month's cover story.

The future may be rosy and inviting for those who see opportunities in the changing landscape and take advantage of them. *