New Senate Bill Aims at STEM Designation
Senators Susan Collins and Jacky Rosen introduced the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act, seeking to classify accounting programs as STEM under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The bill would make accounting eligible for federal K‑12 and higher‑education grant funding after a recent Department of Education ruling removed accounting from the professional‑degree list for loan eligibility. A Harris Poll shows 75% of Americans support adding accounting to STEM curricula, and the AICPA argues the change would address the growing accountant shortage and digital skill demands. The proposal has previously stalled in the House but gains renewed Senate attention.
Goodwill Accounting Might Not Be the Problem After All
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) reopened the goodwill accounting debate, revisiting a project shelved four years ago. Goodwill—valued at roughly $5.6 trillion across U.S. public companies—continues to generate costly annual impairment testing, with 8,134 firms writing down $96 billion in 2024....
New Cyber Insurance CFO Enters a ‘Soft’ Market
Cyber‑insurance veteran John Botros has been hired as CFO of insurtech Cowbell to steer the company through a soft market marked by falling premiums. Global cyber rates dropped 7% and U.S. rates 3% in Q4 2025, tightening pricing pressure. Cowbell plans...