My inaugural blog for MFA has me thinking about transparency in business. After all, what is a corporate blog if not the embodiment of a transparent means of communication with one’s clients, colleagues, and interested stakeholders. Transparency has been, in part, facilitated by technology, and hence the birth of tools such as this blog. My goal each week is to use this tool, like so many of the technological tools before it, to deepen our relationship with MFA’s core constituencies and encourage open dialogues on a varying degree of subjects over time.

Like business in general, change is ever-present in public accounting. We must remain expert on technical financial reporting pronouncements that are continually evolving; we must continually demonstrate our expertise of complex federal, state and international tax laws; and we must have a solid understanding of the economic environment in which we all live and operate our businesses. One need look no further than to recent FASB actions to understand how the theme of transparency continues to pervade business. More and more, FASB projects are actively addressing the questions of fair value accounting, convergence of US accounting standards with international accounting standards, and simplification of the existing bodies of accounting knowledge – all great examples of how transparency in business and reporting continues to pervade every facet of what we do.

Having grown up in the 80s, my first introduction to the use of technology to speed up business was in the form of fax machines and so-called portable computers that probably weighed fifteen pounds without a modem or network access. Many enterprises did not have local area networks, the internet was barely known to most and the World Wide Web had yet to come into existence – I lived online in the limited world of AOL and couldn’t email someone unless they, too, were an AOL member.

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For decades, we have made it our business to connect with our clients and our community. We have also embraced strategies that add to our accessibility: little things like glass-walled conference rooms and offices, an open door policy for our professionals, and a general environment that is built around open communication. Ideas drive evolution, and we believe an open atmosphere is an important part of capturing the innovative energy that makes us who we are.

Enter the MFA Blog. Unusual for an accounting and consulting firm? Perhaps. But we believe sharing our insights on finance, business (large and small, private and public), and the events that move us will offer an even greater opportunity to connect. We encourage you to comment on our thoughts, to challenge us, to let us know where our ideas intersect with your own.

We are excited to have entered the blogosphere, and look forward to the conversation!