The Trial Balance is CFO.com’s weekly preview of stories, stats and events to help you prepare.
Part 1 — Dunleavy mum on Alaska CPA licensure reform
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who had a long career in education before politics, allowed a major CPA licensure reform to become law without his signature.
A former teacher, principal and school superintendent, Dunleavy declined to weigh in on a bill that creates a new 120-credit, two-year experience pathway for CPA candidates in Alaska beginning on Jan. 1, 2026. The move follows suit with a long list of states moving away from the 150-hour education rule that began in 1983. The legislation passed unanimously in both chambers of the Alaska Legislature and became law under state rules that don’t require gubernatorial action for enactment.
The bill also permits businesses in Alaska to use out-of-state CPAs, but most attention has focused on the shift in licensure requirements. State Rep. and bill co-sponsor Calvin Schrage told local news outlets that the legislation stemmed from conversations with local business leaders looking for ways to strengthen the state’s workforce.
The momentum for licensure reform has continued following the 2024 retirement of longtime AICPA president and CEO Barry Melancon, a vocal supporter of the 150-hour rule. Leaders at state CPA societies have called the timing coincidental, but Melancon’s departure has nonetheless coincided with a wave of policy shifts that reflect growing interest in new pathways into the profession. In the ninth edition of the Uniform Accountancy Act released this summer, the AICPA itself has formally given approval to the new 120-hour pathway.
Part 2 — This week
Here’s a list of important market events slated for the week ahead.
Monday, Aug. 4
- Factory orders, June
Tuesday, Aug. 5
- U.S. trade deficit, June
- S&P final U.S. services PMI, July
- ISM services, July
Wednesday, Aug. 6 — None scheduled.
Thursday, Aug. 7
- Initial jobless claims, Aug. 2
- U.S. productivity, Q2
- Wholesale inventories, June
- Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic’s speech
- Consumer credit, June
Friday, Aug. 8 — None scheduled.
Part 3 — CFO media appearance of the week: Sandeep Aujla on Run the Numbers with CJ Gustafson
In his appearance on the Run the Numbers business podcast, Intuit CFO Sandeep Aujla described how large, established companies can maintain urgency and adaptability by being willing to “let some stuff break.” Aujla warned against organizational inertia, arguing that without a tolerance for internal disruption, “things just become so ingrained in the fabric of the organization that you will not be able to take it out.”
Aujla walked through how Intuit approaches capital allocation by prioritizing a few strategic areas like AI, fintech infrastructure and the midmarket, while pushing the rest of the business to find efficiencies. “We have a lot of CFOs listening,” Gustafson noted, asking how Aujla manages resource requests. Aujla responded that his role is to optimize for the company overall, not any one department. “Only two people in the company have that lens: the CEO and the CFO.”
When asked how finance tracks performance across Intuit’s multiple business lines, Aujla said the company relies on 25 core “golden metrics” focused on customer growth and platform adoption. He and the CEO review dashboards weekly and expect senior leaders to do the same. “You’ve got to have your own operating system,” he said. “Monday night, I’m in the dashboards.”
