The Monday Lowdown ⬇️

If you're new around here, every day or so I share the 4-5 best accounting insights I saw in the past 24 hours.

I scroll. so you don't have to.

Happy Monday, everyone! Let’s start the workweek strong. Wishing you all the focus in the world.

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🤯 WTF of the Day

IRS Criminal Investigators Had a Huge Year

IRS Criminal Investigation had a monster year and most people didn’t notice.

In fiscal 2025, IRS-CI uncovered about $10.6 billion in financial crimes which is nearly 16% more than last year. Tax fraud alone hit $4.5 billion. They also got more aggressive, issuing more search warrants and sending more cases to the DOJ.

They still spend most of their time on tax crimes, but they are also chasing cybercrime, bank fraud, and money laundering. They even rolled out new partnerships with banks to move faster.

Source: Yahoo

🍿 What’s poppin in accounting

Alphabet Just Booked Profit Without Any Cash

Alphabet just made money without actually making money.

SpaceX did a private deal that valued the company at about $800 billion. Alphabet owns a small piece from an old investment. No shares were sold. No cash came in. But accounting rules say Alphabet has to mark that investment up to the new value.

So earnings go up on paper even though nothing changed in the business. It’s a good reminder that profit and cash are not the same thing.

Source: Ledger Lowdown

🕵️‍♂️ The Audit

Are you an outlier or the industry standard? Vote in our new weekly pulse check, and we’ll share the results next issue.

Last poll results:

61% of you are playing it too safe.

You raised fees 3-5%. That is not a raise. That is just matching inflation. You are doing the exact same work for the exact same buying power.

The 27% of you who hiked fees 10% or more? You guys get it.

There is a massive shortage of accountants right now. You have all the leverage. If zero clients are complaining about your price, you are definitely too cheap.

New Poll ⬇️

 📊 Weekly Trend Chart

You Can Now Buy American Airlines Status for $5,000

American Airlines just said the quiet part out loud. Status is for sale.

Instead of flying a ton or playing the credit card game, you can now pay $5,000 and get AAdvantage Gold status. That means early boarding, a free checked bag, better seats, upgrade chances, and bonus miles. No flights required.

Why would an airline do this? Because the real money isn’t flying planes anymore. It’s selling status and miles to banks and partners. The flight just gets you to the gate. The loyalty program is the business.

#😂 Meme of the Day

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