The Thursday Lowdown ⬇️

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

I scroll. so you don't have to.

💎 WTF of the Day

Accounting Firms Still Can’t Find Enough Talent

Eight out of ten firms are still struggling to hire accountants, especially juniors with just one year of experience.

Why? Low starting pay, tough licensure rules, and now tech skills are a must. Even with states loosening CPA requirements, the pipeline isn’t filling fast enough.

The profession needs a rebrand. Right now, Gen Z would rather code than count.

Source: cfo dive

💎 What’s poppin in accounting

Parents Just Got a Bunch of New Tax Breaks

Trump’s new megabill made a bunch of tax perks for parents permanent, and added more.

You’ve got:
Bigger child tax credits
Boosted daycare credits
New “Trump accounts” that give parents $1,000 to invest for newborns
And 529s now cover way more than just college

Wealthier families could still pay more due to limits on SALT deductions and AMT changes. Why all the freebies? Because the U.S. birth rate just hit a record low, and this is one way to fix it.

Source: accounting today

 📊 Weekly Trend Chart

Apple Just Shut Down a Store in China for the First Time Ever

Apple’s closing a store in China, the first time that’s ever happened in its 17 years there.

Official reason? The mall is emptying out. Real reason? Sales have dropped six quarters straight, and Apple’s losing ground to local brands.

Chinese phones are cheaper, faster, and fold in half. Shoppers aren’t lining up for iPhones anymore, they’re buying Huawei and Xiaomi instead. Apple pulled in $67 billion in China last year, but that’s still down almost 10 percent from its peak.

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