We've all felt some mistrust towards the government. We're trying to rebuild that trust alongside other nonprofits, educators, policy-makers, public servants, and journalists. We're sad to see that the Longview News-Journal didn't see that mission when covering our special report on the city of Longview, TX.

Discover a powerful way to support the Truth in Accounting mission while maximizing your tax benefits. Did you know that a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA’s annual required minimum distribution can be structured to be tax-free? This means that the transferred amount is not taxable as long as it’s paid directly from the IRA to the charitable organization.

Meet Zahra Mammadova

Originally from Azerbaijan, Zahra is currently pursuing a master's degree in Accounting, Technology, and Analytics at the University of Denver, and works hard to help Truth in Accounting complete our research and reports.

Truth in Accounting's drive for financial transparency has gained significant traction, bolstered by a bipartisan push from Congress. In a compelling letter dated May 14, 2024, a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders, including Senators Mike Crapo and Mark Warner, Representatives Patrick McHenry and Maxine Waters, reached out to key financial regulators. Their message was clear: it's time to act swiftly on implementing the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA). 

In 2015, Truth in Accounting laid out two doomsday scenarios for the finances of the U.S. federal government. Almost ten years later, let's look at an update.

In response to the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA), a groundbreaking bill enacted in December 2022 mandating the digitization and standardization of financial data reported by municipal bond issuers. The Truth in Accounting project at the University of Denver secured a grant through the Mercatus Center to complete a research initiative aimed at evaluating the feasibility of implementing these new standards for special district governments. Special district governments, including entities such as Hospital/Health, Fire Protection, Metropolitan, and School districts, often present unique challenges in representing their financial statements due to the diverse array of line items they report.

Christine Kuglin, J.D., CPA, and current Director of the Truth in Accounting project at the University of Denver, has been awarded the prestigious Faculty Mentor award by Eastern Washington University. This accolade comes following a nomination by her former student, Leonie Dela Rosa. Previously, Christine chaired the School of Professional Accounting at Eastern before her tenure at Truth in Accounting. She is set to receive this honor on June 14, 2024, at an awards ceremony where Leonie will also receive the Dean's Excellence Award.

Reposted with permission. Written and copyrighted by:  John H Ramsey, Founder The Bill of Financial Responsibilities® Project, includes "Nowadays we are inundated with hundreds of channels of streaming television, the Internet and our ubiquitous emails and cell phones bombarding us with messaging about products we must buy, causes and issues we should support, or candidates for whom we should vote. Many topics which were for years taboo or at least not openly discussed are now widely broadcast and debated."

Truth in Accounting has prepared a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of Longview, TX, based on their latest annual comprehensive financial reports (ACFR) dated 2022.

Truth in Accounting has once again created a transparency score for the financial reporting by state governments to encourage the publication of transparent and accurate government financial information.

In a state where the issue of transparency in government spending is a constant source of debate, Illinois House Bill 3181 stood out as a beacon of hope for transparency and accountability at the local level. The bill aimed to enforce a comprehensive disclosure of indebtedness in financial reports and audits of governmental units, counties, and municipalities across the state.

What do the following ten states have in common? None of them have released their 2023 financial reports despite being well into 2024!

For the fourth year in a row, TIA board member Chuck Chokel has meticulously combed the U.S. Treasury's annual report and provided an analysis. Using his knowledge from the corporate world, he provides us with the most important numbers voters need to know in order to be knowledgeable participants in our democracy.