Business executives’ optimism about the U.S. economy continues to soar but is tempered somewhat by growing inflation concerns, according to the first-quarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey, which polls chief executive officers, chief financial officers, controllers and other certified public accountants in U.S. companies who hold executive and senior management accounting roles.

There are more than 29.6 million small businesses on record in the United States.¹ The United States Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profile also indicated that in the second quarter of 2015 alone, there were 234,000 establishments that started up.¹ These small businesses cover all types of industries, including professional services, construction, health care and social assistance, retail trade, transportation, manufacturing, food services, utilities, educational services and so many more. 

Explosive gains in the stock market and a decline in underemployment overcame rising inflation to advance Americans’ personal financial satisfaction to its highest level in the 24-year history of the AICPA’s Personal Financial Satisfaction Index (PFSi). The new high reached by the Q4 2017 PFSi, released today, eclipses the previous record reached last quarter and continues a run of seven consecutive quarters the PFSi has increased.  

Nearly three out of four business executives have an optimistic view of the U.S. economy over the next 12 months, a consensus not seen since before the Great Recession, according to the fourth-quarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey, which polls chief executive officers, chief financial officers, controllers and other certified public accountants in U.S. companies who hold executive and senior management accounting roles. While the survey was fielded with tax reform deliberations underway, it’s important to note it closed before passage of the Senate tax bill this past weekend, so survey sentiment does not reflect that development.

Zeneth, an information technology and security firm with a strong focus on the federal market and previously known as Zeneth Technology Partners, announced today expansion into the commercial market with the launch of ZenOpz. ZenOpz is a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) designed and priced to help protect small and mid-sized businesses from the same threats faced by larger enterprises—at an affordable monthly rate. Located in both Arlington and Charlottesville, Virginia, ZenOpz will serve mid-market businesses faced with both growing cybersecurity regulations and growing consumer expectations for privacy and data security.