Employee Benefits
More companies are considering adopting cash balance pension plans to meet the needs of a changing workforce. Employers need to understand how such plans work, what accounting and disclosure issues relate to converting and what the business implications are of making potentially dramatic changes in benefits for some employees.
Worth Repeating
In his first address as chairman of the AICPA board of directors, Robert K. Elliott told the AICPA council he sees CPAs of the future as the people who help individuals and organizations achieve their objectives through the strategic use of information.
Recruiting
Accounting students have their choice of company or firm to work for when they graduate. So how can smaller firms and companies compete with recruiters who offer stock options and signing bonuses? By building a relationship with the student before anyone else does.
Employee Benefits
Not every conversion to a cash balance pension plan has to get bad press. Companies that pay close attention to two critical issues—the wear-away problem and effective communication—can make a low-profile transition and keep employees happy.
Practice Development / Professional Issues
By law, accountants in the United States can call attorneys almost anything they want to—except “partner.” But barriers between the two professions may eventually crumble. Here is an update on the future of multidisciplinary practices.
Personal Financial Planning
When clients have trouble paying their bills, CPAs need to take steps to help them keep their heads above water. By using the right debt management techniques, clients can avoid bankruptcy and help put themselves back on the road to solvency.
Business & Industry / Management Accounting
The conventional way of budgeting and drafting strategic plans just doesn’t work. It not only wastes time, but it also produces results with little value. A growing number of companies are turning to new techniques—enhanced by software tools—that both generate useful budgets and work more quickly.
Software
This shopper’s guide to graphical documentation software looks at the leading packages on the market today.
Recruiting
If you want to hire the best of the new generation of young CPAs, you better be prepared to know who they are and what they want.