Search Results

November 2009 |  BY EDWARD MENDLOWITZ, CPA |  Article

Strategic value is not the same as fair market value, where a “hypothetical” buyer and seller have access to all relevant data. Strategic value includes synergies and special features, usually hidden, that give the buyer a quicker, less costly and lower risk way to achieve goals. Look for the following opportunities to help clients capture as much strategic value as possible Entering a new market.

August 2009 |  Article

When the IRS announced in June that it would launch a review of tax return preparers, the Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA) spread the word to its members with a news item on the association Web site. But it didn’t stop there. The association posted the IRS news on its Facebook page and blog.

August 2009 |  BY MEGAN PINKSTON |  Article

Twitter has taken the Internet by storm. Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter hosts a growing community of CPAs and financial professionals, but unlike its socialnetworking peers, the microblogging Web site limits users’ messages, questions and conversations to 140 characters (including spaces). To put this limit into perspective, this paragraph has 425 characters—more than three times Twitter’s character limit for posts.

August 2009 |  BY PAUL BONNER |  Article

Some CPA tax practitioners find they are able to garner new clients and better maintain ties with existing ones by blogging on tax topics. Beyond providing an electronic soapbox, they say, a blog can be a powerful way to disseminate information to existing clients while revealing to prospective ones the writer’s professional expertise and views on matters of concern.

July 2009 |  BY ALEXANDRA DEFELICE |  Article

This year’s AICPA TECH Conference in Las Vegas proved that, while accountants are using more Webbased applications, security remains a top concern when moving client information online. It’s also apparent that most CPAs aren’t quite sure what to do on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

July 2009 |  Article

For the first time in several years, staffing is not the most pressing concern for many CPA firms, according to information released in the PCPS CPA Firm Top Issues Survey. Instead, client retention dominates the list, suggesting that “the weakened economy has shifted CPAs’ concerns from staffing to client retention,” says Jim Metzler, AICPA vice president, small firm interests.

June 2009 |  BY TODD WEBBER, BOB WEINS |  Article

Every firm’s dream should be to have a free listing on a major search engine at the top of its first results page, allowing prospective clients to find the firm when they’re searching for accounting, tax or financial planning services. Imagine if this free listing also included the firm’s phone number, a description of its professional services, a map to the office and a link to its Web site (see Exhibit 1).

June 2009 |  BY MEGAN PINKSTON |  Article

Twitter has taken the Internet by storm. Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter hosts a growing community of CPAs and financial professionals, but unlike its socialnetworking peers, the microblogging Web site limits users’ messages, questions and conversations to 140 characters (including spaces). To put this limit into perspective, this paragraph has 425 characters—more than three times Twitter’s character limit for posts.

February 2009 |  Article

A survey of 2,722 CPA firms revealed strong growth during the past twoyear period but less progress in succession planning and professional training. According to the 2008 National Management of Accounting Practice survey, 75 of responding firms experienced growth ranging from 1 to 19 from May 2006 through June 2008.

February 2009 |  BY JEFFREY T. DEANE, STEPHEN H. HEILMAN |  Article

Inside the growing footprint of IFRS lies something many small and midsize CPA firms may be overlooking—rich opportunities for business development. IFRSrelated work in the United States has largely been the domain of major accounting firms thus far. While national firms are filling many of the needs, there’s a large space that small and midsize firms can occupy given the right positioning, knowledge and resources.