FEATURED VIDEO
Tax
Software Survey AnalysisIn this video, JofA Senior Editor Alexandra DeFelice discusses what more than 12,000 CPAs had to say about their tax preparation software and provides analysis of some tax software trends to watch.
Also on journalofaccountancy.com, find more information about each tax preparation software vendor, including prices, features and contact information, as well as product-by-product survey results. Find full results of the 2010 Tax Software Survey on page 34.
ONLINE EXTRAS
VIDEO
The Future of Retirement and Savings
David Walker, the former U.S. comptroller general, discusses how he sees the future of retirement and what it will take to make lasting changes to the personal savings rate, including Social Security reform, automatic payroll deduction savings accounts and changes in the tax structure.
ARTICLE
Where Do Investors Prefer to Find Nonfinancial Information?
See what a study showed about how much information in an annual report professional and retail investors use to make their investment decisions. The study looked at how investment professionals such as financial analysts differ from retail investors and examined other investor preferences.
VIDEO
Keeping Up With Change Through Social Media
More CPAs are embracing LinkedIn, Twitter and blogs, and reaping the benefits of doing so. In this video, Tom Hood, executive director and CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs, discusses the value of social media use.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
Define Goals and Objectives
When setting up a social media profile, many people don’t thoroughly consider how they will use this social media channel. Is it a personal or professional account, or a hybrid of both?
For instance, maybe you know someone who created a LinkedIn profile to find a new job, but then abandoned it shortly after securing a new position. It’s a common trap to fall into, but one that easily can be avoided by taking just a few minutes to ask, “What do I want to accomplish on this site?”
Prior to setting up a new profile or account, you may want to develop a list of goals and/or objectives for your social media activities. If you’re using social media for personal reasons, your objective could be defined as simply as: “I want to connect with current friends and reconnect with friends from school.” If you’re using social media for business or professional reasons, your goals could also be simple, such as “I want to increase traffic to my company’s website” or “I want to create networking opportunities.”
It’s helpful to revisit and re-evaluate your goals and objectives as you develop an online presence.
For more social media tips, visit facebook.com/JournalofAccountancy and click the “Tips” tab.
—By Catherine Mears (cmears@aicpa.org), AICPA social media specialist.
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