Featured Online Content for October 2011
FEATURED DOWNLOAD
Top iPad Applications for CPAs
Which are the best apps for CPAs using iPads? Which other tablets merit consideration? To access a chart with details on 50 iPad applications and information on browser-based applications from major accounting-software publishers, click here; and to read capsule profiles of selected tablets, click here.
ONLINE EXTRAS
Lessons on Managing Risk in Emerging Markets
Companies expanding their investments or operations into emerging markets face a number of risks, including corruption, lack of transparency and currency fluctuations. In this article, Michael Ferguson, CPA, a former senior consultant with FTI Consulting and senior auditor with Ernst & Young, shares his experiences from a consulting project in India. He outlines concrete steps that firms considering investments in emerging markets can take to reduce risks and improve their odds of success. The article is available here.
BONUS CONTENT
Sample Client Letter: Estate Planning Awareness Week
Congress has declared Oct. 17–23, 2011, National Estate Planning Awareness Week. After reading “Estate Planning Action Steps,” page 24, click here to download a sample client letter to download and use to highlight this important and often overlooked need.
ONLINE FORUM
What’s Your Budgeting Challenge?
Where does your business fall on the continuum between traditional annual budgeting and rolling forecasts? What’s worked for you and what unexpected challenges arose as you moved into shorter forecasts with more frequent updates? After you read “Planning for Uncertainty,” page 32, share your experience and hear from other CPAs about their lessons learned. Visit facebook.com/JournalofAccountancy and click “Discussions” in the left column.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIP
Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn introduced a virtual profile adviser to help users maintain a complete and up-to-date profile.
To get started, click the yellow “Improve your Profile” button on your “Edit Profile” page. The tool looks at the gaps in your existing LinkedIn profile and makes a series of personalized suggestions to optimize it. A list of these suggestions appears in the right column as the tool walks you through each step. At the top of your profile, you’ll be presented with the suggestion in a large blue box and have the option to complete the question or skip to the next suggestion.
In addition to this new tool, LinkedIn redesigned its profile pages, adding new sections, such as projects, awards, honors and organizations, and making them easier to share and export in PDF and other printable formats. And whenever LinkedIn adds new sections in the future, they will automatically be included in the “Improve your Profile” tool.
For more social media tips and how-to’s, visit facebook.com/JournalofAccountancy and click the “Social Media Tips” link in the left column.
—Megan Pinkston (mpinkston@aicpa.org) is the JofA’s senior online editor.
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