Increase your competitive edge without breaking the bank. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Telephone systems are moving beyond the traditional hard-wired and expensive PBX. By combining computer and Internet technology with voice calls, a small firm can manage more incoming calls and sound like a larger organization. There are many choices and services
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Firm practice management
Build a Better Career Path
Your future depends on how well you cultivate your staff. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Small practices have to do more to attract and retain the talent they need to handle client services, work toward succession, increase firm value and effectively compete with larger firms. How employees are treated is as important to
Smart Stops on the Web
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SITES Your Company’s Conscience www.e-businessethics.com CPAs charged with keeping their firms and employers on the straight and narrow will find PowerPoint presentations here on corporate reform, Sarbanes-Oxley and the nature and scope of business ethics. Users can find a link to the 2005 National Business Ethics Survey
Start Your Own Practice
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A decade of declining enrollment in college accounting programs during the 1990s combined with passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 and the new financial reporting and internal control demands on publicly traded companies have created a sellers’ market for CPAs. That makes it a good time to
Best Practices in EBP Audits
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Department of Labor requires employee benefit plan (EBP) audits for employers with more than 100 eligible plan participants and some smaller plans. EBPs include defined-benefit, defined-contribution, 401(k) and ESOP, health and welfare, and vacation and severance plans sponsored by a single company or several employers under common
Smart Stops on the Web
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT SITES Know the Law www.dol.gov/ebsa Firms shopping for health insurance will want to read up on the potential pitfalls at the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration Web site. Focus on Health Care Fraud has fact sheets on how to protect your employees when purchasing health insurance
Section 404 for Small Caps
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2005 about 3,700 large-cap ($75 million or more) companies underwent the first wave of Sarbanes-Oxley section 404 audits. Here, a firm experienced with Sarbanes-Oxley section 404 audits for accelerated filers shares its best practices to help with compliance for nonaccelerated filers (companies with market capitalization under $75
Castellano Wins Institute’s Top Citation
James G. Castellano, CPA, received the AICPA’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Service at the fall council meeting. Doyle Z. Williams, CPA, chair of the AICPA Awards Committee, presented the medal, which recognizes those who have had an extraordinary positive influence on the profession. Castellano, a former AICPA chairman, is chair
Jenkins Hailed for His Effect on the Profession
Edmund L. Jenkins, CPA, FASB chairman from 1997 through 2004, received the Institute’s 2005 Special Recognition Award from AICPA Chair Leslie Murphy at the AICPA National Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB Developments in December. The award honors those who have significantly influenced the profession. Jenkins chaired the AICPA Special
AICPA Financial Literacy Campaign Adds to Its Laurels
The Institute’s 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy program garnered a 2005 Platinum Award from the League of American Communications Professionals and was on the organization’s list of Top 50 Communications Materials for 2005. The campaign also won a Financial Planning Award of Excellence from CPA Wealth Provider magazine and a
Meyners Does a Reality Check
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Four years ago Meyners + Co. began an intensive business development initiative to align staff performance and compensation with its core values and competencies to better prepare employees to handle additional work. Difficulty in executing the plan surfaced over time. The core of Meyners’s training is developing demonstrable
AICPA Enters Marketing Agreement on Rivet XBRL Software
The Institute agreed to promote Rivet Software’s Dragon Tag and Dragon View XBRL products. AICPA members can order them by e-mail ( aicpa@rivetsoftware.com ) or from Rivet’s Web site ( www.rivetsoftware.com ). The Institute is using Rivet’s products because they enable CPAs to easily create, send, receive and view XBRL
Institute to Relocate Certain Operations
The AICPA Council approved the Institute’s recommendation to transfer selected operations from Jersey City, N.J., and New York City to Durham, N.C. The decision to relocate was based on the continuing rise of labor costs in the New York metropolitan area and unused space in the Jersey City office. The
Antifraud Sponsors Sought
The Institute for Fraud Prevention (IFP), a consortium of organizations and companies that was cofounded by the AICPA, is offering academic grants for the study of various aspects of fraud. The IFP aims to improve the ability of businesses and governments to fight fraud and to educate the public on
IRS Commends AICPA for Service to Small Businesses
The Institute received an IRS citation of excellence for helping small business taxpayers. At the National CPA/IRS Tax Issues Meeting in November, AICPA Tax Division technical manager Benson Goldstein accepted the award from Kevin Brown, commissioner of the IRS’s Small Business/Self-Employed Operating Division. The IRS applauded the Institute’s “outstanding team
Working Couples: Small Firm Solutions
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MARRIED COUPLE CPA FIRMS ARE FINDING SUCCESS on their own terms and learning valuable practice management lessons along the way. EACH INDIVIDUAL SHOULD HAVE AN INDEPENDENT practice area. Having autonomy over final decisions in specific areas prevents spouses from stepping on each other’s toes. In many cases, this
Get Your BV Niche Out There
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CPAs WHO SEEK TO DEVELOP A BV NICHE should first determine the areas in which the firm can demonstrate expertise to referral sources. Prospects want to know that a firm understands their business. CPAs need technical training and specific valuation credentials to become credible providers of BV services.
The Style Split
Do men and women really differ in the way they lead? Absolutely. But while most of us easily recognize and appreciate the differences in our personal relationships, it is not always so easy to see them in the business world. Yet, with more women in management roles today, it is
Advice From Trailblazers and Rising Stars
Since 1986 more than 50% of accounting graduates have been women vs. just 10% in 1970. Much of this impressive progress is due to noteworthy women and their contributions to their employers and to the profession. Be True to Personal Values “The ability to focus on true priorities in life
Features
SPONSORED REPORT
Preparing clients for new provisions next tax season
As the 2025 filing season approaches, H.R. 1 introduces significant tax reforms that CPAs must be prepared to navigate. These legislative changes represent some of the most comprehensive tax updates in recent years, affecting both individual and corporate taxpayers. This report provides in-depth analysis and guidance on H.R. 1.
From The Tax Adviser
December 31, 2025
Practical tax advice for businesses as a result of the OBBBA
November 30, 2025
Digital asset transactions: Broker reporting, amount realized, and basis
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