Young talent is at the core of successful internal succession plans. How can firms identify and develop the leaders they need to replace retiring partners? Find out in the eighth installment of the series “CPA Firm Succession: Solidifying the Future.”
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Firm practice management
Alternative deal structures for succession
Accounting firm partners looking to retire need to either find an internal successor or sell their practice to an external buyer. What types of deals are possible in an external sale? Find out in the seventh installment of the series “CPA Firm Succession: Solidifying the Future.”
Are courts ready to protect more accountant-client communications?
Recent court decisions, especially those involving corporate tax reserve accrual workpapers, indicate that the judicial view of the accountant-client relationship is changing and that courts may be willing to provide greater protection for communications between accountants and their clients.
Landing more referrals
Referrals are a key to building an accounting practice. Research conducted by marketing consultants Hinge found that 87% of clients turn to referrals first when looking for an accountant and that 76% of clients are “very likely” to recommend their accounting firm to others. Here’s how to get satisfied clients
Consider this before serving on a board
The role and responsibilities of a board member significantly differ from those of a CPA in public practice. To explore the unique responsibilities of external board members—and the exposures they face—two attorneys who defend claims against external board members and accountants were interviewed for this column.
Seven steps to closing a succession sale
Key to a successful merger or acquisition is keeping the process moving. For firm leaders, there is rarely any item of greater importance than a merger they are pursuing. The adage “time kills all deals” is absolutely true with mergers, and this is why: – Adversarial positions: Naturally, both parties
Honing your hiring
It takes some detective work to hire the right new employee. Management needs to piece together clues about the applicant’s personality and work history. It takes time to determine whether a candidate has the character and credentials to fit the company’s needs. Here are a few steps to help you
How to land an overseas assignment
Securing an overseas assignment may look like a daunting challenge to a U.S. CPA who isn’t working for a Big Four accounting firm with offices worldwide, but it can be done. The JofA sought tips from three experts on how U.S. CPAs can gain international experience. Senior editor Sabine Vollmer talked
Survey: Data security concerns soar as more CPA firms access cloud
Concerns about data security are surging as the percentage of CPA firms tapping cloud computing continues to increase, according to a survey from CPA2Biz, the AICPA’s for-profit technology subsidiary. CPA2Biz’s second annual cloud survey found that nearly half of the CPA firms polled said that they are using business-grade cloud technology
How to value a CPA firm for sale
One of the key components of a CPA succession plan is the sale or transfer of the retiring CPA’s ownership interest. How is the value of that interest determined? In most circumstances, the value of an owner’s interest is different when selling to an external buyer than it is in
Six trends that are reshaping business
Accountants excel at analyzing numbers and developing strategies based off them. The way University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor James Johnson, Ph.D., sees it, the numbers describing the demographics of the United States leave accountants little choice today but to embrace diversity and new business practices. Johnson spoke
Commission to survey accounting profession’s diversity climate
An AICPA-led body plans to gather perspectives on the profession’s views on diversity and inclusion through a survey and provide a new best practices resource for firms that are developing diversity initiatives. The recently formed AICPA National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion is charged with developing methods to help the
How to network and find new clients across borders
Companies increasingly are investing across borders. That includes foreign companies establishing operations in the United States or Canada. The North American investments require accounting and tax services, making foreign companies potential new clients for North American accounting firms. But what is the best way to network across borders and attract
A two-stage solution to succession procrastination
The 2012 PCPS Succession Survey, a joint project of the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) and Succession Institute LLC, found nearly 80% of CPA firm owners expect succession to become a major issue for their firms in the next 10 years (see “Succession Planning: The Challenge of What’s Next,”
Write it down: The importance of documenting oral advice
CPAs routinely provide oral advice to clients. While professional standards generally do not require such advice to be documented, the experience of the AICPA Professional Liability Insurance Program demonstrates that undocumented advice weakens the defense to a professional liability claim. This real-life scenario provides an example: A CPA providing bank
Tackling the top issues
For many, if not most, accounting firms, the quest to survive the Great Recession and its aftermath has ended. The focus now is on growth. That’s one of the overarching themes derived from the 2013 Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) CPA Firm Top Issues survey, which found that accounting firms
Women’s initiatives: A strategic advantage
The recent AICPA supply and demand survey found that women constituted 44% of accounting employees at CPA firms but only 19% of the partners. The partnership percentage was a step back for women in public accounting. The percentage of female leaders in firms had risen from 1% (partners and principals)
How to select a successor
Selecting the successor for a retiring partner in an accounting firm can take on many forms. The decision can be made by an individual CPA or by the firm leadership. It can involve the transfer of clients, ownership, and/or responsibilities internally or the sale of ownership to an outside entity.
When is a partner “retired”?
When a longtime partner or employee retires from a CPA firm, a sense of loyalty often compels the existing partners to allow the individual to have a symbolic role at the firm. This can include a courtesy title, office space, and invitations to company soirees. While this may seem like
The long goodbye
The best time for an accounting firm to start work on a succession plan is the day the firm is formed. Of course, most firms don’t do that. The question in many cases has become: “How quickly can I put together a succession plan and head into retirement?” The answer
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How to find the right CAS clients
The key to success with CAS is selecting the best clients. Tools like ideal client profiles (ICPs), buyer personas, and even artificial intelligence can help identify the businesses that best fit each CAS practice.
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