Burned out—or balancing tasks well? Are you juggling multiple tasks every day and exhausted from the demands of your personal and professional life? Perhaps it’s time for a schedule that provides more opportunity for work/life balance. There may be times in your career when an alternative schedule provides the support
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Firm practice management
Second-CPA-Firm Update
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SMALL FIRMS CAN HELP COMPANIES implement the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s ongoing requirements, take on engagements the company auditor may no longer perform or pick up assignments that larger firms forgo because they are too involved in Sarbanes-Oxley-related engagements. SECOND-CPA-FIRM WORK IS VARIED: One firm is tailoring a new
Answer Please: Fraud-Based Interviewing
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ONE WEAPON AUDITORS CAN USE AGAINST FRAUD is simply to speak to clients, managers and employees while observing their behaviors. Normal interview skills may be insufficient to determine whether an individual is withholding information, shading the truth or outright lying, so it’s wise to learn fraud-based interview skills
Stay Out of Trouble
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DEBATE HAS RAGED FOR YEARS i n financial and accounting circles over issues of independence, auditing and accounting standards, and corporate governance. In the event of an auditing malfeasance trial, a juror—unaware of this larger context—must arrive at a verdict based on what he or she learns about
Institute Appoints Liaison for International Activities
New director to manage Institutes international relationsAICPA personal finance Web site twice honoredInstitutes CPA Marketing Tool Kit cited for excellence. The AICPA in June named Gary M. Scopes, CPA, to be its director, international relations. He brings to the position experience in auditing, standards implementation and ethics enforcement. In addition
AICPAs Financial Literacy Site Wins Laurels
The Institutes online personal finance community won honors in two competitions. The primary site ( www.360financialliteracy.org ), which promotes CPA pro bono efforts to educate the public in personal finance, earned a Communicator Crystal Award for excellence in communication to its target audience. In addition, the sites latest addition (
Institutes Marketing Resource Gains Prize
The AICPAs CPA Marketing Tool Kit won a Big Apple Award from the Public Relations Society of America for exceptional support of marketing communications. Meanwhile, the Institute augmented the kit with a new brochure and speech designed to help members market their business consulting services to clients ( www.aicpa.org/cpamarketing ).
Nothing Succeeds Like Succession
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SENIOR PARTNERS AT CPA FIRMS NEED TO PLAN how they will cash out of their practices. A firm’s revenues greatly depend on clients’ repeat business, so however partners choose to exit, maximizing value when they leave requires having knowledgeable, prepared successors who can keep clients during a transition.
“Would You, Could You, Should You Blog?”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BLOGS (SHORT FOR WEB LOGS) are an information-sharing tool with many business possibilities. They offer commentary on a variety of topics with links to Web sites or other online resources. Low operating costs make blogging a great marketing and knowledge management option for small firms. A BLOG TYPICALLY
“Outsourcing, Offshoring, Nearshoring: What to Do?”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FANS OF OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING SAY it lowers labor costs; it’s efficient; and it lets firms accept new work during periods of peak demand. SOME LONG-TERM CONCERNS CPAs VOICE ARE: How will outsourcing affect the traditional CPA career path? How will it affect U.S. employees’ training? How will accountants
Six Steps to Better Marketing
Loyal clients are the most important source of referrals there is, so if you want to get more business, concentrate on the ones you already have. That means giving clients the attention they deserve. Here are six steps you can take to improve your communications effectiveness. Get an
SmartStopsOnTheWeb
Big Small Business Resources www.bizoffice.com CPA sole practitioners planning to start or grow their own firms can get information on financing and government grants, business plans and Internet marketing in this site’s BizOffice Library. Other links lead to tips on small business survival and strategic planning. Get the Word Out
Outrageous Employee Benefits
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE PARTNERS AT VITALE CATURANO & CO. (VCC) have listened carefully to what employees and potential hires say matters to them in the workplace—growth, intellectually stimulating and diverse projects, and a sense of being appreciated. VCC ATTRACTS STAFF AND ENCOURAGES LOYALTY by offering a generous work/life incentives program
Hit Your Target With Effective Marketing
Financial advisers can build up their practices by clearly identifying the clients they want and targeting their marketing campaigns to reach them. Here are some points to keep in mind. Identify your target market in detail. A clear focus produces the best results. It’s easier and less expensive to reach
Peer Review Is Stronger and Better Now
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE AICPA REVISED ITS STANDARDS for performing and reporting on peer reviews for firms that do not audit SEC registrants. The revised standards, effective for reviews commencing on or after January 1, 2005, will enhance the quality of peer reviews and increase the usefulness of peer review reports
Payroll: A Tie That Binds
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EVERY BUSINESS HAS TO PAY ITS STAFF and its taxes. Many CPAs are addressing those twin needs by offering to help their small-business clients, not just with taxes but also with the many chores that go into payroll processing, from after-the-fact tax filings to benefits administration. IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY
Frame a Travel Strategy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HAVE A CLEAR TRAVEL POLICY signed off on by the highest levels of management, and give someone responsibility for managing the program. BEST PURCHASING PRACTICES are to maximize the amount of business you do with a small number of suppliers. But small firms often do better letting travelers
Succession-Planning Dos and Donts
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DON’T FAIL TO PLAN. CPAs have to get moving, experts say. Succession isn’t a process that can be done well under pressure or in a hurry. Firms need to address the issues of finding a new firm owner, nurturing future leaders, transitioning clients, codifying operating processes and drafting
Institute Honors Roussey
The AICPA presented a 2004 Special Recognition Award to Robert S. Roussey, CPA, professor of accounting at the Elaine and Kenneth Leventhal School of Accounting at the University of Southern California (USC), where he has taught since 1992. The award recognized Rousseys extensive contributions in the area of international auditing
AICPA Marketing Effort Wins Prizes
Catch Me If You Can, the forensic accounting contest and promotion conceived as part of the AICPAs five-year Start Here. Go Places recruitment campaign, won two Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide Globe Awards for creativity, originality, execution and results. The Institutes program excelled among the more than 330 campaigns of 2004,
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