EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE NUMBER OF VENDORS offering online courses to CPAs has grown considerably since 1998 when the JofA first reported on the subject. THE NUMBER OF ONLINE COURSES reported in a survey of CPE providers grew sixtyfold to more than 3,000. EMPLOYEES AND CPAs WHO STUDY online spend less
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Firm practice management
Meyners Pays for Performance
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MEYNERS INSTITUTED A PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE system to get employees involved in the firm’s growth efforts. It includes an annual salary increase that reflects a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and three bonus pools related to three areas: core values, core competencies and meeting goals. EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND WHAT’S EXPECTED of them and
Tell Us More
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CUSTOMER CASE RESEARCH (CCR) can reveal how a company’s people and circumstances influenced it to engage one CPA and not another or to obtain one accounting, tax or consulting service and not another. Such case studies illustrate situations business managers must solve all the time, and CPAs can
Mom-and-Pop Shops
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SMALL BUSINESSES ARE THE CORE of U.S. enterprise—70%—and the backbone of the small and local CPA firm market. Stresses caused by the rapidity and degree of change in the business world and the culture at large are putting pressure on CPAs to provide them with an ever-more-complex range
Get the Most Out of Training Day
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A CPA FIRM THAT’S EXPANDING, with more staff at various professional levels and perhaps scattered among different offices, may find it increasingly difficult to manage its training through its human resources department. A FIRM SHOULD IDENTIFY its long-term goals and organize its training around them. It should be
How to Profit by Safeguarding Privacy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PROTECTING THE PRIVACY of personal information is no longer optional for organizations that collect, use and distribute it. Federal law now requires entities to take responsibility for safeguarding the data they gather from customers and patients. ORGANIZATIONS THAT ACCEPT AND FULFILL their privacy-related obligations will find it easier
The A to Z of Keeping Staff
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE AICPA’s ANNUAL SURVEY to learn how the supply of public accounting graduates is meeting firms’ needs for recruits reveals that turnover rates for CPA firms have held steady in a range from 7% to 10% for local firms and 22% to 28% for national firms. Losing staff
Before the Deluge—and After
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BEING ABLE TO REACH STAFF IS PARAMOUNT during and directly after a disaster. To communicate while power and telephone lines are down, a firm can use public service radio announcements to give out phone numbers where employees can get information. ORGANIZE BUSINESS RECOVERY TEAMS AND DETERMINE the resources
Nail a Construction Niche
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONSTRUCTION OFFERS A DIVERSE MARKET TO CPAs. Major contractors handle federal government projects (such as dams and military buildings) and other heavy construction work including refineries, power plants and utilities, highways, municipal centers and international ventures. Each subcontractor for discrete phases of such projects (wiring and plumbing, for
Period of Adjustment
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE NONAUDIT SERVICES Sarbanes-Oxley prohibits CPAs from providing to their public company audit clients are bookkeeping or services related to the accounting records or financial statements of the client; financial information systems design and implementation; appraisal or valuation services, fairness opinions or contribution-in-kind reports; actuarial services; internal audit
Smart Stops on the Web
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY SITES Free Web Seminars www.bettermanagement.com Gratis membership to this Web site gains users access to online talks such as “Bridging Technology and Business Continuity Objectives” and “Ethics and Legal Mandate: Survival in the Sarbanes-Oxley Era.” CPAs also can read articles on business intelligence and activity-based management and
Audit Redux
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AN INCREASE IN AUDITOR CHANGES HAS LED t o an increase in reaudits, raising unique practice considerations for the CPAs that perform them. Reauditors can use the guidance in SAS no. 84, Communications Between Predecessor and Successor Auditors and Practice Alert 02-3, Reauditing Financial Statements to help with
It Works for Them
ersonal financial planners help clients identify financial goals, organize ways to achieve them and set timetables for implementation. Together, a planner and client look at the clients total financial picture, including income, savings, investments and debts as well as his or her personal situation. Then, they analyze where the money
Fine-Tune Your Marketing Know-How
MONTHLY CHECKLIST SERIES Both professionals and firms must forge an identity. As the CPA, you are the brand and you have to put that brand in front of your intended audience. You accomplish this by getting the word out about your firm’s services. Prospective clients need to associate you and
Maintain Excellence, Cut Risk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THERE ARE TWO BASIC RISKS IN the CPA profession: catastrophic service failure, such as that from providing inaccurate audit-related services, and business failure caused by losing top-quality clients. A FIRM THAT CONCENTRATES ON IMPROVING leadership, staff and the client base can enhance partner, staff and firm performance and
Socially Responsible Investing
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AS CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL ISSUES and corporate governance increases, CPAs may find more interest among their clients in investment strategies and mutual funds that emphasize social responsibility. SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS INVESTORS MAKE DECISIONS by screening for positive and negative issues, shareholder advocacy, community investing and providing social
Don’t Volunteer for Trouble
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MANY CPA VOLUNTEERS AT NPOs ASSUME state and federal laws protect them from legal liability. However, unpaid workers and board members aren’t protected if an NPO violates federal or state civil rights laws or in instances where sexual offenses occur, for example. BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD BE CAREFUL about
Practitioner Tells Bush of “Trickle-Down” Effect
Carmen J. Aguiar, CPA,of Bellevue, Washington, was a panelist at the economic forum President George W. Bush, right, convened at Baylor University in August. Drawing from her experience in running a small firm, Aguiar expressed concern over the extensive financial reporting requirements her small business clients face.
Don’t Run the Risk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DISCLOSURES OF FAULTY PRACTICES at public companies have led to restrictions on services a CPA may provide to audit clients. IN 2001 AUDITOR INDEPENDENCE RULES gave CPAs more freedom to buy and sell securities, increasing the risk that firms may violate laws against insider trading. THE SEC
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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.
From The Tax Adviser
March 31, 2026
Current developments in taxation of individuals: Part 1
March 31, 2026
Current Developments in Taxation of Individuals: Part 1
March 6, 2026
