The Institute has developed a multiyear marketing campaign to differentiate CPAs from other tax preparers. The initiative includes a set of tools to help members promote the value of CPA providers of tax services and to distinguish them from their competitors, and a comprehensive tax website for consumers with dynamic
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TOPICS / FIRM PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Practice growth & client service
Accounting Firm M&As: A Market Update
The market for mergers and acquisitions in the accounting profession has changed dramatically over the past 18 months. Before the financial crisis in 2008, M&As were viewed more as a tool for acquiring experienced talent and less as a means for growing the top line. The economic shift has contributed
SBA Warns Small Businesses of Scams to Help Obtain Government Loans
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) warned that the agency has received several complaints from small businesses about abusive marketing practices, scams and exorbitant fees charged by companies offering to help businesses get a loan, grant or other federal funds from the SBA. Complaints received by the SBA’s Office of
Small Business
Highlighting the experiences of successful entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in partnership with Dell Inc., launched an online video series offering tools and strategies to help small business owners rebound from the recession and put themselves in a position to expand and create jobs. Strategies for Growth: Advice
Grow and Thrive
What are you doing to grow your practice? How can you help your clients become more profitable? Use the following tips to redefine the services you provide clients, and look for additional opportunities to develop new revenue sources: —By Alexandra DeFelice (adefelice@aicpa.org), a JofA senior editor, based on a presentation
Retain Clients and Help Them Recover
The economy may be on the road to recovery, but typical clients still face uncertainty. Recently, I asked a friend how business was going, and he dryly responded that even the customers who have no intention of paying are not buying. Not all of your clients may be struggling this
Community Service in Down Economic Times
The stress of economic hardship can cloud corporate priorities. As a result, corporate citizenship activities may suffer at a time when the help is most sorely needed. Accounting firms and other businesses may lose sight of the fact that these volunteer activities make a positive difference in the community at
Uncover Strategic Value
Strategic value is not the same as fair market value, where a “hypothetical” buyer and seller have access to all relevant data. Strategic value includes synergies and special features, usually hidden, that give the buyer a quicker, less costly and lower risk way to achieve goals. Look for the following
How to Leverage Social Networking
When the IRS announced in June that it would launch a review of tax return preparers, the Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA) spread the word to its members with a news item on the association Web site. But it didn’t stop there. The association posted the IRS news on its
Blogging for a Better Tax Practice
Some CPA tax practitioners find they are able to garner new clients and better maintain ties with existing ones by blogging on tax topics. Beyond providing an electronic soapbox, they say, a blog can be a powerful way to disseminate information to existing clients while revealing to prospective ones the
CPAs Embrace Twitter
Twitter has taken the Internet by storm. Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter hosts a growing community of CPAs and financial professionals, but unlike its social-networking peers, the microblogging Web site limits users’ messages, questions and conversations to 140 characters (including spaces). To put this limit into perspective, this paragraph has
Cloud Computing, Social Networking Highlighted at AICPA TECH+ Conference
This year’s AICPA TECH+ Conference in Las Vegas proved that, while accountants are using more Web-based applications, security remains a top concern when moving client information online. It’s also apparent that most CPAs aren’t quite sure what to do on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The following
CPA Firms Name Their Top Issues
For the first time in several years, staffing is not the most pressing concern for many CPA firms, according to information released in the PCPS CPA Firm Top Issues Survey. Instead, client retention dominates the list, suggesting that “the weakened economy has shifted CPAs’ concerns from staffing to client retention,”
CPAs Embrace Twitter
Twitter has taken the Internet by storm. Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter hosts a growing community of CPAs and financial professionals, but unlike its social-networking peers, the microblogging Web site limits users’ messages, questions and conversations to 140 characters (including spaces). To put this limit into perspective, this paragraph has
Put Your Business on the Map With Google Maps
Every firm’s dream should be to have a free listing on a major search engine at the top of its first results page, allowing prospective clients to find the firm when they’re searching for accounting, tax or financial planning services. Imagine if this free listing also included the firm’s phone
Practice Management
A survey of 2,722 CPA firms revealed strong growth during the past two-year period but less progress in succession planning and professional training. According to the 2008 National Management of Accounting Practice survey, 75% of responding firms experienced growth ranging from 1% to 19% from May 2006 through June 2008.
The Virtues and Challenges of a Long Break
Some people do solo retreats for personal development. Others provide volunteer services. One CPA firm partner took his two adopted children back to their homelands—Korea and Vietnam—where his 21-year-old son was reunited with his birth mother, brother and sister after 14 years, and discovered he had six nieces and nephews.
Right Track Your CPA Career
Careers aimed toward excellence start with the recognition that every CPA is truly running his or her own personal firm. Whether they are in public accounting, government or private industry, everyone must make investments into their company to be successful. These investments provide extraordinary returns for the individual CPA as
Using IFRS to Drive Business Development
Inside the growing footprint of IFRS lies something many small and midsize CPA firms may be overlooking—rich opportunities for business development. IFRS-related work in the United States has largely been the domain of major accounting firms thus far. While national firms are filling many of the needs, there’s a large
Small Business
The Small Business Administration created an online course to help small businesses explore exporting opportunities in international markets. Global Enterprise: A Primer on Exporting is a free, self-paced course that provides practical guidance on exploring international markets. The course illustrates how to identify international markets, develop an export strategy, make
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FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Tax season quick guide
Get ready for tax season with the JofA’s annual filing season quick guide, an easy-to-use compilation of dollar thresholds, tax tables, standard amounts, credits, and deductions. Download and print for quick reference this tax season.
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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