EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A merger process should include planning for a de-merger and establishing a sound agreement if a de-merger subsequently becomes necessary. De-merger agreements define how to treat specific issues if a de-merger has to take place. Items to consider addressing in a de-merger agreement include: Protecting
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Information management and technology assurance
Is Your Software Illegal?
If it is, your business could face serious legal, financial and technological risks. According to the Business Software Alliance, small businesses paid more than $11.4 million in fines to settle software piracy claims in 2006, and they face the greatest risk for software piracy, not only due to their lack
Highlights
The SEC approved the PCAOB’s Auditing Standard no. 5, An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting That Is Integrated With An Audit of Financial Statements, clearing the way for the measure to replace Auditing Standard no. 2. The new standard is designed to increase the likelihood that
Best Practice: Continuation Plans
What would happen if you were unable to work for an extended period of time? Practice continuation plans are essential for CPAs. They ensure clients are taken care of and preserve the value of a practice, especially for small to medium-size firms, if an owner or sole practitioner falls ill.
Make Macros Available in All Excel Files
» Key to Instructions To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we used two different typefaces: Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs. Sans serif type shows the names of files and the names of commands and instructions that users should type into
Compliance
A study by Lord & Benoit, a firm specializing in SOX compliance, identified what it described as the 10 leading material weaknesses among 148 companies with revenue of less than $100 million. Companies with effective internal controls were excluded from the study. Nearly two-thirds of the companies with material weaknesses
Ideas That Really Work to Recruit and Retain Staff
Does your firm have a consistent hiring message and formalized training program for new hires? CPA and consultant Steve Erickson developed 10 tips to help firms in achieving their hiring and retention goals. Increase focus and efforts. Make recruiting a year-round focus, engaging both partners and employees in the process.
Computer Forensics: An Essential Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Managers
by Michael Sheetz, J.D. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2007, 152 pp. For novices and experts alike, Michael Sheetz traces the evolution of computer forensics from computer crime investigators, who focused on securing a system, into entities dedicated to the preservation and recovery of digital evidence for admissibility and use
Add Muscle to Excel
» Key to Instructions To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we used two different typefaces: Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs. Sans serif type shows the names of files and the names of commands and instructions
Accounting Best Practices (Fifth Edition)
by Steven M. Bragg, CPA John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2007, 490 pp. Steven M. Bragg is back with new and enhanced tips designed to improve the efficiency of business accounting departments. Bragg, a prolific author and former CFO and controller, has penned the fifth edition of his accounting best
Avoiding the Commitment Dip
Firms use thousands of dollars and work hours to make change initiatives a success—and then the bottom falls out. Or in this case, employee commitment to the change drops off, and all signs point to failure. Richard Lepsinger, a human resources consultant and co-author of Flexible Leadership: Creating Value by
CPA Executives Predict HR Headaches
Staff-related issues will account for four of the top five challenges facing organizations in upcoming months, according to a survey of more than 1,350 CPA decision makers. Ninety-five percent of respondents saw employee and benefit costs as a challenge of some type, with 25% classifying it as a major challenge.
Make Track Changes Or Comments Anonymous
» Key to Instructions To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we used two different typefaces: Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs. Sans serif type shows the names of files and the names of commands and instructions that users should type into
Small Business, Big Life: Five Steps to Creating a Great Life With Your Own Small Business
by Louis Barajas, MBA, CFP Thomas Nelson Inc., 2007, 199 pp. As a 13-year-old, Louis Barajas was an integral part of his father’s small business, doing the taxes and bookkeeping and translating for his Spanish-speaking father. He understands the hard work, dedication and courage required to start and maintain a
Hiring the Best and the Brightest
High employee turnover increases costs and hurts productivity. It is also preventable. The best way to avoid spending the time, energy and money it takes to find a replacement is to hire the right person the first time. To build a solid finance team, know what you
The Red Carpet Treatment
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Statistics show strong job prospects for CPAs are likely to continue well into the next decade. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates employment for accountants and auditors to grow by at least 22% between 2004 and 2014. Sarbanes-Oxley compliance,
Managed Accounts
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A growing number of companies are beginning to offer employees professionally managed accounts for 401(k) assets. In these managed accounts, an independent investment manager handles investment decisions, makes portfolio changes as needed based on each participant’s specific needs and risk tolerance, and rebalances the
Share Files, Printer on an Office Network
Since you already have a network, adding file- and printer-sharing is a snap. Let’s start with file-sharing. Open Explorer and select a folder you want to be able to share with the two other computers and right-click on it. Select Properties and the Sharing tab. Then, under Network sharing and
All in the Family
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Multifamily office (MFO) services have long been offered by a variety of financial services providers. Increasingly, CPA firms have made this provision of comprehensive wealth management and personal services to select client families a major facet or even cornerstone of their practice. For many
Keeping Secrets
You may be able to keep a secret, but how confident are you that your computer is up to the task? As a CPA, you’re entrusted with loads of confidential information, and your professional reputation depends on your discretion. But your computer may be vulnerable to someone
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Agentic accounting has arrived: What’s hype and what’s real?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving beyond chatbots and into accounting workflows. A new generation of agentic AI tools can plan, execute, and adapt as they complete tasks, raising expectations for what automation can do inside firms and finance departments. What can agentic AI realistically do today and what challenges are there in its implementation? Find out in this Journal of Accountancy sponsored report.
From The Tax Adviser
August 31, 2026
2026 tax software survey
July 31, 2026
