It should be no surprise amid the constant barrage of headlines about cybersecurity incidents that the number and cost of breaches is on the rise. Security incidents cost businesses an average of $2.7 million each year, according to a survey by PwC. Despite the burgeoning threat, information security is an
Advertisement
TOPICS
Information management and technology assurance
Ibanez ruling set precedent for right of CPAs to advertise dual credentials
This June marked the 20th anniversary of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that remains of interest to the accounting profession because the litigants included a state board of accountancy and a dually credentialed attorney advertising that she was both a CPA and an attorney. In Ibanez v. Florida Board of
Pricing issues for small firm sales
When it comes to negotiating accounting practice sales, the owners of small firms often enjoy some big advantages over their counterparts at large firms. Why? Find out in this article, which examines the factors that determine the final price paid for a small accounting practice.
11 QuickBooks tips for producing stellar reports
You need accurate and timely information to make quick business decisions, and QuickBooks can help with that process—if it is used properly. The second installment of a two-part series explains how to unlock QuickBooks’ hidden features and facets to help you sort, organize, drill, filter, summarize, and export your way to better financial reporting.
Model behavior
Q: I have several worksheets of data that I want to pivot, but the Excel 2003 option to pivot multiple ranges of data no longer exists in Excel’s later editions. I find that I must copy and paste all workbook data onto a single worksheet to pivot the combined data.
Divisive security
Q: Can you direct me to a good checklist of precautions we should take to secure our employees’ mobile devices? A: Security is a hassle, but a necessary hassle. Perhaps this checklist will help you lock down those mobile devices once and for all. 1. Lock it. Require employees to
Say “no” to O/S “edition” upgrades
Q: Should we upgrade our Windows 7 and Vista computers to Windows 8? A: I don’t recommend updating older computers to newer operating systems because, in my opinion, you are better off buying a new computer. My reasoning is that the Windows operating systems installed on your older computers were
11 tips to optimize QuickBooks reporting
Many QuickBooks users fail to take advantage of the accounting software’s full capabilities. This first article in a two-part series provides tips for efficiently creating, grouping, memorizing, and printing financial reports.
Nine ways to improve data security
Many businesses continue to underestimate cyberthreats. An urgent change of mindset is called for, says Florian Stahl, lead information security consultant at MSG Systems in Germany. He offers nine tips to bolster thinking around data security.
Expanding your app-titude
Shop smarter with GroceryIQ…Managing finances with Personal Capital and Mint
Tax software: Ethical, legal, and professional liability risks
This column addresses a CPA’s professional liability exposures as well as ethical and legal obligations related to the use of tax software.
2014 tax software survey
Learn how CPAs in our annual survey assessed the performance, features, and technical support of eight major tax preparation software products.
10 Excel shortcuts
1. The SUM function. Pressing Alt+= in the cell below a column of numbers inserts the SUM function and highlights that column of numbers. 2. Select a range of data. Pressing Ctrl+A inside a range of data selects the data range. 3. Select an entire worksheet. Pressing Ctrl+A outside a
Remotely interested in supervision
Q: What technologies should we use to help monitor our “work-from-home” employees to make sure they are working productively and doing their jobs properly? A: According to the Telework Research Network, 30 million Americans (20% of the workforce) work from home at least part time, and Telework projects that number
What does it meta?
Q: How much does metadata (webpage titles, descriptions, and keywords) play into improving a webpage’s rating in Bing, Yahoo!, or Google searches? A: Metadata is an essential element to ranking higher in search engine results, and it is important to include relevant metadata in your webpage properties so your webpages
Combination charts
Q: Is it possible to overlay one chart atop another chart in Excel 2013 for comparison purposes? Create a 2-D Line chart. Start by creating a 2-D Line chart using the entire data range by highlighting the data (A3:C15 in this example) and then from the Insert tab, in the
CPAs have opportunities in financial planning and forecasting
Many accountants may have opportunities to expand their service offerings to small business clients by providing financial planning and forecasting, according to a new survey. Just one in three accountants offers financial planning or forecast services as part of clients’ business planning process, according to a survey of 150 accountants
Lessons from an $8 million fraud
Nathan J. Mueller’s fleecing of his employer, a financial services giant, is noteworthy because of the amount of money stolen, the many years the embezzlement lasted, and the internal control weaknesses that made the scheme possible. This article examines how the crime was committed and what organizations can do to protect themselves from similar losses.
What’s your fraud IQ?
Do you know how to spot the red flags of a fraudulent transaction? Can you evaluate the warning signs? Find out in our Fraud IQ quiz.
Expanding your app-titude
New column debuts with descriptions of networking app Fing and shopping assistant RedLaser.
Features
FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Building a better CPA firm: Stepping up service offerings
A key step in business model modernization is determining how to implement services that satisfy clients and employees.
From The Tax Adviser
August 30, 2025
2025 tax software survey
July 31, 2025
