The 2012 PCPS Succession Survey, a joint project of the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) and Succession Institute LLC, found nearly 80% of CPA firm owners expect succession to become a major issue for their firms in the next 10 years (see “Succession Planning: The Challenge of What’s Next,”
Advertisement
TOPICS
Information management and technology assurance
Office 2013 is so touchy
Q: I recently purchased a touchscreen ultrabook with Office 2013 installed, and I would like to learn more about operating Word 2013 using the touch controls. Can you send me to a list of Office 2013’s touchscreen controls? A: Microsoft offers the Office Touch Guide at tinyurl.com/kcatd39. It includes instructional
Norton’s new management
Q: We use Norton anti-virus software on multiple computers in our offices, and we have been happy with its ability to protect our computers. However, we find the process of renewing our Norton licenses confusing because clicking Norton’s renewal button links users to a Norton sales webpage that prompts them
Write it down: The importance of documenting oral advice
CPAs routinely provide oral advice to clients. While professional standards generally do not require such advice to be documented, the experience of the AICPA Professional Liability Insurance Program demonstrates that undocumented advice weakens the defense to a professional liability claim. This real-life scenario provides an example: A CPA providing bank
No comment
Q: My Excel workbook contains numerous comments explaining the source of selected values in my report, and I want to include these comments on the printed report. I have tried both of the Page Setup options that enable me to print the comments either “as displayed on sheet” or “at
Tackling the top issues
For many, if not most, accounting firms, the quest to survive the Great Recession and its aftermath has ended. The focus now is on growth. That’s one of the overarching themes derived from the 2013 Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) CPA Firm Top Issues survey, which found that accounting firms
Women’s initiatives: A strategic advantage
The recent AICPA supply and demand survey found that women constituted 44% of accounting employees at CPA firms but only 19% of the partners. The partnership percentage was a step back for women in public accounting. The percentage of female leaders in firms had risen from 1% (partners and principals)
Test your Excel IQ: Solution
Last month I turned the tables and challenged JofA readers to answer another reader’s Excel question, as follows: Q: I have created an Excel template in which I enter employee information and pension data, and as we enter this data, I want the last row automatically displayed in the ready-to-print
Your work is clear
Q: Our satellite offices provide temporary office space to visiting staff, and each office is equipped with a shared computer. I frequently use these office computers, but after I’m done I am not comfortable that Word and Excel display the names of the most recently opened files, because this allows
How to select a successor
Selecting the successor for a retiring partner in an accounting firm can take on many forms. The decision can be made by an individual CPA or by the firm leadership. It can involve the transfer of clients, ownership, and/or responsibilities internally or the sale of ownership to an outside entity.
When is a partner “retired”?
When a longtime partner or employee retires from a CPA firm, a sense of loyalty often compels the existing partners to allow the individual to have a symbolic role at the firm. This can include a courtesy title, office space, and invitations to company soirees. While this may seem like
Let it slide
Q: Windows 8 lets me run a slideshow from the My Pictures folder, but is it possible to run a slideshow of pictures contained in my other folders (other than the My Pictures folder) as does Windows 7? A: In an effort to de-clutter the Windows 8 screens, Microsoft tucked
2013 tax software survey
In this year’s survey by the JofA and The Tax Adviser, more than 5,000 CPAs assessed the software they used to prepare 2012 tax returns. This year, tax preparers had to contend with a compressed filing season caused by late enactment of extender legislation in the American Taxpayer Relief Act
Not-so-obvious update procedure revealed
Q: I purchased an Apple iPad 2 two years ago with iOS 4.33 installed, and I now need to update the operating system because many of my current app updates require iOS 5.xx (or higher). In addition, I am unable to install newer apps that require iOS 5.xx (or higher).
2013 tax software survey: Individual product survey responses
In this year’s survey by the JofA and The Tax Adviser, more than 5,000 CPAs assessed the software they used to prepare 2012 tax returns. The survey was conducted in May 2013. Overall, respondents rated their software an average of 4.1 out of 5. Users of three products, Lacerte, ProSystem
Small business growing pains
Q: My small business client has a successful business but awful accounting records. He blames his accounting system, stating that “it doesn’t work right, and it constantly produces errors.” I realize that the true problem is he doesn’t know accounting, but how do I convey this criticism without upsetting or
The long goodbye
The best time for an accounting firm to start work on a succession plan is the day the firm is formed. Of course, most firms don’t do that. The question in many cases has become: “How quickly can I put together a succession plan and head into retirement?” The answer
Reader challenge: Test your Excel IQ
This month I am turning the tables; it’s your turn to face the challenge. A reader sent me the following Excel question, and I am submitting it to you for a chance to solve his problem: Q: I have created an Excel template in which we enter employee information and
Everything
Q: My computer contains several decades of Word documents scattered across many folders. Is there a quick way to produce a simple list of all of these documents that I can then sort in Word or Excel? A: I can think of at least three ways to accomplish this task,
Sample this!
Q: We frequently need to select samples of populations for test of transaction work when auditing or reviewing client financial data. Currently, each staff member uses his or her own sampling method, some of which seem to produce skewed results. We would like to deploy a consistent sampling method using
Features
SPONSORED REPORT
Preparing clients for new provisions next tax season
As the 2025 filing season approaches, H.R. 1 introduces significant tax reforms that CPAs must be prepared to navigate. These legislative changes represent some of the most comprehensive tax updates in recent years, affecting both individual and corporate taxpayers. This report provides in-depth analysis and guidance on H.R. 1.
From The Tax Adviser
November 30, 2025
Digital asset transactions: Broker reporting, amount realized, and basis
October 31, 2025
Recent developments in estate planning
October 31, 2025
