When Susan Bruno set out to launch a mobile application to help women gain control of their finances, and Leonard Wright decided to develop an app to enhance his client interactions, neither wealth manager could foresee the dizzying array of detours and dead-ends they would encounter on the road to
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Information management and technology assurance
No coffee for my mouse, please
Q: I spilled coffee on my mouse, and it stopped working. I then was unable to operate certain software on my Windows computer that requires mouse movements until I purchased a replacement mouse. I am curious to know if there is a way to perform mouse movements in Windows without
Stopping tax identity theft: Practical advice for CPAs and clients
Tax return and other tax-related identity theft is a growing problem that CPAs can help their clients with—both in taking preventive actions and in correcting problems after an identity thief has struck. Tax return identity theft occurs when someone uses a taxpayer’s personal information, such as name and Social Security
How to drive partner accountability and unity
Partner accountability and unity are essential for accounting firms to maximize their productivity and profits. Unfortunately, partner harmony is hard to find, especially at larger firms. Consider the findings of the most recent CPA Firm Top Issues Survey conducted by the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section. The biennial poll of
When parties come knocking for client records
CPA firms either maintain or have access to numerous types of client records and related working papers. Requests for access to copies of such records can arise from multiple sources, including current and former clients, lawyers, civil and criminal investigators, lenders, and others. All requests should be made in writing.
Sparklines make headlines
Q: We produce a monthly report in Excel summarizing the previous 12 months’ accounts-receivable balances for each of our 2,600 customers, and it is my job to analyze this data to identify growing A/R balances that indicate customers who might require special attention. Ideally, I’d like to chart each of
Succession planning: The challenge of what’s next
CPA firm owners say succession planning is important, and a growing number of firms have formal plans in place. Still, many firms and sole proprietors have a great deal of succession planning work ahead of them. Among the challenging statistics that emerged from a recent AICPA survey on the topic:
Touchy underlines
Q: Because I think the solid underlines on my Excel-based financial reports look less professional, I insert thin, blank columns between my data so the underlines don’t touch one another. This process of inserting and reformatting columns is tiresome. Is there another way to produce the underline breaks I want
National mobility campaign adds California and D.C.
As California and the District of Columbia reach major milestones related to individual CPA mobility laws, profession leaders pause to reflect on what this means and assess the next steps in promoting cross-border practice. California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 20 signed legislation that facilitates cross-border mobility for out-of-state CPAs
Practice safe e-filing
Since 2012, e-filing generally has been mandatory for tax preparers or firms that anticipate filing 11 or more federal individual or trust returns in a calendar year. However, e-filing presents a variety of dangers and unintended consequences not present with paper filing. Here are tips to make e-filing as safe
Green computing tips
Q: Should we be concerned about the amount of energy our computers consume, and if so, what measures can we take to conserve energy and reduce the cost of operating our computers? A: Of course, we should all strive to use energy efficiently. Accordingly, listed below are possible computer-related tips
Wireless breadcrumbs
Q: How can we determine if any of our employees are visiting inappropriate websites at the office using company-supplied computers and internet access? A: The process of browsing the internet leaves telltale breadcrumbs on your wired or wireless routers, enabling you to monitor web activity by user. Almost all routers
Three IT challenges to watch for in 2013
The global information systems organization ISACA is urging businesses to prepare for tough decisions in the year ahead in three areas: data privacy, cloud computing, and increasingly complex cyber-threats. Interest in private or hybrid (public/private) cloud solutions is expected to grow because of information security concerns, according to ISACA. Meanwhile,
KPMG revenue tops $23B on gains in advisory, tax
Fiscal 2012 financial results released by KPMG International suggest that strong demand for advisory and tax services and rapid revenue gains in emerging markets helped the Big Four accounting firm shrug off the effects of the eurozone crisis. The global network of firms that make up KPMG International reported $23.03
Google, Apple, Samsung surge to top of market for smartphones, tablets, PCs
Google, Apple, and Samsung are leading a sales surge in the worldwide smart connected device market—a category consisting of personal computers, tablets, and smartphones—that should continue for at least the next five years, according to new research from International Data Corp. (IDC). The IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker
Most CPAs see role in helping clients adopt technology, AICPA survey finds
Nearly 40% of CPAs see themselves as catalysts for their clients’ adopting innovative technologies such as cloud computing and mobile devices, according to survey results released Wednesday by the AICPA. The survey of 624 AICPA members in public accounting found that an additional 43% of CPAs will respond to clients’
What’s your fraud IQ?
Trying to uncover evidence of fraud in a data set of millions of records is somewhat akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, the successful employment of data analysis techniques can clear away most of the “hay” and leave the fraud examiner or auditor with a much
The games people play
Q: I have an employee who plays social media games on his lunch break. Will playing these games slow down his computer or cause other harm? A: The vast majority of computer performance issues and crashes occur when a computer runs out of available memory. Because many computer games involve
2012 MAP Survey: Signs of recovery
Accounting firms aren’t all the way back to where they were before the Great Recession, but they are making progress. That’s one of the many findings of note in the 2012 National Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) survey, sponsored by the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section in association with
I’ve got you pegged
Q: We use a wall map with pushpins to keep track of the location of our service technicians, but this manual method requires continual phone calls and pushpin adjustments. Can you recommend a cheap and easy technology solution that would enable us to see where our service technicians are and
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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.
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