CPA tax preparers’ attitudes toward their tax research services in some respects reflect a universal quandary of the Information Age: They’re pleased to have so much material at their fingertips, but despite modern aids such as keyword searching, are still often frustrated in tracking down a particular desired bit of
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Information management and technology assurance
The iPad Decision
Ask one CPA, the managing partner of a 160-employee firm, what he thinks of using the iPad in his work, and he tells you “there’s no other way to practice right now.” Ask another, the IT head of a 400-employee firm, and he tells you that his iPad is no
Make a Difference With PivotTables
Q: For many years we have created PivotTables in Excel, but it is frustrating because there doesn’t seem to be a way to add, subtract or divide columns. We want to subtract our actual columns from our budget columns to produce the difference and difference percentages. If there is a
Tablets: A Quick Look
Editor’s note: Also read “The iPad Decision” in the October 2011 issue of the JofA. To access a chart with details on more than 50 iPad applications and information on browser-based applications from major accounting-software publishers, click here. The following are profiles of some of the top tablets on the market. Please
A Sky-High Solution
Q: I am scheduled to manage a large project with people located in several countries, and our goal is to produce a detailed Excel workbook and report. Accordingly, we will all need shared access to these documents for editing and review purposes. To further complicate matters, this group has a
Eight Ways to Expand Your Mentoring Network
Mentoring relationships are critical for success in the accounting profession, yet many CPAs overlook the benefits of a mentor/protégé connection. A mentor can provide guidance on tackling challenging assignments or insights into managing time commitments. In addition, mentors can recommend protégés for important and highly visible projects, sponsor protégés in
Control Your Accent
Q: When reviewing Excel workbooks that contain hundreds of formulas, I often find the review process time-consuming and frustrating. Can you provide suggestions that would make this process easier? A: An obvious solution for making the workbook review process easier is to ensure that all data and formulas are well
Five Inexpensive Technologies
Presented below are a few inexpensive computer gadgets that you might find useful. 1. USB extension cable. A USB extension cable that plugs into the back of your computer and extends to your desktop will provide easier access to your USB port (cost: $2 to $5). 2. Laptop traveling mouse.
X Marks the Spot
Q: I have three computers—a laptop for traveling, one at the office and one at home. I frequently use my Favorites button in Internet Explorer to bookmark useful websites and, to keep my Favorites up to date on all three computers, I transfer my Favorites from each computer to the
IRS Issues Accounting Software Examination Guidance, Meets with AICPA
The IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Division (SB/SE) has issued guidance for its field examiners on when to request backup files of taxpayers’ accounting software during an examination, what the limits are on reviewing those electronic files, and how examiners must safeguard those records (SBSE-04-0911-086). The IRS has also updated its online
FASB Issues Proposed 2012 GAAP Taxonomy for XBRL
FASB on Thursday released the proposed 2012 U.S. GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy for public review and comment. Comments are due Oct. 31. The 2012 U.S. GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy is expected to be finalized and published in early 2012. The taxonomy is a list of computer-readable financial reporting labels coded
2011 Tax Software Survey
This year’s tax preparation software survey by The Tax Adviser and the JofA yielded more than 10,000 responses from readers, showing what tax professionals like and dislike about the tax preparation software they used this tax season. As in years past (see the 2010 survey here), price and ease of
Prepare to Get WET
Q: The last time I purchased a new computer, I wasted many hours configuring it with all of my user accounts, email account settings, network connections, Internet favorites, dictionary updates and passwords. Once again, I plan to purchase a new computer, but this time I want to avoid the configuration
A Puzzling Parse
Q: I have noticed that when I use Excel’s Text to Columns tool to parse text data, sometimes it automatically recognizes the commas, spaces, quotes or other separators, and other times it does not. How do I make the Text to Columns tool work correctly every time? A: Excel’s Text
Pivotal Advance Boosts Excel’s Power
In today’s accounting world, financial and operational data typically is stored in a variety of programs and formats. When accountants need to prepare a report based on data from various systems, the first step is to export the data into Excel. Typically, it is fairly easy to export the required
Retreat to Move Forward
With the slow economy still making times—and dollars—tight, it might seem counterintuitive for a CPA firm to take its staff to the beach for an annual retreat. But handled correctly, such off-site activities can be effective investments of time and money. Here are some ideas for making the most of
Clipboard on Steroids
Q: I found the tip in the May 2011 issue of the JofA for pasting a cell’s content multiple times to be very helpful (“Pasting Away Again,” page 72), but my situation is more complicated. When working in Excel, I need to copy and paste multiple sources of content (account
I’ve Been Framed
Q: Sometimes when I click a hyperlink in a browser window, or in an Excel, Word or PowerPoint document, the resulting Web page opens to a new browser window. I like this effect. Can you please tell me how this is done? A: Hyperlinks that open in an existing browser
2011 Tax Software Survey: Individual Product Survey Responses
The JofA and The Tax Adviser surveyed our readers to determine what they liked and did not like about their tax preparation software. The survey was conducted in May 2011 and received 10,026 responses. As in past years, three products led the pack in the number of respondents using them.
Desperately Geeking Susan
Q: It’s time for me to get a new computer, but I am not sure whether I should purchase a desktop, laptop, netbook or, perhaps, even a tablet. Which solution do you think is best? —Susan A: Susan, you have asked a loaded question, which reminds me of the adage
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