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Information management and technology assurance

Who Would Run Your Firm?

There comes a time when every sole practitioner or small firm owner needs to consider the consequences of a disruption in leadership of his or her CPA practice. Illness, disability, family obligation or death can be devastating for the CPA’s clients, family and employees. Proper planning, however, can mitigate the

Say Goodbye to Wimpy Searches

Q: I find myself frequently wasting time by launching and closing data files in an effort to find the one I am looking for. My friend has suggested that I reorganize my files in various folders instead of the single data folder I use now, but that is going to

IRS Launches Smartphone App

The IRS on Monday announced the launch of a new application for smartphones: IRS2Go. The application will let taxpayers check on the status of their refunds and get tax tips. In a press release, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman described the application as showing the IRS’ “commitment to modernizing the agency

IRS Will Not Meet 80% E-File Goal, Oversight Board Says

The IRS Oversight Board released its Electronic Filing 2010 Annual Report to Congress on Wednesday, including the news that its goal that 80% of all major tax return types be electronically filed will likely not be met by 2012. The 80% e-file goal was originally implemented by the IRS Restructuring

Board of education: Other client advisory board models

Editor’s note: Also read “Board of education: CPA firms, businesses can profit from clients’ advice,” in the Jan. 2012 issue of the JofA. The client advisory board model recommended by the PCPS is far from the only format used by CPA firms and other businesses. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Dopkins & Co.

Would You Like to Share a Date?

Q: I work in a small CPA firm, and my partners and I have busy schedules. We occasionally need access to each other’s schedules, which we keep in Outlook 2007. Our computer consultant has suggested that we set up a Microsoft Exchange Server so we can share our calendar information,

New Investment Adviser Requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act: What CPAs Should Know

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, PL 111-203 (Reform Act, tinyurl.com/26zalzn), which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in July 2010, will require sweeping changes to virtually all areas of the financial services industry in the United States and will affect a wide variety of

How to Stand Out in Today’s Marketplace

The Institute has developed a multiyear marketing campaign to differentiate CPAs from other tax preparers. The initiative includes a set of tools to help members promote the value of CPA providers of tax services and to distinguish them from their competitors, and a comprehensive tax website for consumers with dynamic

Maximizing Tax Season Efficiency

Run your firm’s tax season as if you were advising a client on a business. Whether you are a two-person operation or a giant national firm, you need procedures to facilitate the tax preparation part of your practice. The following best practices for tax season, adapted from my book Managing

I Command You

Q: I recently upgraded to Excel 2007, and I can’t seem to find all of the same commands I used in Excel 2003, such as the ability to e-mail a single worksheet or pivot multiple ranges of data. Why did Microsoft get rid of some of Excel 2003’s commands, and

I Hope to See You Zoom

Q: I use Excel on a 15-inch monitor, and I sometimes find it difficult to read the smaller font data in my worksheet. Is there an easier solution to this problem than buying a bigger monitor? A: In Excel 2003, 2007 and 2010, you can zoom in and out instantly

CPAs Gain Statutory Exemption From Red Flags Rule

Following years of advocacy efforts and a legal battle, CPAs received a permanent exemption from the Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flags Rule with President Barack Obama’s signing of the Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010 on Saturday. The Red Flags Rule, which was released Nov. 9, 2007, under the

Firm Survey Shows Profitability Preserved Amid Flat Revenues

Despite flat revenues, CPA firms managed to maintain profitability during the past two years, according to the 2010 PCPS/TSCPA National Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Survey, a biennial survey conducted by the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section and the Texas Society of CPAs. The survey results provide a comprehensive benchmarking

Featured Online Content for December 2010

FEATURED VIDEO Use the 2010 MAP Survey to Benchmark Your Firm The AICPA’s James Metzler, CPA, and Mark Koziel, CPA, discuss findings from the 2010 PCPS/TSCPA National MAP Survey, conducted by the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. The 2010 survey includes responses

Tip From a Reader: Link a Single Excel Cell Into a Word Document

Tom Glogau, a CPA with Grove, Mueller & Swank PC in Salem, Ore., wrote me that he has no trouble linking an Excel file to a Word document. But he was initially baffled when he tried to do the same thing with just a single cell from a worksheet. Copying

Make Your Accounting Department More Efficient

In today’s world, accounting departments run lean. Asked to do more with less, accountants are being pushed to the max. Since adding staff is usually not an option, here are seven ways to lighten accounting’s workload. Challenge every step, every piece of paper, every input and every output. Chances are

Featured Online Content for November 2010

FEATURED VIDEO   Performance-Based Compensation Accounting firms are increasingly using pay-for-performance to compensate their high performers. Compensation experts August Aquila and Coral Rice discuss key aspects of a pay-for-performance system, how it can benefit your firm and mistakes to avoid when implementing it. Also on journalofaccountancy.com, read ideas from the

Excel Shortcuts

Ctrl+Shift+) unhides any hidden columns within the selection. Ctrl+Shift+( unhides any hidden rows. Ctrl+Shift+& applies the outline border to the selected cells. Ctrl+Shift+_ removes the outline border from the selected cells. Ctrl+Shift+~ applies the general number format. Ctrl+Shift+$ applies the currency format with two decimal places (negative numbers in parentheses).

Marcella LoCastro, CPA/CITP

I always tell people don’t forget your roots. I don’t care how successful you are, how much you’ve accomplished. Don’t forget to give back to people who have helped you along the way. I was supposed to be a teacher. I was always good at math. My father, Tony LoCastro,

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

AI risks CPAs should know

Are you ready for the AI revolution in accounting? This JofA Technology Q&A article explores the top risks CPAs face—from hallucinations to deepfakes—and ways to mitigate them.

From The Tax Adviser

January 31, 2026

Trust distributions in kind and the Sec. 643(e)(3) election

January 31, 2026

Effects of the OBBBA on higher education

December 31, 2025

Practical tax advice for businesses as a result of the OBBBA

November 30, 2025

How a CPA and wealth adviser partnership can guide families through transition