Q: I find charts helpful, but I’ve heard that they can be used to skew data or distort actual results. Is this true, and if so, how? A: You are correct that charts are useful tools for visualizing and analyzing data. However, what you have heard is also correct—charts can
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Information management and technology assurance
A Search for a Better Search
Q: Our CPA firm has more than 400,000 data files on the file server, and we constantly struggle to locate the right file. For example, recently an audit staffer retrieved an Excel file that contained fixed-asset depreciation calculations and used this in the audit. Unfortunately, the version of the file
LinkedIn Tips for CPAs
Say you run a small accounting practice but are not a marketing expert. What can you do to build your business that’s easy, quick and inexpensive? The answer is LinkedIn. The LinkedIn platform is designed specifically for business use. It is the social media of choice for more than 90
Five Excel Quick Tips
1. Sticky format painter. Double-clicking on the Format Painter icon will cause it to stick, so that you can continue to apply the desired format to multiple cells, ranges, columns or worksheets. To turn off this effect, either press the Esc key or click the Format Painter icon. 2.
Make Your Mark With Your Social Media Status
Blogging and social networking truly remind your clients and colleagues of why, when and how to recommend or refer you. Here are some tips on how to put social media status updates and other low-maintenance missives to work for you: —By Vikram Rajan (vik@phoneblogger.net), the founder of phoneBlogger.net and author
I Stand Corrected
Q: Sometimes when I misspell a word, Word automatically corrects the spelling for me, but other times it doesn’t. Does this indicate a problem with my spell checker settings? A: Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 include a feature called AutoCorrect that is useful in two ways, as follows: As you
Mobile Devices Top CPAs’ Tech Survey Rankings
CPAs and financial executives for the first time rated the proliferation of smartphones, tablet computers and mobile devices in the workplace as their top business technology concern, according to the AICPA’s 2011 Top Technology Initiatives Survey. Mobile devices edged out information security, which had topped the list of tech concerns
Clarification
Christopher Breslin, a CPA in Louisville, Ky., spotted an important caveat that we neglected to mention in a recent “Better Idea” item (“Technology Q&A,” JofA, Nov. 2010, page 70), which suggested ways of averaging noncontiguous cells in Excel that contain some zero values. The two methods suggested would average all
Heaven Help Us
Q: I am new to Windows 7, and I really like the look and feel as well as the speed of the new operating system. However, I am apprehensive about learning to navigate another computer system. What can I do to learn the ropes as fast as possible? A: The
Dashboard Your Scorecard
Dashboard reports created in Microsoft Excel are powerful, flexible and easy to design. In much the same way that an automobile dashboard graphically displays numerous measures of performance from the gas level to oil pressure, a computer dashboard presents critical data in a variety of visual formats. From this organized
Increase Productivity With Multiple Monitors
CPAs who use dual monitors are finding that the addition of a third or fourth monitor also pays dividends. As the number of applications CPAs depend on expands, so does the need for more screen real estate. While a CPA’s two primary monitors are typically used to manage core applications
Full Screen Ahead
Q: When browsing the Internet, I like to hide my browser’s menu and toolbars by right-clicking on the toolbar and unchecking the various menu and toolbar check boxes. This gives me more room to view the Web page. However, it is a hassle to constantly remove and restore the toolbars.
CPAs Share Continuation Strategies
Editor’s note: Also read “Who Would Run Your Firm?” Feb. 2011, page 40. In August 1988, 48-year-old CPA Jim Feigel was in an accident that left him in a coma for 23 days. “If anything ever happens to me, the first thing you should do is sell the practice,”
Hidden Tips for Hiding Data
Q: I have a worksheet that has columns hidden, and the worksheet is protected by a password. I found that if I highlight the columns and copy to a new worksheet, I can unhide the hidden columns, and the data is available to the user. How do I protect my
That’s a Shifty Move
Q: Because I live in a rural area, slower Internet access is my only option, but I still do a great deal of reading on the Web. The slower connection makes it frustrating to click back and forth between the articles and the main page because I have to wait
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.
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