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
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Information management and technology assurance
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.
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
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From The Tax Adviser
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Sec. 338(h)(10) elections in business acquisitions
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