This year’s AICPA TECH+ Conference in Las Vegas proved that, while accountants are using more Web-based applications, security remains a top concern when moving client information online. It’s also apparent that most CPAs aren’t quite sure what to do on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The following
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Information management and technology assurance
New Law in New York May Affect Out-of-State CPAs
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the July 17 AICPA News Update. On July 26, 2009, a new law goes into effect in New York state that significantly changes the regulation and practice of public accountancy. The law includes many new or expanded provisions that affect CPAs practicing in New
FASB Introduces Disclosure Project
FASB introduced a project Wednesday that is intended to make financial statement disclosures more useful, organized and consistent, and less redundant. The project will focus on developing a framework for improved GAAP disclosures, according to FASB Chairman Robert Herz. The vision for the framework is for it to allow companies
CPA Firms Name Their Top Issues
For the first time in several years, staffing is not the most pressing concern for many CPA firms, according to information released in the PCPS CPA Firm Top Issues Survey. Instead, client retention dominates the list, suggesting that “the weakened economy has shifted CPAs’ concerns from staffing to client retention,”
Safe Password Practices
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive exhibit for “Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems.” Advise users to never put their password on a Post-it Note or in another unsafe location. Tell users to always say “No” when Windows or any other software offers to save their password.
Supercharge Your Excel Sum Operations: Worksheets and Exhibits
Editor’s note: These are Web-exclusive exhibits for “Supercharge Your Excel Sum Operations.” Click here to download sample Excel worksheets. Each of the article’s four exhibits is an individual worksheet in a single downloadable Excel file. It includes: Exhibit 1: Sales by person using SUMIF Exhibit 2: Basic functioning of SUMPRODUCT
Social Media Panel Outlines Tips for Accountants
Do accountants need to be on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, or is it OK for them to sit on the sidelines? That question was posed by Bill Sheridan, e-communications manager for the Maryland Association of CPAs, during a social media panel he moderated at the MD
Password Management Strategies for Safe Systems: Offense and Defense
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive exhibit for “Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems.” Primary Security Risks Effective Countermeasures Failing to enhance password security in order to focus on searching for a “perfect” security system and obtaining more funding. Immediately improve password security procedures. Implementing new system security procedures or
Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems: Glossary of Key Terms
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive exhibit for “Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems.” Term Definition Clear Text Unencrypted characters in, for example, a password. Crack To decode an encrypted password. Social Engineering A hacker’s use of a plausible pretext to intimidate or trick an employee into divulging a password
How Long Can You Hang in With Microsoft XP?
Q: I’m one of the Microsoft customers who opted not to “upgrade” to Vista. I don’t think I’m a dinosaur; I just have more important things to do than learn new software—especially when good, old reliable XP suits me just fine. So I’m hoping to stick with XP and Office
Put Some Zip in E-Mail Searches in Outlook
Q: Is there some way to speed up e-mail searches in Outlook? I get tons of mail, and I just don’t always have the time, or the patience, to sort them. Any ideas for a handy tool? A: Both Outlook 2003 and 2007 have very effective sorting tools. But when
A Fresh Approach for Compilation and Review
The AICPA’s Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) has proposed the most significant changes to the professional literature for compilation and review engagements since the December 1978 issuance of SSARS no. 1, Compilation and Review of Financial Statements. The proposed Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARSs), issued
Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems
All of your business systems’ users have confidential passwords. Does that mean your system and its contents are safe? Definitely not. As this article explains, organizations that don’t ensure the ongoing security of their passwords are exposing themselves to fraud and potential liability by failing to protect confidential information. Recent
Use the Keyboard to Substitute for Excel’s Temperamental and Super-Sensitive Fill Handle
Q: I bet I’m not the only one who hates using the mouse to grab that little slippery fill handle in Excel. The idea is great—click on the tiny handle and drag it to fill cells in a variety of ways. But I can’t always maneuver the mouse with that
Boost Office Productivity With Dual Display Workstations
Q: I’ve been trying to convince my partners that we can boost productivity if we add a monitor to each desktop computer so each workstation will have dual displays. Most of the partners think it’s a waste of money. Since most of them read your Tech Q&A column, I figure
Who Says You Can’t Create a Watermark in Excel?
Q: My firm’s tech support guy says watermark functionality is not available in Microsoft Office Excel 2003. I can’t see how Microsoft could have left it out. Accountants typically have to be able to circulate a financial report with such words as CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT printed in light type right
When to Use Stand By, Hibernate or Sleep—It Does Make a Difference
Q: Does it make any difference whether I put my computer to “sleep” by choosing Stand by or Hibernate? A: They both are techniques for putting your computer to sleep—and saving power. So, when you wake them up, the recovery is fast—that is, relative to a startup from a complete
Shortcuts
For Excel Ctrl+Shift+!—Applies the number format with two decimal places, thousands separator and minus sign ( – ) for negative values. Ctrl+Shift+$—Applies the currency format with two decimal places (negative numbers in parentheses). Ctrl+Shift+%—Applies the percentage format with no decimal places. Ctrl+Shift+#—Applies the date format with the day, month and
Compilation and Review Engagements: Why Tackle This Project Now?
Editor’s note: This article is a sidebar to “A Fresh Approach for Compilation and Review.” Based on concerns expressed by stakeholders in compilation and review engagements, the Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) turned to the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) for help in its consideration of how to
Supercharge Your Excel Sum Operations
Many CPAs, frustrated by rigid and inadequate reports from their general ledger or other enterprise systems, turn to Microsoft Excel. Nimble but powerful, Excel often manipulates data faster and more effectively than less agile applications. But to perform certain tasks optimally, a CPA sometimes may have to bypass what apparently
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