I find it ludicrous that your article, “Software Revenue Recognition on the Rise” (Dec. 07, page 50) not only insinuates but even goes so far as to actually state that companies are changing their business practices because of SOP 97-2. While the accounting profession, of which I am part, is
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Information management and technology assurance
On the Record: Phoenix Rising
“At the SEC, 2008 will be the year of the Phoenix. That�s the name of our updated software system that will track every disgorgement, penalty, and other monies owed to the SEC and to investors�from the beginning of the process until the last dollar is returned to its rightful owner.
“Success in Two” for the CPA Exam
At LarsonAllen LLP, our goal is to get employees started on the exam within one year of their full-time hire date, and then to pass the exam by their second anniversary with the firm – hence the name of the program “Success in Two.” Here’s how we do it: If
Add Pizzaz To Arrows And Pointers In Excel Spreadsheets
There are lots of things you can do—such as adding color, size and shape. Let’s look at the options. If you’re using Excel 2007, click on Insert and then on Shapes, which produces this menu: Once you click on a shape, the Home Ribbon switches to Format and, depending on
XBRL
The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance prepared issuers for the possibility of new proposed rules regarding the use of XBRL as early as this spring. “As I have said before, we are ready to undertake further rulemaking whenever the technology is ready,” said John W. White, SEC director of corporation
Expand Your Horizons: Niche Marketing Success Stories
Niche marketing has become a successful strategy for many CPA firms because it identifies target markets and resources, distinguishes a CPA firm from the competition and generates higher profit margins. Niche market specialties will focus both your firm’s marketing program and your marketing professional’s activities by providing a foundation for
Weather the Storm During a Recession
While it may be impossible to recession-proof your clients’ businesses, BDO Consulting, which provides restructuring and risk advisory services as a business line of BDO Seidman LLP, provides these tips in the event of an economic downturn: n Take fast and decisive action—quickly determine core administrative and operational needs and
Recruiting (and Retaining) the Next Generation Accountant: One University’s Experience
What attracts students to accounting? Is it the appeal of social and forensic accounting in a post-Enron world? Is it the allure of big money? Or is it simply supply and demand? When it comes to attracting students to the accounting profession, faculty in university accounting departments face pressures from
Found: Client Evaluation Template
The article, “Letting Go: Evaluating and Firing Clients” (Jan. 08, page 54), was well written and exactly on point for my firm. I am the sole owner of a two-office, 23-person firm. In late 2006, my business partner unexpectedly passed away. During 2007 we had some expected—and some unexpected—changes
Smart Stops on the Web
PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT MARKETING KNOW-HOW http://tinyurl.com/2g7bwv Looking to attract new clients or increase your firm’s visibility? Visit this Smart Stop to access the AICPA’s “CPA Marketing Tool Kit,” part of the Institute’s public accounting firm resources. The collection offers customer service and selling tips, client satisfaction surveys, PDF brochures and guidelines
AICPA Co-Sponsors Financial Management Course
The Institute, Dell Inc. and PC Magazine recently joined forces to help small businesses with financial management. The free online course, “Financial Management Made Easy—Solutions for Small Businesses,” is offered through PC Magazine’s Learning Center series for businesses employing up to 25 people. The program consists of three lessons: Technology
Simple Way to Hide Excel Data
I know one way, and it surely is simple. Select the cell you want to hide and right-click on it. Choose Format Cells . Be sure you’re in the Number tab and scroll down to Custom and in the Type space, enter three semicolons (; ; 😉 as shown in
Fee Management Tips
Properly pricing your services should be a high priority. Follow these best practices for setting and managing fees. P Know the costs of providing services. Determine direct costs, allocated overhead and targeted firm profits for each client. Divide the fees collected (or collectible) by the time charges to get your
Assisting Troubled Business Clients: A Midsize Dilemma for CPAs
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Experienced CPAs will often recognize early signs of financial distress when performing routine audits, accounting or tax services for a midsize business. A turnaround requires decisive and confident leadership and a willingness to change. Top management is usually under stress at this point, requiring outside assistance
Avoid Getting Shocked By A Thunderstorm
» Key to Instructions To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we used two different typefaces: Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs. Sans serif type shows the names of files and the names of commands and instructions that users should type into
Life Cycle Planning for the CPA Practice: Practical Strategies and Forms
As accounting practices grow, they often experience similar milestones. Author Martin Shenkman’s book gives accountants a framework to guide the growth of their practice, providing details needed for careful analysis of major business, tax and planning decisions at every phase. The milestones, and book chapters, are arranged in chronological order
Highlights
The SEC’s Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting voted in January to support a slate of preliminary recommendations designed to make the information presented by U.S. public companies more useful to investors while reducing the complexity of the financial reporting system. The preliminary proposals included a call for
Auditing
For news from the AICPA and state societies, visit www.cpa2biz.com, which also offers online CPE, AICPA professional literature, practice management aids and links to state society Web sites. “We were motivated to develop and issue this alert by the auditing challenges presented by the subprime credit situation and its effects
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Agentic accounting has arrived: What’s hype and what’s real?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving beyond chatbots and into accounting workflows. A new generation of agentic AI tools can plan, execute, and adapt as they complete tasks, raising expectations for what automation can do inside firms and finance departments. What can agentic AI realistically do today and what challenges are there in its implementation? Find out in this Journal of Accountancy sponsored report.
From The Tax Adviser
August 31, 2026
2026 tax software survey
July 31, 2026
