Clients may not be as reliable as many CPAs think.
If you’re a client, what do you say?
by Rick Telberg
At Large
We’re not quite sure what to make of two issues emerging from our canvass of finance managers and public accountants.
On the one hand, 38 percent of CPAs are saying in the preliminary findings that they’ve been working with their clients for five to 10 years, and another 34 percent are saying more than 10 years. So what does it mean when only 29 percent of clients tell us they’ve been with their CPA firm for five to 10 years, and only 29 percent say more than 10 years? READ MORE →
Has the profession reached a point-of-no-return in it’s ability to resist the forces of change?
Bruce Marcus thinks so.
His advice:
·Think forward, not backward.
·Listen to clients. Learn their businesses and industries, and to hear and understand problems before, not after, you give advice.
·Learn what other firms are doing in such forward-thinking ideas as value billing, two-tier structures, knowledge management and internal communications.
·Question everything you do. The question you ask yourself is, “This is the way it was done yesterday. Is there a better way to do it today and tomorrow?†A truly powerful question.
·Recognize that the shortage of brains and talent in these times is so acute that you can’t afford to concern yourselves with the race or color or age or gender in which those brains and talent come.
·Recognize that you may be accountants, but you’re in a business, and business requires trained and talented leadership, and flexible structures to meet the challenges of a dynamic environment.
And that’s just for starters. Do these things, and you’ll ride the wave of the tipping point. If you don’t at least try to do these things, then just sit back and watch your competitors, because they will be doing it. And growing and thriving, as you decline. READ MORE →
What every auditor needs to know about state and local trends, and government auditing standards.
Fiscal conditions for state and local governments appear to be improving but auditors should be alert to key developments such as natural disasters, a rise in healthcare costs and sales tax simplification. See the complete report at the AICPA.
RELATED AICPA PRODUCTS:
– State and Local Governments – Audit and Accounting Guide
– AICPA Audit Risk Alert – State and Local Governmental Developments, 2006
– Government Auditing Standards and Circular A-133 Audits – 2006 – Audit Risk Alert
– Government Auditing Standards and Circular A-133 Audits – AICPA Audit and Accounting Guide
[Produced by Bay Street Group Media Solutions for AICPA Professional Publications] READ MORE →
You Should Be.
Remember to wipe your old drive clean. Brian Tankersley, CPA, CITP, recommends a FREE appliocation called “Eraser” from Sourceforge.net (http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/download.php). “This program lets you delete files securely up to DOD standards,” he says. “Try it – you’ll sleep better.”
READ MORE →
Yes. But not in the ways most CPAs think. If you’re a client, what do you say?
by Rick Telberg
At Large
Every day, America’s tax and accounting firms spend millions of dollars on marketing. They roll out their Web sites, trot out their newsletters, hand out their cards, and network at golf courses from coast to coast. But what really works? What grabs the client’s eye? What persuades the business owner to consider switching to a new tax or accounting firm? READ MORE →
Does it seem sometimes that everyone’s an entrepreneur in the U.S.? Maybe here’s why…
“The findings of the study suggest that individuals choosing to enjoy a preferred lifestyle, can operate an unincorporated home-based business knowing that their return on revenues will be greater than if they rent business space. As a home-based business owner, with few or no employees, they can work the hours and seasons necessary to reach the needed level of revenues and net income. Those wanting to maximize income can hire employees, work more hours, and operate outside the home. Home-based sole proprietors who take the home business deduction contribute a total of $102 billion in revenue to the economy. The 10 million “all other†firms, which appear to be largely home-based, contribute an additional $431 billion. Self-employment trends may rise due to demographic, technology and life-style factors.”
Get the full study:
“The Impact of Location on Net Income: A Comparison of Homebased and Non-Homebased Sole Proprietors.”
(Registration requested.)
READ MORE →
Sage Group plc, the UK-based parent of Sage Software, is buying Emdeon Practice Services based in Tampa, Fla, from its parent company Emdeon Inc., for $565 million cash. Emdeon Practice Services is a leading vendor of software and services for doctors’ practices in the US. The acquisition is expected to complete in September, subject to regulatory approvals.
READ MORE →
