Tax Pro’s Still Running Behind Last Year’s Pace

At this rate, practitioners may be on track to make the April 15 deadline, but just barely. At the same time, the number and proportion of self-prepared returns continues to rise. It has been estimated that between 2010 and 2012 some 12 million taxpayers dropped out of the paid-preparer market to go to do-it-yourself software programs. And that trend is clearly continuing.

IN THIS REPORT: The box score so far this season, compared to year-ago periods. READ MORE →

Business Clients Tell Accountants: Evolve or Die

Is your accountant ahead of the curve on technology, or behind?

Source: Sleeter Group
 Clients find accountants’ tech skills lacking.

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

As small and medium-sized businesses move increasingly online and adopt technologically integrated accounting systems, many tax and accounting firms will need to evolve or face extinction, according to a new survey obtained by CPA Trendlines. READ MORE →

Seven Good Reasons Your Firm Administrator Deserves the M.V.P. Award this Year

Study identifies the value-adds of a COO.

By Marc Rosenberg
Author of “CPA Firm Management and Governance: The essential managing partner’s guide to running a CPA firm like a business.”

In baseball, the Most Valuable Player award is conferred to superstars of the game.  There is controversy over who should win the award:  the player with prodigious individual production stats or the one player in all of baseball who was the most valuable player to his team, who was indispensable, without whom the team would not be a winner.

In a CPA firm, the nominees for the MVP award are:

  • The managing partner.
  • The rainmaker.
  • A great client handler.
  • The firm administrator.

Both our experiences with CPA firms as well as the results of several surveys we’ve done of firm administrators show that firm administrators can build a very strong case for winning the MVP award.

A survey of firm administrators

In recent years, we have conducted several surveys of firm administrators across the country.

Here is a summary of key firm admin roles that build the case for the admin being his/her firm’s MVP: READ MORE →