Accounting Today

Inside Views

• Fiscal Cliff Deal Will Have Far-reaching Tax Implications

  January 2, 2013

  Even though President Obama indicated only last Friday that the fiscal cliff deal likely to be produced by the January 1 deadline would be a basic package, lawmakers managed to come out with a surprisingly comprehensive set of tax provisions, some with long-lasting effects.

• How Outside Companies Can Simplify the Lives of CPAs

  December 28, 2012

  Being a CPA for a small business is harder now than ever. I hear plenty of stories from CPAs about how small business owners are suddenly turning to them for business advice, rather than just financial help.

• Insuring against Class-Action Settlements on Financial and Tax Reporting

  December 27, 2012

  The impact of a class-action settlement can be devastating for a company not just in terms of the potential financial settlement costs and related expenses, but also in terms of degradation to the financial statements.

• The Busiest Day for Expense Reports

  December 19, 2012

  Wednesday was a red-letter day for many accounting departments, as December 19 was the busiest day for submitting expense reports.

• Letter Perfect

  December 18, 2012

  Effective end-of-year letters and other communication with tax prep clients are more than reminders that those clients should hire you to do 2012 returns.

• Credit Card Fraudsters Looking to Steal Holiday Joy and More

  December 14, 2012

  What do you get when you take the best deals of the year, mix them with the spirit of the giving season and add in holiday wish lists a mile long?

• 2012 Year-End Tax Planning Strategies

  December 12, 2012

  With less than 30 days left in 2012, there is still time to do some year-end tax planning. This 2012 tax year is more difficult in that no one knows how the tax laws may change before the end of the year.

• Five Year-End Tax Tips in a Tough Moment for Planning

  December 11, 2012

  A recent Gallup survey found eight in 10 Americans consider it extremely or very important that Congress and President Obama agree on a plan to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff — automatic budget cuts and the expiration of Bush-era tax increases set for Jan. 1.

• New Year, New Tactics in Project Management

  December 10, 2012

  Is complacency keeping your firm from being as successful as it could be?

• Refer Madness: Using Existing Clients to Refer New Clients

  December 6, 2012

  Referrals and word of mouth remain the strongest marketing tool for tax preparers and other professionals, and as the 2013 tax season looms, here are some valuable tips for preparers to use referrals in their practice.

• How to Create a No-Equity Partner Position in Your Firm

  December 6, 2012

  Most firms face the dilemma of keeping long-term managers who are major contributors to the firm, but for whatever reason are not ready to be equity partners, or who perhaps never will have what it takes to be equity partners.

• Anxiously Awaiting the Next Episode of the Fiscal Cliffhanger

  December 5, 2012

  The so-called fiscal cliff has politicians in Washington performing the political equivalent of a soap opera as they leave the country in suspense about whether they will manage to resolve a self-inflicted crisis in time to avoid a recession next year.

• Becoming a Forensic Accountant by Studying Economic Crime Investigation Online

  December 4, 2012

  People who are interested in learning forensic accounting and economic crime investigation have found it has become much easier to do today.

• Sarbanes-Oxley Has Failed to Address the Problem of Audit Firm Independence

  November 30, 2012

  A recent report from the federal accounting industry watchdog agency, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, found that the incidence of deficient audits performed by the Big Four accounting firms doubled in 2010, reaching a horrifying 33 percent.

• It’s Here: Form 1099-K Matching

  November 29, 2012

  What to do when your clients receive one of the IRS’s four new under-reporting letters

• FAQs for Independent Tax Offices

  November 28, 2012

  Last week I moderated an Accounting Today Web Seminar on Tax Office Workflow. The response to the speakers, Chuck McCabe of The Income Tax School and Cathy Mueller of Peoples Income Tax, was enthusiastic, so much so that there wasn’t time to address all of the audience questions. For the sake of the smaller, independent tax preparers, here are some of the questions, along with the responses from the speakers.

• Same-Sex Couples Should File Protective Refund Claims

  November 27, 2012

  A recent federal appeals court decision has same-sex couples taking note. In Windsor v United States, the court allowed an estate tax marital deduction to the surviving spouse of a same-sex couple, striking down the Defense of Marriage Act definition of marriage as unconstitutional.

• Creating a Culture of Career Advocacy and Avoiding the Public Accounting Brain Drain

  November 27, 2012

  Accountants may be thought of as numbers people, but we can never forget that people aren’t numbers. As an industry it’s time for all of us to direct our focus to our young talented professionals.

• Before You Dive into Content Marketing, You Must Create a Plan

  November 26, 2012

  We are obviously fans of creating a strong content marketing strategy for professional services firms.

• Hostess’s Ding Dong Bankruptcy

  November 21, 2012

  It seems almost unimaginable for Hostess Brands to be going out of business, but the company seems determined to receive court approval of its bankruptcy plans, which will cost the jobs of more than 18,000 workers.