The Latest

WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Securities and Exchange Commission has released a draft of a five-year strategic plan that calls for a single set of high-quality global accounting standards.

Managing an accounting firm is not easy for a number of reasons, not only because of the nature of ownership, but also because partners do not usually commit to allowing themselves to be managed. A majority of firms have a managing partner in title and responsibility, but this individual usually lacks the authority and power to be effective.

With last year's financial market turmoil slowly fading in the rear-view mirror, what can forward-looking CPA financial advisors conclude about the performance of their broker-dealers during the upheaval?

NOVEMBER

CROWE UNVEILS APP FOR ARRA

As the world slowly starts to emerge from the recent recession - which has affected more people, across more industries, across the world, than any in recent history - there are certain opportunities that investors can take to mitigate some of the damage. The following are five things you can do to take advantage of the current downturn in the stock market.

For more than a decade, my mother resided in the bucolic hamlet of Ludlow, Vt. Those of you who enjoy winter sports may recognize the town as home to Okemo, one of the Green Mountain State's wildly popular ski areas. But nearly 70 years ago, the town received notoriety for something other than downhill racing or snowboarding. For it was on Jan. 31, 1940, that the town's Ida M. Fuller became the first citizen to receive an old-age monthly benefit check under the newly passed Social Security law. For those keeping score at home. Mrs. Fuller paid in $24.75 between 1937 and 1939 on an income of $2,484. Her first check was cut in the amount of $22.54.

CALIFORNIA

After stints in both public accounting as an auditmanager and in industry as a software consultant to CPA firms, AlexanderVuchnich was driven to start his own practice because of what he described asthe continued resistance of traditional firms to change.

Limited liability companies continue to grow in popularity as a choice of business entity. The combination of limited liability, pass-through tax treatment if partnership treatment is elected, ability of members to be actively involved in the management of the business, and lack of many of the restrictions imposed on S corporations have made it a very attractive form of entity.