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During six decades as an observer, I have met and known a myriad of accountants - in public practice, as corporate executives, in government positions, as teachers, and in our national and state accounting organizations. To me, some are unforgettable and admirable. These are two of their stories.Dr. Emanuel Saxe

GAO TO IRS: FORGET SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTThe Government Accountability Office said that the Internal Revenue Service doesn't appear to be in a position to develop its own software for tax preparation anytime soon.

Texans have always been an independent bunch, but many Lone Star CPAs think that their state legislature is going too far when it tries to write off Statement 45 of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board as irrelevant.State Senator Robert Duncan and State Representative Vicki Truitt, both Republicans, introduced alternative bills in their respective financial committees that would allow, but not require, governmental entities to issue financial statements that do not comply with Statement 45. The bills define an alternative method of accounting that would not record projected post-retirement benefits as a liability.

GRANT THORNTON DROPS PAIR OF SUBPRIME CLIENTSGrant Thornton has quit as auditor to subprime lenders Fremont General Corp. and Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co..

A key characteristic of a thriving discipline is its willingness to put aside old tenets that no longer produce useful results. Likewise, a key characteristic of a dying discipline is its clinging to old tenets that obviously aren't working.This notion certainly applies to financial reporting as it's practiced today. In too many situations, practitioners keep applying old generally accepted accounting principles to current problems, and the result is ineffective accounting. For example, today's rules for treasury stock were published in the 1930s. Despite seven decades of ever-increasing sophistication in capital structures, accountants keep accounting for massive buy-back programs as if the company bought a few shares to hold for a while and then resell.

Baby Boomers - those Americans who were born between 1946 and 1964 - total about 79 million people.This segment of the population may soon find that they will be spending more annually in their retirement years than they did while working. Over the past century, life expectancy has increased over 56 percent, and this trend is expected to continue, so Baby Boomers will face the financial challenge of the cost of living for many years in retirement, as well as the associated costs of aging.

COURT NIXES SEC RULE GOVERNING FINANCIAL PLANNINGA federal appeals court ruled that the Securities and Exchange Commission overstepped its authority in updating rules governing brokers who offer financial advice.

Stephen White, director of sales and marketing for CPA and business advisory firm Aronson & Co. in Rockville, Md., has a rule for his department when it comes to their Web site strategy: If a visitor can not find the information they are searching for in three clicks or less, it's time to revamp the design.It's no secret that a Web site is instrumental in any solid marketing plan, but how accounting firms use these tools runs the gamut from a static page with basic information, to a more sophisticated approach incorporating multimedia techniques such as blogs, podcasts and webinars.

Managing firm strategy is synonymous with change management. Does your firm have a strategic plan? Do you share the plan with everyone in the firm, as well as with clients and vendors?If not, why not?

Sage Software has rolled out new versions of Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200, the company's enterprise resource planning software geared toward small and midsized companies.New functions of Sage MAS 90 and 200 include the introduction of Business Insights Explorer, an analysis tool that helps users access their data in real time through a single point of entry; a new user interface for the accounts payable module that includes a dual-grid entry screen and personalized report settings in an effort to give more control to the end user; and integration with the company's three customer relationship management systems and other business management applications from Sage.