Bring back the vest!
At a whopping 1 and an 1/8 inches thick (yes, we measured), we're not sure whose vest pocket the third edition of The Vest Pocket CPA will actually fit in. Anyway, does anyone wear vests anymore? Not that it matters - this handy reference is so jam-packed with information that accountants need every day that it may spark a new fashion trend in waistcoats with heavily reinforced pockets.
It covers the rules behind all of a CPA's daily tasks, from financial reporting and analysis to auditing and tax issues. With the latest edition including updates on Sarbanes-Oxley and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regulations, this is an invaluable office tool, whatever the costs it imposes on your wardrobe.
Price: $24.95.
John Wiley & Sons
www.wiley.com
(800) 762-2974
'Client Seduction'
To our great disappointment, there was nothing in the least bit racy about Client Seduction - but then, we were probably foolish to expect it. What we found, instead, was tip after useful tip to help professional service firms generate and follow up on client leads.
Authors Henry DeVries and Denise Bryson, of the New Client Marketing Institute, have assembled a trove of lead generation and marketing information that ranges from the common sense to the revelatory. They cover everything from the right way to design a logo and the uses of a firm Web site to the intricacies of proprietary research and the value of offering service guarantees.
Short, to the point and filled with lists, exercises and insightful questionnaires, Client Seduction may not help you actually seduce anyone, but it should help you expand your book of business.
Price: Paperback - $16.75; e-book - $3.95.
AuthorHouse
www.authorhouse.com
(800) 839-8640
Retiring rich
Remember all the horror stories we used to hear about senior citizens eating Alpo? You don't hear much about that nowadays (possibly because dog food is too expensive for the elderly poor), but that does not mean that retirement has gotten any easier. If anything, it's harder - and yet your clients probably aren't preparing for it properly. Living It Up without Outliving Your Money may help them get into the right frame of mind. Author Paul Merriman is a money manager who gives seminars all across the country on getting ready for the golden years, and he lays out a step-by-step guide for dealing with the emotional and financial complexities of investing, building an investment portfolio, and then using it wisely. Best of all, he stresses the importance of finding the right financial advisor to help retirees meet their goals.
Price: $22.95.
John Wiley & Sons
www.wiley.com
(800) 762-2974
'Bring It On'
The problem with having a great idea is that all too often that's all you have: an idea, and no clue what to do with it. Gilbert Khoury's Bring It On! An Entrepreneur's Approach to Implementing New Products or Services Effectively is a guide to what comes next, with advice for both veteran and tyro entrepreneurs on how to achieve their goals in the best way possible.
He discusses corporate leadership, getting funding, writing a successful business proposal, understanding the competition, how to do the right research, management methodology, strategic planning, guarding against risk, and more.
Price: $29.95. Also available as an electronic book at www.gilbertk.com.
Ink Press
www.inkpress.biz
(800) 696-1343
'Becoming Rich'
Frankly, we'd rather be rich than become rich, but you have to start somewhere. We take comfort in the fact that folks like George Soros and Warren Buffett started off in worse places than we did (Soros in Nazi-occupied Hungary, Buffett in Nebraska). They, however, managed to rise above their origins to fabulous wealth, and in Becoming Rich, Mark Tier shows how these two, along with corporate raider Carl Icahn, self-made themselves.
Some of the investing secrets on offer are, like Buffett's refusal to invest in any market he doesn't understand, fairly well-known, but what's most interesting is how completely counter-intuitive many of them are. These billionaires avoid risk like the plague, couldn't care less about diversification, and pay no attention whatsoever to the market. We could consider following those rules, but we're not so sure about another: They all live well below their means. This seems to us to miss the whole point of being rich.
Price: $24.95.
St. Martin's Press
www.stmartins.com
