Consulting

The marketing services division of the Second City comedy troupe has been enlisted by accounting firm network PKF to teach its members how to use humor to improve their marketing.

“A rock is a rock.

Do you know how much longer your firm’s partners want to work?

Plante & Moran has gone south of the border, opening an office in Monterrey, Mexico.

This webcast will examine how to know when you’ve outgrown your accounting software and what to look for when you are ready to move up to the next level.

There might be a new, ready supply of seasoned CPAs for the busiest time of year. Staffing is still a problem for many firms, and it is particularly felt during the tax prep season when many accountants have to work extra hours because firms often aren’t able or can’t afford to hire additional full-time staff. The results of a recent Charles Schwab and Age Wave study, entitled ”Rethinking Retirement,” point to a possible solution. Surprisingly, 71 percent of the pre-retirees surveyed want to work in retirement. Even more fascinating is that 40 percent want to cycle back and forth between periods of work and leisure. In the write-up to the study, there is the observation that this is “a new style of work with which most employer policies are unaligned.” These numbers indicates there will be a ready supply of seasoned retired CPAs, which can supplement a firm during its busiest times, say February to April 15th, and maybe a month before tax return extensions are due. Firms benefit, as they only have to pay for these individuals when they are needed, they are employing experts at tax preparation, and those individuals are used to working during the pressured tax season. The retirees are happy because they are working on a limited basis, and, rather than working part-time, they have the desirable cycle of back and forth between periods of work and leisure. And with remote access, firms can tap into retired CPAs all across the country. Initially, firms will be using retirees from their firms, but I would expect that would extend quickly to other retired CPAs, and the AICPA and state CPA societies will help by publicizing best practices with regard to cycling back and forth. And like bike riding, which might have been difficult to learn but natural when mastered, this type of cycling will become another readily available staffing solution for firms.

This webcast will examine how to know when you’ve outgrown your accounting software and what to look for when you are ready to move up to the next level.

This webcast will examine how to know when you’ve outgrown your accounting software and what to look for when you are ready to move up to the next level.

Bookkeeping Express, a franchisor focused on providing outsourced bookkeeping services to small businesses, plans to expand nationally with 400 new territories.

This webcast will examine how to know when you’ve outgrown your accounting software and what to look for when you are ready to move up to the next level.

The National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts said that its Certified Valuation Analyst and Accredited Valuation Analyst designations have received certification from the National Organization for Competency Assurance.

Short, effective, to-the-point, and beneficial is how I viewed a recent e-mail request to participate in a survey from PKF Texas. The e-mail is intended for clients and prospects.

I write the "M&A" update box in Practical Accountant's Profession Watch section, and one of the details we give for firms recently merged or acquired is "Niches/Concentrations."

Stefano Vranca, a principal at Rothstein Kass’s Beverly Hills, Calif., office, sees lawsuits in the entertainment industry up close.As head of the firm’s litigation and forensics practice, he often handles royalty reviews and negotiations for various movie studios. Vranca has noticed an increasing reliance on “creative accounting” by businesses of all types as the economy goes sour and companies try to eke out revenues whatever way they can.

Education consultancy Professional Education Services has created an affiliate program for CPAs and certified financial planners to give them access to its college-funding software.

Memphis CPA firm Watkins Uiberall has teamed up with management consultancy J. William Appling & Associates to form Watkins Uiberall Strategic Consulting Group.

Many accounting firms and their clients are going to continue facing staffing shortages, so a great deal of attention will be paid on attracting and retaining talent. The focus so far has been primarily on entry-level and more senior staff with a few years’ experience. I believe that more firms and businesses will soon also be paying increased attention to retiring and soon-to be-retiring individuals.

Intuit has introduced a light-hearted online rock-and-roll jingle generator for small businesses, featuring an Austin Powers look-alike named Tommy Silk.

Wolf, Weis & Horowitz has merged into Kutchins, Robbins & Diamond, combining two Chicago-area firms.

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