Consulting

Less than a week to go before April 15, and it's almost time to take a well-deserved rest after a long tax season.

Many clients of CPA firms are Boomers who will be retiring in increasing numbers over the next decade. What does that mean? Obviously that means firms will be looking to continue to retain many of those retirees as clients,and it will also mean there will be a need to find a steady supply of new clients.

BDO Consulting said it is forming a corporate advisory practice to provide strategic and financial consulting services to companies in distress.

Does most of your business result from Web sites? Or does most of it come from referrals? If it comes from referrals, as a lot of CPA firm business does, almost every potential client will still check out your Web site before giving you a call.Does yours grab and hold a visitor’s attention, making them want to read on? Studies show that you must win your visitor’s attention in less time than it takes to blink an eye, so dull, boring Web sites with extraneous information and poor graphics are a definite turn-off.

As CPA firms grapple with ongoing staffing challenges and the norm of a “traditional” workplace begins to erode, management must be more flexible and innovative than ever.

Gilman Ciocia's personal tax team is giving away tickets to New York Mets games as part of a contest it is holding for the second year in a row.

It is the first publication on managing an accounting practice that I read that isn’t written like an explanation of the Internal Revenue Code and, more importantly, it is the very best that I have read on the subject.

Thomson Tax & Accounting has introduced an estate-planning notebook organizer that accountants can send to their clients as gifts.

Let me ask you three questions about your firm. But before you and others in your firm answer, let’s set some ground rules. One is that the answer to each question, in writing, can be no longer than a paragraph. Two, once you have composed your answers, please sleep on it, and see if you want to make any changes. Most importantly, think in terms of the big “firm” picture when answering the following three questions.

Financial services firm Gilman Ciocia is capitalizing on two perennials for this time of year - tax season and Major League Baseball spring training - to offer free tax prep services to attendees at several upcoming spring training games in Florida.

There is growing diversity within CPA firms, and it is taking many forms. For example, the male domination is beginning to wane. This is especially seen at the entry level and is working its way up. There are four distinct generations in the profession, with sharply different views of work and possessing unique skill sets. Then there is the greater influence of marketers, firm administrators, and technologists in firm operations. And don’t forget the more traditional diversity with regard to different cultures and races.

Accounting firms are using Google text ads this tax season and beyond to bring in clients for tax prep and other types of accounting and financial planning services.

Somerset CPAs said it plans to launch a consulting program to help CEOs cope with the economic downturn.

The many Boomers partners of firms who are planning to retire or slow down is being viewed as generating firm succession and staffing issues. Similarly, another expressed concern is the declining number of Ph.Ds. in accounting, which hurts the pipeline of incoming accounting graduates to the profession. A partner in a national firm also commented that he was alarmed by the many college professors teaching accounting who don’t have a familiarity with U.S. businesses.

Fox Coaching Associates has launched a business development Web site for accountants, lawyers and service professionals to help attract more clients and generate additional business.

It's no secret that creating a firmwide disaster recovery plan helps ensure business continuity in the face of crisis, but having one in place could ultimately affect your insurance premiums as well.Gary Marchitello, managing partner and property practice leader at New York-based Integro Insurance Brokers, said that disaster recovery plans are not mandatory when negotiating premiums. But presenting one to your insurer can save you between 25 and 50 percent -- particularly if you are located in a catastrophe-prone area.

The Marketplace provides you, the tax and accounting professional, a tool to help find the products and services you need to easily and efficiently run your practice or to recommend to your clients. Browse by category below or search by company name.

Strategy and the Fat Smoker: Doing What’s Obvious But Not Easy by David Maister was given to me at the recent Winning Is Everything Conference, where he was a keynote speaker. This is the same David Maister who wrote the critically acclaimed Managing the Professional Firm (1993). I read that book twice and have heard him speak a number of times, and was always impressed by what he said, but always thought it was a bit theoretical.

CPA firms are growing their revenue and billing rates, thanks to effective practice management, according to a newly released publication.

Benefits such as health insurance are nearly as popular as salary in convincing accounting professionals to join a company, according to a new survey.