the top apps accountants need to know
by sandi smith leyva
mobile accounting has definitely arrived. a great first question to ask clients who are asking for mobile accounting is to just double-check to see if they have already downloaded their bank apps. if not, that may be something you can help them get set up.
but don’t just think about the core accounting system. get them hooked up with their bank, credit card accounts, paypal, payroll, and any other peripheral support that has an app, like timesheets, field services, and project management. when you do, they will be ecstatic at your resourcefulness and you will be their latest mobile genius.
there are some great new apps that extend core accounting systems’ functionality into our mobile devices. let’s take a look at a few of them for accountants, from quickbooks to adp and a host of new applications: read more →
from personal assistant to true coo: how firms are delineating the job.
sophisticated cpa firms are adding the position of firm administrator at an increasing rate. but there is still little consistency in what that entails. some firm administrators have the authority and responsibility of a chief financial officer or chief operating officer. others may be little more than personal assistants to the managing partner.
after years of study at hundreds of cpa firms, practice management consultant marc rosenberg has formulated a 16-item checklist by which to gauge an fa’s role within a firm. in “cpa firm management and governance,” where his findings are spelled out, he plots the 16 criteria along a three-point scale of authority, showing how an fa’s duties evolve from the lowest level of authority to the highest level.
some things are predictable. it’s clear that one key measure of an fa’s role is the relationship to the managing partner (mp). at the lowest level, he or she is an aide de camp. at the highest, she operates as a coo alongside the mp as ceo.
but other things are less predictable, and this is where rosenberg’s study breaks new ground. rosenberg, for instance, has been able to chart the evolution of the fa role using more subtle criteria, such as their activities in mergers, partner meetings, budgeting and strategic planning.
here is his analysis, plotted on a grid: read more →
taxpayers surge into e-filing.
growth in do-it-yourself electronic filing of tax returns is advancing by more than 4% this year. but among tax professionals, it’s flat this year, after a 3% decline last year.
seven hot topics that “pushed a button.”
tax guru bob jennings (cpa, ea, cfp, and rtrp) has been polling past attendees of his cpe seminars about tax season 2013.
clearly, tax professionals are still seething. “we sent our survey out and it must have pushed a button because the responses overwhelmed our servers,” says jennings, taxspeaker.com.
the results may not surprise you. but they are sobering nevertheless.
he offers new data on
here are the highlights so far: read more →
in a 43-item checklist based on surveys of the best-run firms in the nation, marc rosenberg, author of “cpa firm management and governance: the managing partner’s guide to running a cpa firm like a business,” details the allocation of duties and responsibilities that distinguish the separate roles of the managing partner as ceo and firm administrator as coo.
it’s easy to see why the managing partner should be the executive most responsible for holding partners accountable. but other questions are not so clear: who manages the banking relationships? who works with partners to set goals? who’s responsible for profitability?
the answers may surprise you. if they don’t, then you’re already doing everything right.
here’s the checklist:
the end of tax season makes a wonderful time to gain the genius of hindsight before the memories fade.
to create your very own business season-in-review, ask yourself these five questions and prepare your answers thoughtfully.
– sandi smith, cpa
and 12 retreat topic no-no’s.
by august aquila
author of “leadership at its strongest”
the purpose of the retreat should be clearly thought out early in the year. articulate one or two goals for the retreat. you need to be very specific as to what you want to accomplish. for example, the purpose of the retreat is to develop a succession plan for the firm. you many not know exactly what it will look like, but you know what the end product of the retreat will be.
if you cannot do this, don’t hold the meeting. ask yourself this one question: “what would happen if we did not hold this retreat?” if the answer is “nothing,” you’ll know what to do.
retreat topic no-no’s
let’s look at common retreat topics that should not be discussed at a retreat. you may or not agree with the list, but i urge you to strike the following items from your retreat agendas. read more →
the end of every busy season means a new beginning for practitioners, which is why we thought this q-and-a was particularly timely.
by ed mendlowitz
question: do you have any suggestions for the new year?
answer: checklist of things to do in the new year:
and why it will cost you.
by sandi smith leyva, cpa
accountant’s accelerator
there are five simple steps to getting more clients. but, guess what, most accountants make a big mistake along the way.
first, here are the five steps to get more clients: read more →
and why it sometimes doesn’t.
with:
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
advertising in cpa firms services has a strange history. more words and more dollars have been wasted on it, and less seems to have been learned from its mistakes than from any other marketing tool we currently use. read more →
by marc rosenberg
author of what really makes cpa firms profitable?
at a monthly roundtable of 25 managing partners from most of chicago’s largest local firms, several highlights emerged, including insights into:
[click to play] read more →
updated with responses from may 2013.
the latest update to the topline results for the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer shows additional confirmation of four key findings, beginning with the across-the-board problems of a late-starting season and buggy software.
how did your season compare? we’d love to hear. send your comments, rants raves, ideas, or questions to me here. – rick telberg
key finding #1: most practitioners, across all size firms, report a tougher 2013 than 2012. (see chart below for comparisons by size of firm.) read more →