From the Bleeding Edge blog . If you are still relying on a firewall and anti-virus programs to protect your computer from malware and other problems, your security is about 10 years behind the bad guys. Today, the battlefield is no longer email (though there are still lower-level bad guys pushing their phishing schemes, spam and infectious viruses through emails). The real threat is...

Anyone who has been hired into the controller position for the first time may feel overwhelmed, since the job description involves an enormous range of responsibilities. Where to begin? The answer is simpler than you may think. Always focus on the ability of the business to survive. Thus, if there is not enough cash on hand to pay the short-term obligations of the business, all other controller...

Are you paying all of your taxes? There's a good chance you're not. Tax professionals know it. Most accounting professionals know it. When it comes to businesses, most follow at least the letter, if not the spirit, of the law. But most other Americans still don’t seem to understand that they are probably a tax cheat. I’m not talking about 1040 returns and April 15. This isn’t about...

From the Bridging the Gap blog. In recent conversations about leadership training the words “best and brightest” slip off the tongue of firm leaders like a battle cry. We want to teach and motivate our best people to the highest level in the firm and we do not want to lose them to other firms or companies. We want to develop our identified super stars by teaching them, mentoring them...

UPDATED: The IRS announced late last week that it plans to retire two major e-Services incentive products used by CPAs, attorneys and enrolled agents to file authorizations and resolve IRS account problems. The Disclosure Authorization (DA) and Electronic Account Resolution (EAR) products will be retired on Aug. 11, according to information received from IRS e-help desk representatives. The...

From Darren's "My Perspective" blog. SmartVault is the first to offer integrated online document management for QuickBooks Online customers, which is now available in the Intuit AppCenter. The integration allows QuickBooks Online users to attach and view source documents (such as receipts, bills, and invoices) directly from within QuickBooks Online—supporting a completely digital and...

I know a lot of professionals who are frequently mobile, whether it's accountants like Jason Blumer, CPA, who prefer to sit in a coffee shop all day, those who are audit experts like Tim Gavin, CPA, and are more likely at a client's than their own office, or those like Joyce Washington, CPA, who work from everywhere with a laptop. One of their biggest productivity challenges comes from growing...