Isaac M. O'Bannon is the managing editor and digital content manager for CPA Practice Advisor (www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com), drawing on two decades of experience covering the areas of professional accounting, taxation, business productivity and consumer technologies. Prior to CPA Practice Advisor, O'Bannon was a consultant at firms in San Francisco, Denver and Tulsa, serving clients that included Logitech, Polycom, Hilti, Microsoft, the Stanford Research Institute, the University of Oklahoma's College of Engineering and other technology leaders. He is a U.S. Navy veteran. Email: isaac.obannon - @ - cpapracticeadvisor.com
November 2, 2011
800-966-7797 www.moneysoft.com Best Fit Fixed Asset Pro is best suited to medium to large organizations or firms managing their assets and who have asset management strategies of moderate complexity. Strengths Excellent data import & export capabilities Robust reporting & customization Ability to manage any number of entities & assets Potential Limitations No integrated RFID or...…
November 2, 2011
800-968-8900 CS.ThomsonReuters.com 2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Fit Firms serving multiple clients with moderate to complex asset bases and depreciation needs, particularly those firms using other programs in the CS Professional Suite. Strengths Mass edits across groups, departments & global User-friendly wizards for many tasks Simplified splits, disposals & consolidations Good user customization...…
November 2, 2011
800-PFX-9998 www.tax.cchgroup.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Firms with clients whose asset bases are large or complex, or potentially distributed across multiple geographical locations, particularly those using other components of the ProSystem fx Suite. Strengths Comprehensive capabilities for all depreciation methods & treatments Wizards for performing mass asset life events such as...…
October 28, 2011
If you’re reading this review, then you have more than a passing interest in fixed assets … if such a thing is possible. After all, in the glamorous world of tax and accounting, few things may inspire more eye rolls from clients than talking about effective depreciation strategies and methods such as MACRS, ACRS, straight-line,…
October 27, 2011
It’s November, and hopefully your clients are doing what they can to mitigate tax liabilities by the end of the year. If not, they may end up suffering from: Intaxication: A condition of confusion, denial and frustration brought on by attempting to understand the tax code. Symptoms can include insomnia, headaches, nausea, rage and depression....…
October 18, 2011
From Geeky to Chic, A Gadget for Everyone on Your List!
October 11, 2011
Every year around this time I receive a variety of demo gadgets and information on technologies that span the spectrum of being useful for business, as well as those geared toward personal entertainment, hobbies and sometimes just peculiar things. I include them in our annual Holiday Gift Guide, which runs in our December issue and...…
October 10, 2011
How optimism and remote technologies paved the way to one firm's success. The accounting profession has often been stereotyped as curmudgeonly, grumpy, stodgy, and fiscally dour, and, well … there were probably good reasons for those descriptions at one time.
October 6, 2011
How good are you at searching for things online? Do you generally find what you need quickly, or does it sometimes take what seems like an eternity to finally realize success? Even worse, do you occasionally give up? If you’re not in the first group above, you have something in common with today’s college students....…
October 6, 2011
800-765-7777 www.lacertesoftware.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Lacerte Tax Planner can be used as a stand-alone program, but it’s best suited for firms using the Lacerte tax preparation system, providing simple data transfer and a familiar interface. Strengths Familiar tabbed interface & navigation Full integration with Lacerte 1040 Integration with Document Management System...…
October 6, 2011
800-968-8900 www.cs.thomsonreuters.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit With tight integration among the tax preparation, research, document management, portals and other solutions from Thomson Reuters, Planner CS is best suited to users of the vendor’s CS Professional Suite, but can also be valuable as a stand-alone system. Strengths Includes tax code for federal &...…
October 6, 2011
800-424-2938 www.bnasoftware.com 2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Fit Practices offering individual income tax planning services to clients with varying needs, up to and including high net worth individuals with significantly complex income channels and assets. Strengths Intuitive interface & navigation Comprehensive tax calculations & analyses Up to 20 side-by-side comparisons Excellent reporting & graphical...…
