Roman Kepczyk Archives

Accounting & Audit

ENGAGE 2022: Pearls of Leadership

For the past few decades, the path to success and leadership positions for most has been characterized by being a lead “producer” and out-performing others in your chosen field of endeavor. In competitive environments, leadership touted the ...

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Firm Management

2022: LEAN Up Your Firm's Tax Season Debriefing

Another busy season is under our belts and one of the most productive things a firm can do in the next few weeks is to take time to formally debrief the past few months, acknowledging what worked well and identifying where there were bottlenecks that ...

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Firm Management

Post Tax Season: 10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Tax Season Debrief Meeting

The next two months offer great opportunities to research, acquire and pilot new tools and processes so they become the new firm standard before the September and October deadlines. Below we outline 10 tips to optimize your post-busy season debrief ...

Accounting & Audit

2022 CES Tech Innovations for Accountants

Over three days I racked up 71,200 Fitbit steps in an attempt to cover the more than 1.8 million square feet of show floor, 2,200 exhibitors, and the multitude of onsite presentations and virtual announcements.

Accounting & Audit

In Firm: 2022 IT Predictions and 2021 Results

We hope our 2022 predictions will provide some insights and hopefully a little inspiration for improving your technology outlook in the New Year. However, before we unplug the proverbial crystal ball, we also want to share our 2021 predictions and ...

Accounting & Audit

The Profession Gets Closer to Normal: Insights from the 2021 AICPA ENGAGE Conference

At the end of July 2021, the accounting profession took a big step towards post-COVID normalcy with the return of the AICPA ENGAGE conference to Las Vegas. The program allowed for face-to-face mingling of 1,700 on-premise attendees along with ...

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Accounting & Audit

Picassos or Teeny Beanie Babies: NFTs Providing “Ownership” of Digital Assets

With NFT sales skyrocketing, it won’t be long before tax ramifications come into play which accountants need to be prepared for. Considerations such as whether a sale is subject to short or long-term capital gains become increasingly complex as ...

Accounting & Audit

CES 2021 Gadget Highlights - The Biggest Technology Show of the Year

The International CES (Consumer Electronic Show) kicks off each New Year by showcasing the latest gadgets and technology trends projected for the coming year. While COVID forced the program to be 100% digital, it still provided a flood of product...

Advisory

2021 IT Predictions and 2020 Results

Not one of us could have predicted the year 2020 would turn out to be, but almost everyone would agree that we are hoping 2021 will bring a return to some degree of normalcy in our day to day lives. The good news is that throughout the ongoing ...

Contributors

How to Work Securely at Home During the COVID-19 Crisis

While no one can predict the long- term impact of the pandemic, accounting firms are finding that remote work capabilities are not only a required, but highly viable solution and may well become the new norm as long as it can be done effectively and ...

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Advisory

Transforming Accounting Services Personnel to a Client Advisory Mindset

From all indications, the transformation of the accounting profession to a more advisory focus is already well under way. Taking a learning organization approach will help ensure that your firm develops a comprehensive client advisory mindset.

Advisory

Dot.CPA Website Domains Available for Firms Beginning July 1, 2020

This past June, the AICPA was awarded the .cpa (dot CPA) top level (worldwide) domain which has been reserved exclusively for entities confirmed by the AICPA to be affiliated with the CPA profession. This was done to promote long term confidence when visiting a website with the .cpa extension or receiving an email from a person with an email address ending in .cpa instead of .com.

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Contributors

Coronavirus: Is Your Firm Prepared for a Pandemic?

Natural disasters and cybersecurity concerns have pushed most firms to develop a disaster response plan in the event of a catastrophic office or systems loss, but few have considered the potential impact of a massive influenza (flu) outbreak, such as ...

Contributors

Coronavirus: Is Your Firm Prepared for a Pandemic?

Natural disasters and cybersecurity concerns have pushed most firms to develop a disaster response plan in the event of a catastrophic office or systems loss, but few have considered the potential impact of a massive influenza (flu) outbreak, such as ...

Accounting & Audit

CES 2020 Highlights: New Workstations for Accountants

The new decade got off to an exciting start with our attendance at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas January 6-9, 2020. CES is the largest trade show in the world with an excess of 4,500 consumer product/service ...

Accounting & Audit

In Firm: 2020 IT Predictions and 2019 Results

With technology evolving at an increasingly breakneck pace and impacting literally every aspect of today’s accounting practice, it has never been more difficult to separate the tech hype from the reality of workable solutions.

Firm Management

IT Considerations in Mergers & Acquisitions

Merging or acquiring another firm is one of the most effective methods of growing an accounting practice. Potential candidates are usually vetted based on partner and practice compatibility, desired location for expansion, niche specialization ...

Accounting & Audit

2019 CES Top Techs and Innovations (Boots on the Ground at CES)

Each January over 180,000 electronics enthusiasts converge on Las Vegas for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which is the largest technology event in the world. CES is the launchpad for thousands of new products ranging from home, ...

Firm Management

In Firm: 2019 IT Predictions and 2018 Results

The increasing rate of technological evolution and of software vendors attempting to integrate with that evolution continues to happen at a fever pitch. With that in mind we offer our predictions as to those items that we believe will have the highest ...

Accounting & Audit

APIs and RPA Tools Automate Client Services

Whether it is capturing data from credit card receipts, reconciling bank statements, reimbursing expense reports, or automatically updating IRS tax statuses, these tools utilize a combination of machine learning, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), ...

Firm Management

Top 10 Accounting Firm IT Survey Surprises

The upcoming conference season and lull before the extension season provides a great opportunity for firms to evaluate the current status of their production processes and target areas for improvement. The above highlighted findings of the ...

Accounting & Audit

CES 2018: Accounting Hardware Highlights

Each January, over 170,000 technology and electronics enthusiasts descend upon Las Vegas to attend the world’s largest Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to see the latest consumer technologies. While a significant amount of the media attention ...

Accounting & Audit

2018 IT Predictions for Tax and Accounting Firms

University professor John M. Richardson summed up his view of the future by stating: “When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

Accounting & Audit

The Changing Role of IT Personnel in Accounting Firms

Has the IT role within CPA firms finally come full circle? I began the IT portion of my career providing support for IBM XT personal computers that were used by accountants to produce spreadsheets and word processing, while all the “real” data ...

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Contributors

CES 2017: Laptops For Mobility

With CES Showcasing 3,800 vendors spread out over 2.8 Million square feet of show floor (43 football fields), it was impossible to see everything, so our efforts focused this year on hardware that could improve mobility. For most accountants ...

Contributors

In Firm: 2017 IT Predictions and 2016 Results

With another year end (and tax season) rapidly approaching, it’s time to once again dust off the magic crystal ball and cobble together our 2017 CPA Firm Technology and Production predictions. This listing will hopefully provide you with fresh insight ...

Contributors

Is Your Audit Practice Ready to be Uberized?

More than two decades ago, industry auditing staples such as GoSystem Audit, Fast-Governmental, and Accountant’s Trial Balance were quickly replaced by a new generation of more robust audit engagement binders including CaseWare and CCH Engagement ...

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Contributors

2016 Tech Trends for Accounting Firms

Five IT Infrastructure and workstation trends for firms to consider as they evaluate system upgrades this summer.

Contributors

CES 2016: Future Gadgets

The year started off with a bang as we cruised the aisles at the annual consumer electronics show in Las Vegas with 170,000 other technology adventurists. CES is the largest consumer electronics show in the world where the latest gadgets are launched ...

Contributors

In Firm: 2016 IT Predictions and 2015 Results

It’s that time again to provide you with our CPA Firm Technology and Production predictions for the year ahead, as well as to recap the results of our 2015 guesses. While this article was written two months before year end as the US political ...

Contributors

Improve Your Firm's Tax Production by Eliminating Muda

Eliminating Muda is one of the most effective byproducts of Lean Six Sigma analysis techniques which make any process more efficient and profitable. So what exactly is Muda? It is the Japanese term for waste, which is defined as “any human activity ...

Accounting & Audit

10 Lean Six Sigma Audit Considerations

The application of Lean Six Sigma principals has helped countless organizations objectively re-evaluate and streamline their production processes. Lean Six Sigma is a consulting methodology gaining favor in the accounting profession for its focus not ...

Contributors

CES 2015 - It's All About the Gadgets!

Each January, we conduct our pilgrimage to the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which puts on display the latest electronic technology and trends for the world to see and decide if they are a “hit” or a “miss.”

Firm Management

In Firm: 2015 IT Predictions and 2014 Results

It's prediction time again, where we dust off the proverbial crystal ball and share our technology thoughts ahead of the curve, as well as fess up on how our previous year’s guesses fared.

Contributors

How to Implement Lean Six Sigma in an Accounting Practice

Audit re-engineering has been around for decades and delivered significant increases in firm productivity and is now making another quantum leap in improvement by integrating the key tenants of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) into today’s digital audit workflows.

Contributors

10 Questions Every Partner Should Ask Their IT Team

Business Management

CES 2011 Gadget Round Up for Accountants

At the beginning of each year, we make our annual trek to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to look specifically at computer hardware, peripherals and trends that could impact the accounting profession in the year ahead.

Contributors

In Firm: 2011 IT Predictions and 2010 Results

Contributors

LEAN up Your Firm’s Tax Season Debriefing

Another busy season is under our belts and one of the most productive things a firm can do in the next few weeks is to take time to formally debrief the past few months, acknowledging what worked well and identifying where there were bottlenecks that could be improved upon.

Contributors

CES 2014: Technology Trends for CPAs

2014 started off awesome with my annual pilgrimage to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas where future trends and bleeding edge products are announced.

Contributors

2014 IT Predictions and 2013 Results

Winston Churchill once said “It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than we can see” which is applicable to many CPA firm partners that are so busy and focused on getting today’s work done that they seldom take the time to think about how they can improve their practices to operate more effectively in the future.

Accounting & Audit

The In-Firm Annual IT-Security Employee Briefing

Most organizations today assume that their IT personnel do an adequate job of protecting the firm’s network and data by implementing and monitoring firewalls, keeping their operating systems/applications up to date, and mandating password changes on a scheduled basis.

Contributors

Lean Six Sigma Lessons to Improve CPA Firms

Most of us have read about “lean” processes increasing efficiency while reducing waste, and six sigma setting the highest standards for quality production, but these terms have mostly been applied towards large scale manufacturing environments.

Contributors

CES 2013: New Tech Concepts In Your Firm’s Future

Roman gives his update on technology from the 2013 CES trade show.

Contributors

In Firm: 2013 IT Predictions and 2012 Results

Wayne Gretzky’s famous quote on achieving greatness was in “knowing where the puck is going to be,” which allowed him to move in that direction before anyone else. CPA firms are no different and by knowing where the “Accounting IT Puck” could be going in the future...

Contributors

InFirm: Benefits of Hosted Solutions

The “Cloud” and hosted solutions continue to garner interest amongst accounting firms, but there is a lot of confusion about the types of hosting, available applications, and the overall reasons for firms to consider hosted solutions.

Business Management

InFirm: Communicating IT

There’s no doubt that information technology impacts every aspect of today’s accounting firms and most firms do a pretty good job of identifying opportunities where new technologies can improve their practice.

Backup & Security

Email Retention - Does Your Firm Have a Policy?

The benefits of email are a two edged sword as they can both improve a firm's effectiveness with enhanced collaboration, and can cause great embarrassment and financial loss in cases of litigation.

Computer Components

2012 CES Trends in Your Future

CES is one of the largest trade shows in the world with over 153,000 attendees reviewing thousands of new consumer gadgets in venues covering 1.8M square feet (or to put that into perspective-37 football fields).

Technology

In-Firm 2012 IT Predictions and 2011 Results

Column: Technology IN Practice

Business Management

The ABCs of Capturing Best Practices

Business Management

5 Outlook Email Tips to Improve Productivity

If you are like most accountants, email has become one of the primary tools utilized to communicate with clients, internal firm personnel and external resources on business matters. While there are a variety of email systems available, most of the major accounting application vendors have integrated their products with Microsoft Office, which includes Outlook as their email client, making it the most prevalent tool we see utilized in accounting firms today.

Accounting

10 Opportunities For Optimizing A Firm’s Administrative Department

Business Management

6 Marketing Technologies to Help You Reach the Next Level

Column: Technology IN Practice

Business Management

In Firm: 2010 IT Predictions and 2009 Results

Column: Technology IN Practice

Read more

ENGAGE 2022: Pearls of Leadership

2022: LEAN Up Your Firm's Tax Season Debriefing

Post Tax Season: 10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Tax Season Debrief Meeting

2022 CES Tech Innovations for Accountants

In Firm: 2022 IT Predictions and 2021 Results

The Profession Gets Closer to Normal: Insights from the 2021 AICPA ENGAGE Conference

Picassos or Teeny Beanie Babies: NFTs Providing “Ownership” of Digital Assets

CES 2021 Gadget Highlights - The Biggest Technology Show of the Year

2021 IT Predictions and 2020 Results

How to Work Securely at Home During the COVID-19 Crisis

Transforming Accounting Services Personnel to a Client Advisory Mindset

Dot.CPA Website Domains Available for Firms Beginning July 1, 2020

Coronavirus: Is Your Firm Prepared for a Pandemic?

Coronavirus: Is Your Firm Prepared for a Pandemic?

CES 2020 Highlights: New Workstations for Accountants

In Firm: 2020 IT Predictions and 2019 Results

IT Considerations in Mergers & Acquisitions

2019 CES Top Techs and Innovations (Boots on the Ground at CES)

In Firm: 2019 IT Predictions and 2018 Results

APIs and RPA Tools Automate Client Services

Top 10 Accounting Firm IT Survey Surprises

CES 2018: Accounting Hardware Highlights

2018 IT Predictions for Tax and Accounting Firms

The Changing Role of IT Personnel in Accounting Firms

CES 2017: Laptops For Mobility

In Firm: 2017 IT Predictions and 2016 Results

Is Your Audit Practice Ready to be Uberized?

2016 Tech Trends for Accounting Firms

CES 2016: Future Gadgets

In Firm: 2016 IT Predictions and 2015 Results

Improve Your Firm's Tax Production by Eliminating Muda

10 Lean Six Sigma Audit Considerations

CES 2015 - It's All About the Gadgets!

In Firm: 2015 IT Predictions and 2014 Results

How to Implement Lean Six Sigma in an Accounting Practice

10 Questions Every Partner Should Ask Their IT Team

CES 2011 Gadget Round Up for Accountants

In Firm: 2011 IT Predictions and 2010 Results

LEAN up Your Firm’s Tax Season Debriefing

CES 2014: Technology Trends for CPAs

2014 IT Predictions and 2013 Results

The In-Firm Annual IT-Security Employee Briefing

Lean Six Sigma Lessons to Improve CPA Firms

CES 2013: New Tech Concepts In Your Firm’s Future

In Firm: 2013 IT Predictions and 2012 Results

InFirm: Benefits of Hosted Solutions

InFirm: Communicating IT

Email Retention - Does Your Firm Have a Policy?

2012 CES Trends in Your Future

In-Firm 2012 IT Predictions and 2011 Results

The ABCs of Capturing Best Practices

5 Outlook Email Tips to Improve Productivity

10 Opportunities For Optimizing A Firm’s Administrative Department

6 Marketing Technologies to Help You Reach the Next Level

In Firm: 2010 IT Predictions and 2009 Results

In Firm Line Up of CES Gadgets