April 2016

Practice Relief, from AccountantsWorld can be utilized as a stand-alone product, or used as part of the Power Practice suite of applications designed for accounting firms, which includes client bookkeeping, document management and document storage ...

Designed to be used with other Thomson Reuters products, Practice CS is an easily navigated, scalable product that can be customized to suit the needs of all firms. The product offers three deployment options; SaaS, Virtual Office CS, which combines ...

Empire Suite, from WSG Systems Corp. offers complete practice management functionality. Available in four versions, small users can start with the Basic version that offers Time and Expense entry and move forward to a more robust version that contains ...

Practice Management Workspace from Office Tools is a time and billing software designed for small to mid-sized firms. The product uses a simplified user entry screen and offers excellent client management tools along with an intuitive time and billing ...

Designed for accountants, PowerPM is a scalable, hosted practice management solution that offers a variety of modules in addition to PowerPM Practice Management, including PowerPM Reporting, Automated Reporting, PowerView/PowerImport, TrakTime Web ...

Users can quickly log into the user dashboard to access time entry features as well as access to a weekly calendar, with a list of related reports to the right of the screen. Users can launch the timer function directly from the user dashboard, or ...

ProSystem fx Practice Management is part of the ProSystem fx Suite of products designed to manage every aspect of an accounting firm. The product offers time entry capability, AR management, excellent contact management capability and solid reporting func

TaxWorkFlow is designed for a Windows platform, and offers firms of all sizes comprehensive work flow management, document management, and time management capabilities, as well as a client portal that facilitates communication between firm and client.

Cloud-based, Xero Practice Manager offers easy integration with Xero’s complete line of accounting and related products, but also integrates with over 450 business apps to increase program functionality tremendously.

Even the smallest firms have seen the benefits provided by having a solid practice management solution in their office. Time and Expense tracking is the backbone of good practice management software, and the products reviewed in this issue make it ...

APS Advance Practice Management is an Australian practice management solution that is offered in the United States exclusively by Commercial Logic, Inc. APS is fully customizable and offers excellent analytic functions including pivot tables and ...

TaxAct is more well-known for its consumer, do-it-yourself program, but the company has long offered professional tax compliance packages for small firms. The system is centered around an installed program base, with online access to client reports ...

Bloomberg BNA offers a variety of tax and financial information tools and resources, as well as software and online services for estate tax compliance, gift tax compliance, and estate planning – BNA 706 Preparer and BNA 709 Preparer.

Intuit Tax Online offers a completely web-based and app-enhanced solution for professional tax compliance. The system is available via per-return pricing level based on the number of client returns the professional will process.

Drake Software is an affordable, all-inclusive professional tax preparation system with unlimited e-filing, including multiple state returns. Firms also have access to a variety of practice resources, such as document management, tax planning, and ...

When Peter Gurian thinks there’s got to be a better way to do things, he’s usually right. After spending several years with a Big Four firm and with a private company, the CPA decided he’d had enough of the bureaucratic headaches and started his own ...

The ATX family of professional tax and accounting programs is part of Wolters Kluwer CCH Small Firm Services, and is geared primarily toward small firms looking for a system that simplifies the preparation process, making it easy to get new and ...

TaxWise offers several bundled versions that combine tax, accounting, research, payroll, file sharing and firm management functions, plus bank products, with the systems providing user-friendly interfaces and streamlined workflow for small and mid ...

The ProSeries system offers comprehensive professional tax preparation for traditional tax and accounting firms, with streamlined data entry processes that help maximize efficiency.

GoSystem Tax RS offers a comprehensive, web-based tax compliance system for professionals. The program, which has been totally cloud-based since 1998, is generally designed for mid-sized and larger firms, but can fit the needs of any practice that ...

CCH ProSystem fx Tax is a professional tax preparation and management program that can be used as a stand-alone system or as part of a broad suite of professional tax, engagement and firm management tools and resources. The desktop-based system can be ins

The UltraTax CS system from Thomson Reuters offers extensive tax compliance and practice management tools that enhance firm workflow. It can be used independently but is at its most productive and efficient when used as a central component of the CS ...

For nearly 35 years, the Lacerte Tax professional tax system has provided tax professionals with compliance and practice management tools and features that streamline tax production and workflow. The comprehensive system is available in packages that ...

CCH Axcess offers a comprehensive, cloud-based suite of professional accounting and tax systems that utilize a singular database and can enhance firm productivity across multiple engagement types, and help firms standardize their workflow processes.

For our reviews of tax preparation systems, we divide products into two categories: Advanced Workflow and Traditional Workflow. In general, smaller firms would be best served using a “traditional workflow” system, which are designed for more typical ...

Although federal anti-discrimination laws have long required that women and men are paid equally for the same work, the new law in California not only expands what may constitute a similar job, but also places the burden of demonstrating that any ...

Our computers and smart phones put the world at our doorstep and allow us to watch stories unfold all over the planet. We no longer have to rely on our local newspapers and television reporters to give us the whole story.

A thorough “business cleaning” much like a seasonal housecleaning can provide a business owner with a more efficient operation, a better sense of risk and a plan for the future, whether it’s oriented toward aggressive growth or a four-day workweek.

Understanding your firm, your people, your proficiencies will prepare you to understand who are the best fits for your offerings and capabilities.

Clients who don’t adhere to state record keeping requirements run the risk of being penalized by auditors. The exact rules and penalties vary from state to state, but it is definitely in your clients’ best interests to stick to the letter of the law.

Intuit’s Small Business Segment Leader Talks about Why She Pushes for Small Business Success

The greatest leaders surround themselves with tremendous talent on their leadership team. They understand their own unique abilities and the areas where they fall short. They look for individuals who can complement their strengths and minimize their ...

For employers, any increase in OSHA fines could be a costly problem, underscoring the importance of a robust and effective workplace safety policy. However, OSHA’s recent enforcement positions only create confusion over how to implement an effective ...

It's not hard to miscalculate employee tax withholding, especially if you do the calculations without the help of a software program. The rates may have changed without your knowledge – rates change at the first of every year, but there have been ...

Many of your small business clients, especially those in retail operations, have struggled with responsibilities for collecting and remitting sales and use taxes to the appropriate jurisdictions. This includes issues relating to sales transactions and ...

The home stretch of tax season means heavy workloads and long hours for accountants. This time of year, nerves are frayed and tensions are high. It’s no walk in the park for managers either. In addition to your client load, you’ve got to keep your ...

You can make the services you currently offer more profitable by plugging holes that drain your firm’s resources. Chances are many of your business clients still write manual checks, meaning you perform their after-the-fact write-up work.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our clients contacted us before making any type of financial transaction with a tax consequence? Unfortunately, many of us as tax advisors are out of sight, out of mind, and out of the loop most of the year, leaving our ...

Millennials…Millions strong, big spenders, and all about the selfie…so how do you market to them?

Probably more important than the tool is the culture of business development, discovery meetings, referral clients and omni-channel marketing. Since many accounting professionals have not been trained in marketing, this leads to common errors and ...