December 2011

800-224-1260 www.redmoonsolutions.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit In-house by organizations with extensive asset management needs, including multi-location and multi-departmental entities, or by accounting firms providing services to such clients. Strengths Exceptional reporting Integration with ERPs & with Vertex for corporate compliance Broad customization options Multi-entity consolidation functions Extensive calculations Installed & hosted options […]

214-547-4100 www.waspbarcode.com    2011 Overall Rating 4 Best Fit Businesses needing to track mobile assets, such as tools, equipment and vehicles, including scheduling and check-in/out features. Strengths Excellent location tracking capabilities Built-in barcode scanning support Intuitive interface Potential Limitations Limited to a single book per asset No compliance reporting for FASB 109, Sec. 179, IRS […]

402-861-8800 www.ProWare-CPA.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Asset Keeper is best geared toward public practices managing medium to large dynamic asset bases for multiple clients with multi-tiered organizational structures, and who have need for mass asset edit/acquisition/disposal capabilities. Strengths Designed specifically for public accountants Excellent reporting & output options Strong asset life features, […]

Today’s tax, accounting and legal professionals are under a constant stream of knowledge exchanges. Clients call, email and text their respective professionals with a variety of scenarios and demand quick answers. The professionals are then left to work out the details and are often left scratching their heads on where to turn next.

www.taxalmanac.org TaxAlmanac is a free online tax research resource designed for tax professionals. It is a wiki site and largely depends on tax professionals creating and sharing knowledge. A wiki site is simply a collection of web pages developed and maintained through volunteer collaboration, the most popular of which is Wikipedia. TaxAlmanac is simple in […]

800-200-7599 lacerte.intuit.com/products/tax-research  proseries.intuit.com/products/tax-research    2011 Overall Rating 4.5   BEST FIT Tax practices currently utilizing the Lacerte or ProSeries tax solutions. STRENGTHS Powered by Google Enterprise Search Engine helps to find the answer quickly All-inclusive pricing with no additional fees for network use or multiple users No separate product to load or login to Strong […]

888-224-7377 CCHGroup.com   2011 Overall Rating 5 BEST FIT Tax, accounting and legal professionals who need a wide range of research options. STRENGTHS New categorized view groups data in easy-to-use chunks Up to 8 simultaneous searches on one screen Multiple ways of getting the same answer POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS Integration only achieved with solutions in the […]

800-950-1216 YourCheckpoint.ThomsonReuters.com    2011 Overall Rating 5   BEST FIT Tax and accounting professionals that prefer a uniform platform for tax and accounting research STRENGTHS High level of user-specific customization Single platform for multiple primary, proprietary & third-party research content providers Strong search capabilities POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS Based on subscription level, users may experience content overload […]

800-372-1033 www.bna.com    2011 Overall Rating 5  Best Fit Tax, accounting and legal professionals who want the practitioner view as well an an editorial view of tax law. Strengths Research portfolios authored by respected practitioners & educators Clean, easy-to-use interface High level of program & newsletter customization Potential Limitations No native integration with third-party tax […]

800-934-1040 http://proseries.intuit.com/products/fam    2011 Overall Rating 4.25   Best Fit Professionals using the ProSeries tax compliance system, whose clients have increasing asset bases and moderately complex depreciation strategies and needs. The program can also be used as a stand-alone with the tax package. Strengths Direct integration with the ProSeries compliance system Intuitive interface & navigation […]

800-424-2938 www.bnasoftware.com    2011 Overall Rating 5   Best Fit Professional firms managing multiple clients with varying asset bases and depreciation needs. It’s also a good fit for large enterprises or government entities with complex asset management needs. Strengths Global/group/departmental edit capabilities Wizards for asset life management/mass actions Multi-entity consolidations Strong customization options Potential Limitations […]

800-681-1750; www.taxwise.com 800-681-1752; www.atxinc.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.25   Best Fit Small to medium sized firms that are looking for an easy-to-use asset management system that provides flexible reporting for clients with evolving asset management needs, including multi-departmental and geographical locations. Strengths Easy to use Supports all common depreciation methods Customizable reporting, including output […]

800-368-2405 www.sagefas.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.75   Best Fit Mid-sized or larger organizations, or professional firms managing the assets of such entities, who have increasingly complex asset depreciation needs and departmental management requirements. Strengths Excellent customization & assistive features Global edit capabilities Support for all asset types & disposal needs Strong reporting options & […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, etc. Yet, as a professional, you understand that what they don’t know can indeed hurt them.

Barcodes belong on a grocery store shelf. That’s the common attitude toward this 60-year-old technology. Consumers have long accepted barcodes as the preferred method for a quick checkout at the grocery or department store.

Column: My Perspective

From Geeky to Chic, A Gadget for Everyone on Your List!

The Watkins team brings anti-bullying program, Operation Nice, to local schools. This month’s Great Practice profile is unlike any other. Our spotlighted firm was selected based not on innovation in technology, branding or website (though they certainly exhibit all this in spades), but rather for the firm’s commendable effort to give back to the community.

Column: The Change Agent

Marketing is still a fairly new concept for firms. In the minds of most, marketing is a task of overwhelming proportions. However, it doesn’t have to be.