September 2018

Accounting

A User’s Guide to Encryption Part Two: Encryption of Portals and Messages

Protecting data in transit is harder than encrypting data at rest, since it must allow users to transmit data to a remote user, regardless of the computing platform or internet connection method used by the recipient. There are many ways that data ...

Artificial Intelligence

How to Keep Up with the Job Market

Demand for accounting and finance professionals remains high according to July's jobs report numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employers added 164,000 jobs in July, including 6,300 jobs in accounting and bookkeeping services.

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Payroll

5 Ways Poor Performers Hurt Your Accounting Firm

Almost every employee gets off their game at some point in their career. It’s not the end of the world, and the right kind of coaching often will turn around underperformers and get them back to full productivity.

Firm Management

#$!%@ – Profanity in the Workplace – What Are Employer Responsibilites?

Often, when profanity is used in the workplace, managers and supervisors are reluctant to address it for fear that they will be seen as prudish or part of the speech police. However, employers need to carefully consider their response to profane or ...

Artificial Intelligence

6 Tips to Carry the Summer Heat Through the End of 2018

With unemployment currently at the lowest it has been in 18 years, it comes as no surprise there is a shortage of skilled talent. However, running a successful accounting firm at optimal efficiency and speed requires you to have the best employees on ...

Firm Management

Focus on Billable Hours Drives Millennials Away

The point of this article isn’t the age old question of billable hours vs. value pricing. The focus today is the value our people provide to our firms and how we measure that value in a way that doesn’t drive them away.

Firm Management

Making Change Personal

The concept of personal preference is an integral part of everything we do with firms. Personal preferences have a negative impact on morale and overall process efficiency. They impact internal customer service, and we all know we can’t provide ...

Accounting

2018 Review of Point-of-Sale Systems for Small Business

Visit any coffeehouse and you’ll see customers paying with the cellphones. Go to a flea market or craft show and instead of a clumsy credit card machine, you’ll see a nice little attachment on the seller’s cellphone that processes payments instantly.

Top Tax Tips for those in the Commercial Fishing Industry

Tax professionals can develop their skills and present themselves to clients and prospects as generalists, specialists in certain industries or a blend of the two. It’s never too late to educate yourself and catch up with the tax (and accounting) requirements in certain industries, such as commercial fishing. The following article discusses some general principles […]

Payroll

September 2018 Payroll Channel

Although there’s no way to guarantee that employees won’t commit payroll fraud, you can take measures to prevent it or catch it quickly. Set up controls to protect your company from payroll fraud and other kinds of small business fraud cases.

Advisory

September 2018 Small Business Channel

3 Steps to Developing Your Next BIG Idea By Steve Dusablon, CEO cPaperless As much as we’d like to believe it, great ideas don’t typically appear out of thin air. More often than not, the best innovations come from immersing ourselves in our work and becoming as familiar with it as possible. Of course, […]

Advisory

September 2018 Firm Management Channel

Building a World-Class Marketing Culture in Your Firm – Part II This article continues the series on creating a world-class marketing culture in your firm. In Part 1, we explored the definition of marketing and its centrality in the life of a firm. In Part 2, we examine the firm’s brand—what it is, what it […]

Technology

September 2018 Tax Channel

4 Data Security Tips for Tax Professionals By Isaac M. O’Bannon, Managing Editor Tax professionals fall victim to identity theft, too. In recent years, hundreds of tax professionals experienced data thefts or breaches that exposed their clients’ personal information to cybercriminals and to tax-related identity theft. As cybercriminals increasingly target this data, the IRS and […]

Accounting

September 2018 Accounting and Audit Channel

Role of Financial Leaders Continues to Expand By Isaac M. O’Bannon, Managing Editor Financial leaders continue breaking the mold and expanding their influence throughout their organizations. In a Robert Half Management Resources survey, finance executives most frequently reported their roles have grown over the past three years to include more human resources (39 percent) and […]

Firm Management

Cast a Wide Net When Angling for Aquaculture Clients

If your firm is focusing on the fishing industry vertical, accessing these potential clients requires a diversified, marketing tackle box. In fact, according to the 2017 Labor Force Statistics, nearly 25 percent of the employees in this industry are women, which could be a new niche for your firm that could suggest a different approach […]

Accounting

2018 Review of Inventory Management Systems

While losing potential customers by running out of stock can prove to be detrimental to a business’s long-term health, not managing inventory properly can have other negative effects on a client’s business as well. How does a retailer know what items ...

Advisory

The Value of Big Data in an Accounting Firm

Big data has become a buzzword in the accounting profession, but like other trending topics such as blockchain, AI and machine learning, it’s one that CPAs really need to understand.

Accounting

Why and How: Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency has made a lot of millionaires and multi-millionaires in the last three years. That said, remember cryptocurrencies are highly speculative, and you may want to think of this as a form of gambling. While I know many CPAs who love ...

Accounting

Practice Management Made Easier: Quickstart Templates and Work Notifications in QuickBooks Online Accountant

Quickstart Templates are designed to do just that: create a set of standard templates for the most common accounting workflows that firms can then use to create projects. Accessible from the Work tab in QBOA and created in consultation with leading ...

Payroll

7 Tips to Find and Prevent Payroll Fraud

At first blush, payroll fraud might seem difficult to pull off – after all, shouldn’t it be obvious? But a well-hidden fraud is not obvious to most business owners. And, unfortunately, by the time most payroll frauds are discovered, months (or, years) ...

Sales Tax

Costly Mistakes of a Sales Tax Audit

When a business owner receives a notice of routine audit, there are typically three responses: (1) panic, (2) non-responsiveness, or (3) careful planning. There are many effective and structured ways for your client to handle an audit.

Advisory

Building a World-Class Marketing Culture in Your Firm – Part II

This article continues the series on creating a world-class marketing culture in your firm. In Part 1, we explored the definition of marketing and its centrality in the life of a firm. In Part 2, we examine the firm’s brand—what it is, what it means ...

Sales Tax

Online Sales Tax Compliance: Why Even Small Businesses Need Automation

When any article on sales tax is above the fold on the first page of any printed or online publication, it’s either a very slow news day or a very big deal. In late June, the business and tax community witnessed a case that made headlines coast to coast.

Artificial Intelligence

6 Tips to Carry the Summer Heat Through the End of 2018

With unemployment currently at the lowest it has been in 18 years, it comes as no surprise there is a shortage of skilled talent. However, running a successful accounting firm at optimal efficiency and speed requires you to have the best employees on your team. With the market swinging in favor of job seekers (both […]

In this issue

A User’s Guide to Encryption Part Two: Encryption of Portals and Messages

How to Keep Up with the Job Market

5 Ways Poor Performers Hurt Your Accounting Firm

#$!%@ – Profanity in the Workplace – What Are Employer Responsibilites?

6 Tips to Carry the Summer Heat Through the End of 2018

Focus on Billable Hours Drives Millennials Away

Making Change Personal

2018 Review of Point-of-Sale Systems for Small Business

Top Tax Tips for those in the Commercial Fishing Industry

September 2018 Payroll Channel

September 2018 Small Business Channel

September 2018 Firm Management Channel

September 2018 Tax Channel

September 2018 Accounting and Audit Channel

Cast a Wide Net When Angling for Aquaculture Clients

2018 Review of Inventory Management Systems

The Value of Big Data in an Accounting Firm

Why and How: Cryptocurrency

Practice Management Made Easier: Quickstart Templates and Work Notifications in QuickBooks Online Accountant

7 Tips to Find and Prevent Payroll Fraud

Costly Mistakes of a Sales Tax Audit

Building a World-Class Marketing Culture in Your Firm – Part II

Online Sales Tax Compliance: Why Even Small Businesses Need Automation

6 Tips to Carry the Summer Heat Through the End of 2018