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RIA – Checkpoint

Checkpoint is RIA’s online research application that offers federal and state primary tax resources and analysis and recommendations from RIA and WG&L tax experts, as well as access to online versions of PPC’s Deskbooks and other third-party providers. The system also offers ongoing coverage of tax and finance-related news, legislation and rulings. Checkpoint starts at under $1,000.

EASE OF USE – 5 Stars
After logging in through RIA’s
web site, Checkpoint’s interface
opens to a simplified web page that
provides four primary tabs for system
functions, with the default screen
providing search utilities. The
other tabbed screens are for the
Newsstand, Practice Development
(Tax Alerts) and RIA’s CPE/Training
& Support access. The top of
the screen remains static while
within Checkpoint, providing access
to search History, Options, My Folders
and Help. The Research screen provides
a left-hand pane for searching various
practice areas, including Federal,
State & Local, Estate Planning,
Pension & Benefits, International
Payroll, and Financial Reporting
and Management, which are selected
using a pull-down selection list.
This pane also provides searching
function via keyword, citation and
searching through legislation. The
primary search components are housed
in the internal window, which offers
a query window for entering keywords,
a source selection pull-down list,
and source selection boxes that
allow searching by Editorial Materials,
News and Primary Source Materials.
Both the Editorial Materials and
Primary Source Materials are expandable,
providing access to specific titles
and Source Materials (Code, Regulations
and Committee Reports, etc.), respectively.

The system organizes the search
functions into three components:
entering keywords, selecting the
source documents to search, and
then performing the search, thereby
providing a logical step-by-step
process to research tasks. The Research
tabbed screen also provides a Thesaurus/Query
tool that assists in advanced searches
and finding related topics, as well
as links to e-Forms RS, RIA’s
tax forms library. RIA has added
access to MicroMash CPE offerings
to Checkpoint, accessible via the
CPE/Training & Support tab.
The CPE courses can be purchased
individually or used through an
unlimited 12-month subscription.
The CPE/Training & Support window
also provides access to training,
FAQs and customer support, which
is included in the subscription
cost.

When performing a search task, Checkpoint
provides a linked list of documents
containing the search query, which
when selected provides text-based
links to the specific sections of
those documents. When within one
of these sections, the other hits
from that document are accessible
via the Document List, which appears
in the left pane, along with the
option to switch to a Contents View,
access other Search Tools or move
between screen views. Checkpoint
has the ability to schedule recurring
searches, allowing users to stay
aware of the latest information
that can affect their practice area.
You can schedule searches to run
weekly or monthly and receive the
latest information via e-mail. In
general, research tasks are easily
understood, with the system providing
moderate guidance in these tasks.
As well, Checkpoint includes helpful
productivity tools such as calculation
tools, a document assembly feature,
and the ability to create tables
of information through the Create-a-Chart
function. As an online system, subscribers
can access Checkpoint from virtually
any computer with Internet access.

CONTENT – 5 Stars

In addition to primary and analytical
research content from RIA and WG&L,
including the Federal Tax Coordinator
2nd, US Tax Reporter, Citator 2nd,
Treatises, Journals and newsletters,
Checkpoint includes optional integrated
content from WorldTrade Executive,
PLI, PPC, BNA, AICPA, Sweet &
Maxwell, West, GASB and FASB. RIA’s
Daily Updates, Tax Watch and Daily
Tax Report provide access to up-to-date
developments and analyses of tax
and accounting issues and can be
accessed via Checkpoint or can be
received by e-mail. RIA has recently
added additional content focused
on Sarbanes-Oxley, including SECPlus,
which integrates access to SEC filings
and other company financials. The
company also provides editorial
analysis and source material and
has added the Hogan & Hartson
SEC Updates Newsletter. Checkpoint
also includes StateNet, which provides
the full text of pending and approved
state tax legislation, the status
of pending legislation and legislative
calendars.

INTEGRATION – 5 Stars
Checkpoint offers integration with
GoSystem Tax RS and CSI’s
UltraTax compliance software, allowing
direct linking of client returns
into research data. The system provides
the ability to compare state to
federal explanations, in essence
an internal integration feature.
It allows copy and paste functionality,
as well as sample client letters
addressing law changes that can
be produced in Word.

CUSTOMIZATION – 5 Stars

In addition to saving searches in
the History function and the ability
to set up automatically recurring
searches, Checkpoint offers user-level
customization of most of its search
features, including the ability
to create, name and save custom
research databases for specific
projects or clients. The Tax Alerts
feature can also be customized to
focus on a user’s specific
tax practice area.

UPDATES – 5 Stars
As a web-based research product,
Checkpoint is maintained by RIA,
which updates content as needed
to reflect changes in tax law and
other pertinent issues.

RELATIVE VALUE – 4.5 Stars

Checkpoint is at the top of the
evolutionary rung for online tax
research systems, providing integrated
access to even many of its competitor’s
research libraries, and offering
extensive customization features
that make the research process more
efficient, thereby enabling users
to spend less time researching changes.
The ability to set automatically
recurring searches and to narrowly
focus Tax Alerts on specific practice
areas are particularly useful functions
that can save considerable time.
The system is not inexpensive but
can be tailored to the specific
needs of firms through specific
subscription options. While offered
in packages to firms of all sizes,
Checkpoint is best geared toward
mid-sized and larger firms with
diverse client bases involved in
practice areas prone to volatility
in tax law, especially SEC-regulated
firms and international concerns.

2005 OVERALL RATING: 5 Stars

The products were reviewed based
on the following criteria:

  • Ease of Use. This section explores navigation features, including accessibility of primary search tools and functions. As
    well, the ability to save common
    searches or specific results,
    or copy and paste contents of
    documents, adds to ease of use.
    Higher scores in this area reflect
    a comfortable, easy-to-use interface
    that provides intuitive access
    to key functions.
  • Content. This section points out the research libraries available, including federal and state sources. It also identifies what type of content is available: primary sources such as code and rulings, as well as expert analysis and insight. A higher score here is earned by products with a comprehensive array of federal resources, including the availability of state research products. Research analysis is also considered, although not all professionals will seek such guidance.
  • Integration. This section observes the ability of the software to work with tax preparation or write-up programs to automatically find areas of potential relevancy within the research, as well as
    the ability to attach or link
    saved research results to appropriate
    client files. Programs receiving
    better marks in this category
    make working between tax preparation,
    write-up and the research program
    more efficient.
  • Customization. This section covers the ability of the programs to organize specific areas or subscribe to only specific areas, which allows practitioners to narrow down research content to only those areas relevant to their practice. A mountain of research is available; products scoring well in this section provide good sorting and personalization methods that enable users to tailor the program to meet their needs.
  • Updates. With constantly changing tax law, the currency of information can be crucial. This section looks at how often research libraries are updated and by what method: CD, online automatic. Few practitioners enjoy performing software updates. As such, this section identifies
    the frequency and ease with which
    product updates are performed,
    with automatic, schedulable and
    online update capabilities receiving
    better marks.
  • Relative Value. This section offers the reviewer’s subjective opinion of the “bang for the buck.”