Article

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September 5, 2014 

The Mindset of a Leader

Lou Fuoco, Fuoco Group, Certified Public Accountants and Business Advisors The Fuoco Group isn’t your average tax and accounting firm. On one hand, you have the quirky and out-of-the-accounting-box “shall we dance” marketing theme, and on the other you have a collective expertise that spans a broad accounting repertoire. But what really differentiates the firm...…

Kristy Short, Ed.D.

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September 5, 2014 

Apps Abound for Accounting Pros & Small Businesses

We live in a mobile and always-on world, and where the smartphone by itself was once lauded (or blamed) for our incredible connectivity, that honor now belongs to the app. An abbreviation for the word application that was used almost only by developers and computer techs just a couple of years ago, the term is...…

Isaac M. O'Bannon

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September 5, 2014 

Tell Your Clients You’re a Rock Star

Marketing is all about making a name for your business, and making a name requires telling a great story. You may have the most progressive and unique firm in the world, but that won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t know how to convey that to prospects and clients.

Kristy Short, Ed.D.

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September 5, 2014 

Work/Life Balance in a Mobile World

Ah, the good old days. Back in the ’70s, tax season meant being in the office by 7:00 a.m., a 12-hour work day, then home to see the family. Add nine hours on Saturday and a few on Sunday afternoon, and it toted up to a respectable 70+ hour work week. And then, along came...…

Gregory L. LaFollette

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September 5, 2014 

How the iPhone Is Changing Your Job

Whether you use an iPhone or not, you cannot escape the impact it is having on the accounting profession. While the iPhone is slick, it’s not the user interface that has been the catalyst. Rather, it is the App Store. And that, in combination with SaaS applications designed for accountants, has and will change your...…

Rene Lacerte

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September 5, 2014 

How Technology Pays

Giving you practical, leading-edge technical guidance is one of the key reasons for this column’s existence. As you have noted from other columns and features in this issue, there are several topics that affect document and accounting access: Document Management products, SaaS Small Business Accounting products, Small Business Specialty products, and Workflow, which is one...…

Randy Johnston

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September 5, 2014 

Lacerte Tax, an Intuit ProLine Solution

2011 OVERALL RATING 4.50   800-765-7777 www.proline.lacertesoftware.com   Product delivery methods: __x___ On-Premises __x___ SaaS _____ Hosted by Vendor   BEST FIRM FIT: Competitive solution for small and mid-sized firms with some advanced workflow needs beyond the capabilities of the Traditional Workflow products without the most complex requirements of the Advanced Workflow products like multi-tiered...…

Steven M. Phelan

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September 5, 2014 

Thomson Reuters — GoSystem Tax RS

2011 OVERALL RATING 4.75   800-968-8900 CS.ThomsonReuters.com   Please indicate the available delivery methods for your product below: __x__ On-Premises __x__ SaaS _____ Hosted by Vendor   BEST FIRM FIT: Good fit for top 50 firms, the Fortune 500, and those who need multi-office, multi-department support for the most complex returns.  The only purely browser-based...…

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September 5, 2014 

Thomson Reuters — UltraTax CS

OVERALL RATING 4.75   800-968-8900 CS.ThomsonReuters.com   Product delivery methods: __x___ On-Premises _____ SaaS __x___ Hosted by Vendor   BEST FIRM FIT: Small to mid-sized firms that need advanced workflow functionality. Excellent fit for most full-service tax and accounting firms. STRENGTHS: Integration with other Thomson Reuters CS Suite products, as well as the CheckPoint research...…

Steven M. Phelan

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September 5, 2014 

CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business — ProSystem fx Tax

OVERALL RATING 4.75   800-PFX-9998 (739-9998) CCHGroup.com   Product delivery methods: __x__ On-Premises __x___ SaaS __x___ Hosted by Vendor   BEST FIRM FIT: An excellent solution for firms of all sizes and those who want the most flexibility in how the application is delivered to end users (local, hosted or public/private cloud).  STRENGTHS: –          Integration...…

Steven M. Phelan

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September 5, 2014 

Accounting for Different Needs of SMB Clients

One of the hardest things about evaluating software products is determining what features are likely to be the most important for the intended users. Obviously, needs will vary depending on the type of business. Retail shops will need a strong inventory module that tracks product life, assigns value and produces solid reports. An e-commerce module...…

Mary Girsch-Bock

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September 5, 2014 

Intuit — QuickBooks Premier 2011

2011 Overall Rating 4.5 877-683-3280 www.intuit.com   Best Fit: Targeted at accountants who support non-accountant business owners who maintain their own books. Strengths: Ease of use & large install base, which means more end users will have experience with the application Strong accountant program with good training & referrals to certified ProAdvisors Company Snapshot improvements...…

Mary Girsch-Bock