Accounting October 6, 2026
The 2026 AI Finance Stack
73 tools worth knowing, how I would put them together, and the trends behind why finance teams are picking them.
January 3, 2012
Should I Take My Practice to the Cloud?
It seems that everywhere we turn these days we’re inundated with messages of moving to the Cloud. Sometimes it feels as though the Mad Men advertising powerhouse is hard at work in the Sterling-Cooper board room, coming up with new material to keep the accounting world drinking that Cloud Kool-Aid
January 3, 2012
5 Best Practices for the Automated Workflow Process
As deployed technologies continue to advance and change within the tax & accounting firm environment, the way in which practices track a work product from point of entry through point of delivery is also changing.
December 20, 2011
With New Technology, Start-Ups Go Lean
New businesses are getting off the ground with nearly half as many workers as they did a decade ago, as the spread of online tools and other resources enables start-ups to do more with less. The change, which began before the recession, may be permanent, according to some analysts. “There’s something long-term at work here,”...…
December 13, 2011
Franchisee Trends for 2012
Franchises continue to be a strong vertical, and some new areas are booming even in the rough economy.
December 13, 2011
New Program Aims to Increase Small Business Lending
A bill introduced in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday is designed to increase business lending by small banks and financial entities.
December 13, 2011
Does SaaS Make Sense for Your Small Business Clients?
We’ve been talking about software-as-a-service (SaaS) for years. For the uninitiated, SaaS is web-based software that users basically rent or subscribe to, as opposed to owning it on CD or on an actual computer (on premises). There is more to the definition of SaaS, of course, and there’s a lot of subjectivity in those definitions....…
December 7, 2011
How to Choose a Business Name and Give It Meaning
The nation’s most notable brands, what are they? Brands such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Ebay may come to mind. If you’re in the initial phases of starting a small business, rebooting your brand, or rolling out a new product or promotion, you most likely aspire to have a brand name that everyone knows as...…
December 2, 2011
CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business – ProSystem fx Portal
800-739-9998 www.cchgroup.com/portal 2012 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Firms wanting secure client file sharing functions with integration into other CCH programs, along with file versioning and automated retention and expiration capabilities. Strengths Can be used on all major browsers and platforms Strong security customization File versioning for online edits to shared documents Customizable...…
December 2, 2011
SmartVault — SmartVault
866-674-6785 www.SmartVault.com 2012 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Professional firms and also businesses wanting a web-based document management system that includes client portals and integrations with common small business applications. Strengths Integrated Toolbar for QuickBooks Customizable firm and client-side branding Familiar expandable folder structure User-by-user access right customization Automated synching to desktop or...…
December 2, 2011
Thomson Reuters — NetClient CS Portals
800-968-8900 www.cs.thomson.com 2012 Overall Rating 5 Best Fit Firms using other programs in the Thomson Reuters CS Professional Suite, particularly those using the document management and tax programs. Strengths Customizable firm branding and integration of login on firm website Two-way firm/client sharing and collaboration Broad integration with programs in CS Professional Suite Ability to...…
December 2, 2011
XCM Solutions — XCMportal
781-356-5152 www.XCMsolutions.com 2012 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Fit Firms using or considering the broader XCM Workflow Management system to provide structured digital management of their engagements, including the ability to securely share files with clients. Strengths Simple client interface No storage or bandwidth/transfer limits Customizable firm branding Two-way firm/client sharing and collaboration Dependable hosting,...…
December 2, 2011
Office Tools Professional — Client Portal
888-667-8440 www.OfficeToolsPro.com 2012 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Firms using or considering the Office Tools Professional Practice Management 2011 system, who want to provide user-friendly portals to clients. Strengths Tight integration with Practice Management 2011 system Project management and file sharing Built-in client communication tools Customizable firm branding Good integration with outside programs Potential...…