California CPA articles from December 2001

California CPA archives from December 2001

Best Workplaces for Finance Professionals. (Flate Your Company).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... In good economic times as well as bad the name of the game is attracting and retaining top talent. The Best Workplaces for Finance Professionals program is designed to identify companies with the mindsets, tools and practices that enable...

Toastmasters Builds Confidence. (Public Speaking Skills).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... It's no secret that effective communication skills, are one of the keys to success--and that includes public speaking. Toastmasters is an international organization designed to help members improve their public speaking skills such as...

California Minimum Wage Increases--Again. (California News).
December 1, 2001... California's minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $6.75 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2002. Also set to increase is the amount of meals or lodging credit that an employer may use to meet part of the minimum wage obligation.

New California Laws Effective Jan. 1, 2002. (California News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... AB 585 and SB 133 provide new licensing pathways for California CPAs effective Jan. 1, 2002. According to the California Chamber of Commerce, other laws of interest that passed in California's 2001 legislative session include: * Domestic...

Making Ends Meet in California. (News & Trends).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... According to a study released this fall by the Sacramento-based California Budget Project, the yearly income needed to support a family of four in California in 2001 is: California average: $52,000 San Francisco, Marin, Napa and...

Full-Time Taxpayer Advocate for Los Angeles. (California News).
December 1, 2001... To help you sift through the sometimes complex task of paying business taxes to the city of Los Angeles, this fall its office of finance added a full-time taxpayer advocate to handle complex business tax issues and complaints. The advocate...

FTB Cuts Tax Practitioner Hotline Hours. (FTB News).
December 1, 2001... The FTB reports that its tax practitioner hotline hours for the 2002 filing season (March 2-April 13) are as follows: * Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. * Saturdays: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The tax practitioner hotline will not be open on...

Nannies and Taxes: All You'd Ever Need to Know. (Tax Tip).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... For U.S. employers of household workers, federal and state payroll tax is simplified, summarized and linked at Nanny Tax U.S.A.'s Web site, www.nannytaxusa.com. The site provides free resources about federal and state household employment...

IRS Considers Charging for OICs. (IRS News).(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The IRS is considering charging as much as $471 for participation in its Offers in Compromise program, reports CPA Jim Counts in his Tax Talk e-newsletter. According to Counts, the IRS first proposed a fee at a fall meeting with...

Centralization of OICs. (IRS News).(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The IRS reports that its OIC program is now centralized. All offers now go through one of two sites--the Brookhaven or Memphis IRS service centers. The sites will be responsible for determining processability and case building for all...

House Passes Two-Year Moratorium Extension. (IRS News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Recently, the House of Representatives unanimously approved the Internet Non-Discrimination Act, a two-year extension of the existing moratorium on new, special and discriminatory Internet taxes, that was enacted in 1998. The moratorium on...

Professional Knowledge. (CalCPA Online Web Focus).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... CalCPA's newly re-tooled Web site features a new section for your professional needs. We've gathered together information that all CalCPA members will find valuable: the inside scoop on information not covered in California CPA magazine, links...

CPAs Needed to Help California NPOs. (Volunteer Opportunity).(nonprofit organizations need volunteer accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The Clearinghouse for Volunteer Accounting Services is looking for a few good CPAs. Actually--more than a few. CVAS is a nonprofit organization that recruits CPAs, bookkeepers and other financial professionals to volunteer their time and...

Web Site Offers Instant Service. (Group Insurance Trust).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The Group Insurance Trust's Web site has a new look and now allows you to shop for all your employee benefits in one place. At www.cpaprotectplus.com you now can get instant quotes for not only the ProtectPlus medical plan, but group dental...

Git Offers New Medical Plan. (Group Insurance Trust).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The Group Insurance Trust is introducing a new medical plan Jan. 1, 2002. The ProtectPlus $45 co-pay plan is priced below existing ProtectPlus plans. Premiums are less expensive because a significant part of "everyday" claims expense is...

First Million Get Free Accounting Software. (Free Stuff).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... You know there's no such thing as a free lunch, but how about a free accounting software worth S109? Santa Rosa-based ACCPAC International Inc. is offering its Simply Accounting system at no charge to the first one million U.S. small...

VA Will Reimburse CPA Exam Cost. (Free Stuff).(United States. Department of Veterans Affairs)
December 1, 2001... As part of its veteran education benefits program, the U.S. Veterans Administration will reimburse eligible individuals for the cost of the Uniform CPA Exam. Veterans or those on active duty can apply by downloading VA Form 22-1990....

Advanced Estate Planning Institute. (Education Foundation).
December 1, 2001... The Advanced Estate Planning Institute, Jan. 17-18, 2002, is the premiere event for the latest information concerning sophisticated areas of estate planning. The two-day event features nationally recognized speakers such as B. John...

CalCPA Council recommends members vote against: Global Credential. (Oppose!).(certified public accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The CaICPA Council took two votes regarding the proposed global credential at its Nov. 2-3 meeting in Palm Springs. In the first, council members expressed their views regarding the credential, with 51 voting against, eight in favor and two...

Recognize a Member's Distinguished Service. (CalCPA News).
December 1, 2001... Each year CalCPA recognizes a member for their distinguished service. The award may be granted either on the basis of long and distinguished service or for some singular act resulting in an extraordinary contribution to the profession, CalCPA...

Deadline Approaching for Award Nominations. (CalCPA News).
December 1, 2001... The Dec. 31 nominations deadline is fast approaching for you to send in your CalCPA Public Service Award nomination. To receive a nominations form, contact Lisa McTaggart at lisa.mctaggart@calcpa.org or (650) 802-2419; or download one...

New Chapter Names. (CalCPA News).(California Society of Certified Public Accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... CalCPA's San Jose and Peninsula Chapters have officially changed their names. The San Jose Chapter is now called the Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter; and the Peninsula Chapter is now known as the Peninsula Silicon Valley Chapter.

Expanded Tax Season PR/AD Campaign. (CalCPA News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... This year's tax season public relations and image ad campaign kicked off in late October. The image ad campaign combines print and radio advertising that emphasizes the prestige of the profession and CalCPA and is designed to drive...

CPA Shortage? (SpeakOut!).(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2001... For the past few years I've been reading and hearing of companies complain of the supposed "shortage" of qualified CPAs. Meanwhile, I and many other well-qualified CPAs I know are continually rejected for positions because of various...

CalCPA Members Begin Quest for the Next Generation of CPAs. (Outreach Program).(California Society of Certified Public Accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... CalCPA's student outreach program hit the newsstands in November with Quest magazine, a publication designed to give high school and college students an exciting look into a CPA career. CalCPA members are encouraged to visit local thigh...

Licensing Clarification. (Correction).(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2001... There was an error in Tom Dalton's "Win-Win" article about California's two new pathways for CPA licensure in the October 2001 issue of California CPA. In regards to the transition rules, the correct information is "The regulations allow any...

Member Milestones. (News & Trends).
December 1, 2001... Announcements Los Angeles-based Turner, Warren, Hwang & Conrad has admitted Kian Moshirzadeh as partner... Odenberg, Ullakko, Muranishi & Co has promoted Steve F. Green to partner, managing the Carlsbad office. The firm also has promoted...

The Bypass Trust: Using Disclaimers to Manage Large IRA Balances.
December 1, 2001... Trying to fund a bypass trust can be problematic if clients only have a residence and a large retirement plan as their major assets. On the surface, a residence isn't a good asset for a bypass trust for two reasons: A trust doesn't qualify...

Jumping Through Hoops: Goodwill Offers Investors Clarity and CFOs Complexity.
December 1, 2001... While the economic slowdown has been a challenge to the bottom line for many businesses, finance and operations officers will face new hurdles in the new year in the form of mergers and acquisitions and the Financial Accounting Standards...

Tax Season look it: It's nearly that time of year again. (Tips & Resources).
December 1, 2001... You know, the time of year when everyone else breathes a sigh of relief that the holidays are over and starts the slow physical, financial and emotional recovery that the sluggish months of January and February afford. But not you, oh...

In Desperate Times: More Savvy and Cooperation at the SEC.(Securities and Exchange Commission investigations)
December 1, 2001... "Tempt not a desperate man," wrote Shakespeare in "Romeo and Juliet." In today's dog-eat-dog economy, burdened by daily dot-com failures and the increasing instability of the markets in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,...

Reassurance in a Shaken Market. (Insurance Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Among all of the tragic consequences of the Sept. 11 attacks is the fact that the enormous loss of lives, businesses and property will seriously disrupt world insurance markets. Estimates of insured losses range from $40 billion to $60...

FTB to Tighten Belt: FTB Executive Director Warns CPAs of Cutbacks.(Franchise Tax Board)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... "The state of the state isn't good. We will have to have cutbacks, and some will effect you," announced FTB Executive Director Gerald Goldberg at the annual FTB liaison meeting with CalCPA's Committee on Taxation in October. California's...