Accounting Technology articles from October 2008

Accounting Technology archives from October 2008

Payroll: Harder Than It Sounds?(management by payroll processing vendors)
October 1, 2008... Payroll services are something that a wide range of vendors are competing to provide to small business customers. There are payroll processing vendors like ADP and Paychex, banks of all descriptions and accounting professionals. In fact,...

Tax, Again? Of Course!(tax business)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The tax business is like a sports business. There's a well-defined pre-season, competition and post season. In tax, the pre-season is devoted to checking equipment, such as tax preparation software, to make sure it's ready for the rigors of...

Practice Development News.
October 1, 2008... SAGE RESELLERS ADOPT QBES A number of top Sage Software resellers have agreed to carry the QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions package from Intuit. Among those signing up for QBES was Forepoint, whose partners include Kevin Cumley, Arxis...

Accounting News.
October 1, 2008... SAGE INKS COMPUPAY Sage Software has decided to hand over its online payroll services to CompuPay, a rapidly growing company that claims to be among the top five payroll service providers. Sage's payroll "continued to grow faster this...

Show Calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2008... OCTOBER. 14-17 Inforum 2008 (Infor user conference). Venetian, Las Vegas. www.infor.com. OCTOBER 19-22 Directions 2008, Microsoft Dynamics NAV reseller conference. Intercontinental Buckhead, Atlanta....

Accounting Technology November Coming Attractions.
October 1, 2008... Sales and Use Tax Once, tracking sales and use taxes required expensive software and expensive hardware. With the products getting cheaper, accountants have a great opportunity of keeping clients out of trouble with tax auditors. ...

Tax Software 2008.
October 1, 2008... Tax preparation vendors are speaking a new language. Well, it's not a new language. It's just one that's being spoken in many more areas of the United States-Spanish. Of course, vendors are still filling out their product lines with new...

ATX 1040, Total Tax Software.
October 1, 2008... There was a time in which one of the executives involved with ATX commented that it had 80 percent of the features of the top tax preparation products. But it was also 80 percent of the cost. And most of the users, didn't need the extra...

CCH ProSystem fx Tax.
October 1, 2008... The second time is the charm with CCH, which spent the off season revising its approach to software scanning after difficulties last year. This year, the company has gone to optical character recognition-which supports multiple OCR...

Drake Tax Software.
October 1, 2008... Drake aims to speed up its customers' work and ease e-filing this coming season. Entering data is one of the biggest time-consumers. So for 2008, Drake is expanding its W-2 import capabilities for W-2 eXpress and Schedule D import will now...

Great Tax.
October 1, 2008... Greatland, the maker of Great Tax software, is gearing up for the upcoming tax season by bolstering the application's functionality through timesaving features, auto-upgrade functionality and a continued focus on e-filing. "We are [also]...

Lacerte.(Lacerte Software Inc.)
October 1, 2008... Improving workflow efficiencies remains a strong focus for Intuit's Lacerte Software, whose clients are looking for more data import, e-file capabilities and online assistance and alerts. Lacerte introduced K-1 inputs two years ago, but...

ProSeries.
October 1, 2008... ProSeries aims to connect preparers with clients and one another this season. The roughly 60,000 users of Intuit's ProSeries product primarily have only a handful of employees and focus on tax prep work throughout the year. And they spend...

IntelliTax.
October 1, 2008... With a new name in place for the company, IntelliTax, formerly known as Orrtax Software Solutions, the company is bolstering its application to make it increasingly intuitive and easy to use as preparers increasingly travel down the path toward...

Petz CrossLink, V-Tax.(Petz Enterprises Inc.)
October 1, 2008... Electronic signatures and text messaging are the highlights for Petz Enterprise's desktop product, CrossLink. One of the biggest fears preparers have is that of legitimacy if no one signs a tax return, especially now that The Small Business...

TaxSimple Tax Software.
October 1, 2008... For the upcoming tax season, TaxSimple is working "to complete the circle from the preparer to the client and from the client to the preparer," says president John Vora. To help facilitate that process, the company has turned to the Web and...

TaxWise.(Universal Tax Systems Inc.)
October 1, 2008... In one way, there's not much difference between CCH's goals for the TaxWise and ATX packages, they are marketing through its Small Firms Division. "We have been focused on creating an integrating suite so that the tax professionals don't...

TaxWorks.
October 1, 2008... The TaxWorks customer base asked for it and the company delivered. "It" in this case is automated upgrades of the company's tax preparation program via the TaxWorks Web site. Vice president Kelly Peterson says that preparers can schedule...

Thomson Reuters GoSystem Tax ES.
October 1, 2008... It comes as little surprise that enhanced integration and bolstered security are among the key focuses for Thomson Reuters' GoSystem Tax ES this tax season. "Some firms have overseas operations and it is imperative that we offer [redaction...

UltraTax.
October 1, 2008... Thomson Reuters believes that scanning source documents can be a great way to improve the tax preparation process. It's just that scanning won't help everyone. Last year, Thomson tested its product, which will populate tax returns with...

Streamlining Depreciation: Fixed asset software turns a clunky job, into a sleek process.
October 1, 2008... The summer months at an accounting firm used to be for four things: vacationing, auditing non-profits, cleaning up client files and manually carrying forward depreciation schedules on big sheets of paper. In 1986, when I started in public...

Coming In November.
October 1, 2008... Accounting Technology examines four topics of interest to tax and accounting professionals * Sales and Use Taxes * Workflow * Tax Planning * Portfolio Management Software And more! (c) 2008 Accounting Technology and...

New Products.
October 1, 2008... XCM WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT Windows Explorer integration in XCM Version 6.0 gives firms real-time access to client documents linked to the XCM routing sheet as it moves through the office. Additional screens capture all required audit and...

QBES Switches and Stretches.
October 1, 2008... Intuit is relying on its channel to give QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions a heavy push into the midmarket. The vendor launched a reseller program last summer, reaching out to its hefty pool of QuickBooks ProAdvisors and appealing to...

The Sleeter Group: An Army of Consultants.(Conference notes)
October 1, 2008... The Sleeter Group formed in 1994 with one man who wanted to teach small businesses how to improve their systems using technology. Doug Sleeter has developed an international following of more than 650 consultants teaching small companies...

Making Money in Financial Planning.
October 1, 2008... By now I am sure you might have heard about the wildly successful inaugural financial planning conference held in July in Chicago by this publication under the Accountants Media Group umbrella. Although the idea for the conference started...

Job Satisfaction Rated High: Gross Earnings Way Up.
October 1, 2008... According to the 2008 Survey of Trends in the Financial Planning Industry from the College for Financial Planning, satisfaction remains high with 96 percent of those responding saying that they are satisfied, or very satisfied, with their...

FPA Forms Best Practices Task Force Panel: Set to offer guidance on new standards of conduct.
October 1, 2008... The Financial Planning Association (FPA) has formed a special panel whose goal will be to identify the best practices for the financial planning profession under the new CFP fiduciary standard. The new FPA task force will be comprised of...

Launching New Financial Services Niche Practice.
October 1, 2008... Weaver and Tidwell (Dallas-Fort Worth), has launched a new financial services niche practice that will target investment companies, including hedge funds and private equity funds. The practice will be led by Robert Loritz. According to W.M....

Access to Lifestyle Services: Looking at a comprehensive, educated-based approach to retirement needs.
October 1, 2008... AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company has launched My Retirement Shop (www.MyRetirementShop.com), a retirement lifestyle Website that includes sections providing a one-stop shop for information and resources to help individuals refresh,...

New Path for PFS Credential: Educational Programs for CPAs.
October 1, 2008... The AICPA and Texas Tech University's Division of Personal Financial Planning have announced a joint agreement to develop a new educational program that will lead to the AICPA's Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) credential. The program,...

Stories for Living and Working: Teaching financial planners how to get more out of life.
October 1, 2008... Appreciative Moments By Edward Jacobson shows readers how to take time to let the soul catch up, learn to listen deeply, harness the power of "refrigerator magnet thinking," recognize who you are and when you are at your best, and generating...

For a Happy Retirement: The magical plan for high achievers.(How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski details some wisdom that the author says you won't get from a financial advisor such as the nine dumbest retirement moves you can make and the 17 secrets to a happy retirement. Featured at...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2008... The July issue of CPA Wealth Provider listed the wrong managing partner for RSM McGladrey. The correct one is David Pierce. GHP Investment Advisors (Denver, CO) should have been listed in the AUM Survey in the July issue. They are a Wealth...

Ground-Breaking Enhancements From 1st Global: New Powerful Platform.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... 1st Global has released several significant enhancements to its Investment Management Solutions (IMS) fee-based platform for advisors. These changes are based on 1st Global's Unified Portfolio Theory framework that was unveiled last year. IMS...

Rochdale Launches International Trade Fund.(Rochdale Investment Management )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Rochdale Investment Management launched the Rochdale International Trade Fixed Income Fund, which is the firm's first foray into international trade finance. The SEC-registered closed-end fund seeks to provide investors with a reliable income...

New Multifamily Equity Fund.
October 1, 2008... Sovereign Capital has started the S3 Multifamily Equity Fund, or S3MEF, that will acquire multi-family properties across the United States with strong, secure, and safe returns on Class A and B multi-family properties. S3MEF projects a lifetime...

Ameriprise Adding 900 H&R Advisors.
October 1, 2008... Ameriprise Financial has announced a definitive agreement to acquire H&R Block Financial Advisors for $315 million in cash from the parent company, H&R Block. The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share and return on...

Moving On Up.
October 1, 2008... SKM Wealth Management, an affiliate of Sansiveri, Kimball & McNamee (Providence, RI), has entered the $100+ Million Club in CPA Wealth Provider's latest ranking of CPAs by AUM. It's managing member is Michael DeCataldo. (c) 2008 Accounting...

5 Tips for the Limited Budget College Student.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... 1. Look for used textbooks online at sites such as amazon.com or craigslist 2. Think of a bicycle for getting around campus or mass transit discounts 3. Buy insurance that protects against loss of personal property such as computers,...

BAM It up A Notch: New CEO stokes the profit fires.(Mont Levy )(Biography)
October 1, 2008... Emeril Lagasse has nothing on Mont Levy when it comes to taking it up a bit. When Levy became chief operating officer (the title was recently changed to chief executive officer) in early 2005 at St. Louis-based TAMP, BAM Advisor Services, the...

The Top 10 Things Seniors Need to Know.
October 1, 2008... Getting started on estate planning can be both a scary and daunting task, both for you and for your senior citizen clients. With the Baby Boomers on the precipice of retirement, the demand for planning advice in this area should begin to take...

Structured Products: The Benefits and Trade-offs.
October 1, 2008... An increasing number of investment professionals are recommending a diverse and growing category of investments known as structured products to help individual investors manage the traditional risk/return tradeoff of the capital markets with...

A Better Understanding of Appraisals and Appraisers: PART 1: By Jack P. Friedman and Barry A. Diskin.
October 1, 2008... A CPA regularly encounters situations where a client needs to have property appraised. Appraisals are frequently needed for real estate, personal property, and intangible assets, including businesses, that are not publicly traded. The purpose...

Appraisal Organizations.
October 1, 2008... In addition to state licensing for real estate appraisers, several organizations confer designations on appraisers. The Appraisal Foundation sets standards and qualifications to which most professional appraisers must adhere. Besides setting...

Profit from the Total Picture.
October 1, 2008... From the ongoing mortgage crisis and the collapse of several big banks, to the soaring costs of fuel and food, today's market is volatile. And it should come as no surprise then that investors are turning to their financial advisors for solid...

Giving Clients What They Want.
October 1, 2008... How often do you find yourself talking with clients when their eyes glaze over? When explaining the virtues of alpha and beta, the GSTT exemptions, the CLAT or GRAT, or the possibilities of a QPERT, are your clients really understanding? Do...

The Future of CPAs In Financial Planning.
October 1, 2008... What's the future of CPAs in the financial planning area? The answer is the same as it has been the past 100 years. Although it has only been since the 1980's that the PFP Section and PFS designation have been created by the AICPA, CPAs have...

SPOTLIGHT ON... NetWorth Services.
October 1, 2008... Back in February of this year, The Wall Street Journal published a story about how the Internal Revenue Service has been facing congressional pressure to narrow the nation's huge tax gap. As a result, lawmakers in both parties appear willing to...

The Great Escape.
October 1, 2008... There's a common question on the minds of entrepreneurs when they think about retirement: "How can I eventually get out of my business and not lose my shirt?" The answer is simple: Develop an exit strategy a few years before your desired...