April, 2023

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Our Obsession with Hours Is Destroying the Accounting Profession

CPA Practice

By Blake Oliver, CPA, and Chris Vanover, CPA. CPAs have always been passionate about numbers, using various metrics such as revenue, profit, headcount and realization to measure success. However, this focus on numerical indicators is contributing to the decline of the CPA profession itself. A talent shortage is affecting accounting firms across the demographic spectrum.

Account 136
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CPAs, Financial Advisors and Lawyers, Oh My

Insightful Accountant

The seventh annual "401(k) Plan Benchmark Report" shows the leading industries for 401(k) plans, with accounting professionals at the top of the list.

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A Simple Way to Differentiate Your Firm

Ryan Lazanis

Ready to set your accounting firm apart from the rest? In today’s episode, learn how you can stand out from other accounting firms and charge more while providing added value to your clients. Listen below. 0:34 – In this episode, I discussed how labeling and monthly packages devalue accounting services and create competition among firms. 1:15 – Many accounting firms use a 3-tiered approach with Gold, Silver, and Bronze plans, but the issue lies in labeling services as a list of

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7 Questions to Ask About a Business Valuation Report

RogerRossmeisl

Business valuation experts will usually provide formal written reports that explain how they arrived at their conclusions. Asking seven questions can help you determine whether an expert’s report is comprehensive and on-point. (1) Did the expert properly define the engagement? Most valuation reports start with a detailed description of the assignment.

CPA 210
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Building a Business Case for Finance Automation

Speaker: Danny Gassaway and Wayne Richards

Finance leaders are prioritizing efficiency and digital transformation, yet many hesitate to automate due to uncertainty. Without a clear understanding of its impact, organizations risk falling behind competitors who are leveraging automation to drive productivity and cost savings. Join Wayne Richards and Danny Gassaway from AvidXchange for a practical guide on bringing accounts payable (AP) automation to your organization.

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The High Cost of Business Email Compromise: Protecting Your Company from Financial Fraud

Withum

Business email compromise (BEC) is one of the most financially damaging cyber crimes currently facing businesses. Organizations often experience losses in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars before this exploit is discovered. According to the FBI Internet Crimes Complaint Center, there were almost 22,000 complaints of BEC, resulting in over $2.7 billion in losses in 2022, which was over 25% of total financial losses due to cyberattacks. 1 Google and Facebook collectively lost

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Academics Pitted Human Accounting Students Against GPT-3, Students Won

Going Concern

As aspiring lawyers everywhere learned with horror that GPT-4 is capable of passing the bar exam (in the 90th percentile of test-takers, no less) a whole bunch of academics were not-so-quietly putting GPT-3 to the test on accounting. Literally. Published in Issues in Accounting Education, a total of 328 authors from 186 different institutions in 14 countries sought to answer the question: how well does ChatGPT answer accounting assessment questions?

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The CPA Shortage Compels Accounting Firms to Embrace Digital Transformation

CPA Practice

By Cameron White. Despite high demand for CPAs, accounting firms struggle to hire accountants. In 2021, there was a 17 percent drop in employed accountants and auditors from a 2019 peak, according to a Bloomberg Tax analysis. Deloitte ranks the talent shortage among the top challenges that are expected to influence or disrupt businesses this year. With an onslaught of economic disruptions and complexities on their plate, a CPA shortage proves especially burdensome for middle market companies.

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Are You (and Your Clients) Ready for Disruption?

Insightful Accountant

The bi-annual 'Global Crisis and Resilience Survey' takes a deep dive into why you need to anticipate and respond to disruption proactively—not only to survive, but to thrive.

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4 questions to drive your audit firm’s evolution

ThomsonReuters

The accounting and audit profession is undergoing significant changes as a result of the rapid advancement of technology. While some have expressed concerns that automation may replace human auditors, the reality is that technology is here to enhance the profession rather than replace it. Automation tools can help streamline processes , reduce inefficiencies, and free up human auditors to focus on higher-value tasks.

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How Safe Are Your Business’s Paper Checks?

RogerRossmeisl

Recently, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) told U.S. financial institutions to exercise caution when processing paper checks because they might be fake. Paper checks? Didn’t those go the way of the dodo? Jokes aside, electronic transfers have indeed replaced paper checks for many consumer and business payments. Yet paper checks are still used at many businesses and check fraud has been increasing.

CPA 219
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Fall In Love With the Month-End Close

It's the time of year to give our close process some TLC. Join us in this one hour webinar where we discuss how to adopt leading practices and infuse technology into the month-end close process to improve our experience and increase our productivity during month-end and quarter-end close. Learning Objectives: This course's objective is to understand how the month-end close can be improved with automation and adoption of leading practices.

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Los Angeles tax dispute resolution by Mike Habib, EA

MyIRSRelief

Tax disputes can be a headache for individuals and businesses alike. If you are facing a tax dispute in Los Angeles, you need a skilled tax representative in your corner who can help you navigate the complex world of tax law and achieve a favorable outcome. One such representative is Mike Habib, EA, who has over 20 years of experience helping clients resolve their tax disputes with the IRS and state tax agencies and various state tax agencies such as FTB, EDD and CDTFA.

Tax 147
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Cash vs. Accrual Accounting for Startups: Which is Best?

BurklandAssociates

Accrual accounting generates a more accurate long-term financial picture, is required for GAAP, and is what prospective investors and lenders expect to see. The post Cash vs. Accrual Accounting for Startups: Which is Best? appeared first on Burkland.

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A sneak peek into what’s next for reports in Xero

Xero

Our team hit the ground running in 2023, introducing a number of exciting features to new reports that we know you’ve been waiting for — including the addition of foreign currency to new reports. Here are some of the highlights and a sneak peek into what’s coming next. Don’t forget, the older versions of our reports will be retired on 31 July 2023. We urge you to start using new reports now , so you have plenty of time to get used to them before the older versions are retired.

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The CPA Shortage Compels Accounting Firms to Embrace Digital Transformation

CPA Practice

By Cameron White. Despite high demand for CPAs, accounting firms struggle to hire accountants. In 2021, there was a 17 percent drop in employed accountants and auditors from a 2019 peak, according to a Bloomberg Tax analysis. Deloitte ranks the talent shortage among the top challenges that are expected to influence or disrupt businesses this year. With an onslaught of economic disruptions and complexities on their plate, a CPA shortage proves especially burdensome for middle market companies.

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Navigating Payroll Compliance: Future-Proofing Payroll in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

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TaxConnex Wins ClearlyRated's 2023 Best of Accounting Award for Service Excellence

TaxConnex

We are excited to announce that we have won the Best of Accounting Award for providing superior service to their clients. ClearlyRated's Best of Accounting® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients. On average, clients of 2023 Best of Accounting winners are more than 1.7 times as likely to be satisfied than those who work with non-winning firms.

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Some Taxpayers Qualify for More Favorable “Head of Household”Tax Filing Status

RogerRossmeisl

When preparing your tax return, we’ll check one of the following statuses: Single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Filing a return as a head of household is more favorable than filing as a single taxpayer. For example, the 2023 standard deduction for a single taxpayer is $13,850 while it’s $20,800 for a head of household taxpayer.

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Why Inventory Counts Matter

SMBAccountant

The past few years have forced many small businesses to face issues with the supply chain that they had previously never considered. Even the most prudent risk manager couldn’t have anticipated the far-reaching impact that the pandemic had on nearly every aspect of life. These new challenges have changed purchasing habits for many small businesses and as things start to return to normal, practices, such as inventory may need to be reevaluated.

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Critical Metrics for SaaS Startups Pursuing a Loan

BurklandAssociates

Important SaaS KPIs like ARR and LTV:CAC often won’t get you far with debt-based lenders. The post Critical Metrics for SaaS Startups Pursuing a Loan appeared first on Burkland.

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Next-Level Fraud Prevention: Strategies for Today’s Threat Landscape

Speaker: Sierre Lindgren

Fraud is a battle that every organization must face – it’s no longer a question of “if” but “when.” Every organization is a potential target for fraud, and the finance department is often the bullseye. From cleverly disguised emails to fraudulent payment requests, the tactics of cybercriminals are advancing rapidly. Drawing insights from real-world cases and industry expertise, we’ll explore the vulnerabilities in your processes and how to fortify them effectively.

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Airbase ushers in a new era of modern spend management with Guided Procurement.

Airbase

The rapidly evolving spend management market is once again experiencing a breakout moment. As the category leader and pioneer, Airbase is the first and only spend management platform to now offer Guided Procurement — intake functionality for all purchasing. This innovation expands the capabilities of spend management to include the beginning of the purchasing lifecycle, as employees first enter a request to spend company money.

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3 Ways ChatGPT Can Help Accounting Firms

CPA Practice

By Andrew Antos, Co-founder and CEO of Klarity. If you’ve been following recent news in even the most cursory fashion there’s a good chance you’ve heard about ChatGPT, the Large Language Model (LLM) technology that’s primed to revolutionize business operations. It’s an innovation that holds such disruptive promise that it has already begun to impact long-standing industries and left more than a few big incumbents spinning.

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Why are there so many due dates for sales tax?

TaxConnex

If you refer to “filing taxes” most people think of income tax with its annual filing requirement. State sales tax is another beast altogether, with a dizzying number of deadlines – and, potentially, serious consequences for missing one. Intensifying problem? Our  third annual survey  of financial professionals across various industries showed that many face sales tax challenges related to these filing deadlines.

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Choosing an Entity for Your Business? How About an S Corporation?

RogerRossmeisl

If you’re starting a business with some partners and wondering what type of entity to form, an S corporation may be the most suitable form of business for your new venture. Here are some of the reasons why. A big benefit of an S corporation over a partnership is that as S corporation shareholders, you won’t be personally liable for corporate debts. In order to receive this protection, it’s important that: The corporation be adequately financed, The existence of the corporation as a separate enti

CPA 210
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Cash Flow Secrets Every Upskilled CPA Should Know

Speaker: Debra L. Robinson

CPAs know the drill: taxes, compliance, rinse, repeat. But what about the sneaky cash flow that’s quietly messing with your organization’s success? It’s time to step into the spotlight and expose the “dirty little secrets” of cash flow to fuel strategic growth. By upskilling your accounting practices and shifting focus from tax compliance to the strategic movement of money, you can transform your role from reactive accountant to proactive financial strategist.

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Future-Proofing Financial Planning: How CFOs Can Benefit from Autonomous Planning

Acterys

Persistent inflation and slowing economic growth have led to a code-red situation for businesses globally. Market dynamics are in a constant state of flux; from a sudden shortage of raw materials to the risk of violating regulatory standards, just to name a few. As a CFO, you need to rely on complex financial models and contingency scenarios to make decisions that better mitigate risk and ensure optimal business performance.

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Pursuing a Loan for Your SaaS Startup? Know Your Cash & Recognized Revenue

BurklandAssociates

Important SaaS KPIs like ARR and LTV:CAC often won’t get you far with debt-based lenders. The post Pursuing a Loan for Your SaaS Startup? Know Your Cash & Recognized Revenue appeared first on Burkland.

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Modern spend management software unlocks new value drivers.

Airbase

Are you still getting value from the expense management or bill payment software you purchased a few years ago? Do your users actually use the software? Do they find it intuitive, pleasant to use, and efficient? Is your original business case holding up in this new era of high interest rates and a competitive labor market? If your answer is no to any or all of these questions, I have some very good news for you.

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Partnerships Face Increased Tax Audit Risk

CPA Practice

With the IRS laser-focused on enforcement, many partnerships will find themselves subject to their first IRS audits under the new procedurally complex partnership audit rules. Under these rules, the default is that the partnership pays an entity-level tax called an “imputed underpayment” (IU) on any adjustments. This means, unless certain steps are taken, the current partners would bear the tax even if they weren’t partners for the year under audit.

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Profit in the Details: Rethinking Spend for Monumental Impact

Speaker: Aaron Berson

Managing spend is more than a cost cutting exercise – it's a pathway to smarter decisions that unlock efficiency and drive growth. By understanding and refining the spending process, financial leaders can empower their organizations to achieve more with less. Explore the art of balancing financial control with operational growth. From uncovering hidden inefficiencies to designing workflows that scale your business, we’ll share strategies to align your organization’s spending with its strategic g

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Managing sales tax: Are businesses satisfied with the additional effort?

TaxConnex

Our third annual survey of financial professionals across accounting, manufacturing, construction, software and technology, retail/eCommerce, telecom and others showed that many industries face sales tax challenges and that financial leaders continue to lean on internal resources to get the job done. With varying levels of comfort and success: Though showing more confidence than that in previous years’ surveys, more than half (58%) of respondents remain unsatisfied or only somewhat satisfied wit

Sales 130
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That Investment Opportunity Could be a Pyramid Scheme

RogerRossmeisl

The “investment opportunity” someone just pitched could be a legitimate way to get in on the ground floor of a soon-to-be profitable business. However, it could also be a pyramid, Ponzi or similar fraudulent multi-level marketing scheme. How can you tell the difference between a real investment and a scam? Don’t get scammed Pyramid schemes can be relatively straightforward, such as recruiting people to sell vitamins or cleaning supplies and recruiting family and friends to also sell the products

CPA 207
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Los Angeles accountant for small business – Mike Habib, EA

MyIRSRelief

Small business owners often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities, from managing employees to overseeing operations to marketing and sales. Amidst all these demands, managing finances can easily become overwhelming, especially for those who lack a strong financial background. That’s where an accountant (EA or CPA) can help. A Los Angeles, CA accountant can provide essential financial expertise and support to small business owners, helping them make informed decisions and manag

Account 130
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Revenue-Based Financing for Startups

BurklandAssociates

Revenue-based financing can provide the working capital your startup needs between equity rounds without exchanging an ownership stake or giving up control. The post Revenue-Based Financing for Startups appeared first on Burkland.

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Navigating Bleisure Travel: A Guide for Mid-Sized Companies

Bleisure travel — where employees combine work and leisure — has been around since the advent of corporate travel and is here to stay. Successful bleisure policies strike a balance between employee preferences and company goals — workers report a 64% improvement in work-life balance, while companies benefit from reduced travel costs and increased workforce innovation.