News

Getting The Media To Work For You -- With Scott Cytron

Scott H. Cytroncytron@onramp.net5924 Royal LaneSuite 258Dallas TX 75230(214) 739-3060In addition to the transcript of the session below, you can download a sample pitch letter that Scott provided for working with the media.Michael Platt: I want to thank everyone for joining us here this afternoon. We are fortunate to be joined today by Scott H.
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There's More to Online Learning Than Just Accounting

The online continuing education revolution is here BIG TIME. While there are many outlets over the Internet for the CPA to receive his or her CPE credits, the wired world also has paved the way for learning outside of the accounting arena for those who wish to enrich their knowledge.Let's talk time. The most popular reason we surf the Internet to take what is known as the "e-class" is a time famine in not being able to attend classes in person.
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Tax

IRS Turns the Other Cheek for Y2K Filing Delays

Once again, the kindler, gentler IRS is showing its colors. A statement issued by Commissioner Charles Rossotti said the IRS will be somewhat forgiving on taxpayer business filings based on potential Y2K mishaps that hamper the filing of taxes.Based on companies facing stricter and more timely deadlines, the Service is focusing its attention on businesses instead of individuals.
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Tax

Roth IRA Conversion Deadline Extended by IRS

CPAs should be advised that any taxpayer who mistakenly converted a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA last year, but later found out they were ineligible for the Roth, have until the end of 1999 to change their Roth IRA contributions or conversions back to traditional IRAs.The original IRS filing deadline, known as recharacterizations, was October 15.
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Practice Management

Consider Prepaid Calling Cards Instead of Telephone Credit Cards

Give employees prepaid calling cards to use when they are away on business instead of company telephone cards. You will save money by eliminating per-call charges, and eliminate the risk of fraud if a card is lost or stolen.
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Technology

Registering Domains Heats Up

Early Internet adopters remember when registering domain names was EASY and the cost was FREE.Just a few years later, the Web invaded our lives like gangbusters, and registering a domain cost money. Still, there was only one place to register at the government-approved company known as Network Solutions.There is good news in the fact that $70 still is the going rate for an annual fee, but times have changed. Network Solutions needed help and the government finally granted other organizations the same rights as the original provider had.
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Practice Management

Effective Meetings 101: Quiz Brings Results

How many boring, unproductive meetings have you sat through lately? If you're like most of us, you can't even begin to count how many times you've walked out of a meeting thinking about how much time you wasted.Face-to-face meetings are still the preferred method of communications by 44 percent of those surveyed in a recent poll conducted by staffing service Office Team.
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CPA or Broker: Where to Draw the Line

The ability to accept commissions is nothing new for the accounting profession. For many years, CPAs have accepted commissions as part of their line of services in brokering securities, insurance and other savings instruments--in harmony with their own accounting services.Where to draw the line and make the distinction for the public is another matter altogether. There is a substantial gray area involved.
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Permission Marketing

As a marketing director, I’ve been practicing “permission marketing” for years now. I just didn’t have a name for it. Enter Seth Godin, author of Permission Marketing and vice president of direct marketing for Yahoo!. While I thought I was being polite, what I was really doing was asking my prospects for permission to market to them (I’ve never been the pushy type).
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Selling Your Top Recruits

Don’t save your best sales pitch for a prospect. With a tight labor market, you need to sell your firm to your top recruits, too. Take a look around your firm and make a list of what’s “good” about it. Ask your employees if you want to know what's "great" about your firm.From casual days to flexible time schedules, there’s plenty your firm “offers” its employees. But don’t stop there. Be sure to make a laundry list of benefits for your new employee and quantify them in the offer letter. These “benefits” can really add up.
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COBRA – It’s Not A Snake

COBRA isn’t a snake, but it sure can bite you if you aren’t in compliance. COBRA is an acronym for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. The Act, for most employers, protects an employee’s right to continue group health coverage should the employee experience a “qualifying” event.As Y2K approaches, new legislation regarding COBRA is right around the corner.
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SAP Strikes Back With Reactive Stance

SAP is prepared to defend its product with increased customer attention and a new set of consultants called "global overseers."Over the past week, the AccountingWeb newswire has run several stories regarding Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and the alleged mishandling of installations by PeopleSoft/Deloitte & Touche.
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AccountingWEB Weekly News Wrap-up - Issue 16

The AccountingWEB Newswire - Issue 16November 5, 1999http://www.accountingweb.comIn the headlines this week:1. The Rumor Is True: CPA/Law Firm Is Formed2. New Independence Requirements for Auditors Approved 3. IRS Will Be Ready for Y2K (Not!)4. Congratulations, You've Got a Website. Now What?5. Workplace Violence: These Resources Can Save Lives and $$$6. Required Reading: M&A Insight from One of the Best7. Proven Ideas To Keep Paper From Burying You8.
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Community News

CPA/Law Alliance Now A Reality

As reported here last week, Big 5 CPA firm Ernst & Young this week announced that it has entered into a landscape-altering alliance this week with a new DC law firm called McKee Nelson Ernst & Young LLP. This integrated professional services model has been in place in many countries around the world, but until now has never been available in this country.
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"Security Audit" Helps Dispel Workplace Safety and Risk

With a growing number of daily headlines focusing on violence in the workplace, everyone wonders whether something violent can--and will--occur in their own business.Employers, too, are facing the same concerns, and are implementing various measures to allay employeee fears.
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Tax

Credit as Payment Options Offered by IRS

CPAs preparing individual tax returns should advise their clients that the IRS will now provide more options for payment with credit cards and direct debit of bank accounts for the 2000 filing season.The new options expand from the IRS' previously approved rules that only applied to balances due for 1998 taxes.The expanded options will allow credit card payments for: any balances owed on 1999 returns, protected balances paid for 1999 where returns will be filed later under any extention option, and estimated payments for year
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New Independence Requirements For Auditors Approved

In response to recent attacks by the SEC on perceived independence problems across the auditing profession, the AICPA today approved new objectivity requirements for auditors who audit public companies.Some of the new requirements include:Auditing firms must set up an internal computer database of restricted investments in public clients;Independence policies must be established regarding financial relationships between the company and the firm, to include the firm's benefit plans, its staff and
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Concerns Over Botched ERP Installations Continues

A story published last week on AccountingWeb talked about how Gore-Tex is suing PeopleSoft and Deloitte & Touche for alleged problems with its software installation.
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Practice Management

Business Travel Airfare Reductions

If you are traveling with someone else on an airline and are willing to sit separately, you could save a lot of money on the flight. Lower priced seats may be available as "singles" and may be sold out as "doubles." Be sure to ask your travel agent or airline reservationist if this is an option.
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Sage Debuts two new Acuity Partner Programs

Sage Software has two new Acuity channel partner programs that should interest CPA resellers and others who currently sell Acuity solutions or want to sell them some time in the future.The Acuity "Premier Partner Program" offers higher margins and extended marketing progrmas to top Acuity resellers.In contrast, resellers can capitalize on the "Acuity Alliance Program" because it enables current MAS 90 users to maintain their existing reseller relationships by offering a simplified upgrade stream to Acuity's advanced financial and distribution solutions.
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Pages

Voice of the Editor

Even though any accounting auditor would tell you it seems like there are an awful lot of tax accountants out there, surely one-third of the country isn't made up of tax preparers, so it's rather startling news to learn that one-third of Americans like to do their taxes. Who knew?
Read more
Gail Perry, CPA
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB
editor@accountingweb.com
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