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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.