Accounting firms looking to improve customer service are turning to secure Internet portals to exchange and share information with their clients. The result is broader, clearer communication and increased efficiency.A variety of vendors offer these services to accounting firms, with most charging a monthly fee. The key is to select the services that best match the needs of the firm and the needs of the client in this 24/7 business environment. One option is CPA2Biz, which provides services to AICPA members, but many other private companies offer services as well.

StartupNation and Microsoft Office Live Small Business have launched the second annual "Home-Based 100" to find the top home-based businesses in the country. Home-based businesses interested in making the list can submit their business profile online, with results to be announced in November.

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."-- Thomas EdisonBy Gale Crosley, CPAPromising opportunities may not be sporting overalls at your firm, but it's likely a number of them have successfully camouflaged themselves from you and your partners! Sure, you're busy these days, but sheer momentum isn't enough to guarantee long-term sustainable growth. For that you need an orderly approach to opportunity planning.New Attitude

By John Doerr"And if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with,love the one you're with, love the one you're with, love the one you're with...."- Stephen StillsWhy does it seem that our clients (and prospects) too often take the advice of seventies rock stars when selecting their professional services providers? Perhaps the following story will shed some light.I Just Awarded that Assignment…

The Internal Revenue Service would like to remind taxpayers to follow appropriate guidelines when determining whether an activity is engaged in for profit, such as a business or investment activity, or is engaged in as a hobby.Internal Revenue Code Section 183 (Activities Not Engaged in for Profit) limits deductions that can be claimed when an activity is not engaged in for profit. IRC 183 is sometimes referred to as the hobby loss rule.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has announced the agenda for its upcoming forums for directors and financial executives of small and mid-sized public companies – part of the Forum on Auditing in the Small Business Environment series.The first forum, hosted by Board Member Dan Goelzer, is Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the Sofitel Hotel in Chicago, IL. The second, hosted by Board Member Bill Gradison, is Thursday, Oct. 30, at The Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia, PA.

RSM McGladrey has released data gathered in the last ten days that shows global competition for raw materials and rising energy costs are driving up costs and substantially reducing the bottom line of middle market manufacturers and distributors more than they were just three months ago.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has issued a revised Exposure Draft (ED) of a proposed Statement of Financial Accounting Standards, Earnings per Share — an amendment of FASB Statement No. 128. The proposed Statement seeks to improve financial reporting by clarifying and simplifying the method of calculating earnings per share (EPS), while promoting the international convergence of accounting standards by eliminating major differences that currently exist between FASB Statement No. 128, Earnings per Share, and International Accounting Standard (IAS) 33, Earnings per Share.

By Mike Schultz and John DoerrFree is fine, but can I pay instead?Marketing is expensive. Especially when you sell complex products and services, your investments in brochures, Web sites, ads, direct mail, and PR can be steep. After all, you need to educate your prospects and seduce them with your solution and its benefits. This is a bit more involved than grabbing people's attention with a free sample for an impulse product like a cube of bubble gum with a gooey surprise in the middle.