WebCPA - Tools and Resources for the Electronic Accountant

Innocence versus experience

Generational Viewpoints: Involving young staff in decision-making

Mark Bailey & Co.: In Reno, casting off the shackles

Mark Bailey & Co. is no stranger to the Best Firms roster.

In Atlanta, individual growth = firm growth

With 35 full-time employees, Braver Schimler Pierce Jenkins, which garnered the top ranking in the Best Firms to Work For midsized category, offers a number of incentives to build that team, including full health care coverage to new employees on their first day.

BlumShapiro: In Connecticut, building value from values

In response to the downturn in the economy, this year BlumShapiro decided not to hold an outside party in January for its employees and their families. Instead, it opted to keep the party in-house and donate the money it saved to local homeless shelters.

Their finest hour

The 2009 Best Accounting Firms to Work For rise above the troubled economy

The 2009 Best Accounting Firms to Work For

The Best Firms' best practices

Percentage of the Best Firms to Work For with positive responses to the following questions (except for first line - average number of years in service of highest-ranking official)

FIRMS

Stuffed shirts and tattoos

I read the story of Mandy Allen's experience at work, where the stuffed shirts at her Big Four firm made her bandage her one visible tattoo and forbade her to get another one.

PRACTICE NEWS

Deloitte issues fiscal responsibility report; Ohio Society launches Proud 2B a CPA.

Now's a perfect time to get profitable

It looks like we are going to be in a tough economy for the foreseeable future.

McGladrey & Pullen Partners Vote to Reconcile with Block

McGladrey & Pullen’s partners have voted to accept a revised services agreement that would reunite them with H&R Block subsidiary RSM McGladrey.

What Kind of Leader Are You?

How do you know the type of leader you are at your firm?

RSM McGladrey, H&R Block, McGladrey & Pullen Expected to Announce Deal

McGladrey & Pullen and H&R Block subsidiary RSM McGladrey are expected to announce a deal as soon as tomorrow resolving the lawsuit over their terminated services agreement.

Greenwalt Sponsel & Co. Shortens Name

Indiana accounting firm Greenwalt Sponsel & Co., Inc., has taken on a new identity: Greenwalt CPAs.

Going Concern Assessments Increase in Today’s Economy

If a company goes out of business, how will investors recoup their investments?

BDO Takes Financial Hit from World Markets

The BDO International network of accounting firms blamed difficult market conditions for a slight decrease in annual revenues in dollar terms, although the network actually came out ahead in terms of euros.

Emotional Intelligence is Critical to Firm Success

As businesses seek to turn information into knowledge, CPAs will assume more advisory roles by combining traditional services with consulting services.

San Jose Accounting Firm Changes Name

Ireland San Filippo, a San Jose-based accounting firm, is being renamed Sensiba San Filippo.

David Sibits

The president of CBIZ Financial Services has been seeing a lot of changes in the past year as CBIZ copes with the economy and manages its acquisitions of Tofias and Mahoney Cohen.

Hold Your Partners Accountable

Managing an accounting firm is not easy for a number of reasons, not only because of the nature of ownership, but also because partners do not usually commit to allowing themselves to be managed.

Tomorrow's news

In case you were wondering, Grant Thornton chief executive Ed Nusbaum has an iPod. And he loves it.

Learning how to make rain

Start developing your business development skills

BOOMER'S BLUEPRINT: Hold your partners accountable

Managing an accounting firm is not easy for a number of reasons, not only because of the nature of ownership, but also because partners do not usually commit to allowing themselves to be managed.

FIRMS

LETTER: Miller & Bahnson on target

I could not find a fit in the three large firms where I invested my career over the past seven years, and it took an abrupt change and my reflecting to realize why I couldn't fit in.

PRACTICE NEWS

California adopts 150-hour rule; Thomson Reuters launches new marketing blog; AmerInst signs liability insurance deal; Plante & Moran partner in national calendar; Barfield Murphy named top small workplace.

Searching for the right model

In her first 'Pathways to Growth' column, Gale Crosley discovers the fundamentals of a strong model for firm growth

Gender-friendly partnerships

Solving a longstanding challenge for CPA firms

New CPA Firm Formed in Tampa

The former CFO of the American Cancer Society has formed her own CPA firm.

Grant Thornton CEOs Discuss Accounting Standards

Grant Thornton CEO Ed Nusbaum and incoming CEO Stephen Chipman talk with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino about international expansion and their thoughts on accounting standards.

Grant Thornton CEOs Talk M&A and Succession Planning

Grant Thornton CEO Ed Nusbaum and incoming CEO Stephen Chipman discuss opportunities in the M&A area for the firm and its clients, and how they are handling succession planning, in an interview with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino.

Grant Thornton CEOs on Adopting New Technology

Grant Thornton CEO Ed Nusbaum and incoming CEO Stephen Chipman discuss how the firm is using new technologies like the iPhone with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino.

Grant Thornton CEOs on Recruiting College Grads

Grant Thornton CEO Ed Nusbaum and incoming CEO Stephen Chipman talk with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino about work/life balance and why college graduates should consider the firm as a place to pursue their careers.

Eisner Joins PKF International

Eisner LLP has become a member firm of the PKF International Limited network.

Grant Thornton CEOs Discuss Economic Challenges

Grant Thornton CEO Ed Nusbaum and incoming CEO Stephen Chipman talk to Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino about how the firm is coping with the economy.

Loucks Adamek Becomes Sousa & Weber

Loucks, Adamek, Ashegian & Co. has changed its name to Sousa & Weber and expanded its services.

Taking a Targeted Approach to Social Networking

On a personal level, social media offers an easy-to-use platform to share information and connect with friends.

Tomorrow's news

We're teaming up with Rebecca Ryan, of Madison, Wis.-based Next Generation Consulting, to answer your questions about generational issues.

BOOMER'S BLUEPRINT: Social media: Influence or control?

Accounting firms are not exempt from the influence of social networking and social media.

FIRMS

Rules of engagement (and participation)

Templeton & Co. has 10 firm guidelines for using social media

PRACTICE NEWS

Working Mother names six firms as best to work for, and BDO Seidman goes green with tax services

Check your ethical compass

Doing what's right in business requires constant commitment

Fearless Mike

In colonial times, men were men. They hunted animals and dueled at dawn. They went weeks without showering. They lived for days off the land and spent their nights drinking whiskey. I am not one of those men.

LETTER: Disgusted by the Top 100 People

I read your list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (Sept. 21-Oct. 4, 2009, page 35) and was profoundly disgusted with your selection.

Social Media: Influence or Control?

Accounting firms are not exempt from the influence of social networking and social media.

Video: Grant Thornton Looks to Emerging Technologies

Grant Thornton LLP CEO Ed Nusbaum and his successor Stephen Chipman talked with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino about how the firm is keeping abreast of new technologies and the ideas of new staffers.

Accounting Firms Succeed Despite Economic Slump

Accounting firms are managing overall to maintain their rates, client services and staff even as the economy continues to challenge them and their clients, according to a new survey.

The 1 Percent Advantage

Every firm is looking for a competitive advantage in today's markets.

What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

Do you really know what your clients think of your firm, staff and services?

Video: Ed Nusbaum and Stephen Chipman of Grant Thornton, part 1

Grant Thornton CEO Ed Nusbaum and incoming CEO Stephen Chipman talked with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Bill Carlino about how the firm is changing and globalizing.

Fortifying Client Relationships

Client retention is an essential ingredient of a solid marketing plan.

Crowe Horwath Expands in Brazil and China

Crowe Horwath International has appointed Crowe Horwath RCS as its new member firm in Brazil and selected WanLongAsia as its lead firm in China.

Myth Debunked

It’s not automatic for the managing partner to be the highest paid.

Block Files to Terminate McGladrey Agreement

H&R Block subsidiary RSM McGladrey has terminated its service agreement with McGladrey & Pullen, two months after M&P also moved to terminate the agreement.

Capturing Lost Time and Money

Accounting firms measure their success, not by what is billed, but by what's collected.

Educator Calls for Greater Diversity in Accounting

A Howard University professor argues there should be an increased commitment to diversity in the accounting profession.

Get Creative with Technology: Don't Settle for Obsolescence!

The economy has offered a boon to the accounting industry in recent years, but a time of reckoning has come and firms are faced with new realities.

Gordon Krater

Gordon Krater took the reins as managing partner of Plante & Moran in July, only the sixth managing partner since the firm was founded in 1924.

Death to Death by Meetings

Proper prior preparation prevents painful, pointless pow-wows

Accountability Is a Process - Not a Slogan

Ensuring meaningful accountability requires management, and there is a crisis of under-management in most accounting firms.

SOCIAL NETWORKING: It's Twitter time! (unabridged)

Everyone, it seems, has a story about Twitter.

Grant Thornton Plans International Growth

Grant Thornton is ramping up its plans to expand internationally with the upcoming promotion of the U.S. member firm’s CEO Ed Nusbaum to chief executive of Grant Thornton International on Jan. 1.

ACCA Offers Online Accountant Career-Planning Site

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has created an online training resource to help accountants hone their career development plans.

Deloitte’s Salzberg Seeks More Diverse Hiring

“In our firm, we use the term ‘negotiable,’ and diversity is non-negotiable,” said Deloitte LLP CEO Barry Salzberg, at a keynote address at Ascend’s national convention in New York.

Save the planet - and some money, too

It is no secret that accounting firms produce, manage and store a large amount of paper - creating a need for increased staff and storage and resulting in lower productivity and smaller profits.

Don't go with the flow - manage it!

Though the idea of controlling the flow of business processes and other work dates back to the construction of the pyramids, it was not until the 1980s that the modern concept of workflow management for companies began to coalesce.

Going paperless: Starting on the same page

For Andrew Houston, CPA, a partner at the firm Williford, High and Co. CPAs, document management and operating in a paperless environment has become a 'blessing.' But it didn't happen overnight.

Security Risk: USB Drives

Today's digital environment presents significant risk as well as rewards.

Women Partners - Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling

It's 2009, and, according to the American Institute of CPAs, only 23 percent of partners in accounting firms are women – a relatively low number considering the amount of women coming into the profession. In this webcast, find out why this is and what can be done to encourage more women to seek partner rank within their firms.

CPA Firms Hit Wall on Fee Growth Last Year

The growth of fees began to level off at CPA firms across the country late last year after a remarkable six-year run as the financial crisis finally hit home.

Can Partners Change?

Why they need to, and some lessons from Weight Watchers

Accounting Firms Cope with Recession Pressures

Rebecca Ryan, 2EO of Next Generation Consulting, calls them the “Giant Brain People,” a term probably equivalent to the Dream Team in the accounting profession.

Tidwell Spins Out from Reznick

Reznick Group’s Birmingham, Ala., office has formed a separate accounting firm managed by the office’s former managing principal.

Prune, Then Grow!

CPAs are often characterized by a propensity to cut expenses, but are they good at pruning?

Tips on Implementing CRM Software at Your Firm

Like the Obama administration, accounting firms may want to focus these days on building more infrastructure.

Dave Scudder

Managing partner of McGladrey & Pullen talks about the end of the firm's agreement with H&R Block, and the future.

Inside the Top 100: Why the Best Are The Best

Accounting Today presents 'Inside the Top 100: Why the Best Are the Best.'

Mueller Passes Peer Review

Chicago-area CPA firm Mueller & Co. LLP has successfully completed an independent peer review of its accounting and auditing practice.

Block Files Suit Against McGladrey & Pullen

H&R Block has filed suit against McGladrey & Pullen after M&P announced this week that it was terminating its administrative services agreement with the tax giant.

Managing Your Firm’s Risk

A few preventative maintenance and risk management measures can help protect an accounting firm in the event of a corporate scandal.

Block CEO Warns of Risk to McGladrey

H&R Block CEO Russ Smyth issued a strongly worded statement warning of risks to McGladrey & Pullen after receiving a notice terminating their administrative services agreement.

AICPA Offers Privacy-Breach Insurance

The American Institute of CPAs is introducing liability insurance coverage to protect CPAs against the risk of privacy breaches of clients’ personal information in case the firm’s network is hacked.

CPA Firms Can Better Leverage CRM

More than 86 percent of CPA firms have yet to integrate a dedicated customer relationship management program into their organization, according to a new study.

McGladrey & Pullen to Divorce Block

McGladrey & Pullen said it intends to terminate its administrative agreement with H&R Block, in which, among other things, non-audit services have been offered through Block-owned RSM McGladrey.

Preventing Downtime

Accounting firms of all sizes need to be absolutely certain that they can retrieve and protect sensitive customer information, and be back up and running quickly in the event of an unforeseen business interruption or even a major disaster.

Waging War on Cyber Threats

Just this past spring, the Obama administration did what many in the political and national security arenas have been advocating for some time.

Weaver and Tidwell Names New Partner and Leaders

Gregory L. Bailes has joined Weaver and Tidwell’s Austin office as audit partner, and the firm has named W. David Rook as assurance service leader in its Houston office.

Client Retention Worries CPA Firms

CPA firms of all sizes are facing challenges with client retention, according to a new survey by the American Institute of CPAs.

Krater Takes the Reins at Plante & Moran

Gordon Krater became the new managing partner of Plante & Moran, only the sixth managing partner since the firm was founded in 1924.

AICPA Convenes Leadership Academy

The American Institute of CPAs is convening its first Leadership Academy this week with 28 CPAs under the age of 35.

BKD Goes Green

Accounting firm BKD LLP’s Learning & Development unit is becoming more environmentally friendly by reducing paper and office supplies, encouraging recycling and controlling energy use.

Plante & Moran Merges in Jackson Rolfes

Accounting firm Plante & Moran plans to merge with Jackson, Rolfes, Spurgeon & Co., extending Michigan-based Plante to the Cincinnati market.

New CalCPA Chair Says More Minority CPAs Needed

The recently named chair of the California Society of CPAs argued that the profession needs to attract more minority CPAs as the society celebrates its centennial.

KraftCPAs Forms Health Care Consulting Affiliate

Tennessee-based accounting firm KraftCPAs has created a new affiliate company that will specialize in health care consulting services as Congress prepares legislation to overhaul the health insurance industry.

Bechtel Kopin Partners Part Ways

Partners at accounting firm Bechtel Kopin & Company CPA PC have parted company, with the firm splitting into two businesses based in upstate New York.

Simple Steps to Streamlining Your Workflow

If you've been looking to implement a new workflow process, but haven't known where to start, this webcast is for you.

Research Looks at Successful CPA Firm Management

New research into CPA firm management will be described in a series of monthly webinars from the Bay Street Group and Capstone Marketing.

Grant Thornton Picks New CEO

Grant Thornton LLP has named Stephen Chipman as CEO of the U.S. member firm, after a stint developing the firm’s business in China.

Finding a Cure for Medical Office Fraud

When I became a CPA, my father, a small-town physician, asked me to prepare his tax return.

Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr.

PricewaterhouseCoopers International's CEO has some thoughts to share about the accounting profession, his firm and the state of the economy, before his retirement.

New Firm Model Provides Knowledge, Not Services

As more CPA firms transition from a traditional hourly billing model to “pricing on purpose” or a value-pricing equation, they are also repositioning themselves from providing services to clients to providing knowledge to clients.

Clifton Gunderson Restructures Top Exec Team

Clifton Gunderson, with a new CEO and headquarters, has now shuffled its top management.

Clifton Gunderson Moves HQ to Milwaukee

Clifton Gunderson has moved its headquarters from Peoria, Ill., to Milwaukee, making it the largest accounting firm to be based in Wisconsin, as new CEO Krista McMasters takes the reins.

LarsonAllen Merges in Cronstrom Osuch

Accounting firm LarsonAllen has expanded its presence in Arizona by combining with Scottsdale-based Cronstrom, Osuch & Co.

Virchow Krause Changes Name to Baker Tilly

Accounting firm Virchow Krause has changed its name to Baker Tilly to reflect its membership in the international accounting network.

Southern California Practices Combine

The audit and attestation practice of McKennon, Wilson & Morgan LLP has combined forces with the income tax preparation and planning services of DixonBrambila to form DBBMcKennon.

The New Busy Season

In the accounting profession, the days between February 1 and April 15 have come to be known as “busy season.” However, given the times, I’m not sure we can afford to have that mindset anymore.

Picking the Best Mobile Devices for Accounting

Putting mobile technology to work, and choosing which devices to use when, was the main topic during a session at the Accounting Technology Show and Conference in New York.

Marcum Merges with Rachlin

Marcum & Kliegman LLP is combining forces with Rachlin LLP, expanding the New York firm’s presence to Rachlin’s home base in Florida.

Tailoring Integrated Solutions to Meet Client Goals

BKD Wealth Advisors, LLC

Teaching Tech to Partners

Firms are closing any tech know-how gap between generations.

Charting A Firm's Social Media & Communications Policy

Most professionals might lack a full understanding of the business applications of social media networks.

'Stimulus' Packages for Accountants

Recession's Impact on Firms

MARKETING MAGIC: Partner-Centric Marketing Plans

Weaver and Tidwell Gets New Leader after 23 Years

Weaver and Tidwell’s longtime managing partner, W. M. “Mack” Lawhon, is stepping aside after nearly a quarter century at the helm.

Firms

Tomorrow's look today

Boomer's Blueprint: Six core values for success

Every firm has values, but does your firm know how to leverage them during difficult economic times?

More than one way up?

More firms are allowing tailored career programs

Making A Personal Commitment to Mentoring

What could be more gratifying than helping someone reach their personal best? Don't underestimate the power of mentoring a young professional and the effect a single conversation can have that person's life.

Managing Partners on Firm Mergers: Be Prepared to Change!

In a year that is projected to record a high number of CPA firm mergers, a pair of managing partners told attendees at the AICPA Practitioners Symposium here that both parties should be prepared to navigate through changes in culture and processes that often complicate the consolidation process.

Paperless Office - Going Green

How is your firm managing its documents today, and how will only using electronic documents affect your business? These and other questions about the hottest trend to hit firms since calculators is the focus of WebCPA's Webinar on the paperless office.

St. Louis Accounting Firms Merge

Local accounting firms Conner Ash and the SPS Group CPAs met in St. Louis, danced the hoochee koochee, became each other’s tootsee wootsie, and have now announced a merger.

Mize Houser Intros Practice Management Software

CPA firm Mize, Houser & Co. has teamed up with software developer Star Americas Software Solutions to offer a practice management program aimed at midsized to large accounting firms.

BDO Expands to the Other Georgia

BDO International has Georgia on its mind, but not necessarily the Georgia you might be thinking of.