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.

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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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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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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.

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How to Build the Ideal HR Team

HR doesn’t exist in a vacuum. This work impacts everyone: from the C-Suite to your newest hire. It also drives results. Learn how to make it all happen in Paycor’s latest guide.

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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.

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Planning Your Restaurant's Path to Profitability

Speaker: James Kahler, COO of Full Course

Ever wondered where to splurge and where to safely conserve when it comes to operating and growing your restaurant? 🤔 Join James Kahler, COO of Full Course and industry visionary, in this new webinar where he'll talk all about best practices to invest in your restaurant's success! Whether you're a new business or an established restaurant, a seasoned pro or a rookie, you'll learn the keys to sustainable success in this competitive industry.

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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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Don’t Be A Victim of Fraud – Protect Your Organization

Withum

Having discussed fraud schemes , trends , and fraudster characteristics identified in the ACFE’s Occupational Fraud 2022: Report to the Nations , let’s shift our focus to the industries with the highest fraud risk and how all organizations can safeguard themselves from fraud or investigate actual or suspected incidents of fraud. It is essential for organizations to prioritize fraud awareness and internal controls to minimize the risk of fraud.

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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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The EY Split Is Officially DEAD

Going Concern

Called it ! Financial Times reported moments ago : EY has called off the plan to break up its audit and consulting businesses after months of internal disagreement. The decision is set to be communicated to partners in a note on Tuesday, said people with knowledge of the matter. More to come shortly. The post The EY Split Is Officially DEAD appeared first on Going Concern.

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How Automation is Driving Efficiency Through the Last Mile of Reporting

Speaker: Jamie Eagan

As organizations strive for agility and efficiency, it's imperative for finance leaders to embrace innovative technologies and redefine traditional processes. Join us as we explore the pivotal role of digitalization and automation in reshaping what is commonly referred to as the “last mile of reporting”. We’ll deep-dive into why digitalization is no longer a choice, but a necessity for finance departments to stay competitive in a fast-paced environment touching on: 2024 trends for the Office of

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Payroll errors and how to avoid them

ThomsonReuters

For business owners, payroll is complex and often their greatest expense. For accounting professionals, payroll services have long been viewed as a time-consuming, high-risk loss leader. Payroll errors are certainly a real concern, but with the right tools and resources in place, payroll services can be a growth opportunity for firms. Today’s global workforce, remote and hybrid work environments, and the ever-changing regulatory landscape have added additional layers of complexity to payroll.

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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

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What ChatGPT and the acceleration of AI means for small business

Xero

If you ever worked with Office 97, you’ll remember Microsoft’s iconic assistant Clippy. The animated AI-based paperclip would pop up in your document and offer to help you format whatever you were working on. Clippy would analyse and structure words in your document and help you format it according to what you were working on. For example, if anything vaguely resembled a resume, you would be prompted with: “It looks like you’re writing a resume!

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Volunteering and Campaigning for a Great Cause With The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Withum

Explore Other Episodes #CivicWarriors #WithumImpact The post Volunteering and Campaigning for a Great Cause With The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society appeared first on Withum.

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Register Now: Sneak Peek Into Close Automation SkyStem Web Demo

Technology is rapidly changing the way accountants perform and manage month-end activities. Spreadsheets, email, and shared drives no longer have to slow us down. Join us as we present a "sneak peek" recorded demo of SkyStem's month-end close solution – ART. In under four weeks, your team can start reaping the benefits of month-end close automation by vastly reducing spreadsheets, cut down on reconciliation work, speed up the month-end close, and better manage your remote team.

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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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Canadian Audit Quality Is Getting Suckier and CPAB Is Concerned

Going Concern

Up north, the Canadian equivalent of the PCAOB has said that audit quality in America’s hat is on the decline and that the level of significant findings at non-annually inspected firms is “concerning.” This is per the Canadian Public Accountability Board’s 2022 Annual Report [ PDF ]. The Globe and Mail reports : Problematic audits are on the rise at Canada’s accounting firms, according to the industry’s national regulator, which found issues in a third of the audits it ex

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Canopy Launches ChatGPT AI in Accounting Practice Management Software | Canopy

Canopy Accounting

If you've spent any time near a screen lately, you’ve heard of ChatGPT — a language model trained by OpenAI. Every day, a new thread appears of someone who has figured out the next thing ChatGPT can do. With the evolution of AI and OpenAI-based architecture, almost every industry must decide how to incorporate AI into their work models, including ours.

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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

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Join the Instant Payment Revolution: Read 7 Must-Know Facts for Small Businesses

Technology evolves at lightning speed, and as finance keeps changing, instant payments emerge as a game-changer for small businesses. By 2030, instant payments are projected to surge by 289% and will become the new norm in financial transactions. Our whitepaper reveals seven must-know facts about instant payments, offering to help you navigate this financial revolution effectively.

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How this plasterer laid the foundations for a booming construction business

Xero

Since he was young, Johnno Green has had a penchant for construction. So one day when a guest speaker at his high school came looking for apprentice plasterers, he knew he’d found his break. Johnno cut his teeth working on residential builds before the Global Financial Crisis hit the housing market (and his employers), forcing a pivot into the commercial sector.

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Dread Doing Your Taxes?

Insightful Accountant

The Dancing Accountant, Nancy McClelland, gives you the lowdown on the IRS account transcript, a tool you can download for free to check your finances. Jump over to our sister site, Tax Practice News, to learn more.

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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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KPMG Gets Sued Because Their Longtime Client Went Down in Flames

Going Concern

We knew this was coming. Bloomberg has reported that Silicon Valley Bank auditors KPMG have been sued — along with underwriters Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley — after SVB’s spectacular collapse on March 10. KPMG audited the bank for nearly 30 years. Similar to previous suits, a complaint filed Friday in the federal court in San Francisco names Silicon Valley Bank Chief Executive Officer Greg Becker and other bank directors and officers as defendants.

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How CPA Firms Can Profit From Payroll Services Without the Extra Work

"Offer payroll and do it yourself,” they said. “It’ll be fun!” Spoiler alert: It was not fun. Most CPA firms know that they need to offer payroll services to their clients or risk losing them to another firm that will. However, many don’t really want to. It is often time-consuming and complex due to changing tax laws and regulations, and with the growing staffing shortages, most just don’t have the resources.

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Is Our Health FSA Subject to COBRA?

ThomsonReuters

QUESTION: Next year, we plan to amend our company’s cafeteria plan to add a health FSA under which participants elect a coverage amount for the year and pay for it with pre-tax salary reductions. There will be no employer contributions, so participants’ health FSA salary reductions will equal the elected annual coverage amount. The health FSA will be offered to all employees who are eligible for coverage under our major medical, dental, and vision plans.

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Claiming Losses on Depreciated or Worthless Stock

RogerRossmeisl

Have you bought stock in a company that later dropped in value? While you may prefer to forget such an ill-fated investment, at least you can claim a capital loss deduction on your tax return. Here are the rules that apply when a stock you own is sold at a loss or becomes completely worthless. Stock sales produce capital losses Stocks are capital assets and produce capital gains or losses when they’re sold.

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How apps can make it simple to take climate action in your business

Xero

More and more businesses are focusing on sustainability, and for good reason. Not only do many small business owners personally feel it’s important to play a role in protecting the environment, doing so is proven to have a positive impact on their bottom line. We understand that taking the first steps toward sustainability in your business can feel overwhelming.

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Customizing the Icon Bar in QuickBooks Desktop

Insightful Accountant

Check out some of the cool customization features you can use with the icon bar, complements of internationally renowned ProAdvisor Esther Friedberg Karp.

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Recruit and Retain New Blue-Collar Talent

Blue-collar jobs have a branding problem. One company, GEON, partnered with Paycor to find the solution. Learn how to attract, engage, and retain blue-collar employees, helping them build meaningful careers – and support your company’s goals.