testifying before congress

this was a valuable experience.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i testified two times before the house ways and means committee, in june 1980 and june 1985.

more: creative ways to retain staff | i am an accountant because of clients like stanley | advising cheapskates | getting bonuses from clients | be an accountant, not a salesperson for other things
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each time i was given five minutes to present my views. the first time i was shaking at least four of the five minutes. this was in the capitol and here i was testifying about what they should do.
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covid tests accountants’ entrepreneurial talents

young black woman sitting in front of laptop looking thoughtfulthree questions to re-set your mindset.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

accountants and tax practitioners are entrepreneurs. maybe now, more than ever.

more: have you gotten where you wanted yet? | 3 questions for determining your value | 41 items to check on business tax returns | keep these tax clients while you have the chance | what makes a good tax season client?
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this means their practice needs to be run as a business with sound business decisions being made.

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the secret recipe for staff retention

group of four young professionalsmoney, satisfaction, and growth – plus the secret ingredient.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i believe that cpa firms do best when they hire people out of school and train them. however, today we’re not going to talk about training or who to hire, but how to retain who you have.

more: i am an accountant because of clients like stanley | underpaying others hurts you, too | my top 10 personal game changers | yes, christopher columbus had an accountant | 10 reasons for my success | when the kids don’t want to take over | staff may surprise you with leadership
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when i had my practice with peter weitsen and frank boutillette, before we merged with withum, at some point each staff person’s first job was with us and we trained them our way. we had a substantial investment in them and losing anyone would cause great inconvenience and cost to us. we wanted to make sure we had the greatest chance of retaining them.
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is this the firm you really want?

clean slate with three pieces of colored chalkthis may be the perfect time to imagine starting with a clean slate. bonus: four questions to ask yourself.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

we all get caught up with what we do. sometimes so much that we lose sight of what we are doing and the purpose.

more: 3 questions for determining your value | help your clients and yourself | what’s not to like about tax season? | do your clients feel important? | 4 reasons to push ahead with tax question research | help tax clients help you | bill with the tax return, get paid faster
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also, work happens. many of us start out with lofty plans that go astray as the practice develops. many things cause it – clients we get, availability or lack of availability of the right staff, how we choose to learn or not learn new things, and even where we locate.

now stop for a moment, forget about what you are doing, and fantasize about how you would start a practice from scratch.
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i’m an accountant because of clients like stanley

some people have a lot to teach us.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

stanley hochhauser passed away. he was a client i worked with in my first job and became my client when my father passed away in 1976.

more: underpaying others hurts you, too | what cpas can learn from lawyers and doctors | my top 10(ish) regrets | my ‘brand’ is the exciting history of accounting | social security is an asset class
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

stanley was the last of my father’s clients and his passing also closed a link to my past. i am an accountant because of clients like stanley.
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3 questions for determining your value

handshakehow necessary are you under covid?

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

know your value to your clients. better, understand your business and what you really do and what you add to the client’s life.

more: help your clients and yourself | ask this before clients do | more services for your tax clients | can your reviewers answer these 10 questions? | 5 small leaks that can sink a tax season | one can’t-skip touch for tax season | 3 steps to tax season happiness
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i had a group of gastroenterologists as clients who were going to get into a business of inserting a gastric bubble into people’s stomachs. there were a number of issues to this.
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underpaying others hurts you, too

man putting dollars into suit pockettake a long view.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

many bosses hold back their subordinates without realizing they hold themselves back even more.

more: what cpas can learn from lawyers and doctors | advising cheapskates | getting bonuses from clients | be an accountant, not a salesperson for other things | when clients don’t know | why you’re only as good as your staff | why tax time is the best time to get new business | becoming a ‘media star’ | don’t pass up opportunities
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i see this a lot. for myriad reasons bosses would restrict raises and bonuses for those immediately under them.
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help your clients and yourself

//www.g005e.com/2020/05/04/help-your-clients-and-yourself/beware the opportunity graveyard.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

many opportunities only come along once. the way to be successful is to not let them pass by without acting on them or taking advantage of them.

more: ask this before clients do | 41 items to check on business tax returns | keep these tax clients while you have the chance | what makes a good tax season client? | do your clients feel important?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

spotting opportunities is quite easy if you are looking for them – and extremely difficult if you don’t have a clue of client needs or wants.
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what cpas can learn from lawyers and doctors

young asian entrepreneur reading magazinehow will you distinguish your firm?

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

it has become pretty popular for law firms and medical doctors to advertise in group ads in magazine supplements.

more: advising cheapskates | my top 10 personal game changers | yes, christopher columbus had an accountant | 10 reasons for my success | when the kids don’t want to take over | staff may surprise you with leadership | problem clients
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when i glance at the ads i find humor such as the bald dermatologist advertising his hair transplant prowess or the young woman doctor who does proctology, or the photo of the elder law firm partners where no one looks younger than 80. and they pay for these ads?
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ask this before clients do

stack of cards labeled with question marksplus some suggested answers.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

here are two questions to ask yourself:

  1. why should clients use you?
  1. why should staff want to work for you?

more: 41 items to check on business tax returns | 9 overlooked tax season resources | what’s not to like about tax season? | can your reviewers answer these 10 questions?
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you should be clear on the responses to the above two questions. if you can’t clearly articulate the reasons clients should use you and why staff would want to work for you, then why should they?
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advising cheapskates

what will their legacy be?

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

accountants get unusual views of human frailty and baseness of character. most of our interactions are stimulating and propel us to growth, but some expose others’ weaknesses and extremely poor personal judgment.

more: my top 10 personal game changers | my top 10(ish) regrets | my ‘brand’ is the exciting history of accounting | social security is an asset class | how to waste lunch hour | what’s your negotiating style? | large clients we landed from quickbooks consulting
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three situations stand out. in one, the husband provided his wife with a stingy allowance to run the household and for her personal spending.
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41 items to check on business tax returns

woman's hand using a pencil on notepada handy reviewer’s checklist.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

client ________________________ year _____

prepared by ___________________ date _____

more: 9 overlooked tax season resources | more services for your tax clients | can your reviewers answer these 10 questions? | 5 small leaks that can sink a tax season | 3 steps to tax season happiness
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

notes: 1) the term “owners” will be used to refer to stockholders, partners or members, as the case may be. 2) even though “trial balance” is used in this checklist, you can use the company’s financial statements if those were what were used for the preparation of the tax return, or computer-generated statements.
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good preparer procedures will reduce review time

green checks being made on checklistbonus: a 28-point checklist.

by ed mendlowitz
how to review tax returns: the field-tested update

the better the quality of the return that is submitted to the reviewer, the easier it will be for the reviewer allowing them to spend more time using their brain instead of their eyes.

more: why ‘tick and tie’ needs to die | use tax return prep for training and growth
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many procedures whose purpose is to reduce reviewer’s time will add to the preparer’s time and occasionally will add to the total time for the return. that is so and should be acceptable because there are more preparers than reviewers.
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