here’s what you’re looking for: edward mendlowitz

outlook & analysis

getting published: a checklist

step by step.

note: in this dialog, ed creates a checklist of the steps necessary to writing an article and getting it published.

question: i would like to write an article and have it published. can you assist me writing an article for an industry trade journal?

response: before we start, a few questions and comments.

  1. have you ever been published?  if so, what were titles of your last two articles and when and where were they published?
  2. if you haven’t been published, your focus should be a smaller publication with a shorter article.
  3. if you want to have an article in the magazine, you will need to review the last few issues to  see the type and style of articles they publish and send me a listing of three topics appropriate for the journal with a short description of what you will cover in the each article and the reasons why their subscribers will want to read it.

question: thank you for taking the time to assist me, i have not written any articles yet. here are three ideas i thought of: read more →

busy season management

five new tax season tips to provide consistency in service, processes, and standards

ed mendlowitz

by ed mendlowitz
adapted from the 2013 tax season opportunity guide

one way to guarantee extra work is to have everything always done differently each time it is done.

not establishing uniform procedures is bad business and unnecessarily consumes part of your life.

consistency in performance reduces work and review time and creates a greater reliance on the staff people.

checklist: read more →

busy season management

nine ways to create well-behaved tax clients [pro member exclusive]

help them to do what you want.

ed mendlowitz

by ed mendlowitz
adapted from the 2013 tax season opportunity guide

providing instructions of what a client needs to do must be clear enough so that the client doesn’t call you to find out what to do.

sometimes taking an extra minute to lay out what the client should do can eliminate that call or indecisive moment a client might feel.

the object of the instructions is to have the client do what you want them to do. read more →

busy season management

are you asking clients the right tax prep questions?

the top ten tax questions that too often go unasked.   ed mendlowitz, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor and tax practice veteran, says he sees many professionals fail to systematically ask clients some basic and important questions. here’s his top ten list of key questions to ask this year. what would you add?

1. foreign bank accounts: make you ask every client if they have a foreign account and if they do report the income and file the proper forms. the penalties are too great if it is wrong. read more →

management

practice doctor q&a: how to get started in family office services

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aincluding a sample engagement letter.

question: some of my clients are getting older and are becoming unable to handle their own financial affairs and i have been asked if i could assist them.  what is involved and how do i charge for it?

ed mendlowitz, vpa, pfs, abv, responds: many large firms provide “family office” services.  this is a complete one stop financial service that helps clients manage their money, pay their bills, collect their dividends and interest, and make sure insurance isn’t cancelled, mortgage, car lease or condo fee payments aren’t skipped, and tax payments paid on time.

more from ed: seven ways to increase fees in 2013 | 10 best practices for tax season  | nine healthy things to do during tax season  |  12 reasons to love tax season | free instant download: sample fee schedule for 1040s | ask the geek: a couple great gadgets for saving money on all your other gadgets | three and a half ways to get your own cpa practice |  also: “implementing fee increases” and “the tax season opportunity guide.”

following is a sample engagement letter that i use with clients needing such services. also, this letter provides a detailed description of what the service involves. read more →

busy season management

nine healthy things to do during tax season

how to be at your best through april 15th.

tax season can be a marathon. everyone has their own tips and tricks, habits and techniques for staying sane and healthy. here are 10 from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor ed mendlowitz:

  1. eat lunch out of your office.
  2. go for a 15 minute walk in middle of afternoon instead of eating a snack.
  3. take off either march 17 or 18. read more →
leadership

when’s the right time for a full-time quality control reviewer?

not when, but how?

question: i want to improve my firm’s review and quality control. do you have any suggestions?

ed mendlowitz responds: this is a recurring issue for most firms. every cpa practice needs quality control. the issue is whether a dedicated quality control (“qc”) person is needed and, if not, how the qc can be done without one.

a practice is a business and every business must be run efficiently and profitably. qc is an area that i have found many firms getting tied up in and either spending nothing or much more than they should.

more ed mendlowitz:  free instant download: sample fee schedule for 1040s    |  tax season opportunity guide 2013   |  12 reasons to love tax season   |   implementing fee increases for 2013

a firm needs a dedicated qc person when the work load volume warrants it, especially where there are bottlenecks and backlogs because the supervisor or partner who would review the work is not readily or easily available; the scheduling becomes exceedingly difficult; and the expertise and training becomes more specialized and wider in scope. read more →

outlook & analysis

ask the geek: a couple great gadgets for saving money on all your other gadgets

two inexpensive gadgets that could save you big money.

more from ed mendlowitz, author of “implementing fee increases,” plus: three and a half ways to get your own cpa practice | novice manager needs to know: how to do it all? | why no one listens to you | fun reads for busy season  |  when not to offer a free initial consultation | measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners  |  what do you think you’re doing?  | can you teach judgment?  |  clients’ calls at home  | what you need to know before expanding into business valuation |

question: i’m having a long-standing ‘disagreement’ with my husband about whether we should turn off our home computer when we leave for the day. i like to be as green as we can, but he’s read somewhere that it causes more ‘wear and tear’ and energy use to be constantly turning things on and off. i think he just doesn’t like to wait for it to start up! what’s your take?

answer: i’d rather not take sides in a domestic (ahem) power struggle, but as your husband may have found when googling around on the topic, pc power saving can be a complicated business. still, i have some tips that may result in a household compromise. i went to a geek colleague, scott dare, for his suggestions. read more →

outlook & analysis

three and a half ways to get your own cpa practice

and 11 good tips for once you do.

here at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, ed mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. he’s the right one to ask. after more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, withumsmith+brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers. we’re happy to have him at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间. send your questions for ed here, or chime in with comments below.

more from ed mendlowitz, the practice doctor q&a: novice manager needs to know: how to do it all? | why no one listens to you | fun reads for busy season  |  when not to offer a free initial consultation | measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners  |  what do you think you’re doing?  | can you teach judgment?  |  clients’ calls at home  | what you need to know before expanding into business valuation |

question: i am working for a cpa firm, but would like to start my own practice.  can you give me some suggestions?

response: essentially, you have three options (four if you count my pet project, but i won’t belabor it).

read more →

management

novice manager needs to know: how to do it all?

 

15 strategies for a first-time supervisor’s success.

here at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, ed mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. he’s the right one to ask. after more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, withumsmith+brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers. we’re happy to have him at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间. send your questions for ed here, or chime in with comments below.

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and amore from ed mendlowitz, the practice doctor q&a: why no one listens to you | fun reads for busy season  |  when not to offer a free initial consultation | measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners  |  what do you think you’re doing?  | can you teach judgment?  |  clients’ calls at home  | what you need to know before expanding into business valuation |

question: my boss asked me to call you.  i am a staff accountant with five years experience.  i am having a lot of stress trying to manage everything i have to do. i am juggling supervising people that i don’t know how to supervise, being managed less by those above me and having to figure out more for myself – including things i never did before or in industries i never worked on previously, keeping current with changes in accounting rules and taxes (since i am more like a generalist and clients ask me everything) never seem to have any free time, juggling my schedule because most of my clients are never ready when they say they will be and being accountable to my boss for everything i do plus what the staff working under me does. so how do i do it all? how can i prioritize all my responsibilities? read more →