when writeups went extinct

older man and younger man in meetingwhy it was so valuable and how to gain that knowledge now.

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

writeups are extinct. when i started in 1963, most small cpa firms primarily did writeups. after i started my practice in 1969, it became an embarrassment to say i did writeups. it connoted something beneath my “professional” status.

more: the ‘wrong’ cpe | bored by cpe? you’re missing out! | clients buy solutions, not hours | roger is my only client | top 10 issues for real estate investors | working hard? or hardly working? | it’s not always about the money | the value in value consulting | a cpa looks back across the generations
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i think a problem today is that writeups no longer exist for younger staff.
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the latest fraud problem: synthetic identities

bonus: 5 steps for prevention.

by barry j. friedman, cpa
industrynewsletters

by combining some factual stolen information with completely fake information, thieves convince banks and credit monitoring companies that a fake identity is real. the “bad guy” is not pretending to be the person whose information was stolen or acquired; rather, the data is being used to create a brand-new identity. thus, the phrase “synthetic identity theft” is born.

more: why padding tax deductions is a risky proposition | yes, home equity loans may still be deductible | social security hike the largest in 7 years
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but how do these scams work?

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the ‘wrong’ cpe

businessman looking up answers in a bookdo you have 10 hours available this year?

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

in my previous article, i discussed mandatory cpe. today i am writing about non-mandatory courses: those covering practice management.

more: bored by cpe? you’re missing out! | kennedy’s acceptance speech | what consulting is | mendlowitz: why my firm merged with ws+b | a long time ago, at a cpa firm far, far away … | when discounts don’t work
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i have a friend who sells trophies and goes to a trophy convention in las vegas each year. while there, she takes courses on how to make more money selling trophies, and each time she comes home with a couple of ideas that help her run her business better and make more money. yet, cpas do not do take these types of courses because they do not get cpe credit for them. stupid! stupid! stupid!
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bored by cpe? you’re missing out!

make the requirement work for you.

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

cpas are required to take continuing professional education courses each year. the amount varies by state, but every state has mandatory requirements.

more: clients buy solutions, not hours | what consulting is | mendlowitz: why my firm merged with ws+b | a long time ago, at a cpa firm far, far away … | when discounts don’t work | call me before you do anything | learning to delegate: slow is faster
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some cpas, like me, take courses and look for ideas to be able to serve clients better.
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yes, home equity loans may still be deductible

but watch out for the lower dollar limit.

by barry j. friedman, cpa
industrynewsletters

contrary to early reports, the tax cuts and jobs act allows taxpayers who buy, build or substantially improve their homes using either a home equity loan, home equity lines of credit (heloc) or second mortgages to deduct interest on the loans.

more: how to challenge property taxes | portability: sharing the estate tax exemption | tariffs: what clients need to know now | new salt deduction limit: what clients need to know | passwords: how to beat the hackers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

that’s the good news. but if clients take out the loan to pay for personal living expenses – credit card debt, for instance – they can’t deduct the interest from their taxes.
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kennedy’s acceptance speech

john and jackie kennedy in car in dallas
by walt cisco, dallas morning news (public domain), via wikimedia commons

selling by swaying.

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

this is not about jfk.

more: make obsessed leadership work for you | roger is my only client | blown loan covenants and how to recover from them | beyond the numbers: be a friend | perception becomes reality
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when he was nominated at the 1960 democratic convention, his acceptance speech was preceded with an introduction by chester bowes narrating a film about kennedy’s life and achievements.
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how to challenge property taxes

5 steps for homeowners.

by barry j. friedman, cpa
industrynewsletters

have your clients’ property tax bills increased significantly? do you think they may have grounds for an appeal, particularly if the increase seems out of line with overall appreciation in their area?

more: social security hike the largest in 7 years | real estate, iras & clients | percentage-withholding for clients | bitcoin: what clients need to know | supreme court wayfair ruling sows confusion – and opportunity
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

property tax rules and policies are local, but in general, homeowners have 90 days after receiving a new assessment to appeal in most jurisdictions; some close the appeals window after 30 days.

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redefining today’s firm

carrie steffen at www.g005e.com
steffen

clients, services and the partnership.

by rick telberg
the rosenberg survey

ask carrie steffen of the whetstone group where accounting practices are going in 2018 and beyond, and you’ll probably get at least three key issues that are being addressed at some forward-thinking firms.

more: the do’s and don’ts for a happy accounting office

  1. redefinition of client services and providing consistent services across the firm
  2. redefinition of business advisory services
  3. redefinition of the partnership model

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be a sounding board to your clients

are you ready to make lemonade?

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

entrepreneurs are the brightest most focused and determined people i know. but it is also lonely for many of them.

more: clients buy solutions, not hours | what consulting is | mendlowitz: why my firm merged with ws+b | a long time ago, at a cpa firm far, far away … | when discounts don’t work | call me before you do anything
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there are few people they can trust, and sometimes they just need a sounding board of someone who won’t pass judgment but might point out inconsistencies or illogical conclusions. that is a role for cpas, and sometimes great things come out of it.
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social security hike the largest in 7 years

older man using laptop at homedisability thresholds also are changing.

by barry j. friedman, cpa
industrynewsletters

as is usual this time of year, the social security administration has published critical information on benefit changes and maximum taxable income.

more: real estate, iras & clients | tariffs: what clients need to know now | new salt deduction limit: what clients need to know | passwords: how to beat the hackers | the w-4 time-bomb and what to do about it  | supreme court wayfair ruling sows confusion – and opportunity
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

how will these affect your clients?
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clients buy solutions, not hours

hand building word "solution" with letter blocksare you providing the value they expect?

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

pricing, billing and collecting fees for services are how accountants earn their livings.

more: what consulting is | make obsessed leadership work for you | client checklist: top 10 issues for real estate investors | working hard? or hardly working? | it’s not always about the money
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

one time, one of my fellow partners at withumsmith+brown, peter weitsen, billed a client for a lengthy phone call and a followup memo, and the client complained, saying that he did not realize he would have to pay for the work he did.  read more →

real estate, iras & clients

what clients want to know.

by barry j. friedman, cpa
industrynewsletters

real estate can be a great investment, and many people don’t know they can also put property into their iras. however, they have to be careful: one small mistake and an ira’s tax advantages disappear.

more: tariffs: what clients need to know now | how to talk to clients about ‘basis’ | basis: turning a common client question into new business | the w-4 time-bomb and what to do about it
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so what do you tell clients about the rules to follow to have a qualified real estate purchase?
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what consulting is

businesswoman in a meeting with a male colleague smiling at him as they sit at a table discussing paperwork over coffeefirst you have to master the basics.

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

there are three broad types of work cpas do – financial reporting attestation and support, tax compliance and planning, and management advisory or consulting services.

more: make obsessed leadership work for you | roger is my only client | blown loan covenants and how to recover from them | beyond the numbers: be a friend | perception becomes reality | the making of a consultant
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the consulting part could be described as anything a cpa does that doesn’t fall into the first two categories. good accountants use all their skills all the time, but consulting could be said to be actually applying all their skills to a specific problem to present possible solutions.
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