seven principles to work less and achieve more

bid farewell to late nights at the office and weekend “catch-ups.”

by w. michael hsu

in accounting, where being constantly busy is the norm, working less while achieving more seems like a distant dream. but is it?

more w. michael hsu: how do firm leaders learn?why your approach to cas and cfo services is wrongwhen it comes to pricing, it’s about ‘can’t afford not to’your client base is global |

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what if i told you there’s a method that can help you strike the perfect balance between productivity and rest? it’s called the measure x hack method. in this article, we’ll dive into the seven principles of this method, showing you how to achieve more with less effort.

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get clients to bring tax docs early … yes, early

the secret? humor, sarcasm and shame.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

there are easy ways to get clients to do what we need them to do. in our office, we call the process “training” clients. one of our biggest headaches is the late delivery of tax materials. so, we train our clients to bring their tax documents in early.

more: you train your clients, whether you mean to or not | train your clients before they train you | why time tracking still matters | business owners face one of three exits | don’t let clients dictate tax workflow | make fewer mistakes, increase revenue and capacity | how small firms can win the talent wars | easy ways to avoid ‘done but’ tax returns | six ways to create a millennial-friendly firm | do you know your turnaround time?
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we accomplish this through a series of e-blasts explaining our deadlines. the e-blasts start in december, and we call them “countdown to tax season.” they cover much more than our deadlines for clients to provide business and personal income tax returns documents.

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you train your clients, whether you mean to or not

if you schedule it, they will come. so … stop that now.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

as we all know, there is a definite cost involved in not training clients. let’s look at the training that’s occurring, whether you know it or not. it actually all boils down to timing.

more: train your clients before they train you | why time tracking still matters | business owners face one of three exits | make fewer mistakes, increase revenue and capacity | how small firms can win the talent wars | six ways to create a millennial-friendly firm | do you know your turnaround time?
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here is an example of my stupidity.

i met with a client who was a software company executive. he had been a client for a dozen years, and people don’t get much smarter than he is. he drove from alexandria, virginia, to chantilly, virginia, every year. the drive is 20 miles and might seem like a 30-minute trip, but in northern virginia, it’s more like an hour.
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train your clients before they train you

taking unscheduled phone calls and meetings wrecks your bottom line and theirs.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

many of the behaviors you rationalize as good client service are just desperate measures to avoid losing bad clients.

more: why time tracking still matters | business owners face one of three exits | how small firms can win the talent wars | six ways to create a millennial-friendly firm | do you know your turnaround time?
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however, clients are trainable – at least as trainable as jack russell terriers. that is to say they’re somewhat trainable. however, like jack russell terriers, you train clients or they’ll train you. somebody’s getting trained. here’s an example of how that works.
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survey: tax pros try new solutions to old problems

some of them might work for you.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpa firms have been through a lot in the past few years. it’s a wonder cpas are still in business and still, in many cases, sane.

more: cpas warn small businesses to beware | clientele and revenues rising, but … | should tax preparers be certified competent? | have no fear, april is here | survey: busy season looking good | on business outlook, cpas are confident … and concerned | tax pros offer advice for small businesses | busy season barometer finds many cpas in transition | more cpas see worsening economy | has early tax season optimism peaked? | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | marchternity: the solution is community | how bullish are you this tax season? | accountants’ top problems for tax season 2023 | tax season 2023: better or worse?
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but things seem to be settling down. covid-19 is waning a bit. the federal government didn’t issue any last-minute, mid-season tax edicts. firms are scooping up new clients. revenues and profits are up, and more than half of all practitioners are daring to admit a sense of optimism.
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cpas warn small businesses to beware

bonus: how do you rate your firm? how does that compare?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpas are getting increasingly worried about the economy and its impact on small businesses, according to the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer.

more: clientele and revenues rising, but … | have no fear, april is here | survey: busy season looking good | on business outlook, cpas are confident … and concerned | tax pros offer advice for small businesses
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even though inflation’s lessened substantially, supply chains are getting back in order and just about everybody who wants a job has a job, respondents to the survey are more pessimistic in the warm sunshine than in the dark days of late winter.
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tax pros file 54% of season’s returns

refunds down over 7 percent.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the irs issued its last weekly update of the spring and every figure but one was down for the year.

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the agency received 142.6 million individual income tax returns, down 1.2 percent from the same week the previous year. it processed 140.2 million returns, up 0.5 percent, the only positive note in the report.
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irs embracing stakeholders

partnership, feedback sought.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the internal revenue service recognizes that it cannot achieve effective tax administration alone, that it must include a broad ecosystem of stakeholders.

more: coming soon: new ways to pay the irs | irs to speed up issue resolution | irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent?
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in other words, taxation takes a village.

the irs’s new strategic operating plan 2023-2031 delves into the breadth and variety of stakeholders.
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coming soon: new ways to pay the irs

person using credit card to pay bill onlineimprovements will be made over four years.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

americans are used to paying for things online, over the phone, through bank transfers, with automatic renewals, with credit cards, digital wallets and checks in the mail, not to mention a variety of specialized banks, such as paypal and venmo, and even good ol’-fashioned cash.

more: irs to speed up issue resolution | irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion | can’t irs tax pro accounts do more? | hello? irs? anybody home? | taxpayer assistance centers need upgrade | at the irs, short on staff means short on service
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to the frustration of millions of american taxpayers, the internal revenue service, until recently, has accepted payments only with 19th-century technology.
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irs to speed up issue resolution

woman looking at tablet at outdoor tablea triad of good intentions.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a lot of the backlog at the internal revenue service is because of simple errors that compound their own complications. arithmetic boo-boos too easily snowball into backlogs, bankruptcies and court cases.

more: irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion
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it might start off with a simple math error or misplaced deduction.
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pros end tax season filing 53% of returns

in sheer numbers, they fared the same as last year.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the april 18 deadline for individual income tax returns came and went, leaving a scattering of negative figures in its wake. the largest ones had dollar signs attached: average refunds down nearly 9 percent, total refunds down 11 percent.

more: tax refunds down 8 percent | pros filing 54% of individual tax returns | average tax refunds down 10% | tax pro e-filings up 3% | pros handle 45% of income tax returns | only 39% of tax returns filed by pros | tax season opens with refunds up 85%
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the internal revenue service received 137.1 million returns, down 1.3 percent from 2022, according to data released for the week ending april 21. it processed 134.7 million returns, up 0.7 percent – the only positive in our report.
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four reasons to perform tax projections

fountain pen on word "tax"make sure the client sees the value.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

many accountants do tax projections. some clients get projections who should not, but there are many who do not, who should.

more: four additional services to suggest
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here are some insights about preparing and charging for them.
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why tax planning matters so much to the wealthy

money tree growing in the middle of green meadowmake the boom in these services work for you.

by anthony glomski and russ alan prince
your $5-million high-net-worth practice

tax planning is in very high demand by the wealthy, growing exponentially in importance as you move up the wealth hierarchy.

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

for a large percentage of the super-rich (net worth of $500 million or more) with various private company interests, astute tax planning is the most valuable expertise – far exceeding other services such as investment management.
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