busy season

putting the “no jerks” rule to work in tax season

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and a couple more ideas for high performing firms.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

ed mendlowitz
ed mendlowitz

if you have staff, have happy, cheerful, helpful people. don’t surround yourself with downers and nay-sayers.  make sure they are team players.

part of this is your firm’s culture.  it takes work to get people to work together and to focus on doing what it takes to service the client fully, properly and timely.  everyone working together gets it done.  you need to create that atmosphere.

here are three things that might help:

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tax pro’s turn negative on busy season

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washington brinksmanship spells big crunch for preparers. join the survey; get the updates.

source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / join the survey; get the updates

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

with tax season 2013 delayed by last-minute code changes, staffing problems and software glitches, the mood of the profession is turning markedly sour.

“irs delays will cause confusion and errors, and many upset clients,” says charles postal at santos postal, a five-partner firm in rockville, md. “more extensions will depress cash flow.”

at the same, postal adds, “clients will have more tax needs, but the struggling economy will depress their ability and desire to pay for services.”

in order to battle the business pressures, postal’s firm is “pushing back on fees, using standardized billing by product rather than hours, and adding on charges for technology, audit and tax notice insurance.”

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nine healthy things to do during tax season

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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 →

survey results: busy season outlook 2013

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what accountants talk about when they talk about busy season 2013

mergers, tech and the economy create a volatile mix in forecasting filing season.

by rick telberg
join the survey; get the updates.

washington gridlock, last-minute tax changes and continuing economic uncertainty are undermining tax professionals’ outlook for the 2013 filing season, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey results.

the new survey results shed light on:

  1. the changing mood of the profession and it’s leading competitors and decision-makers,
  2. the effects of mergers and new technologies,
  3. the chief operational, competitive and economic concerns,
  4. expectations for key financial metrics, including revenues, profits and number of clients, and
  5. the strategies firms are implementing to cope with the issues and opportunities.

despite political gridlock and economic uncertainty, practitioners are trending increasingly confident about how well their firms will perform this season. most are looking at advances in total revenue, net profit, number of clients, number on extension, revenue per client, and profit per client.

for example: read more →

five ways for partners to lead by example this busy season

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dustin hostetler

this busy season will test new processes – and a firm’s leadership. [how are accountants feeling about about busy season? join the survey; get the answers.]

by dustin hostetler
flowtivity

as many firms get ready to implement and leverage new and improved processes as busy season ramps up, i thought it’d be worth considering a few pointers for the partner leadership group to keep in mind over the next several months.

related: the coming storm in staff turnover (video)  | three strategies to improve buy-in for change

and i should probably add a disclaimer to take the accounting hats off for a minute and realize this isn’t an exhaustive list nor is it literal in every example.  there are always going to be exceptions, but the more you can abide by the following ideas the better off your firms will be and you’ll be providing better client service as well. read more →

the real election day winners? accountants

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what the election means for busy season:  join the survey, get the answers.

by rick telberg 

the re-election of president obama may sweep away a few uncertainties in tax and economic policies that have been stymieing business decision-making. but it also sets the stage for a very busy busy-season, complete with last-minute changes in code and forms.

and i’d be surprised if the partisan gridlock in congress suddenly loosens. read more →

busy season runs smooth and fast into march

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majority of practitioners reporting improved results.

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

by rick telberg

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy-season mood-barometer is showing significantly higher satisfaction and confidence ratings as the profession grinds through one of its best performances in years.
read more →

ten steps to a better tax season

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tools for balancing work and life in the most special time of year.

by ira rosenbloom

three nights a week and saturdays. for many accountants, this describes the extra effort that is made to properly service clients during tax season. the quality of life for accountants and their families typically takes a turn for the worse during this special time of year. most will tolerate the change because it brings cash flow and profits.

but are accountants truly making the most of this extra effort? what if it were possible not only to improve tax season but also to enhance profitability and improve quality of life, as well?  here are ten steps that will give you a better shot at achieving those goals. read more →

survey update: busy season shifts to hi gear

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red pencil survey

and so, too, the mood of the accounting profession.

 by rick telberg

the outlook for a better busy season is improving among tax and accounting practitioners, with 16% reporting “much better” operations in january, up from 11% in the year-ago month and continuing a string of monthly year-over-year advances in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 polling.

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

overall, practitioners are headed into the jaws of the february busy season with 57% of them reporting generally positive results. only 19% are calling for worse and 25% forecast no change.

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new survey findings: tech investments, better economy, more complex returns buoy busy season outlook

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four in five expect the same or better  than last year’s busy season.

by rick telberg

as busy season 2012 gets into full gear, tax and accounting professionals are holding steadfast to their confidence that this year’s results could show a marked improvement over last year’s, according to current readings of the profession by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

with january 2012 just beginning, 55% of accountants expect 2012 to be overall  “somewhat” or “much” better than 2011, which is relatively unchanged from readings in november and december. to be sure, 26% expect no change from last year, and 19% are bracing for “worse.”

in other findings from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer and related reports:

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

 

read more →