cover these five areas of information security

how to thoroughly safeguard client information.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

your clients trust you with their information; however, in today’s world, where sensitive information can be compromised and distributed, clients want assurance that their information is safe and that you are protecting them from identity theft.

more: let tech make communication easier | how to craft a service level agreement | how to maximize on-site client meetings | sixteen guidelines for naming conventions | you have to manage three kinds of procedures | tech tips for back office support | decoding accounting tech (and all those acronyms) | digital marketing strategies level the playing field | eight tasks to delegate today
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

although certain state laws (check with your state); federal laws such as gramm-leach-bliley (glb), which covers individual privacy disclosures; and the aicpa rules of ethics do provide some protection, we recommend that as the trusted business advisor, you should disclose to your clients how you:

  • safeguard their information in your office and on your servers
  • securely transmit sensitive data
  • closely supervise access to authorized parties only

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stress test your clients’ financial plans

what’s the worst that could happen? ask that now.

by anthony glomski

i wrote this series of posts to help successful entrepreneurs and their advisors learn how they can build on their impressive accomplishments and utilize their wealth to achieve even greater things going forward – for themselves, for their families, for their communities and for the causes they care about.

more: when clients want to manage their own wealth | four attributes your experts need | how a virtual family office can serve your wealthy clients | is your client’s wealth truly protected? | control the level of risk | how to flip the switch to wealth preservation | three ways to work together on wealth | five challenges of liquidating a business
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the fact is, your clients should take their financial health as seriously as they take their physical health. one of the best ways to ensure that their financial plan is strong enough to withstand whatever the market, the economy and life circumstances throw their way is to perform a regular “stress test” of their financial plan.
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let tech make communication easier

man seated at laptop talking on phone

how to create effective systems.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

open and clear communication is essential when you provide back office support (bos) services. you cannot take on this type of work and not stay on top of it. previous examples have shown what happens when you do it right. here’s what happens when you don’t.

more: how to craft a service level agreement | three examples: pricing your bos value add | use timesheets for productivity, not billing | revisit your back office support procedures | federated search: what it is, why it matters | accounting tech tools to minimize your pain | do your apps play well with others? | it’s ok to have favorite clients | ten questions for teamwork | yes, you can be an outsourcer
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

case study: when you don’t keep up your side of the agreement

a cpa wanting to provide bos services to his clients contacted us to help with the first setup. the software of choice by the business owner was quickbooks.
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when clients want to manage their own wealth

businessman sitting on stacks of paper currency

can they? maybe. but should they?

by anthony glomski

i have told you that your business owner clients will face new challenges, new transitions and new opportunities as they navigate their way through a liquidity event and emerge on the other side. i also have emphasized that you must do everything in your power to help them preserve, protect and maintain the wealth that they have worked so hard to build.

more: four attributes your experts need | your wealth management team needs these five people | there’s more to giving than tax implications | eight questions for estate planning | clients who don’t listen | how to outline your client’s big picture
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

nassim taleb, author of the bestselling book “the black swan: the impact of the highly improbable,” argues that we can not only learn to navigate these frightening and overwhelming events, but learn to become stronger as a result of them and to take advantage of the opportunities they provide.

by helping your clients prepare the right way to withstand the next black swan event, you can help ensure that they’ll be able to have a huge impact not only in their life, but in their family’s life, in their community and even in the world at large.
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how to craft a service level agreement

man and woman at table in client meeting

bonus: a sample checklist.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

anytime there is a business relationship between entities, expect to see a contract or some form of written agreement. in outsourcing, as in many other relationships, this is called a service level agreement (sla). this agreement is used to establish the scope of the engagement. it clearly states who is responsible for what, when, where and how. it provides a quid pro quo that you can verify with the business owner(s), so that both parties are fully aware of their obligations.

more: three examples: pricing your bos value add | how to assess needs for a client proposal | best practices for source doc permissions and handling | every back office support client needs a playbook | strengthen client ties with workflow tools | understand your online marketing options | narrow your prospects by choosing a vertical | build your team, then choose your clients | how back office support adds value
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the important thing is to go through each function and each area with the business owners(s), have them read it with you together and check off each item so that they are clear on what you expect from them, and so you are clear on what deliverables you are promising.
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four attributes your experts need

flow chart

 

plus more tips on building your team.

by anthony glomski
your $5 million high-net-worth practice

take a look at the chart above showing an example of the type of professional network to use in your client’s financial life. you can see that the personal cfo is at the center, acting as the coordinator of the team and the single point of contact. his or her primary relationships are with the four other core experts: private client lawyer, accountant, life insurance specialist and the property and casualty agent. these team members then have relationships with the other types of specialists you may need from time to time.

more: your wealth management team needs these five people | wealth management calls for a team of experts | see your client to a graceful exit | check tax effects before liquifying | why you should function as a fiduciary | your entrepreneurs need advice, but which kind?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

finding the right people to help

if you are building your own expert team from scratch, you will need to do your homework and identify good candidates in the key areas in which you need help.
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three examples: pricing your bos value add

 

woman examining document

how to take that big first step.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

the big part of pricing is the value added. how do we go from fixed to value-added pricing where the firm actually can really make a difference and move from just back-office support to client advisory services? the steps to get there mean providing the base of bos so that you have the needed knowledge to perform client advisory services.

more: how to assess needs for a client proposal | how to maximize on-site client meetings | sixteen guidelines for naming conventions | you have to manage three kinds of procedures | tech tips for back office support | decoding accounting tech (and all those acronyms) | digital marketing strategies level the playing field | eight tasks to delegate today
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the u.s. bureau of labor statistics states that about 20 percent of small businesses will fail in their first year and by the end of the fifth year 50 percent will fail.
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your wealth management team needs these five people

woman's hand pressing words "ask an expert"

details on each, plus 10 other specialists to consider for occasional circumstances.

by anthony glomski

entrepreneurs and other successful people typically have complex and varied financial needs. the most successful among them typically work with five key professionals on a regular basis (see below). these are the experts who have the capabilities to solve the majority of the investment and advanced planning issues your clients are likely to face as they pursue the next stage of their lives:

more: wealth management calls for a team of experts | how a virtual family office can serve your wealthy clients | is your client’s wealth truly protected? | control the level of risk | how to flip the switch to wealth preservation | three ways to work together on wealth | how to implement collaborative wealth management | five challenges of liquidating a business
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. wealth manager
  2. private client lawyer
  3. accountant/cpa firm – ideally, a firm large enough to have multiple partners and a deep bench
  4. life insurance specialist, who is knowledgeable about current estate tax mitigation strategies
  5. property and casualty specialist

expert #1: wealth manager. wealth managers who use the collaborative wealth management process we’ve described focus mainly on helping investors grow and preserve their wealth through the investment consulting process. then, to help clients meet their advanced planning needs, these wealth managers develop strong relationships with the other professionals listed below.
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how to assess needs for a client proposal

businesswoman using a tablet

use an anticipatory set to make things easier for both sides.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

in 2000, our company created a quickbooks training dvd. the owner wanted it done professionally and hired a movie company and rented a studio. the rfp went out. all proposals received had a fee for discovery.

more: how to maximize on-site client meetings | use timesheets for productivity, not billing | revisit your back office support procedures | federated search: what it is, why it matters | accounting tech tools to minimize your pain | do your apps play well with others? | it’s ok to have favorite clients | ten questions for teamwork
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

today, if you were to hire a development team to create, update or install code, they would charge you a certain amount for discovery before they would do any actual coding. what you are paying for is the development of the anticipatory set and a clear definition of the scope.
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wealth management calls for a team of experts

five businesspeople shaking hands under a skylight

you don’t know everything … and you don’t need to.

by anthony glomski
your $5 million high-net-worth practice

by now, you’ve gained a solid understanding of the many financial issues and challenges that your clients face, especially entrepreneurs who may be approaching a liquidity event. what’s more, you have seen the process that goes into addressing those challenges in a manner that coordinates each client’s entire financial life – from their investments through their broader non-investment issues. it’s not just about their taxes and their company’s financial statements.

more: how a virtual family office can serve your wealthy clients | there’s more to giving than tax implications | eight questions for estate planning | clients who don’t listen | how to outline your client’s big picture | target the family ceo | how to implement collaborative wealth management
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as you seek to implement solutions in these areas, consider all the tasks that must be accomplished in order to maximize the probability of achieving what is most important to your clients and their families. among other responsibilities, it is essential to do the following seven steps:
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how to maximize on-site client meetings

plus two traps to avoid.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

“we can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality.” – ayn rand

the reality is that the robots and ai are here, and they will eventually take over much – if not all – of the day-to-day work that is typically done by a human interacting with a computer. you may not like it, but you cannot avoid it. so utilize robots to make your life easier.

more: use timesheets for productivity, not billing | best practices for source doc permissions and handling | every back office support client needs a playbookstrengthen client ties with workflow tools | understand your online marketing options | narrow your prospects by choosing a vertical | advisory services done your way | ai is not your enemy
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

prepare for your meeting

do your homework before going out to the client’s office. if this is an existing client where you have been doing standard compliance work, review the data in their accounting program and make sure you are working with up-to-date information. if this is a new back office support prospect, ask to review their accounting data before going out to their offices. if they are not open to this, it may require an extra visit. the steps below assume you have either worked on the client’s accounting in some capacity, or you have had the opportunity to review the accounting files.
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how to leverage chatgpt in advisory work

learn the language of commands and prompts. and check the math.

by sandi leyva

the generative ai model chatgpt, developed by openai, has been out for over a year. yet, roughly half of the accounting professionals taking my chatgpt webinars haven’t found the time to try it out yet. in this article, i want to give you a sneak peek into just one of the many tasks chatgpt can perform for you to shorten your day potentially.

check out our courses on chatgpt,
offered as a deep discount bundle or separately.
webinar schedule:
more chaptgpt here

let’s say you have a client with some advisory questions. they want to know the answers to the following four questions based on sales data for a particular period:

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free consultation? not always

three people talking around a table

don’t give it away too easily.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: i was wondering what your thought is regarding initial consultation fees. currently, i do not charge a fee for an initial consultation, and it seems that most cpas do not charge either (at least not the sole practitioners that i know).

more: measure knowledge gaps (then close them) | 47 types of business valuation to provide | thirteen things to consider before you sell your practice | uncooperative partner might not be the problem | merge in lower-priced work without losing out
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

would the fee deter new clients or actually weed out the ones who are most likely not going to become clients anyway? if a fee is charged, then how much, and how long should the consultation last? should the fee be applied to any work that i am eventually engaged for?
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