busy season management

top 21 reasons clients switch tax accountants

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dissatisfied disapproval angerdissatisfied disapproval angerdissatisfied disapproval anger????????????????angry man at pc dollarphotoclub_68204440 72dpihow many of these do you need to fix in your firm?

by ed mendlowitz
how to review tax returns

clients have many choices, including the choice of a tax preparer. every new client an accountant gets is because that client left – fired! – their previous accountant.

here is a listing of 21 major reasons why clients switch accountants. ask yourself how many of these mistakes you could correct immediately and think about what that might be worth. read more →

great tax prep reviewers aren’t just born

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htrtr cvr clipfive traits of the best tax season managers.

by ed mendlowitz
how to review tax returns

reviewing tax returns is a key part of tax preparation. it also is an area vulnerable to major bottlenecks and backlogs. inevitably, firms have more preparers than reviewers. the latter are highly skilled professionals who are more difficult to train or find. therefore, you must consider ways to reduce review time, even at the expense of adding preparer time.

the best tax season managers know how to: read more →

making digital tax process easier is all about the workflow

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process touch screen showing workflow design4 ways the new breed of workflow application can simplify your tax season.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

the most important aspect of transitioning the firm’s tax process to a digital environment is managing electronic files that are no longer physically viewable in assorted stacks around the office. this requires a digital tax workflow system that lets everyone know the status of every return and easily connects that person to digital copies of the return and the source documents. under traditional manual tax systems, firms utilized due date tracking databases that identified when a return was due, but not what information was missing, or the preparation, review or extension status.

read more →

40 chances, 40 tax seasons

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2015 is another opportunity to fine-tune your business.
what are you planning? join the survey; see what accountants are saying.

by sandi smith leyva

the accountant’s accelerator

40chancesbookcover
learn more

i was drawn to reading howard buffett’s new book because i am completely intrigued by huge social problems and figuring out ways to solve them. for buffett, who is a farmer at heart, the challenge is how to tackle world hunger.

one of the stories in the book (which is 40 chances: finding hope in a hungry world) has buffett listening to a lecture for farmers on how to improve their yield year after year. buffett recalls the speaker saying that one farmer, on average, will have a 40-year career from the time he or she starts working the land to the time to retire. on average it will be 40 harvests and 40 plantings. read more →

six steps for a better tax season

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how some smart firms spent their summer vacations…

by hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

a new busy season is fast approaching and vacation season is coming to an end. but some firms haven’t been taking time off. they’ve been assessing the lessons from the 2014 busy season to apply to 2015.

more on the entrepreneurial accountant: 8 seconds into the future: meet generation z   •   5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm   •   3 ways amazon’s new fire phone hints at the future of accounting   •   the 8 traits creating the firm of the future today   •   get more done, make more money: stop doing these 17 things   •   what shopping habits reveal about accounting clients   •   create your “not-to-do’s” list   •   irs bitcoin rule: 5 things accountants need to know   •   tax season tips: train your brain to focus   •   what the bitcoin phenomenon means for accountants   •   overcoming your clients’ worst fears   •   5 tech tips for reigniting growth   •   a case study in using linkedin   •   accountants and six fundamental human needs   •   client satisfaction starts with ‘likeability’   •   why accounting? your clients want to know   •   what’s next: predictive accounting

here are six of the things that the most innovative firms have been doing. and no, they aren’t what you might necessarily expect. read more →

23 reasons clients really need you for taxes

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aquestion: this is not a question that an accountant asked me, but a fellow traveler on my vacation. he was using a tax preparation service and wasn’t happy and felt he could do just as well by doing his own tax return. i told him there were many benefits to using a tax professional like a cpa or ea that were well worth the extra cost. so my question to myself is “what are they?”

response:  people with rental property, unincorporated businesses, investments that generate k-1s, grantor trusts, substantial investments in marketable securities or large retirement accounts and 401(k) balances need to engage a professional firm, and this checklist is directed toward those clients. read more →

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 forum: tax season prep tips?

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readers’ forum: hours worked. firing clients. setting prices.

chris basom
chris basom
  • chris basom, managing partner of your money matters in mission viejo, calif., wants to know the “one thing you wanted to implement before tax season but just couldn’t get to.”
  • “is cash still relevant?” asked solo practitioner roxann otto of otto tax & accounting services in slinger, wis.
  • charles g. read in the melbourne, fla., area would like to know how other accountants arrive at the charges they present.
  • deborah mcdowell cain of her eponymous firm in fort worth, texas, asked, “does your firm work five, six or seven days a week? is overtime for staff mandatory? are senior staff hourly, salaried, offered overtime or comp time?”
    • and harking back to the busy season, she also asked, “how many people touch a return? why?” read more →