Reviews for Your Firm:

Document Management
Document Management vs. Document Storage Systems: What’s the best choice for your practice?
By John H. Higgins, CPA.CITP

This review focuses on the full-featured document management systems (the August 2007 issue will focus on the more basic document storage systems). Beware that the line that separates the two categories is easily blurred. If you’re seriously considering an electronic document system for your practice, it would be wise to investigate all of the solutions presented to help you gain a better understanding of the opportunities to improve the efficiency of your operations.

Estate Planning
Making Good Assumptions Makes A Good Plan
By Isaac M. O’Bannon, Technology Editor

The systems reviewed here provide varying approaches to estate, gift and financial planning, but all offer scenario building options that allow the professional user to insert hypothetical variables to weigh the influence of such variables on tax liabilities. Some even offer templates for building various trusts, family partnerships and other entities designed to help find the zero federal tax solution. The best programs offer client-ready materials such as charts and graphs, even PowerPoint presentations.

Features

Technology’s Role in Client Communications
By Richard Oppenheim, CPA.CITP

The universe of accounting and accountants continues to undergo major shifts. One of those shifts is the recognition that everyone can choose when and where they are willing to conduct business. This includes the 24-hour, 7-days-per-week model. Supermarkets are always open. Gas stations and bank ATM machines are always accessible. Customer support is accessible from locations around the globe. Las Vegas is no longer the only 24-hour business operation. Learn how accountants in public practice can successfully utilize existing resources to enhance interactions with clients.

Specialized Hardware That Can Help Your Firm
By Isaac M. O’Bannon, Technology Editor

The evolution of technology over the past 20 years has been fascinating, but weeding through the glut of hardware and gadgets on the market can be a challenge, especially since they all make lofty promises that usually include the magic phrase productivity enhancing or some version of the word streamline. This article weeds the garden a bit for you and highlights some items that are impressive technologically and that will provide most small firms and other small businesses with realizable benefits.

SOX Comes Calling
By Richard Oppenheim, CPA.CITP

Practicing accountants should all give a cheer for S-O-X. Every business is impacted by the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002, commonly known as Sarbanes-Oxley or SOX. The politicians attempting to plug holes and round up the animals escaping from the open barn door have provided the foundation for enactment of Sarbanes-Oxley. They have done much more than they ever anticipated. Learn more about how Sarbanes-Oxley is having a trickle-down effect on small to medium-sized firms and businesses, and read about some technology tools that can help you design and implement proper controls.

Productivity In Practice
A Balancing Act
By Isaac M. O’Bannon, Technology Editor

See how one firm has scored on The CPA Technology Advisor’s Productivity Survey and learn more about what practices have worked and not worked for this firm. We hope you’ll see your firm in these pages … or at least a firm very much like yours.

Gregory L. LaFollette CPA.CITP	Brent Goodfellow CPA.CITP, MCSE, MST, MCT
Dave McClure	Randy Johnston

Tech2Go Episode 4

Don't miss episode three of our fast-paced roundtable discussion of Tech2Go.

Executive Editor Gregory L. LaFollette, CPA.CITP is joined by regular columnists Brent Goodfellow, Dave McClure and Randy Johnston.

This month’s topics:

• E-Filing
• Smartphones
• Microsoft Hosted Exchange Server
• Microsoft Office Word 2007
• Microsoft Action Pack Subscription and software savings

[Running time is 1:05:47]

40 Under 40 Nominations

Praise Your Peers OR Toot Your Own Horn

Watch for the FUTURE — right here in the pages of THE CPA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR — as we profile the 40 young leaders that will take accounting technology into the year 2040. Who are they? Where do they work? What’s their passion? Learn why you want to know them and how they’ll affect our future.

The deadline for submitting a nomination is June 15th.
For more information, visit www.CPATechAdvisor.com/40under40.

Reviews for Your Clients

Small Business Accounting
The Art & Science of Small Business Accounting
By Isaac M. O’Bannon

All of the capabilities of a small business program should be evaluated prior to making a selection, and, if your clients have asked for your assistance, they’ve exercised excellent judgment. Keep in mind that even if a program can do everything you want it to do for your client, your client is the one who will be interacting with it. So find a system that meets the science part of your client’s needs (proper accounting, payroll, invoicing, etc.), while also meeting the artistic side of the equation: user-friendliness. This review section should give you a good jumping off point.

Online Exclusives

• Productivity Survey - Free benchmarking tool for you to get your firm’s Productivity Score and helpful report
• Accountants Video Network - The cable channel of the Internet just for accountants in public practice
• Webcasts - Register for upcoming educational events and receive Free CPE, plus you can view archived programs
• Podcasts - Check out our newest monthly podcast program, Tech2Go, and call the team with your questions
• Blog from Executive Editor Gregory L. LaFollette, CPA.CITP - Covers the random musings of this thought leader
• Online Buyer's Guide - Relevant search tool for the accounting community where you can search by company name, product name or product category