Jon Hilsenrath at the WSJ's Real Time Economics blog captures  some interesting tidbits from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke‘s testimony which go beyond the big question of whether the Fed will try to ease financial conditions again: ...

This is increasingly a point of concern, writes Molly Williams at the Wall Street Journal's Small Business Blog. Business owners can eliminate the possibility legal chaos on this front by ensuring Web accounts are in their business' name, rather than their own.   And it's probably not a good idea to include  account numbers and passwords in wills and trusts because those can become public documents. A few s ...

Charles Green has posted an interesting thought-piece over at the Trusted Advisor site: When clients don’t buy what a CPA firm is selling, it’s unlikely that they don’t want what you’re selling. More likely it’s that they’re not buying how the service is being sold. For example, a potential client is talking with several accounting firms about a significant assignment. One firm has expertise in that area an ...

U.S. banks are awash with money from depositors, reports David Reilly in Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Street, while demand for loans lags behind. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s banking profile shows that net loans amounted to 70% of deposits in the first quarter, the lowest figure since 1984. As far as problems go, this isn't the worst to have. Deposit money is still washing over U.S. banks eve ...

The June issue of Investment Advisor includes a story on practice management that features an interesting graphic: ...

Ace Accounting Today reporter Danielle Lee may well have feared decadence, aggressive and overly-medicated groupies, atonal experimentation, psychedelics, and really bad rhyme.  But she braved the challenges and took on the story in any case, and it turned out to be pretty cool:  An all-CPA band rocked tax day, performing a long set of classic rock during their annual End of Season Tax Bash in a Connecticut ...

New private company council includes FASB, but in reduced role, The Journal of Accountancy explains.  "This announcement is excellent news for small businesses that have been concerned about the future of US GAAP particularly in relation to an international move toward IFRS," adds Editor Gail Perry at AccountingWeb.  Emily Chasan at the Wall Street Journal reports: The Financial Accounting Foundation’s Boar ...

The recession is over and entrepreneurs are looking for cash, but are banks willing to lend? The answer is a resounding yes, according to reports at OPEN Forum. OPEN Forum's Katie Morell talks to lending and credit experts to get the tips you need to get that loan application approved.  Here's what she found out: Bankers emphasize that borrowers need to present a solid picture of their business and themselv ...

 . . . or at least  so opines Edi Osborne, of Mentor Plus, at CPA Trendlines.  She throws in a third promise you've probably heard but we couldn't fit on the subject line:  "No Surprise Billing. Ever."  More:   What do these three tag lines have in common? Predictability. Dominoes and Fed Ex built their entire business model on making (and keeping) an uncomplicated predictability promise to the customer.  D ...

The U.S. likely will fall back into recession if scheduled spending cuts take effect and Bush-era tax cuts are allowed to expire this year, the Congressional Budget Office said. If the U.S. falls off this "fiscal cliff," the economy will probably contract 1.3% in the first half of 2013, the CBO said.  CNN Financial Times / Alphaville New York Times NPR Reuters USA Today Wall Street Journal Yahoo! Finance ...

Congressional Democrats have proposed financing student-loan legislation by expanding payroll taxes on subchapter S corporations and partnerships. The bill would levy Social Security and Medicare taxes on all business income if the firm is engaged in professional services, such as investment advice, or if 75% or more of the gross income of the firm is attributable to three or fewer shareholders. Investment ...

Over at OPENForum, Mike Periu, a Principal at EcoFin media writes: Using counterintuitive strategies in your business can be risky, but when they work the rewards can be enormous. Trying these methods can help you improve sales and profits: Preventing Theft Warehouse stores like Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club are very careful with their inventory management and go to great lengths to avoid shrinkage, which is ...

At TLNT:  The Business of HR, John Hollon reports on a new nationwide survey of 174 employers by OI Partners, an organization that describes itself as “a global talent management company, renowned for its highly personalized services …  (specializing) in mid-level, executive and group outplacement; executive coaching; leadership development and workforce solutions.” Being a team player (selected by 71 perce ...

The company culture you build has a major impact on how successful the business will be as it grows, writes Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert, at American Express OPENForum, a small business media hub.  One of the biggest trends in the past few years is workplace flexibility.   A new study by the Families and Work Institute shows that more than 75 percent of employers now offer some form of flex time. ...

The Wall Street Journal's Small Business Blog featured recently a guest column by Antone Johnson on the use, misuse, and misvaluation of intellectual property.  It's probably of interest to valuators and financial consultants who are working with small business owners to value and growth their businesses.   Venture capitalists, angel investors and start-up lawyers these days tend to be obsessed with "intell ...

In an article titled "Regulation 'Pushing Up Financial Firms' Costs" The Financial Times' chief regulation correspondent Brooke Masters  reports that extraterritorial regulations, rules that affect businesses outside the country that enacts them, are pushing up costs and driving banks, insurers and asset managers away from particular markets, a survey of global financial firms has found.   More than half th ...

GigaOm M&A Advisor:  "Sales Don't Create Value.  What You Do Creates Value."  GigaOm M&A Advisor Marty Wolf explains how, especially in the tech field, five great ways to destroy your company include: 1. Opportunistic acquisitions 2. Growth for the sake of growth 3. Weak balance sheet 4. Convoluted ownership structures 5. Missing the window on a liquidity event How does this play out in the real wor ...

Good Grasp on Value Enables Better Tax & Retirement Planning, Reduces Conflicts The Washington Post's On Small Business blog cites data from a variety of sources that indicate most small business owners don't have a good grasp on the value of their business.  Written by Gerald Radican, the piece on the Post blog cites these findings from Spardata, a Maryland-based valuation firm: A typical business owne ...

There's No Accounting for the Subscription Economy  It's taken over 10 years to get the idea of the subscription economy into our noggins, but we've barely started internalizing what it takes to support it and report on it as a business, reports Dennis Pombriant at CRM Buyer. Add "Accounting" for 32 Points and a Triple Score “Wall Street types are very accustomed to companies selling products rather than su ...

The Unjustly Neglected "Margin Call"  Ross Douthat at the New York Times thinks the Oscars missed crediting an important film this year: Speaking of Noah Millman, reading his Oscar post reminds me that my own comments on the year in movies neglected to mention what was perhaps the most striking injustice of the Best Picture nominations: The lack of any love for “Margin Call,” which was, as Millman writes, “ ...