Why You Might Feel Less Assertive After Using a Smartphone Hunching over to use a smartphone or other device can make people less confident and more likely to recall negative memories, research has suggested. People should be aware of their posture and hold their phones at eye level. Vivian Giang examines new research that shows the more you hunch over your smartphone, the less likely you are to stand up for yourself. To read the full article in Fast Company, click: The Surprising Link Between Your iPhone Use and How Assertive You Are.
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Earnings Season Likely to Confirm U.S. Profit Recession Major U.S. companies stand a good chance of reporting fourth-quarter results that show earnings have fallen two quarters in a row, marking a recession. Forecasts call for a 4.2% decline in earnings and a 3.2% decrease in revenue for companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. Bernard Condon, AP business writer, discusses the issues and what to expect. To read the full article in ABC News, click: It’s Not Just About China: Company Profits to Drop—Again.
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The Ongoing Research and Analysis Relating to the S Corporation Valuation Puzzle What premium, if any, should S Corporations command? How reliable are the current models? How reliable is the evidence that supports the position of the leading U.S. Tax Court cases? What should valuation analysts and consultants consider as they advise newly formed corporations considering making the S election and S corporation shareholders that are about to discuss buy-sell agreements? In this book, Fannon and Sellers critique existing theory and practice and propose a new model to value S corporations.
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In Appraising Outpatient Enterprises Healthcare related outpatient enterprises are those that provide services that do not require hospital admission and may be performed outside the premises of a hospital. Valuation of healthcare related outpatient enterprises, similar to the valuation of any business, should include consideration of the three general approaches to valuation, i.e., the income approach, the market approach, and the asset/cost approach. Use of specific methods under each approach will be guided by the facts and circumstances of the engagement, e.g., availability of data, nature of the current transactional marketplace, etc. This article focuses on utilizing an asset/cost based…
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Couples Face Many Challenges in Retirement Planning A lot can go wrong when couples plan for retirement. Updating important documents and communicating about retirement goals and plans can help couples overcome challenges. Rodney Brooks, columnist for The Washington Post, discusses some tips to help couples become more prepared. To read the full article in The Washington Post, click: When it Takes Two to Plan for Retirement.
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How to Get Ready for the 2016 Filing Season As taxes get more complex, the to-do list to prepare for next year gets longer. Annette Nellen, Esq., CPA, CGMA, looks at recent developments and discusses what tax practitioners can do to get ready. To read the full article in The Tax Adviser, click: Preparing for the 2016 Filing Season.
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How to Tap into the Business Benefits of Diversity It’s not enough to have a diverse workforce and leadership team. Companies also need to have leaders who recognize the value of the ideas their employees share. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, founder and CEO of the Center for Talent Innovation and Hewlett Consulting Partners LLC, discusses when a diverse company has these types of leaders, it tends to report better business performance in certain metrics. To read the full article in the Harvard Business Review, click: Creating a Culture Where Employees Speak Up.
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What is key in considering the value of customer-related intangible assets? Lucas M. Parris, senior member of Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, examines what attributes are important and their valuation. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Valuation of Customer-Related Assets. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog. It is reprinted with permission. To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.
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Disclose Now or Later? There is no requirement to attach an appraisal for an estate of gift tax return, but having been involved with the classification of returns at the Cincinnati Service Center located across the river in Covington, Kentucky, I want to share my thoughts on when it is appropriate to attach an appraisal done for gift and estate tax purposes.
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Improve Your LinkedIn Profile to Develop a Professional Presence and Get Inquiries How much work and/or queries can one get from LinkedIn? As lawyers say, that depends. In this article, Rod Burkert answers the above question and shares some of what he preaches through the Practice Builder Academy.
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The Emergence of the Transitional Support Advisor Following a divorce, how does a financially naïve former spouse transition to become a financially independent former spouse? In this article, the author discusses what is a Transitional Support Expert and that professional’s role in a dissolution proceeding and following entry of the decree.
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Help Your Small-Business Clients Create a System for Record Keeping Good record-keeping preparation and planning can give clients a better handle on their overall financial position, make tax preparation easier, and create operational efficiencies throughout their businesses. A helpful record-keeping brochure and PowerPoint presentation can help you educate your small-business clients. To download the brochure and presentation, click: CPA Marketing Toolkit for Small Business.
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Two Apps That Help You Move Cash These smartphone apps can help with mobile billing and accepting credit card payments. Greg LaFollette, strategic adviser with CPA.com, suggests that a look at mobile apps can make the CPA’s job and life better. To read the full article in the Journal of Accountancy, click: Expanding Your App-titude.
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Offering your clients specialized services—personal financial planning, IT specialization, and fraud and forensic accounting, among others—can help set you apart in today’s competitive CPA marketplace. Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, Vice President, Firm Services & Global Alliances, American Institute of CPAs, discusses how finding your niche can help you and your clients. To read the full article in AICPA Insights, click: AICPA Insights.
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GIPS are a set of ethical principles intended to serve prospective and existing clients of investment firms. However, compliance is the question. Mary Grace McQuiston, senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital, discusses this issue and the GIPS Guidance Statement on Alternative Strategies and Structures. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Are You GIPS-Compliant? This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog. It is reprinted with permission. To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.
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And What You Can Do About It How are prospects discovering professional service organizations? While referrals are important, the evidence suggests that more and more prospects are using other channels to retain professional services.
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Prepare, Verify, and Excel at Trial In order to recover lost profits in a commercial damage case, three standards must be met. First, plaintiff must show proximate cause; second, the foreseeability; and third, reasonable certainty. This article will focus on the third standard, reasonable certainty. Experts seeking to provide realistic lost profit estimates must be aware of this standard. The following discussion will review literature, court decisions, and practical efforts that may assist experts in addressing reasonable certainty.
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Is Your Finance Team the Best it Can Be? Finance teams that excel tend to have similar qualities. Here are five key characteristics, including strong leadership and effective use of resources. Kerry Maruna charts a path to get you on the right track. To read the full article in CFO, click: 5 Signs Your Finance Team Rocks.
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Fed Limits its Ability to Rescue Financial Firms The Federal Reserve has adopted restrictions on its ability to rescue failing financial companies. Howard Schneider reports in this article that under the rules, the Fed can provide only broad-based assistance and cannot rescue individual firms. To read the full article in Reuters, click: New Fed Rule Limits its Crisis Bailout Powers.
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Determining Whether Debt is Recourse or Nonrecourse When a partnership has a debt that is forgiven, its characterization as recourse or nonrecourse can make a big difference in its tax treatment, including being eligible to be excluded under Sec. 108, as this article explains. Mark Cook, partner with SingerLewak LLP, discusses how Sec. 752 should be interpreted under CCA 201525010. To read the full article in The Tax Adviser, click: Chief Counsel Advice Tackles Sec. 752’s Impact on Partnership COD Income.