The Dangers of Providing Client Comfort Letters

Every few years, the issue of providing clients with comfort letters – or verification documents – rears its head among our members. Regulators or banks often look for verification that certain items within a financial statement (e.g., revenue) or a tax return (e.g., income) is "right" and they want a CPA to verify it. AICPA members have even received requests for comfort letters from adoption agencies, health insurance providers and state taxing authorities.

According to the AICPA’s Professional Liability Insurance Program, examples of third party verification information requested by lenders and loan brokers include:

• Confirmation of a client’s self-employment status;
• Verification of income from self-employment;
• Verification of a self-employed borrower’s business ownership percentage;
• Profitability or sustainability of a self-employed client’s business; and
• The impact on a self-employed client’s business if money is withdrawn to fund the down payment on a real estate purchase.

What’s the Difference Between Winning and Losing?

3 Tips for Ensuring You’re Coaching a Winning Team

I’m a sports fan. And I’m the mother of two athletic teenage boys. I’ve watched a lot of ball games over the years, and I’d like to think I’ve learned a little bit about coaching. Recently, I watched a basketball game where the home team lost, but should have won. 

Why do I think they lost?  Coaching.

Despite the team’s collective talent, the coach allowed selfish play and poor execution without consequence.  More importantly, he failed to adjust his strategies to counter the opposing team's strengths. Occasionally, talent alone suffices in order to win a game. Most times, however, how that talent is deployed makes the difference between success and failure.

Confronting Subordination of Judgment Issues Without Compromising Your Ethics

As CPAs, we are increasingly called upon to use our professional judgment in facing key auditing, tax and accounting concerns – especially as the profession moves from being rules-based to more principles-based. We gain our ability to apply professional judgment over time, through experience, training and an understanding of what a reasonable person would perceive as the right course of action under certain circumstances. We are informed by our upbringing, by the guidance of our mentors and colleagues, and during interactions with our employers and clients.

At some point during our careers our professional judgment is likely to be tested.

5 Tips for Aspiring Women Leaders

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the very first Women’s Global Leadership Summit, organized by the AICPA Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee, along with sponsors AICPA Private Companies Practice Section, the American Woman's Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. What an inspiring experience with a group of accomplished, empowered women. Women from all areas of accounting gathered to talk about the business case for creating inroads for women leaders in the profession, best practices for onboarding, preparing and maintaining female leadership and the effectiveness of establishing mentorship and advocacy programs. 

I know many of my peers are striving to stay ahead of the complexities of the profession, build a solid reputation and balance work and family in an increasingly challenging environment. I came out of the Summit feeling energized that more women are assuming leadership roles in accounting.  I thought: “What advice do I wish I had heard from my peers and role models when I was just starting out in the profession?”

Here’s what came to mind:

Stakeholders Invested in Sustainable Business Practices

Have you seen the CGMA Report “Thirsty Planet”? The report expertly underscores the need for businesses to consider social and environmental sustainability as a means to sustain business. Ensuring that natural resources, such as water, are safe and clean for future generations, communities and businesses to come should be a priority for businesses. 

A sustainable enterprise has a clear strategy not only on how it will make money, but also on its social and environmental impact. An organization’s ability to create and preserve value for itself, its stakeholders and society at large, depends on the strength of its business model;  the sustainability of the financial, social, economic and environmental systems within which it operates; as well as on the quality of its relationships with, and assessments and decisions by, its stakeholders.  Businesses need to consider environmental and social impacts in order to have a genuinely sustainable business that makes money—not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because it makes good business sense. 

National MAP Survey Provides Insight to CPA Firms

It’s valuable to have a perspective on the current state of firms, no matter your role in the CPA profession. Knowing the existing best practices in areas such as staffing, training and technology is important. The 2012 PCPS/TSCPA National MAP Survey, which is being fielded now through July 20, provides you the opportunity to expand your knowledge base on these hot topics. This comprehensive look at CPA firms’ key strategic data is the largest firm practice management survey project of its kind. Contribute your answers to the survey and you’ll have access to the results when complete.

A unique benchmarking tool, the PCPS/TSCPA National MAP Survey reveals key performance indicators broken down by firm size and region so that it’s possible to make meaningful comparisons among firms. It also assesses how firms are doing and spots emerging trends.