Fab 50: hot Internet resources for CPAs. (Special Pullout).Resources at your fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States.Sure, the Web is full of useful information. But if you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where to find it, what good does it do you? This feature was so popular last year that we've brought it back--updated with the latest resources. ACCOUNTING & AUDITING www.fasb.org At FASB's site, you can order statements and publications, review exposure drafts and get news updates. www.auditnet.org AuditNet, including Kaplan's AuditNet Resource List (KARL), features free auditing resources, a Q&A forum, links, audit programs and discussions. accounting.rutgers.edu Billed as "The Largest Accounting Site on the Internet," Rutgers Accounting Web is heavy on links to just about every accounting-related site you can imagine. ACCOUNTING REFORM www.sec.gov The SEC homepage is the connection to information on implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act See SOX. of 2002 as well as many other regulations impacting publicly held companies. www.aicpa.org/info/index.htm The AIOPA has covered recent corporate collapses and the subsequent fallout fallout, minute particles of radioactive material produced by nuclear explosions (see atomic bomb; hydrogen bomb; Chernobyl) or by discharge from nuclear-power or atomic installations and scattered throughout the earth's atmosphere by winds and convection currents. extensively. If you can't find answers to your questions on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act here, they offer a toll-free number to help! www.calcpa.org/members/GR CalCPA also has focused tremendous energy on California accounting legislation. Here you can find details of new laws New Laws: see Las Casas, Bartolomé de. and pending bills, plus contact information for key legislators. BUSINESS VALUATION www.bvupdate.com Shannon Pratt's website has valuation resources for the business appraiser A person selected or appointed by a competent authority or an interested party to evaluate the financial worth of property. Appraisers are frequently appointed in probate and condemnation proceedings and are also used by banks and real estate concerns to determine the market and legal professional. It isn't all free, but what is? Here you'll also find www.bvmarketdata.com and www.bvlibrary.com. www.1stresearch.com First Research provides (for a fee) more than 125 industry profiles, plus (for free) a huge listing of business-related links (click Financial Link). CONTINUING EDUCATION continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). www.educationfoundation.org The California CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. Education Foundation has courses and conferences--online, on-site and resort offerings--and pretty much every course you could need to meet your 80-hour CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises. CPE - Customer Premises Equipment requirement. CPA PORTALS www.myaccountingportal.com My Accounting Portal is a major clearinghouse of technical accounting information, practice management ideas, chat forums, business and lifestyle news. www.accountingweb.com Accounting WEB provides news and information about the CPA profession as well as career, practice, CPE and other resources. www.accountantsworld.com Accountants' World bills itself as the "community for accountants who think ahead" and provides easy links to just about everything: the Big Four, IRS An abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service, a federal agency charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing internal revenue laws. , FTB FTB Franchise Tax Board (California; they collect income and sales tax) FTB Family Tax Benefit (Australian welfare assistance) FTB First Time Buyer (housing) , state societies and accounting firm networks. It also provides daily accounting news updates. www.smartpros.com SmartPros has something for everyone: accounting and auditing, personal financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against , HR, tax, technology and more. News from around the globe is presented daily. CPA ORGANIZATIONS www.calcpa.org CalCPA Online's resources grow daily. Want live links for every URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. listed in this magazine? Check out the online version of California CPA. While you're there, seek out professional knowledge, renew your membership or find a calendar of events for your local chapter. www.aicpa.org Lots of CPA-specific information, including national job classifieds and updates on AICPA products, services and accreditations. Also full of valuable information for members is www.cpa2biz biz n. Informal Business. biz Noun Informal business Noun 1. .com. www.dca.ca.gov/cba The California Board of Accountancy's site offers the latest in licensing requirements, including changes to continuing education requirements, renewal information and more. ELDERCARE eld·er·care n. Social and medical programs and facilities intended for the care and maintenance of the aged. www.elderweb.com ElderWeb is a compendium com·pen·di·um n. pl. com·pen·di·ums or com·pen·di·a 1. A short, complete summary; an abstract. 2. A list or collection of various items. of information on the issues confronting the elderly, from recent tax legislation to news, finance, law and associations. An ElderCare locator lists agencies throughout the world that assist older adults. www.aarp.org Learn about the issues important to your elderly clients at the AARP website, with links to legislative, research and money pages. FINANCIAL PLANNING www.djnr.com Dow Jones Dow Jones the best known of several U.S. indexes of movements in price on Wall Street. [Am. Hist.: Payton, 202] See : Finance Interactive is a customizable business news and research site that integrates content from newspapers (including www.wsj.com), newswires, research reports and websites. It isn't free, but you get what you pay for! www.financial-planning.com Financial Planning Interactive, a website for professionals, offers industry buzz, practice management tips, surveys, software, live chat forums and educational opportunities. finance.yahoo.com Yahoo Finance offers customizable features to keep track of business and finance. Another great resource for market news and information on just about everything finance-related. www.socialfunds.com A complete resource for socially responsible money planning. Social Funds.com has daily news, investment advice and social and environmental information on more than 1,000 companies. www.fool.com The Motley Fool is set up "to educate, amuse a·muse tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es 1. To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion. 2. and enrich," giving easily digested, in-depth information on personal finance, with an emphasis on investing. www.savingforcollege.com Savingforcollege.com offers just about everything you need to know about Sec. 529 college savings plans. A special section for professionals provides information on courses, tax resources and a newsletter. GOVERNMENT www.irs.gov The IRS website is not just for downloading tax forms; the recently revamped site features a special link with breaking news and information for tax professionals. www.ftb.ca.gov The California Franchise Tax Board's website provides a plethora plethora /pleth·o·ra/ (pleth´ah-rah) 1. an excess of blood. 2. by extension, a red florid complexion.pletho´ric pleth·o·ra n. 1. of state tax links; External Links takes users to California government sites, inclung the EDD Noun 1. EdD - a doctor's degree in education DEd, Doctor of Education doctor's degree, doctorate - one of the highest earned academic degrees conferred by a university , Board of Equalization In communications, techniques used to reduce distortion and compensate for signal loss (attenuation) over long distances. and the state Controller's Office. www.federalreserve.gov When Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan Dr. Greenspan is Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Dr. Greenspan also serves as Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Fed's principal monetary policymaking body. talks, the world listens. Find the Federal Reserve chairman's speeches, along with breaking news, monetary policy, reporting forms and everything else to do with the central bank. www.gasb.org The source for information on state and local government reporting standards. INTERNATIONAL www.ifac.org The International Federation of Accountants' website features the latest news and information on international accounting standards, guidance and resources for CPAs in the global marketplace. www.calcpa.org/global CalCPA's Global Opportunities Committee offers a Global Resource Directory designed to help people do business around the world. (From the first page, click on Resources, then Global Resource Directory.) PRACTICE MANAGEMENT www.calcpa.org/MAP CalCPA's Management of an Accounting Practice Committee has sample letters and memos, a comprehensive disaster recovery planning guide and the MAP Doctor Hotline. www.calcpa.org/HR CalCPA's Human Resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. Committee site has links to articles and sites that help in hiring, retaining and managing staff. www.camico.com CAMICO provides professional liability insurance to CPAs. Policyholders get access to risk management tools, a loss-prevention hotline and even tax advice. www.cpaprotectplus.com The Group Insurance Trust of the California Society of CPAs offers quality, cost-effective insurance to the owners and employees of CalCPA member firms. Their site offers quotes, enrollment forms and plan information. www.shrm.org This homepage for the Society of Human Resource Management is a clearinghouse of information on workforce studies, regulations, management ideas, conferences and seminars. www.paycheckcity.com A collection of online payroll Online Payrolls are services that collect information on hours worked, pay rates, deductions, and other payroll-related data from their clients and use that information to generate paychecks, payroll reports, and tax filings. The internet is a key tool in providing this service. tools useful for employees and employers alike that helps calculate paychecks, deductions, stock options, 401(K) plans and bonuses. Links to a number of HR sites. TAX www.tax.cch.com/network The CCH Internet Tax Research Network is the online component of the company's publications that provide subscribers with in-depth tax law information. www.caltax.com Spidell Publishing's site is devoted to California tax information. Offers breaking news, notice alerts, seminar schedules and product information. www.taxsites.com This well-organized tax and accounting website gives links to everything imaginable i·mag·i·na·ble adj. Conceivable in the imagination: imaginable exploits. i·mag , from academia and news to software, rates and tables. www.willyancey.com also offers a vast collection of no-frills, every-topic-under-the-sun links. Both sites are maintained by CPAs. TECH SITES www.calcpa.org/tech Software, hardware, training--CalCPA's Technology Committee has the goods on just about anything you can do with a computer, including links to a number of sites we couldn't fit in this article! www.xbrl.org Pay attention! Ease of access to financial reports for investors gains importance daily and XBRL is what will make this happen. www.as4ll.com Accounting Software 411 has quick references to software and software consultants, plus discussion boards and news. Product news is prominent; as are]inks to upcoming events. www.cnet.com CNet is a techie's dream: product reviews and comparisons, technology news and advice--with a focus on personal technology. FOR YOUR CLIENTS www.sbaonline.sba.gov/starting The Small Business Administration offers help on developing a business plan, getting a business license and establishing patents and trademarks. www.taxweb.com Tax Web is where non-CPAs can get general tax information with links to various tax organizations, FAQs, filing information, discussion groups and more. www.funwithtaxes.com/Valuation Table.htm Your clients might not think taxes are fun, but this Donation Valuation Table is at least handy and makes estimating easier. www.findlaw.com FindLaw is a clearinghouse of law resources that appears to cover everything-from traffic tickets to intellectual property. A TO Z www.google.com Tired of search engines that only include paying sites? Google indexes the entire World Wide Web. You can't get more comprehensive than that! http://home.earthlink.net/-bad-duck/bookmark.html Bookmarks from Education Foundation instructor Danny Santucci--Check it out! Calculators, California legal references, stock indexes, eldercare, bankruptcy resources and more. OK, it's a link to a book, "The Best Websites for Business Appraisers, Accountants, and Financial Professionals." But Fresno CPA and tech wizard Susan Bradley highly recommends it. www.calcpa.org/community/resources/reading/best.html. |
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