FICPA: Management of an Accounting Practice

Tax Return Transcripts Expose Personal Information

Forty-three percent of taxpayer requests for copies of tax returns or transcripts were processed incorrectly or not in accordance with IRS guidelines, according to a new report. The report, by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, found that the IRS needs to strengthen its controls over taxpayer requests for copies of tax returns and transcripts in order to prevent unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information. TIGTA identified instances in which IRS employees made errors that increased the risk of unauthorized disclosure.

Identity Theft

The AICPA asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exempt CPAs from certain provisions of its Red Flags Rule to prevent identity theft that was scheduled to go into effect Nov. 1, 2009. The Red Flags Rule, which was released Nov. 9, 2007, under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, requires businesses and organizations within its scope to implement a written identity theft prevention program to detect warning signs of identity theft in their day-to-day operations. Enforcement of the rule has been postponed three times since the original Nov. 1, 2008, effective date.

Auditing at the Speed of Change

Henry Keizer is the global head of audit for KPMG International and U.S. vice chair of audit for KPMG LLP. He also is a member of the AICPA board of directors. He spoke with JofA Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Joanne Fiore following the AICPA�s board of directors meeting in August and in a follow-up e-mail interview. The following are excerpts from those conversations:

Health Bill Faces Senate Heat

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul faces an uncertain battle in the Senate after a narrow weekend victory in the House revealed the continuing divide among Democrats. The bill passed by a 220-215 margin late Saturday after fractious debate. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the measure. One Republican, Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana, unexpectedly voted in favor.

Employers Under Siege: Discrimination Complaints Flooding Into the EEOC

It was a chance to consort with the enemy�a powwow with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And everyone wanted in. That's how Linda Burwell of Detroit's Nemeth Burwell described her clients' reactions when she invited them to have breakfast on Oct. 17 with the EEOC. Burwell said her clients were eager to "see what the EEOC is doing and why they are doing it." Many of Burwell's clients who attended the breakfast are facing EEOC charges, some for the first time. "A lot of people had questions" for the agency, said Josephine Avery, vice president of human resources of the Motor City Casino Hotel, who attended the breakfast. It was "a good opportunity to hear what they had to say."

Frugal Office parties Can Still be a Blast

Small businesses find that iPods and in-house parties can be more fun than fancy restaurants and expensive DJs. NEW YORK -- With Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season weeks away, many small business owners are planning holiday parties for employees and clients despite the still wobbly economy. But the celebrations are expected to be low-key, frugal and, some say, much more fun. Even owners whose businesses are doing better say they're sticking to simpler events this year. ``We could afford to have a catered event, something fancy, but it's not in our DNA,'' given the events of the past year, said Ginny Pitcher, president of Kel & Partners, a marketing and public relations firm based in Boston.

When Is It Time to Keep Your Mouth Shut?

A classic interpersonal challenge that I often see in brilliant, gifted, successful people is the desire to "add value," especially to other people's great ideas. These leaders are likely to display their brilliance continually by adding their input at the expense of others'. This occurs quite often. For instance, imagine you are an entry-level employee, and I am your manager. You come to me with an idea that you think is great. You have been working on this idea for months, and are really excited about what you have developed. I like the idea.

What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

Do you really know what your clients think of your firm, staff and services? Would they consider putting their work up for review? Are you meeting all their needs?

Learn From Your Mistakes

If we want business success, we have to look clearly at our mistakes--and stop repeating them. We need to work with our team, not against them, to do this. Too often business owners tell me, �It was just a small mistake.� But, there are no small mistakes. Why?

Top 5 Things to Remember When Doing a Social Media Campaign

At Ars Technica we've done a number of social media campaigns in the past, and we've learned quite a bit about what it takes to make these efforts successful. All such campaigns are run on our forums, where they provide advertisers with a high level of engagement and they give forum users a chance to interact directly with brands to provide feedback, ask questions, and gain greater insight into more than just the specifics of a product. Participants in social media campaigns can actually learn about the "whys" behind a product or product line, instead of having the "whats" marketed at them.

5 Keys to Effective Marketing & Branding

Please join me in a thought experiment. Think of the name of your favorite restaurant. Just think of the name. Try not to think about the food, the service, the ambiance or the dessert. For me, it is impossible to keep it just to the name. As soon as I think of the Flea Street Caf�, I can�t help but think of all the attributes (tasty, organic, caring service, friendly) that make it a great place to eat and my favorite in the bay area.

Three Simple Words That Should Be the Cornerstone of Any Corporate Social Media Policy

It's easy to see why social media makes a lot of companies freak out. The prospect of their employees freewheeling around social sites like Twitter, Facebook, or blogs is scary: What if an employee misrepresents us? What if a staff member speaks out of school or embarrasses us? Stories of plummeting employee productivity, compromised confidentiality, and soiled brand or company reputation only heighten the worry.