Category Archives: Accounting & Auditing

Change of Accounting Rules/Audit Instructions Issued on New Repair Rules

At the end of 2011, the IRS issued comprehensive and far-reaching temporary regulations on the capitalization of costs relating to tangible property. The regulations are generally effective for tax years (or costs incurred in tax years) beginning on or after … Continue reading

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Administration unveils Framework for Business Tax Reform

A reduced corporate tax rate, elimination of many business tax preferences, a new minimum tax on overseas profits, and much more are all part of President Obama’s recently released Framework for Business Tax Reform (the “Framework”). The much-anticipated blueprint of … Continue reading

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Audits of Wealthy Individuals Trending Upward, IRS Oversight Board Reports

The IRS Oversight Board recently released its 2009 annual report to Congress. The report evaluates the IRS’s performance during the 2009 fiscal year (FY), enumerates strategic challenges affecting tax administration, and provides measures the agency’s performance during FY 2009. According to the Oversight Board’s report, audits of individuals with incomes above $1 million grew 29 percent in FY 2009 compared to FY 2008. However, the number of audits of wealthy individuals represented only 2.58 percent of all individual audits in FY 2009. Continue reading

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Electronic Filing Of All Form 5500s Is Now Mandatory

The Department of Labor is moving to electronic filing of all Form 5500s starting January 1, 2010. Electronic filing is mandatory. They will not accept paper filings for plan years beginning after January 1, 2009. Continue reading

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What Happens When Your Business Value Declines?

I recently read the article, “The 5 Stages of Valuation”, that compares the phsycological character of our clients that receive a declining business valuation to the character outlined in the “Five Stages of Grief”. Continue reading

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IRS Issues New Rules For 403(b) Retirement Plans

Changes Are Substantial While the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor have collectively spent a considerable amount of time and effort overseeing the compliance of the rules governing 401(k) retirement plans, they have spent very little time, up until … Continue reading

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Grant Thorton Addresses Bank Capital Requirements in Letter to Regulators

On May 6, 2009 public accounting firm, Grant Thorton sent a letter to Timothy Geithner, Ben Bernanke and Sheila Bair addressing bank capital requirements and the allowance for loan losses. I believe that this letter completely explains the auditor’s viewpoint on these two issues and offers the regulators a solution to protecting banks from future losses. Continue reading

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Breathing Easier After Bank Stress Tests? You Shouldn’t

Largely unnoticed in last week’s government report on the condition of the nation’s biggest banks was the disclosure that five of them, topped by Bank of America, could lose $99 billion from the kinds of exotic bets that sank the global economy. Continue reading

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The Next Accounting Controversy

Standard-setters have moved on from fixing fair-value rules and have set their sights on off-balance-sheet accounting and loan-loss provisioning.

Revisions to how companies account for off-balance-sheet items and loan-loss provisions will knock fair-value accounting off the front page with respect to financial reporting, according to James Kroeker, acting chief accountant at Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Payroll and Cobra Provisions of the Economic Stimulus Plan

As published on the AICPA’s Economic Crisis Resource Center:

Several provisions of the economic stimulus plan may have a significant impact on your company or clients’ business, including the “Making Work Pay” tax credit and a host of COBRA requirements and provisions, ranging from a special 60-day election period and an additional plan enrollment option for COBRA recipients.

Read the article for a summary of the provisions that may affect your business.
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