2015 March Newsletter
President's Message
Oh yeah, it is March. I cannot believe that it just crept up and BAM, here we are. At this time of year, I am constantly reminded by my wife how she just loves tax season in our family. Yes, there are definitely sacrifices made by all.
The cool thing is that if you have an outlet, it makes things a little more tolerable. In the Bodeen Family, we are ping pong fanatics. Typically, 2 or 3 days a week in the evening, we need to let off some steam. We play a game called “slaps”. If you come over and play, we will teach you the rules. As you can see by my son’s cheek above, we have some very wild games. I was hitting a crushing forehand to spike the ball on my wife and he was right behind me. Maybe a little too close as he got caught in the cheek on the backswing. OUCH! He was at the school nurse the next day getting ice and still has a nice shiner. I told him the girls will love it; he was not that impressed with my comment. On a side note, if you do know the Olympic Table Tennis Coach or have a contact in the Olympic Table Tennis Development Program, I think that I am ready to try out. It may be my destiny to be on the Olympic Table Tennis Team.
At this time of year, you do need an outlet that can help you to release some of the stress that does come with sitting hours upon hours in a chair looking at a computer screen. However, I cannot imagine trying to figure anything out by hand any more. In taxes or auditing, technology is as important as ever to provide an efficient and quality product. I try on occasion to calculate even simple returns manually and it never fails that I miss one box somewhere when I check against the computer calculation. I am hoping a Google or Apple will come along and upgrade technology to a level where you and your client can just interact and produce a product right on the spot in an efficient timeframe. You may say “Skyping” a Tax Return. It would automatically put the work papers in order for back up and you just hit send to the IRS. This technology would be in place, so that I could work March/April in Hawaii and hit the beach every evening after a tough day producing virtual tax returns.
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
Please know that the deadline for the 2nd Leadership Academy has been extended to March 16th, 2015. It is time to recommend your Emerging CPA star for the Leadership Academy. Please contact Amy Cooper at akcooper@alaska.edu for more information.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I wanted to make sure everyone knew that Crista Burson will begin working with Linda Plimpton on March 16th. She will be training with Linda until Linda leaves us at the end of April. I am very excited that there is time for knowledge transfer and hope that after tax season is over that we will make her feel welcome in her new position.
ANNUAL MEETING
YeeeeHaaaw, the Annual Meeting has been set. The dates are May 27th through May 29th. The Annual Meeting will be in Anchorage this year at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa. Wednesday, May 27th, will begin with CPE with Gary Zeune on “Fraud and Abuse in Government and Nonprofits 2015 Update” and then our opening reception begins at 4:00 p.m. The fun continues through Friday and concludes with the annual business meeting.
On Thursday, May 28th, our special guest from the AICPA, Suzanne Jolicoeur, will speak. She is involved in State Regulations and Legislation and will be talking about Alaska Statute and Regulations vs. Uniform Accountancy Act. It should be an awesome event to attend.
Overall, I am very excited for the annual meeting and as always our meetings committee has done a fantastic job getting this together.
For more details and to sign up, please look at the www.akcpa.org website.
FINAL THOUGHTS – CYBERCRIME
As a not so funny end to my newsletter this month, I am providing information on Cybercrime Scams going on.
One of our clients had her email hacked in the middle of February and sent an email authorizing a check to be cut to an individual in Wisconsin for work to be performed. The email looked authentic and the content did not look unusual.
Fortunately, the check went to a bank in Wisconsin instead of to the actual individual. I received a call from the fraud and risk management division at the bank. He informed me of the scam. I quickly contacted the client to identify if she had record of the email she had sent.
She had no record of the email and did not authorize the transaction. Her email address was spoofed. Basically, it was hacked to make the email address look like hers, but the correspondence went to the hacker’s email.
The risk management director caught the transaction and saved money from being stolen.
He also educated me on the crime committed. Basically, hackers outside of the U.S. are contacting elderly and desperate people looking for money. The hackers use the bank accounts of these people to transfer money into and then transfer money out of them, while leaving a small payment behind for use of the account. He informed me that anytime a hacker spoofs an account any email that you REPLY to will continue to go to the hacker’s account.
To avoid any correspondence with potential hackers, you need to use FORWARD or START A NEW EMAIL as that will bypass the hacker’s email and go to the intended party. This is scary. The target accounts are typically “Hotmail” and other accounts that are not as secure. I would recommend that any type of authorization on payments need to have verbal communication from these type of accounts. You can also make sure you hit the FORWARD or START A NEW EMAIL with your intended party to confirm.
Protect yourself and your Firm.
I am providing a link to the website below, where you can look and identify any future scams as well as the scam discussed above.
http://www.ic3.gov/media/2015/150122.aspx
Everyone have a great March and I will talk to you again in April for my final Newsletter.
Thank you.
Lance
2015 CPE Catalog Update
The update includes a Calendar At A Glance and a list of Discussion Leaders and their biographies. We hope this will aid in planning your CPE for the coming year.
The 2015 CPE Catalog is now available on line at http://www.akcpa.org/cpe/catalog. If you would like to have a printed copy you can download the pdf file under the NEWS section on the home page of the website or click on the link: http://www.akcpa.org/writable/news/2015_cpe_catalog.pdf
CPE Value Options available to members of the AKCPA. Season Pass for Indiviuals or Season Tickets for Firms. Check it out at: http://www.akcpa.org/cpe/value_options
Nominations for Public Service and Distinguished Service Award
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
The Alaska Society of Certified Public Accountants is looking for nominations for the Public Service Award. We are looking for individuals who have an on-going commitment of service to the community. They must hold CPA certificates in good standing and be members of both the Alaska Society and the American Institute of CPAs. The Board of Directors will consider candidates who meet the following criteria:
- Participate in community, charitable or other civic activities on an on-going basis or
- Have taken responsibility for a public service project which had a significant positive impact on the community or
- Have serviced in a notable volunteer capacity in government at the local, state or national level or
- Have written articles which have encouraged participation in and/or implementation of community projects or
- Have served in an outstanding manner as an appointed or elected official at the local, state or national level
Click on the link below for the nomination form:
http://www.akcpa.org/writable/news/psanomform.pdf
ALASKA SOCIETY OF CPAs JAY A. OFSTHUN DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Periodically, the Alaska Society of CPAs honors a member who has served the accounting profession with distinction. The award is presented at the Annual Meeting.
The purpose of the award is to recognize a members dedicated, long, meritorious and/or special service to the Society.
In evaluating nominations, the Alaska Society Board of Directors will consider nominee's accomplishments in the following areas:
- Service to the Alaska Society of CPAs as an officer, Board member, committee member, legislative spokesperson, CPE instructor as well as other types of activities that enhance the profession's stature.
- Service to the AICPA or other national organizations that directly influence the accounting profession.
In evaluating these areas of service, the Board will consider the length of time over which the member has demonstrated a commitment to the profession, as well as to the number of different activities which suggest the level of commitment.
Click on the link below for a Nomination form.
http://www.akcpa.org/writable/news/dsanomform.pdf
2015 #CPAPOWERED Campaign Promotes CPAs as Essential to Small Business Owners
To help entrepreneurs understand the full range of services a CPA brings to small businesses, the AICPA has launched the 2015 #CPAPOWERED campaign: CPA Secrets to a Better Business. Many business owners and entrepreneurs don’t realize how much the advice of a CPA can help them start, grow and thrive. This national media program promotes CPAs to the small business community via social media and positions them as trusted advisers who understand the unique needs of this segment. A series of CPA Secrets to a Better Business videos on topics ranging from understanding health insurance and acquiring financing to succession planning address small business concerns and offer viewers insights into the value and expertise of CPAs. Visit the campaign microsite, cpapowered.org, to see the videos and other resources that communicate your value and expertise. If you have a CPA secret to a better business, email it to cpapowered@aicpa.org to be considered for inclusion on the microsite.
Webcast & Webinar Partners
Alaska Society of CPAs has partnered with the following CPE vendors to provide you with a variety of online courses to meet your CPE needs. Webcasts range from two to eight credit hours and cover technical and nontechnical topics. The online courses comply with NASBA CPE standards.
Please note that the online registration is separate from your AKCPA website login. You must register and sign up through the partner vendors.
Please choose from the following course developers and begin exploring our webcast offerings:
http://www.calcpa.org/Content/26753.aspx
http://cpe.cpacrossings.com/states?partner=akcpa
