With stirring signs of a fiscal recovery in the offing for 2011, it may be time for forward-looking accountants to become more aggressive in their pursuit of a financial planning practice.The practice is generally split into three differing parts:

*Financial planning, which identified the client's needs and goals and indicates priorities for wealth accumulation;
*Asset Allocation, which identifies the types of assets best used to maximize returns into order to meet those needs and goals;
*And rebalancing/re-selection tools, which keep the plan current over the number of years necessary.

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The area of practice management for accounting is undergoing a fundamental evolution as managers in firms of every size attempt to gain better insights into processes, practices, and their clients. It's not simply a move to eke better efficiency and better profitability out of these processes, but a push for greater understanding of how the processes relate and interact. Read more...

2010 is not proving a good year for non-profits. From trade associations to research firms and local charities, budgets have been cut to the bone and fundraising committees are looking hard for options.

All of which makes the selection of a good accounting system even more critical. Certainly, you can run a non-profit off of virtually any accounting system. But doing it well requires a slight step up, to software actually designed to meet the needs of a not-for-profit organization. And in that category, there are eight major software vendors. Read more...