In many instances, the term ‘audit’ carries a negative connotation. Most people visualize auditors as impersonable, number-crunching accountants with the main objective of digging up as much ‘dirt’ in your financial records as possible. However, not all audits and auditors are created the same! Ideally, the auditor-client relationship is one of open communication during [...]
Employee retirement plans are a great benefit to provide to employees of your organization, but the requirements associated with them are very specific and numerous. Many plans fail to meet some of the requirements with design of the plan, or they make operational errors. Usually it’s just an oversight. Both of these can lead [...]
Statement on Auditing Standards No. 136 (SAS 136), Forming an Opinion and Reporting on Financial Statements of Employee Benefit Plans Subject to ERISA, will soon be effective for all employee benefit plans (EBPs) requiring an audit under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The new auditing standard is effective for years ending [...]
As your organization grows and scales, there are blind spots that sneak up on you. Things were going well in your organization; you were cruising along, enjoying the growth and sustainability and then … BAM! New problems and opportunities seemingly come out of nowhere. Each stage of an organization (startup, growth-stage and maturity) has [...]
Growing a business is a lot like an amusement park. It’s exciting, fun, overwhelming and nauseating. It’s a roller coaster of fear, confidence, joy and panic. It’s a tilt-a-whirl of influence, innovation, and concern. The growth stage of business can be a wild ride, especially when the growth occurs rapidly. This array of emotions [...]
There is no denying that the year 2020 has changed the current state of how we work individually, and how we work as a member of a team. The events of 2020 will also more than likely become a catalyst for how we work in the future. During the last six months, I think it’s [...]
You’ve built a successful business, and now you’re ready to move on. However, thinking about how to get out of the business you spent your life getting into can be uncomfortable. There’s a lot to consider, strategically and emotionally. Successful transitions don’t just happen, and unsuccessful transitions can undermine everything you’ve worked for. Only 30% [...]
Everyone is learning and adjusting during this COVID-19 pandemic because every day is different, requiring us to live, work, and play in ways we had not before. As the world feels the economic challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, there are new challenges that are arising for nonprofit organizations, especially with maintaining donor involvement. While this [...]
In the current economic and social climate, turnover is inevitable. Talented people land different jobs, move away, or retire. When turnover happens in your accounting department, most organizations experience some uncertainty and concern over the accounting function. You may wonder “how will we produce our financial reports next month?” or “how can we do [...]
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02 – Leases (Topic 842), which contains substantial changes in the accounting for leases by lessees: organizations which lease assets. The new lease accounting guidance will require lessees to record an asset and liability on the statement of financial position [...]
