by Diana Halenz | Nov 30, 2016 | Business Management
I was recently asked this question by a bookkeeper who was looking to expand his service offerings to include CFO services. As I thought about the best way to frame my answer, I realized that to answer this question, it’s helpful to understand CFO responsibilities...
by Diana Halenz | Apr 23, 2016 | Taxes
Taxes are all filed, and the IRS letters are rolling in. I received a call from a new client yesterday. He has a PhD, had a distinguished career, and has traveled the world. With a PhD in Biochemistry from a top university, an impressive resume, and an IQ to back it...
by Diana Halenz | Dec 20, 2015 | Taxes
I hired my oldest tax deduction today. She’s in her last year of college as an English major, a massively talented writer, and needs a part time job that uses her skills. (Uber Driver and Mystery Shopper don’t count). Meanwhile, her dad and I have been...
by Diana Halenz | Dec 7, 2015 | Taxes
It’s the time of year again where everybody’s thinking about giving. Most of us are thinking about what we are going to get for our loved ones to mark the holidays. In the midst of the heavier-than-normal mail, there are typically one or more requests to...
by Diana Halenz | Dec 7, 2015 | Taxes
What? I have to pay taxes more than once a year? I can remember years ago, when I started doing some freelance consulting, the realization that I would need to make estimated tax payments quarterly. Although I have been a CPA for close to 30 years, I was working in...
by Diana Halenz | Nov 20, 2015 | Clio, Law Firm Accounting, Xero
In Mid-October, I noticed that although the attorneys that I work with were approving bills in Clio, they were stuck in Draft in Xero. “That’s no problem, I’ll just approve them manually in Xero” I thought. Then I noticed that changes in Clio to any bills in draft...
by Diana Halenz | Nov 18, 2015 | Business Management, Clio, IOLTA, Law Firm Accounting, Law Firm Practice Managment, Xero
As a technology-loving accountant, I am frequently asked for recommendations for software to do this or that, including the “perfect platform” for a business or law firm. The answer is: there isn’t one. There is no one size fits all answer to the...
by Diana Halenz | Nov 10, 2015 | Taxes
The business model of a fast food restaurant is to ensure that unskilled laborers can deliver a consistent product for a reasonable cost while providing the maximum profit to the corporate structure. Once a product has been created, every detail of its production,...
by Diana Halenz | Nov 1, 2015 | Business Management
Yesterday I got schooled in how to get stuff done. I consider myself to be a fairly nice, reasonable person. I go out of my way to help other people and I’d rather work really hard to accomplish something myself then “bother” someone else to get some...
by Diana Halenz | Sep 24, 2015 | IOLTA, Law Firm Accounting
Accounting for law firms requires an understanding of some specifics around how to account for funds held in trust. it is easy to expose a law firm to significant financial risk in the event of an audit if the firm’s accountants or bookkeepers don’t know...
