AZ CPA December 2015

AZ CPA December 2015

Antivirus Complacency

Could Cost More than You Think

When is the Right Time to Claim Social Security?

Which BI Tool is Right for You?

The Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants y www.ascpa.com

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AZ CPA The Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants President & CEO

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Editor

Patricia Gannon

Advertising

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Board of Directors Chair Chair-Elect Secretary/Treasurer Directors

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AZ CPA is published by the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA) to provide information, news and trends in the profession of accounting. It is distributed 10 times a year as a regular service to members of the Society. The ASCPA, its members, board of directors and administrative staff assume no responsibility for advertisements herein. The ASCPA and the above people also assume no liability for business decisions made by readers in reference to statements and/or claims in articles or advertisements within this publication.

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the ASCPA. Arizona Society of CPAs 4801 E. Washington St., Suite 225-B Phoenix, AZ 85034-2021 Telephone (602) 252-4144 AZ Toll-Free (888) 237-0700 www.ascpa.com

AZ CPA

Volume 31 Number 10

December 2015

Features

In Good Company Profile 11

ASCPA member Michael Garnreiter certainly has “got milk” as the vice president — finance & treasurer of Shamrock Foods Company.

by Patty Gannon

13

Determining the Big Day — Helping Clients Choose the Right Time to Claim Social Security

Making the best decision to maximize the benefits of Social Security depends on many variables.

25

AZ CPA Quick Quiz Read the magazine and take this short quiz to get an hour of CPE!

by Alan M. Schapire

19

Columns & Departments

Antivirus Complacency Could Cost More Than You Think

Simple tips that can help increase the security of your PC.

by Scott Reemelin

Members News A Dash of SALT by James Busby, Jr., CPA ASCPA Board Highlights Classifieds

7 9 24 26

21 Which BI Tool is Right for You?

Professionals are turning to Business

Intelligence tools to help them work smarter.

by Thomas G. Stephens, Jr.

Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants 4801 E. Washington St., Suite 225-B Phoenix, Arizona 85034-2021 www.ascpa.com

DEC. 2015 AZ CPA

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Arizona State Tax Credit Program K-12 Tax Credit Scholarships Eligible Tax Credit Donors: • Corporations and Insurance Companies who pay Arizona state taxes • All Arizona state taxpayers (for donation materials, please contact our office) Serving Children: • Scholarships for K-12 & PreK Disabled • Scholarship opportunities for every Arizona child • Corporate Scholarships for Low Income Families • Corporate Scholarships for kids Disabled or Displaced When Parents Choose...

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Institute for Better Education 911 S. Craycroft Tucson, AZ 85711 • (520) 512-5438 • www.IBEscholarships.org A.R.S 43-1603 A school tuition organization cannot award, restrict or reserve scholarships solely on the basis of a donor’s recommendation. A taxpayer may CPA 2015 not claim6a taxAZ credit if theDEC. taxpayer agrees to swap donations with another taxpayer to benefit either taxpayer’s own dependent.

Member News Mike Daggett, CPA, is the incoming AICPA Board Of Examiners chair.

Accounting firm McGladrey is now known as RSM US, LLC — this change unites firms from 110 countries under one common brand umbrella.

ASCPA Member Prepares to Help Lead the Profession into the Future Lindsay Stevenson recently graduated from the AICPA’s Leadership Academy, an intensive four-day program in Durham, N.C. “Attending Leadership Academy allows young CPAs to experience leadership on an entirely new level,” says Stevenson. “From exploring our own values and strengths to cultivating new and innovative solutions for the future of our profession, the Academy brought together 38 highly driven professionals and built relationships that will last a lifetime. My expectations were high, but the results blew those expectations out of the water.”

This year’s class discussed important issues facing the profession and participated in leadership development sessions with some of the profession’s most influential leaders, including AICPA Chair (2014-2015) Tommye Barie, CPA, and AICPA President & CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA. “Leadership Academy is a commitment from the AICPA to develop the next generation of CPAs to lead the profession and ensure that it continues to thrive,” said Tommye Barie, AICPA chair. This year’s class is an extremely talented and diverse group that will continue to make impressive contributions to the accounting profession for years to come.”

The AICPA selected the 2015 Leadership Academy from candidates recommended by their employers and state CPA societies.

Kathryn Forbes, CPA, was the recipient of the American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) 2015 Sustained Contribution Award. The award recognizes members of the Institute who have contributed measurably to the AICPA and the CPA profession through their volunteer service.

Camp Lowell CPAs PLLC joined the Tucson firm of CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA).

Michael Chesin, CPA, Dawn Rector, CPA, and Bryce Hancock, CPA, were honored as Outstanding CFOs by the Phoenix Business Journal.

Layne Simmons, CPA, a partner at Jaffa Simmons, PLLC, will serve on the NASBA Legislative Support Committee for 2015-2016. Alan Augenstein, CPA, was appointed to the NASBA Regulatory Response Committee.

G r e g o r y B l a k e , C PA , j o i n s CliftonLarsonAllen as a principal in their Tucson office.

Hein & Associates received the INSIDE Public Accounting’s Best of the Best “Pyramid Award.”

More than 55 Henry & Horne, LLP team members, friends and family took part in The Walk for Homeless Families founded by the UMOM Women’s Auxiliary.

(L to R) Barry Melancon, Lindsay Stevenson and Tommye Barie.

DEC. 2015 AZ CPA

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A Dash of SALT

How to Resolve Tax Liabilities Without Paying Penalties or Interest Under Arizona’s Managed Audit Program This month’s state and local tax (SALT) column explains how Arizona taxpayers can resolve tax liabilities without paying penalties or interest under the state’s managed audit program, and analyzes situations that lend themselves to managed audits versus other methods of resolving unsatisfied tax liabilities in Arizona.

Arizona’s managed audit program is now a decade old, but very few taxpayers and tax professionals know anything about it. The program gives Arizona taxpayers that discover they have an unsatisfied tax liability a chance to resolve the liability without paying penalties or interest.

by James G. Busby, Jr., CPA

How to Initiate a Managed Audit Arizona law permits taxpayers to request a managed audit and gives the Arizona Department of Revenue (Department) the sole discretion to determine whether to allow the taxpayer to participate in the program. In making its decision, the Department may consider all relevant factors, including the: (1) taxpayer’s history of tax compliance, (2) amount of time and quality of resources the taxpayer can dedicate to the audit, (3) extent and availability of the taxpayer’s records, and (4) nature and scope of any legal disputes the taxpayer has with the Department and their relevance to the taxpayer’s proposal.

If the Department allows the taxpayer to participate in the program, the parties must enter into a written managed audit agreement to document the type of taxes involved, the audit period, any limitations on the scope of the audit, the name of the taxpayer’s representative, if any, and the audit plan.

The Managed Audit Process Once the parties execute a managed audit agreement, the taxpayer and the taxpayer’s authorized tax professional perform the audit and furnish the Department with their written findings. Then the Department reviews the findings and may examine records and perform other reviews as necessary to verify the findings.

Once the Department finishes reviewing the findings of the managed audit, it assesses any tax deficiency or issues any refund that it considers appropriate, and the taxpayer has the same appeal rights it would have had if the Department had conducted the audit.

The Department is not allowed to assess penalties along with an assessment under Arizona’s managed audit program unless the audit uncovered fraud, willful tax evasion, or that the taxpayer collected amounts represented as tax that it did not remit to the Department. The same conditions apply to interest, provided that the taxpayer pays the assessment within 45 days of the expiration of its appeal rights.

Likewise, if the managed audit results in a refund, the Department is not required to pay interest as long as it pays the refund within 45 days of the expiration of the taxpayer’s appeal rights.

James G. Busby, Jr., CPA, is a state and local tax attorney at The Cavanagh Law Firm. Busby previously worked in the SALT departments at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte & Touche. Before entering private practice, Busby was in charge of all transaction privilege (sales) tax audits at the Arizona Department of Revenue.

If you have any questions, please contact the author. He can be reached at (602) 322-4146 or JBusby@CavanaghLaw.com.

DEC. 2015 AZ CPA

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Pros and Cons of Managed Audits While the Arizona legislature periodically establishes amnesty programs that last for a couple of months at a time, the Department always entertains offers to enter into managed audit agreements. Like voluntary disclosure agreements (VDAs), managed audits are a good alternative for taxpayers that missed out on an opportunity for amnesty.

For taxpayers that can choose between amnesty, a managed audit, and a VDA, there are several factors to consider. Taxpayers that do not want to submit numerous original or amended tax returns as generally required by Arizona’s amnesty programs, or that want to negotiate a discount on the tax that otherwise would be due given the risks and perils of litigation relating to a gray issue, may be better off pursuing a managed audit or a VDA. Managed audits may be preferable to VDAs for taxpayers that would owe

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AZ CPA DEC. 2015

a lot of interest under Arizona’s VDA program because interest generally is not abated as part of Arizona’s VDA program. But, Arizona’s VDA program may work out better than its managed audit program for taxpayers that have outstanding tax liabilities for more than four years, which are not protected by Arizona’s standard four-year statute of limitations. And, of course, managed audits only work if the taxpayer is willing to do some of the work — or to hire a tax professional to assist with some of the work — that the Department’s auditor otherwise would perform.

Editor’s note: Thank you to all of you who quickly pointed out a typo in last month’s Dash of SALT column. The cap for the credit for donations to public schools remains unchanged at $200 for an individual and $400 for a married couple filing jointly. We are sorry for the confusion, but glad to see

Practice Tip! – CPAs that encounter taxpayers with unsatisfied Arizona tax liabilities should help them evaluate whether Arizona’s managed audit program is the best way for them to satisfy their outstanding tax liability. n

how many of you are following this column! A corrected version of last month’s column is available on the ASCPA website.

In Good Company with Michael Garnreiter, CPA Vice President — Finance & Treasurer

Shamrock Foods Company

Holy Cow ASCPA Member Shares FirstHand Look at the Big Business of Dairy Farming and Food Distribution Services

by Patty Gannon As vice president—finance & treasurer for Shamrock Foods Company, Michael Garnreiter, CPA, may work for a company with 20,000 cows, but his real expertise is dealing with people. “My role as treasurer mainly deals with raising money, managing money, managing debt and maintaining our banking relationships. We have relationships with five principal financial organizations. Keeping them informed and happy is almost a full-time job!”

Shamrock Foods Company is the umbrella for Shamrock Farms, the largest dairy in the Southwest, and Shamrock Foods, a nationally ranked foodservice distributor.

“We have 3,600 employees and there are more than 100 people in the company who are involved financially,” says Garnreiter. “We probably have a dozen CPAs on staff. There are three people on my treasurer’s team alone.”

Previously, Garnreiter was a partner at Arthur Andersen LLP and was retired 2002. “When Arthur Andersen ‘blew–

up,’ so did my retirement funds,” says Garnreiter, so his plans changed. He worked as treasurer and CFO of Main Street Restaurant Group for four years and ended up buying 10 restaurants of his own.

“I went into the restaurant business at the absolutely worst time to go into the business (2007),” he says. “I left that business in 2010, which was too bad as it was really fun!” Garnreiter then worked as managing director of Fenix Financial Forensics LLC, a financial consulting business.

In 2012, he got a call from Norman McClelland who was the CEO of Shamrock. Shamrock had been a personal client of his when he was with Andersen. McClelland asked him to work on an interim basis to fill in for the CFO who had health issues. The CFO decided to retire from Shamrock, so Garnreiter’s interim assignment of 18 months turned into three and a half years. (Shamrock has hired a new CFO, so Garnreiter will be wrapping up his assignment this month.)

During this time, he was also asked to join the boards of three public companies: Taser International, Amtech Systems, Inc. and Knight Transportation.

“I have about 1.4 jobs currently with all the board work,”

DEC. 2015 AZ CPA

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jokes Garnreiter. “When my ‘day job’ winds down, I will look for something else that takes a bit less time. I don’t want to fully retire quite yet, but I do plan to slow down in the future.”

“One of the main things I do at Shamrock is help raise capital so that we can expand our business,” explains Garnreiter. “During my tenure, we built large distributions facilities in Sacremento and Portland, and a new dairy processing plant in Virginia.

The ‘capital spend’ during that time was more than $100 million. Some of this was raised from cash flow from operations; other monies were raised from debt and leases.”

About Shamrock Shamrock Farms is one of the largest family owned dairy farms in the country.

Shamrock was started when W.T. McClelland, son of an Irish farmer, immigrated to the U.S. and bought a small dairy business in 1922 in Tucson.

His wife, Sara Winifred (Winnie) became the bookkeeper and christened the new business Shamrock Dairy. After World War II, Shamrock Dairy built a processing plant in Phoenix and the product line emerged to include frozen foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and institutional foodservice supplies and equipment. The dairy portion is now only 25% of the total business of Shamrock Foods. The company is now run by second generation Norman McClelland, who is chairman of the board and third generation, Kent McClelland who is president and CEO. “Shamrock Dairy Farm has been in business for 93 years,” says Garnreiter.

“I visit the dairy farm once a month and I’m always impressed by how well they take care of the animals. They are experts on milking cows, and we talk a lot about the how to keep them healthy.”

“We have to protect them from disease, so we keep a closed herd,” he explains. “With 20,000 head of cattle (10,000 of which are milking) – we birth 15 to 20 cows in a day. On any given day, you can see cows giving birth.

I think we treat them very humanely.

We have open grazing on thousands

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AZ CPA DEC. 2015

of acres, and we have shades and fans and misters systems for the cows to help with the summer heat. We grow crops that allow them to graze naturally, particularly the organic herd, which we keep separate from the others.”

“On a national basis, milk consumption is down about three percent,” says Garnreiter. “This is not because people think drinking milk is bad; consumption is down because people are replacing it with so many other beverage choices.”

Shamrock Farms recently came out with a new product called Rocking Refuel, a protein refuel drink that competes with Muscle Milk. “It is doing well in the national market,” says Garnreiter.

What is the Hardest Part of Your Job at Shamrock?

“Managing people and relationships can be as big a challenge as there is sometimes,” says Garnreiter. “Also keeping relevant in our changing world is hard. Especially with the degree of major accounting principles changes recently. We keep up by working with our auditors and doing a lot of training through the ASCPA. I’ve kept my membership as a way to stay connected to the broader CPA community. It

is a nice ‘brotherhood,’” comments Garnreiter.

Advice for Others “When I was in public accounting, I always took great pride in trying to learn at a deeper level about my client’s business,” states Garnreiter. “Usually firms send the newest kid on the block to observe the annual inventory at audit clients. Even as a partner, I would take the time to walk around the plant or business to see how they do what they do.”

“When you look at Shamrock, the dairy business is only about 25% of the business. You might think it is just about milk – but you wouldn’t get an appreciation for its scale unless you took the time to understand the business.”

In his somewhat limited spare time, Garnreiter’s enjoys flying his own airplane, a Cirrus. His hobby serves him well as he has homes both here and in California and flies over there several times a month. “I have a real passion for historic aviation,” he says. “I was at Kitty Hawk on the 100th anniversary of Wright Brothers’ first flight. It was quite an experience!” n — Patty Gannon is senior manager of communications for the ASCPA.

Determining the Big Day Helping Clients Choose the Right Time to Claim Social Security

by Alan M. Schapire Tens of millions of Americans currently rely on Social Security benefits to provide income during retirement. Tens of millions not yet collecting benefits are hoping it will do the same for them. Maximizing the benefits available to them is a growing concern among clients.

It can be difficult deciding when to begin collecting Social Security benefits. The question is one of the first on the mind of anyone approaching age 62. Because the decision is based upon future variables (life expectancy/longevity, investment performance, inflation factors, etc.), there is no way to determine with absolute certainty that a decision made today is the correct or most beneficial decision; only time will tell. With that in mind, one must analyze the retiree’s overall financial situation, evaluate the alternatives and options presently available, and make a decision that is reasonably expected to be the best decision today. This article provides some general guidance on the decision.

The Basics There are several types of benefits available through the Social Security system, including disability, dependent, and survivor benefits, but retirement is the most common. Retirement benefits will be the focus of this article.

In general, an individual age 62 or older is eligible to collect Social Security retirement benefits if they are “fully insured,� meaning they earned the required number of Social Security credits, typically 40. A credit is earned for every $1,200 of earnings each year, up to a maximum of four credits per year.

A spouse is eligible to receive benefits beginning at age 62. A spousal benefit is payable to a spouse or former spouse of an eligible worker. If presently married, the worker and

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spouse must have been married for at least one year. An unmarried divorced former spouse is eligible if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and the eligible worker is at least 62.

The retirement earnings limit affects Social Security beneficiaries who begin benefits before attaining full retirement age. (The Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act of 2000 eliminated the retirement earnings test for people who have attained full retirement age.) For 2015, a Social Security recipient can earn up to $15,720 without surpassing the retirement earnings limit. Any amount earned in excess of this limit will result in $1 of Social Security benefits being withheld for every $2 of earnings above the limit. For a Social Security recipient who reaches full retirement age during 2015, up to $41,880 can be earned in the portion of the year before the month in which you attain full retirement age.

If this earnings limit is exceeded, $1 in benefits will be withheld for every $3 in excess of this limit. Once the month of full retirement age is reached, the earnings limit disappears. For Social Security purposes, an age is reached on the day before your birthday.

There are a few other less common situations that need to be mentioned before delving into the details of retirement benefits. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) are two methods of computing Social Security benefits that differ from the standard calculation. The GPO is used when one has worked for a federal, state, or local government and was not covered by Social Security for the last 60 months of employment. The WEP affects individuals who receive certain government, nonprofit organization, or foreign pensions, and, if it is applicable, the primary insurance amount calculation is altered to reduce benefits.

The Details Social Security retirement benefits are based upon an individual’s primary insurance amount. This is the amount that would be received if an individual began claiming benefits at full retire-

11/3/15 12:15 PM

ment age. Full retirement age starts at age 65 for an individual born prior to 1938, and increases in a nonlinear manner to age 67 for an individual born in 1962 or later. Although the actual calculation is somewhat detailed, the amount of Social Security benefits at full retirement age ranges from about 56 percent of compensation subject to Social Security tax at low levels of compensation to 28 percent at high levels of compensation. Please keep in mind that the compensation level driving this ratio is compensation subject to the Social Security tax ($118,500 in 2015).

Compensation in excess of the Social Security tax maximum does not affect this ratio or the Social Security benefits.

The calculation of the primary insurance amount is dependent on a worker’s average indexed monthly earnings, an indexed calculation of lifetime earnings.

Social Security benefits claimed at any time before or after full retirement age are subject to an adjustment, either a reduction from the primary insurance amount for benefits beginning before full retirement age – referred to as permanently reduced benefits – or an increase above the primary insurance amount for benefits delayed until after full retirement age – referred to as delayed retirement credits.

Retirement benefits can be claimed as early as the first full month that someone is age 62. As mentioned, the Social Security Administration considers an age reached on the day before the birthday, therefore someone born on the 1st or 2nd day of a month is the new age for the entire month, whereas someone born on the 3rd day or later must wait until the following month to be eligible. The permanent reduction in benefits is dependent upon how many months prior to full retirement age one begins receiving benefits. Benefits are reduced by 5/9 of 1 percent for each of the first 36 months (6.67 percent per year) before full retirement age and by 5/12 of 1 percent for each month over 36 months (5 percent per year). For example, someone whose full retirement age is 66 and who begins collecting at the earliest point in time (age 62) will

incur a permanent reduction of 25 percent, or will collect a benefit equal to 75 percent of the primary insurance amount.

Delaying benefits until after full retirement age also results in a permanent change, but this is a permanent increase in benefits. The delayed retirement credit increase is equal to 8 percent per year, prorated for each month, that benefits are delayed past full retirement age up to age 70. (The delayed retirement credit increase of 8 percent per year is for anyone born after 1942.)

Someone whose full retirement age is 66 and waits the entire four years before collecting Social Security will receive a 32 percent increase in benefits over the primary insurance amount.

Claiming Strategies For all of the benefit-claiming strategies discussed in this section, the assumption is that full retirement age for all individuals is age 66. References to starting benefits at age 62 or delaying to age 66 or age 70 are for illustration only. Benefits can begin any month from age 62 to age 70.

Single Individuals (Never Married) — Immediately upon eligibility at age 62 or sometime later, the decision to collect Social Security is based on two objective factors, as well as personal preference. The two objective factors are current earned income and cash flow availability. As mentioned earlier, receiving benefits before full retirement age will result in a permanent reduction in the benefit, but there is also the retirement earnings limit to be concerned with. If an individual has earned income in excess of that limit, it makes little or no sense to begin receiving benefits only to forfeit half of them and continue to suffer from the permanent benefit reduction. Therefore, in the scenario where a recipient is pre full-retirement age, still working, and earning in excess of the retirement earnings limit, the decision is easy: delay drawing benefits.

The caveat to this simple scenario is the amount of earnings in excess of the retirement earnings limit. If we

The Social Security benefit decision is not as simple as many clients believe.

It is one that requires a significant amount of thought and analysis.

change the scenario slightly, whereby the individual is earning an amount slightly in excess of the retirement earnings limit, say $1,000 in excess, the decision is more complicated, and the next factor, cash flow availability, kicks in. The bottom line is that you need money for food, clothing, shelter, and other basic necessities. If there are no other resources, financial or societal, and the Social Security benefits (even at a reduced level) will be the difference between maintaining or losing a home or affording some other needs, beginning benefits makes sense. This is certainly an extreme example, and obviously the greater the amount in excess of the limit the less likely that drawing benefits makes any sense.

Now consider the scenario where the worker is retired with no earned income (so the retirement earnings limit is not a factor) and has sufficient other resources (retirement and/or nonretirement cash and investments, pension income, etc.) to provide for living expense needs. The decision would now rest on life expectancy. It was previously noted that beginning benefits at age 62 will result in a permanent benefit reduction of 25 percent from the primary insurance amount. Without factoring in investment returns or cost of living adjustments, it will take 12 years (to age 78) to recover the benefits not taken from age 62 to age 66. (Example: A primary insurance amount of $1,000, which would result in a permanently reduced benefit of $750. The four years from age 62 to 66 would result in total benefits paid of $36,000. The additional $250 per month of the primary insurance amount starting at full retirement age will recoup this difference over 144

months.) Therefore an expected life expectancy beyond age 78 would result in a decision to delay benefits until age 66.

Delaying benefits beyond full retirement age results in an increased benefit resulting from delayed retirement credits, to as much as 32 percent if benefits do not start until age 70. This decision would still focus on the life expectancy variable. Again, without factoring in investment returns or cost of living adjustments, it will take 12.67 years (almost to age 83) to recover the benefits not taken from age 66 to age 70. (Example: A primary insurance amount of $1,000 for the four years from age 66 to 70 would result in total benefits paid of $48,000. The additional $320 per month resulting from the delayed retirement benefits will recoup this difference over approximately 152 months.) Therefore, an anticipated life expectancy beyond age 83 would result in a decision to delay benefits until age 70.

Two planning options offered by the Social Security Administration also may alter the timing of a decision, if not the decision itself. The first is the withdrawal of an application for Social Security retirement benefits, more commonly known as “The Do-Over.� If an application for benefits has been filed and benefits are being received, the application can be withdrawn and the account reinstated as if the application had never been filed if two criteria are met. The first is that the withdrawal must occur less than 12 months from when the entitlement to retirement benefits became effective. The second criteria is that all benefits received, including spousal and dependent benefits resulting from the application as

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well as any money voluntarily withheld from the Social Security benefit payment, must be repaid in full within that 12-month window. Know that anyone receiving benefits based on this application (spouse/dependent) must also consent in writing to its withdrawal and that this withdrawal provision is limited to once in a lifetime. The second planning option is Suspending Retirement Benefit Payments, more commonly known as “File and Suspend.” This planning option is only available once full retirement age has been reached.

By suspending benefits, the account will continue to earn delayed retirement credits to age 70.

For an unmarried individual, the Do-Over would likely only be used before attaining full retirement age. It gives an individual the ability to get an interest-free loan from the Social Security Administration for a period of up to one year and also “reset” the benefit to an amount that is at least 5 percent higher (based on a one-year revision from age 62 to 63). There are, of course, tax and cash flow implications that need to be considered, but in those few situations where someone thought they needed the additional cash flow but ultimately didn’t, the benefits can be repaid and a new timetable established for drawing benefits.

The File and Suspend election is much more useful. Assuming the individual has reached full retirement age, the application for benefits can be filed and immediately suspended.

While this technique is more commonly used with married couples (addressed below), it also has usefulness for an unmarried individual. Let’s say this unmarried individual is unsure of cash flow needs or has uncertain health issues. By filing and suspending, the eligibility for benefits is established and, for illustrative purposes, let’s say that the benefit is being put in an envelope with their name on it at the Social Security Administration. There are now two options: decide when benefits should start without tapping into this envelope and receive a higher monthly benefit amount based on the

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AZ CPA DEC. 2015

delayed retirement credits, or reinstate the benefits retroactively to as far back as the date of the election to suspend and receive a lump-sum payout and ongoing benefits as if the election to suspend had never been filed. Even an otherwise healthy individual at full retirement age may choose to File and Suspend in the event of something happening that would shorten life expectancy or create a financial hardship.

Single Individuals (Previously Married) — There are some additional planning opportunities for divorced individuals who are not currently married. Provided the marriage lasted 10 years or longer and the ex-spouse is at least age 62, the Social Security Administration essentially disregards the divorce and allows the individual to file for benefits and receive the higher of the benefit to which they are entitled based on their own earnings history or the benefit to which they would be entitled based on the earning history of the ex-spouse. There is also no requirement that the ex-spouse have filed for benefits in order to claim the “spousal” benefit. The divorced individual can also wait until full retirement age and file a restricted application for spousal benefits only, thereby collecting only the spousal portion of the benefit while allowing their own benefit to continue accruing delayed retirement credits.

The restricted application is just what it sounds like: an application to receive only a spousal benefit. (More on this below.)

Married Individuals — Married individuals, assuming the marriage has lasted at least one year, have the same strategies available to them as do single individuals, plus some additional strategies that could enhance their combined benefits. There are innumerable variables that come into play for couples, including whether each qualifies for their own benefits, the primary insurance amount for each, their ages and the age difference between them, as well as life expectancy and cash flow matters. When discussing plan-

ning options for a single individual, I touched on the File and Suspend and “restricted application” planning strategies. Where they really come into the equation is with married couples.

Here are a few simplified examples in which both spouses are eligible for benefits based upon their own work history, there are no health or longevity concerns, and cash flow needs are not an important factor in the decision.

Let’s say the spouses are four years apart in age and full retirement age for both is age 66. The older spouse (O) has a primary insurance amount of $2,500 per month, and the younger spouse (Y) has a primary insurance amount of $2,000 per month. Since cash flow is not needed, O will wait until at least full retirement age to file for benefits. O reaches full retirement age at the same time that Y reaches age 62. They have several options. Option 1 is to do nothing: neither would file for benefits, so O would continue to earn delayed retirement credits and Y would not have a permanent reduction that lessens benefits. Option 2 is to have both file for benefits: O would receive the primary insurance amount of $2,500 and Y would receive a reduced benefit of $1,500 per month, which is a 25 percent permanent reduction in benefits. Option 3 is to have Y file for benefits and have O file a restricted application for spousal benefits only.

Y would again receive the reduced benefit of $1,500 per month, but now O would receive a spousal benefit of $1,000 per month while O’s individual benefit continues to earn delayed retirement credits.

If they decide on Option 1 and do nothing at present, they will continue to have all three options available to them each month for four years, until O turns age 70 and Y reaches full retirement age, at which time O will now collect a benefit of $3,300 and there is an additional claiming option. This fourth option is for Y to file a restricted application for spousal benefits, thereby collecting a spousal benefit of $1,250 per month while continuing to earn delayed retirement credits for

his or her own account. Y would then switch to his or her own benefit at age 70, which would now be $2,640 per month as a result of the delayed retirement credits. In addition, the Do-Over is available to either spouse who has filed for benefits on their own account.

For a second example, let’s say the spouses are the same age and have the same primary insurance amount. Aside from the early filing option beginning at age 62, there is not much to consider until both reach full retirement age.

At that time, they have the following options. Option 1 would be for each to file for benefits on their respective accounts. Option 2 would have one file for benefits on his or her own account and the other file a restricted application for spousal benefits only. This allows one of their accounts to earn delayed retirement credits. Option 3 would have one File and Suspend, and the other file a restricted application.

By doing this, both will continue to accrue delayed retirement credits and maximize their combined age 70 ben-

efit. There is not a fourth option here.

It is not permissible for both spouses to File and Suspend against their own accounts and also file restricted applications against the spouse’s account. The same individual cannot utilize File and Suspend and the restricted application for spousal benefits at the same time.

The Social Security benefit decision is not as simple as many clients believe.

It is one that requires a significant amount of thought and analysis. From an adviser’s perspective, it is important to understand the client’s cash flow needs, income and tax situation, as well as the client’s marriage history, health situation, longevity expectations, and personal preferences. n Alan M. Schapire, CPA (in PA), PFS, CFP, is a founding principal of Convergent Financial Strategies LLC in Wayne Pennsylvalnia. He can be reached at alan@convergentfs.com. Reprinted with permission from the Pennsylvania CPA Journal.

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2016 Arizona Tax Guide Order the only comprehensive guide on Arizona taxes Authors: Ira Feldman, Pat Derdenger, Steve Rodis and Ed Zollars New in the 2016 Arizona Tax Guide:

• Sales Tax: The new MRRA (maintenance, repair, replacement and alteration) exemption for service contractors took effect on January 1, 2015.

The Arizona Tax Guide includes the following guides: • The Arizona Income Tax Guide is a comprehensive and easy reference guide that highlights the differences between Arizona and Federal income tax law and provides references to the Arizona Revised Statutes for a more in-depth analysis. It contains individual, corporate, partnership and trust tax differences, including tax tables, and is arranged in a manner that facilitates research on any topic.

• The Arizona Sales and Use Tax Guide is a resource for anyone preparing or filing Arizona and city sales and use tax returns. The guide details the various sales and use tax rates that apply to each type of sale or product as well as the many exceptions, administrative provisions and Model Cities Tax Code provisions.

• The Arizona Personal Property Tax Guide outlines the nature of the tax, reporting requirements, analysis of forms, audit and appeal procedures and small business exemptions.

• The Arizona Unclaimed Property Guide covers Arizona rules that apply to unclaimed property, how to report and pay, and how to file your claim.

Pre-order by Dec. 18, 2015 and save Guides will be available for delivery mid-January 2016.

Order and learn more about the guides at www.ascpa.com

Name ___________________________________________ Company ________________________________________ Address ________________________________________ City ___________________State _____ Zip ___________ Phone __________________ Fax ____________________ Email ____________________________________________

❒ CPA ❒ Attorney ❒ EA ❒ Other: ________________

Spiral-Bound Book: Pre-Order by Dec. 18, 2015 ❒ Members of ASCPA, Phoenix Tax Workshop, State Bar of Arizona or Enrolled Agents: $79

❒ Nonmembers: $99 After Dec. 18, 2015 ❒ Members of ASCPA, Phoenix Tax Workshop, State Bar of Arizona or Enrolled Agents: $89

❒ Nonmembers: $109 Electronic PDF:

❒ Members of ASCPA, Phoenix Tax Workshop, State Bar of Arizona or Enrolled Agents: $79

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Fax credit card orders to:

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Sales tax, standard shipping and handling prices are included.

*The ASCPA will be processing checks submitted in payment as an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) transaction. Funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as the same day we receive your payment.

Antivirus Complacency Could Cost More than You Think

by Scot Reemelin In recent years, business and home PC users have enjoyed a period of relative calm with low impact virus outbreaks or so it would seem. Yes, it’s true that antivirus programs like Symantec 360, McAfee and Sophos have all improved to the point that we forget there is a war taking place over our data just on the other side of our keyboards. The categories of Malware targeting our business and home PCs have changed to avoid detection. For example, some malware gets on your system and waits, listening for remote commands to become active and deliver its payload. Other malware uses stealth to hide and others put on a disguise to look like operating system files. Have you looked at your antivirus protection application log files lately? Most of us haven’t. Symantec 360, for example, will display a history of intrusion prevention, identity protection events, firewall reports and the one I pay attention to the most, the recent history report that displays all of the preceding reports and much more.

Reading your PC’s antivirus software history report on a weekly basis can give you a better understanding of the attacks that are taking place on your PC, even when you’re not using it. Did you leave your PC on last night? I believe that we as computer users grow complacent because we have transferred the job of protecting our businesses and PCs from hackers and malware coders to the big antivirus companies. We have forgotten that we are in a war and “know your enemy” applies just as much today as it did 2,500 years ago when Sun Tzu wrote those words.

Here’s What You Need to Know Most antivirus manufactures do a good job of protecting your PC from malware and the sub categories such as antivirus and spam. While it’s true that our best offense is a great defense, today’s business systems require a greater depth of security controls that are detective, preventative,

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deterrent, compensating and technical.

Most businesses are willing to invest in network equipment of some kind, that’s a technical control. To make the purchase truly effective, your network security equipment needs to provide a layered security strategy also known as “defense in depth” that includes security controls from each category.

Simply put, don’t place all of your eggs in one basket and rely on the antivirus manufacturer to keep your critical business data safe! Taking a layered approach to security includes having properly configured firewalls that block unwanted traffic both coming in and going out of your network. Depending on the size of your company, your defense in depth strategy may require you to deploy a unified threat manager (UTM) or an intrusion prevention system (IPS) to work alongside of your firewall. Your PCs also need protection everywhere they go, not just on the business network. Defense in depth on a PC should include at least three layers: antivirus protection, the operating system firewall and some type of end point protection in the form of an internet proxy filter.

Today, these defensive tools come in the form of hardware appliances and software applications to fit just about any budget.

Data Security is a Full Contact Sport When it comes to data security, I like to quote Warren Buffett: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” When applying this to protecting your business data, compliance requirements and legal implications that come from just one data breach should help us to become better guardians of our data. You may have the best antivirus system money can buy, but if you are relying on antivirus alone, it’s just a matter of time before your PC gets compromised.

PC end user awareness and malware education should be at the top of your business defense in-depth strategy and it’s the focus of the rest of this article.

Knowing your enemy isn’t enough these

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days; you need to know your PC. We spend more time with our PCs today than we do with our friends and family.

We know when things are off with our PCs; we see and feel the warning signs, but choose to ignore them and that is what the malware coders are counting on. If you are the PC user that leaves your computer running all night because rebooting takes too long, then you could find yourself waking up to a ransomware infection that has locked up your data. I’m not just talking about your PC hard drive either. If you are logged into the network, ransomware will go to work on the server drives that are mapped to your PC. Beginning with drive F: and working to drive Z: every file that the infected PC has access to will get encrypted.

Phases of Ransomware Infection Let’s look at the phases of a ransomware infection and some of the symptoms that you may be ignoring.

Phase One, you took the bait. It showed up in the form of a phishing email or you downloaded what looked like a .PDF and ignored the warning that the PDF file needed to run a script.

You thought nothing of it because nothing appeared to change on your PC. So you moved past the incident and forgot that it happened.

Phases Two and Three, the Trojan is now activated on your PC and it begins writing to the windows registry. The next time you boot up your PC, the ransomware encryption engine starts.

You may have the latest antivirus update installed to stop it, but then again your PC may be under attack from a newer version of Trojan/ Win32.crilok. new.* and the antivirus company hasn’t identified it yet. This is where user awareness comes in. You say to yourself, “It’s taking longer to open that email, application/ webpage than it did last week.” But you shrug it off and move on. Stop and rewind. What if your car, dishwasher, or TV suddenly started running slow? Would you just ignore it? Now is the time to call your IT support professional to help you by

checking your PC’s antivirus, firewall and proxy logs for new issues.

Phase Four, you become complacent and leave your PC on all night allowing Trojan/Win32.crilok.* to have its way with your PC. Trojan/Win32.crilok.* establishes a connection to the command and control server. It’s now too late! Remember what I said about blocking traffic leaving your network? This is why. If Trojan/Win32.crilok.*or any of its new variations is able to establish a connection to the command and control server, the encryption begins and the key exchange takes place allowing them to make good on the threat of holding your data hostage until the ransom is paid and they send you the un-encryption key to unlock your PC. It’s during phase four where it all begins to become clear as to what just happened to your PC. That’s when people call me and say “the other day I opened this email and…,” or “I was on a website and this download did something and now I can’t get to my files.”

For a business owner with a computer network, one infected PC that is attached to the network undetected during Phases 1,2, or 3, will move into phase 4 and encrypt the file server mapped network drives as well. Beginning with Drive F:, the network drives will begin encrypting, moving as far down the server drive mappings as the compromised user has access to. To combat ransomware and many other malware threats, we need to stop being complacent PC users. Please reach out to your IT professional as soon as you notice any strange activity. The earlier we can detect and prevent, the safer our computers and data will be. n Scot Reemelin, Security + ceI, is regional manager of CBIZ MHM. He is an accomplished technology strategist with a background in commercial avionics, IT consulting and public accounting. He has extensive experience in IT, incident response, unified threat management, Cloud migration planning, Cloud security planning, and risk management driving innovation aligned with strategic business plans.

Which BI Tool is Right for You?

by Thomas G. Stephens, Jr. Business Intelligence (BI) is one of the most important management trends to emerge in the past 50 years. As organizations of all sizes collect and store increasing volumes of data, the question of how to convert this data into a competitive advantage moves to the forefront. Increasingly, business professionals are turning to BI tools – including Excel and Tableau – to assist them in converting “big data” into actionable information. In this article, you will learn about both of these tools, including their relative strengths and when one option might be preferable to the other.

Focus on Outcomes First When planning a BI initiative and selecting tools to support that initiative, the first step is to define your desired outcomes, for these outcomes will become critical drivers in your technology selection process. At a high level, the goals of your BI initiative will be to provide data to your teams to help drive productivity and enhance decision-making. At a more granular level, it is acutely important that the information you provide through your BI tools is 1) business critical, 2) goal oriented, 3) highly visible, 4) graphical and interactive, and 5) real-time.

If your BI tools cannot help deliver information possessing these five characteristics, you will face monumental challenges to your BI initiatives delivering the results you expect.

At least four of the five characteristics defined above will depend on the capabilities of your BI tools. First, your BI tools must allow you to create reports and dashboards that are goal oriented, measuring actual results against specific, desired performance. Second, your BI tools must be capable of making information highly visible within your organization, “pushing” actionable information into the hands of information consumers, without requiring them to request it or

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search for it. Third, because “a picture is worth a thousand words,” your BI tools must be graphical and interactive in nature, allowing team members to query and filter dashboards on-demand to access precisely the information that is important to them. Finally, presenting real-time or near real-time information is an absolute must in today’s ultracompetitive world; BI tools that cannot access information in real-time from underlying databases and other data sources will likely not help you realize the full measure of benefits provided by successful BI initiatives.

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Largely because of its massive number of users, Microsoft Office Excel is the leading BI tool in use today. Many Excel users have built BI dashboards using various components of Excel’s core functionality, including Open Database Connectivity queries, PivotTables and PivotCharts, tables, sorting and filtering, the extensive function library, macros, and charting and graphing options. However, in many cases, the BI dashboards and reports generated with Excel do not provide all of the functionality necessary for successful BI. For example, sharing Excel-based BI dashboards with other team members is often a source of frustration, as is attempting to query, summarize, and analyze large volumes of data from multiple data sources. Consequently, though many business professionals attempt to use Excel as a BI tool, oftentimes the results are less than optimal.

Recognizing the desire of many Excel users to leverage their investment in Excel and their knowledge of the product, Microsoft has added specific BI features to selected versions of Excel 2013. Free tools such as Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View, and Power Maps can help you to overcome many of the limitations you might face when attempting to use Excel as a BI tool. You can use Power Query to access and query information from traditional data sources, such as your accounting software database, and non-traditional data sources, such

as Facebook, Salesforce.com, and the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Once you query the information, you can then use Power Pivot to “crunch” the data, even if you are dealing with extremely large data models. Further, you can use Power View and Power Maps to create and present visualizations of the data, including interactive dashboards that allow users to filter the dashboards on the fly. Clearly, those attempting to build BI models with Excel should take advantage of these tools to improve Excel as a BI tool.

Extending Excel with Power BI In addition to the Excel tools mentioned above, Microsoft also makes available Power BI, a web-based suite of tools that interacts with Excel and the add-ins mentioned above to transform Excel into a BI tool that businesses of all sizes can use. With Power BI, you can work in the familiar environments of Excel, Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View, and Power Map to create your BI reports and dashboards and then publish them so that they are accessible on virtually anywhere on any device. Other key advantages associated with Power BI include the ability to explore your BI dashboards using natural language queries, free mobile apps to access your BI dashboards on iOS and Windows mobile devices, scheduled data refreshes, and integration with Active Directory to manage sharing and access control. Further, Microsoft has priced Power BI very aggressively; a single-user edition is available at no charge, though most business professionals will likely need the functionality in the Power BI Pro option, priced at $9.99 per month.

In sum, Power BI – in concert with Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View, and Power Maps – does truly extend Excel to the point where it is a “true” BI tool and can help you to realize the results you desire of your BI initiative.

Individuals and organizations seeking to capitalize on their existing investment in Excel and their knowledge of the ubiquitous spreadsheet tool should likely consider Power BI when planning a BI initiative. Likewise, Power BI is a

Largely because of its massive number of users, Microsoft Office Excel is the leading BI tool in use today. compelling option for those attempting to implement BI without making substantial monetary commitments to a specific platform.

Tableau, another Powerful BI Option Another well-respected provider of tools for generating business intelligence is Tableau. For three consecutive years, Tableau has been listed in the “Magic Quadrant” of Gartner’s annual report on Business Intelligence and Analytics, signifying the company as one of the leaders in this market.

Tableau offers a number of products to help professionals in organizations of all sizes generate and distribute BI reports and dashboards. Tableau Desktop allows users to connect to external data sources to query data and quickly convert the data into interactive dashboards that other team members can access.

The Desktop solution is available in two editions – Professional ($1,999 per user) and Personal ($999). As an extension of Desktop, Tableau makes available the free Tableau Reader tool.

With Reader, you can access dashboards created by other users in Desktop, including filtering and drilling in to the details, without having to invest in additional licenses.

Tableau Server is a mobile and browser-based version of the company’s BI platform. Using Server, you can connect to the same data sources as you can using a Desktop, but you access the platform from a web browser or a mobile app, instead of your desktop.

Server facilitates functionality such as distributing dashboards throughout an organization and embedding dashboards in company portals. An alternative to Server is Tableau Online, which is simply a Software as a Service (SAAS) version of Server. Tableau prices the

Online service at $500 per user per year.

Tableau is probably best suited for organizations that might have more complex BI needs, including advanced visualization requirements. Additionally, Tableau Server and Tableau Online are attractive options for those who want IT staff to maintain a greater degree of control over BI deployments. However, if you are considering implementing Tableau, you should carefully plan and budget for the deployment as you might experience significant upfront software acquisition costs, along with annual maintenance expenses.

BI efforts are growing exponentially in most organizations and many outstanding tools are available today to facilitate your BI initiatives. Working with Excel and various Excel add-ins, Microsoft’s Power BI engine is a compelling option for those who want to remain Excel-centric and are looking for a low-cost option for deploying BI. The suite of tools available from Tableau provides outstanding visualization capabilities and numerous deployment options, though these tools will likely cost a bit more than a Power BI deployment. No matter which tool you might choose, you should find that you are able to generate and communicate BI efficiently and effectively helping your organization to convert big data into actionable information and gain competitive advantages along the way. n Thomas Stephens is a CPA in Georgia and a shareholder in K2 Enterprises, where he develops and presents continuing professional education programs to accounting, financial, and other business professionals. K2 Enterprises produces the ASCPA Technology Conference to be held on Dec. 9, 2015 in Phoenix. To register, go to www.ascpa.com/conferences.

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Upcoming ASCPA Conferences

Accounting & Reporting Standards Conference

Jan. 13

Black Canyon Conference Center Get updates and guidance on accounting and reporting standards with the following topics: • Everything You Did and Didn’t Want to Know About This Year’s Accounting Changes • Importance of Audit Quality • Arizona State Board of Accountancy Update • Revenue Recognition • Internal Security IT: 10 Things You Need to Do Before Moving an Application (or Your Entire Business) into the Cloud • Using Data Mining to Detect Fraud and Misuse of Public Monies

Board of Directors Highlights Among other actions at its October 28, 2015 meeting, the ASCPA Board of Directors reviewed the following:

Approval of Life Member Anita Baker chaired the committee composed of Mark Landy, Bruce Nordstrom, Peggy Ullmann and Cindie Hubiak, which nominated Steve Harris as a life member. The nomination was approved by the board.

Consent Agenda The consent agenda, which included the board minutes and financial statements, was approved.

Market Research Board members reviewed the market research data provided by WestGroup.

Strategic Planning Preparation and Update

Governmental Accounting Conference Feb. 12

Arizona Biltmore Resort Barry Melancon, President & CEO of the AICPA, will open up the conference with an update on the profession.

General Sessions Include: • Changing Economics for Arizona Universities – Eileen Klein, President of the Arizona Board of Regents • GASB Update – David Bean, GASB • Latest on Fraud – David Cotton, Cotton & Company, LLP First Concurrent Sessions: • Economic Outlook • Nuts and Bolts of GASB • IT Risks & Best Practices Second Concurrent Sessions: • Horizons 2025 Panel – Future for CPAs • Fraud is Still Fraud • New Pension Standards

Special Thanks to Platinum Sponsor: Henry & Horne, LLP To register, go to www.ascpa.com and click on conferences.

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AZ CPA DEC. 2015

Cindie updated the board on several operational items including mention of the Emerging Leader Conference and community service project. She also notified the board of information that will be coming from the AICPA about the CGMA designation.

AZ CPA Redesign Patty Gannon shared several new features and enhanced formatting of the AZ CPA magazine.

A Day in the Life Karen Abraham, Mark Patton and Armando Roman shared the challenges and joys they experience in their life and job.

Other Business No other business was conducted.

If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Cindie Hubiak at (602) 324-2888; AZ toll free at (888) 237-0700, ext. 203; or chubiak@ascpa.com.

AZ CPA Quick Quiz You’ve Read It, Now Get Credit Take this quiz online or submit this hard copy on AZ CPA content.

Receive a score of 70% or more and earn one hour of CPE credit in specialized knowledge. It’s that easy!

Fees: Members $25 Non-members $40 Online Access Login to www.ascpa.com and go to CPE/OnDemand CPE Quick Quiz to access links to all active quizzes. Purchase quiz and the quiz link and password will be emailed to you. Your results will be sent immediately after completing, and certificates are emailed within two business days.

Hard Copy Please select one answer for each question. Fill out registration/payment information below and mail or fax to the Society office. Quiz results and certificates will be emailed to the address provided on the registration form. *This quiz will be available until December, 2016. Please note that users have three attempts to pass the quiz with at least a 70% score.

December Issue of AZ CPA* 1. Someone whose full retirement age is 66 and waits until age 70 before collecting Social Security will receive a:. m 15 percent increase in benefits m 32 percent increase in benefits m 80 percent increase in benefits 2. What act eliminated the retirement earnings test for people who have attained full retirement age? m The Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act of 2000 m The Social Security Workforce Act of 1962 m The Privacy Act of 1974 3. For Social Security purposes, the age of availability is reached: m On the day before your birthday m Two days following your birthdate m At noon on your actual birthdate 4. What are the two methods of computing Social Security benefits that differ from the standard calculation? m The GMO and the PPO m The SSA and the GPO m The GPO and the WEP

5. Taking a layered approach to security includes the following: m Having properly configured firewalls that block unwanted traffic. m Ensuring your computer is on sleep mode. m Clearing your history on a daily basis.

6. What is phase one of ransomware infection? m The trojan is activated on your PC and begins writing to the windows registry.

m You took the bait possibly in the form of a phishing email or a downloaded PDF. m You left your PC on all night allowing the trojan onto your computer.

7. What is one of the most important management trends to emerge in the past 50 years? m Antivirus software management m Malware education m Business intelligence (BI) 8. This is the leading BI tool in use today because of its massive number of users? m Microsoft Office Excel m Microsoft Outlook m IBM Cognos 9. Microsoft makes what tool available that interacts and transforms Excel into a BI tool that businesses of all sizes can use? m Power BI

m BI Square m Vision BI 10. When planning a BI initiative, the first step is: m Define your desired outcomes because they are critical drivers in your technology selection process. m Ensure your system can create reports and dashboards m Collect and convert data into actionable information

Registration Name: ____________________________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________________ Telephone: _________________________________________________

Payment

m Member: $25 m Non-member $40 Checks: Please make payable to: The Arizona Society of CPAs Credit Card:

m Visa

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Credit card #: _______________________________________________ Expiration Date: _____________________________________________ Name on Card: _____________________________________________ Mail to: ASCPA, 4801 E. Washington St. Suite 225-B, Phoenix, AZ 85034-2021; fax to (602) 324-6043; scan and send to ASCPACPE@ascpa.com.

DEC. 2015 AZ CPA

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Classifieds Business Opportunities/ Practices for Sale NORTH SCOTTSDALE CPA FIRM SEEKING TO BUY CLIENTS — Established over 30 years, we are experienced in smooth transitions and maintaining high client retention.

We specialize in servicing small to medium businesses. If you are planning on retiring, we can customize a transition for you. We service the entire metropolitan Phoenix area and offer complete accounting and tax services. Call Joy today at (480) 9902727 or email joy@partridgecpas.com.

TUCSON CPA TAX PRACTICE AVAILABLE FOR MERGER/BUYOUT OR NEW PARTNER — Two retirement minded partners of a $1 million, primarily tax practice in Tucson seek a firm that wants to merge or buyout the partners over an agreed upon time frame. The practice is well established over the last 30 years and highly profitable with a strong concentration in business and individual tax preparation and consulting. Firm would also consider a strong candidate to buy into the practice. Firm has a no cost 90-day notice to landlord, if firm merges and cancels lease. Please send inquiries and desired goals to yazzr33@gmail.com or CPA, 6590 North Regal Manor, Tucson, Az 85750.

TWO PARTNER CPA FIRM SEEKS SUCCESSION PLAN — Located in north central Phoenix the firm serves a wide variety of clients with writeup, compilation, review, audit and consulting in addition to trust, estate, corporate, partnership, fiduciary and individual income tax services. The firm has a 25+ year history with annual revenues of $450K+. The partners wish to explore merger/buyout possibilities.

Principals only, please respond to: cpa85020@gmail.com.

BUSINESS PROPERTY TAXES TOO HIGH? I’ve been successfully appealing property tax assessments for over 15 years, both real estate and personal

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AZ CPA DEC. 2015

(business) property on a contingent fee basis. The annual business property reports are also filed for a flat fee.

Reasonable rates. Arizona CPA. Visit my pages on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. Call John at ASMR Consulting LLC, (480) 204-1289.

Employment PER DIEM TAX ACCOUNTANT— Lawrence A. Pardo CPA PC — Tax Accountant needed on a Per Diem basis for Tucson CPA office. Minimum 2-5 years experience in preparing business & individual tax returns. A working knowledge of Lacerte & Excel are necessary. Please send e-mail & salary requirements to Taxman501@aol.com.

Accountant II — Maricopa Community Colleges District — Position#15789. FT salary $46,110 $54,755. Provides analytic support to the District, including fiscal oversight, reporting, and compliance reviews of transactions in the general, auxiliary, grant, and/or capital funds. Responsible for the proper treatment of transactions in any of the following functional areas: Capital Assets Accounting, F i n a n c i a l R e p o r t i n g , Tre a s u r y / Investments, General Accounting, Grants Accounting. There are five positions to be filled in the following areas: Capital Assets Accounting, F i n a n c i a l R e p o r t i n g , Tre a s u r y / Investments, General Accounting, Grants Accounting. A completed online application at the company website is required. Position(s) will stay open until filled. Applications will be reviewed bi-weekly. MCCCD is an AA/EEO Institution.www.maricopa.edu/jobs.

Part Time Staff CPA — Harvey E. Amwake, PLLC - Established sole practitioner near 7th Street and Bethany Home seeks CPA for part time position.

35 hours per week tax season, 10-20 hours per week until October 15th.

Position could lead to full time or ownership in the future. Ideal candidate will have 5+ years experience including QB clean up, some research, individual

and small business tax returns. QB and Lacerte experience a plus. We provide exceptional client service and are looking for the right person to enhance our team. Hourly rate open, hours flexible, casual work environment. E mail resume to Harvey@amwakecpa. com.

Tax Manager — Flex/Full Time — AA Tax CPA, LLC - AA Tax CPA is a growing CPA firm seeking a Tax Manager to join our team. Successful candidates will display an incredible personality capable of interacting with clients and staff on a daily basis. You will be responsible for preparation of complex state and federal returns and review of returns prepared by tax staff.

Candidates will be expected to manage, develop and mentor tax staff and must display strong leadership and personnel skills. Requirements: Licensed CPA, Minimum six years tax experience, QuickBooks and tax software proficient.

Salary dependent on experience; F/T range $80,000 - $100,000. Please email resumes to jmilner@aataxcpa.com.

CPA with 15 YRS EXPERIENCE SEEKS PER DIEM WORK— Personable CPA with 15 years experience seeks 15-20 hrs/week per diem individual or business tax prep /review work during tax season + possibly beyond for one or more CPA firms. Prefer ability to partially work remotely. Lacerte user for past 13 years; UltraTax previously. Highly proficient with Quickbooks + Excel.

Very tech savvy + comfortable with paperless offices + cloud applications.

Great client interaction. Please respond to CPAContractedServices@gmail.com with a description + timeframe of work available.

Tax Preparer — Lisa M. Wheeler CPA LLC — Tax preparer needed for individual tax returns for up to 40 hours per week for February through April. Office located in Paradise Valley.

Please email your resume to miriam@ lmwheelercpa.com or call (602) 9536996 for more information.

Miscellaneous BUSINESS PROPERTY TAXES TOO HIGH? — I’ve been successfully appealing property tax assessments for over 15 years, both real estate and personal (business) property on a contingent fee basis. The annual business property reports are also filed for a flat fee. Reasonable rates. Arizona CPA. Visit my pages on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Call John at ASMR Consulting LLC, (480) 204-1289.

ESTATE/GIFT/GST TAX RETURNS & PLANNING ISSUES POSE A CHALLANGE FOR YOU? — I can work with you or your client. Estate planning & compliance is not a science; it’s an art. Let’s make a better plan! Ira Feldman, CPA/CVA/CEP (602) 8505101 or ira@felco.biz or www.felco.biz.

CPAs: Earn Money Writing — Are you a CPA with a talent for writing? Make money writing short tax, business, and financial articles for a national publishing company. Send inquiries to: WRITERS; P.O. BOX 1039; Anacortes, WA 98221.

Office Space OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE WITH GROUP OF TUCSON CPAs — Share in costs with Tucson CPA group for receptionist, conference rooms, comprehensive library, copier/fax/scanner, other office services and facilities. Become part of a group of CPAs who each own their own practices, but unite together in discussions and interpretation of tax and accounting issues through personal interaction or meetings. Options available to either lease your own office space from the group or pay a standard monthly fee to have use of the conference room, receptionist, mail service, copiers/fax/scanner and other services. Located in the prestigious Plaza Palomino. Please contact David Lotz or Randy Livingston for more details. (520) 321-1334. Website: www. cpatucson.com.

Happy Holidays and a Successful New Year from the Arizona Society of CPAs

For information about classifieds, go to www.ascpa.com and go to marketplace.

Conversations with the Kachina I wish I could hear Ed Zollars talk about the latest tax developments every week.

You can! Listen to the free weekly Federal Tax Update Audio Podcast by going to www.ascpa.com, click on CPE, then Podcasts and Videos.

DEC. 2015 AZ CPA

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AZ CPA DEC. 2015