|
|
NewsFlash Jan. 3, 2013Did you miss an issue of NewsFlash? View our archives here.
FICPA Rolls Out New Logo for 2013
In Memoriam: Fayette "Faye" Dennison Fayette "Faye" Dennison, 90, of Pensacola, passed away Dec. 25, 2012. He was born in Bowling Green, Ky. and was a WWII Bombadier in the 751st Squadron of the 457th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He was licensed to practice as a CPA in 1950 and returned to military service during the Korean War, stationed at Eglin AFB. Dennison started a local CPA firm and practiced until his passing. Dennison was an FICPA member for 56 years and an FICPA Educational Foundation Trustee for 12 years. He had served on several FICPA committees, including the Federal Taxation Committee, and had served as chair of that committee. Dennison's son, Dean, also is a CPA and retired from public practice on Dec. 31 after 35 years. After the passing of his beloved wife in April 2009, Dennison devoted his life to honoring her memory through service and commitment to the Methodist Home Board, Gadsden Street United Methodist Church and Haven of Our Lady of Peace. Throughout his life, Dennison was known for his strong work ethic and his sense of humor. Dennison was predeceased by his loving wife of 66 years, Jewell Dunn Dennison, and his parents, Fayette Dennison Sr. and Dovie Etta Whitaker. Survivors include his sons, Dean (Laura) Dennison and Dana (Sandy) Dennison and daughter, Kathy Collins, all of Pensacola; grandchildren, Debbie (Ralph) Daugherty of Gainesville; Danny Downey of Boulder, Co.; Jessica Eger of Pensacola; and Ross (Malinda) Dennison of Philadelphia, N.Y.; great grandchildren, Sadie and Dylan Daugherty of Gainesville and Zachery Dennison of Philadelphia, N.Y.; and brother, David Dennison, of Owensboro, Ky. Services were held Dec. 29 at Gadsden Street UMC and Bayview Memorial Park. Bayview Fisher-Pou Funeral Home handled arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to the Gadsden Street United Methodist Church Building Fund, 901 E. Gadsden St., Pensacola, FL 32501. FICPA Seeks Member Input on APAS Committee Response The FICPA is seeking member input on a draft response issued by the FICPA Accounting Principles and Auditing Standards Committee (APAS) to the AICPA exposure draft, “Proposed Financial Reporting Framework for Small- and Medium-Sized Entities” (SMEs). Financial reporting for SMEs is a very hot national topic and will impact many of our members, their clients and companies. Member input will be considered in determining the final position and response to be submitted to the AICPA. Member comments should be sent by Jan. 23, 2013, to Paul Brown, CPA, FICPA Director of Technical Services, at brownp@ficpa.org. FICPA Draft Response BOG, Chapter Officers, Regional The FICPA Board of Governors held a daylong meeting Dec. 13 at FICPA headquarters in Tallahassee. Among the agenda topics were a report from FICPA President/CEO Deborah Curry on the Institute's 2012-13 Strategic/Business Plan, as well as presentations from Indiana CPA Society President & CEO Gary Bolinger, CAE and Elevate Inc. President Aakash Patel. In his presentation, "Looking at Things in a Different Way," Bolinger discussed how associations, including CPA societies, must redefine the member-value proposition. Bolinger cautioned against the common practice of trying to be all things to all constituents. Quoting Peter Drucker, he said, "The worst thing to try to do is a little bit of everything. This makes sure nothing is being accomplished. It's better to pick the wrong priority than none at all." Bolinger discussed what accounting students from the year 2019 will expect from their FICPA. He asked what we're doing to embrace the scale of technology that's applied to education today, and discussed the global phenomenon of online education. Bolinger urged attendees to think and lead differently, quoting Albert Einstein, who said, "Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them." He closed by offering three guiding principles for the FICPA to consider in its strategic planning:
The Board of Governors plans to revisit the presentation and its implications for the FICPA at the January Board Retreat. Patel's presentation, "The Importance of MIGHTY Social Media," focused on using social-media skills in a professional environment. Patel's MIGHTY acronym stands for Membership; Increase your following; Gain exposure; Have a plan; Tell your story; and Your results. Patel advocated using the 80/20 rule, with no more than 20 percent self-promoting website and social-media posts, and stressed using consistent language to strengthen your brand. He cautioned against posting too often and recommended keeping language simple; replying to all comments (even negative ones); and sticking to topics that are brand-relevant. He suggested using individual content plans for each network because of different audiences and restrictions. Patel quoted these statistics:
Patel stressed that social media isn't a fad – it's a fundamental way of communicating and establishing trust. And because people do business with people they trust, he said, we must leverage our networks accordingly. Also, on Dec. 12, 44 FICPA chapter officers and regional representatives met at the headquarters office. Officers received updates on chapter policies and procedures and heard a presentation about how to engage young CPAs from Sarah Funk, Broward County Chapter CPE Chapter Liaison and member of the YCPAs Committee. Deborah Curry gave a brief membership update and FICPA Board Chair Scott Price discussed the importance of volunteerism and the nominations process. Click here to view photos of the meetings. Introducing Internship Opportunity Engine
Internships put your firm on the map for the state's newest talent. You can give students valuable experience while getting some extra help around the office. Finding the right intern for your practice can be time consuming. That's why the FICPA has launched the Internship Opportunity Engine database. Tech Tip Is your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch having problems connecting to WiFi, have short battery life, or other bug problems? You might want to try a settings reset first. This will return all of the device's settings back to factory defaults, but won't delete any of your apps or media. In fact, it won't even rearrange your home screen icons. Reset iOS 6 SettingsTo reset the settings on your device go to Settings > General then scroll down and tap the Reset button at the bottom. 
On the Reset screen tap Reset All Settings – Not Erase All Content and Settings – then you'll need to verify you want to do it twice. 
It should only take a couple of minutes at most. After it's finished, you'll need to reconnect to WiFi, Bluetooth, and configure other custom settings. A settings reset might solve problems you're having with your device and I recommend trying this first. It might save you time without having to deal with a backup and hard reset. If you do need to do a full reset, make sure to back up your data first. This Tech Tip is brought to you by the Business and Technology Section … IT solutions for today's CPAs. For more information and to view an archive of previous Tech Tips, please visit us here. Do you have specific topics you would like to see covered in Tech Tips? Email any suggestions to communications@ficpa.org. In Memoriam: Look for the next issue of FICPA NewsFlash Jan. 17, 2013. Comments or Suggestions? We are interested in your comments or suggestions. Please email communications@ficpa.org. LAST UPDATED 1/3/2013
|
On Jan. 1, the FICPA began using its new logo on all communications, including Florida CPA Today; NewsFlash; the website, www.ficpa.org; social media; and membership materials. 
