Nonprofit Blog

At the May nonprofit workshop hosted by Smith & Howard, attendees enjoyed hearing the perspectives on online fundraising from three respected professionals: Mary Pat Crouch, Senior Vice President of Coxe Curry & Associates, Mark Sutton, CFO of United Way of Metro Atlanta and Justin Banta, Development Director of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits. 

At Smith & Howard our purpose is “to be valuable to our clients, our people and the community.” That certainly holds true for our nonprofit team, as we provide accounting services to many nonprofits around Georgia. The group also has a passion for serving the nonprofit community through board positions and community service events.  In June, instead of having a regular monthly business meeting, the team decided our priority would be to give back to the community through a service project. Our group’s community service leaders, Kimberly Bland and Andrea Shanahan, considered over a half dozen projects and were so moved by the mission of the Ronald McDonald House in Sandy Springs that we quickly made it our focus.

Inefficient inventory management is one of the biggest cash drains on many businesses, depriving them of valuable working capital. Excess inventory is literally cash wasting away in your warehouse or on your shelves. So every company needs to do everything it can to minimize its inventory investment.

Smith & Howard’s 10^th Annual Leadership Institute for Accounting Students was held July 16-17, 2015. Event attendees included 19 accounting students and 13 professors from colleges and universities from around the Southeast.  The day and a half event included Day in the Life panel discussions, team building exercises, networking, dinner, a strength assessment, Becker CPA exam tips and a Q&A lunch panel with partners, managers and staff from Smith & Howard.  Students also enjoyed a tour of our office with views 16 stories above the new Mercedes-Benz stadium that is under construction, the Skyview ferris wheel and views of the Midtown, Buckhead and Downtown skylines. 

Students who attended said the Leadership Institute was “an amazing experience: and that the “knowledge gained was invaluable”.  Several students indicated that through this experience, they were able to clearly see that accounting was the right career path for them and were able to determine if audit or tax was the best fit for them.

When asked why they would recommend the Leadership Institute to others, students responded that it is a great opportunity to get a first-hand look inside a public accounting firm, to meet and network with experienced accountants and a great way to build communication and leadership skills.

Smith & Howard’s 11^th Annual Leadership Institute for Accounting Students will take place July 14-15, 2016.  Attendees will benefit from a day and a half of networking, leadership skill building and an opportunity to get an inside look at the accounting world.  The event takes place at our office in Midtown Atlanta.  Lodging and meals are provided by Smith & Howard.  This is an exciting learning opportunity that will help students succeed.   

National Accounting Day was on May 16 and we wanted to celebrate the brave souls who balance books, manage files, preform audits and lead the way through tax season. It is the perfect time to thank the pros who spend hours crunching numbers and bringing value to our clients every day. Learn from a few of our experts why they chose the career path they did. 

Work–life balance, as defined by Wikipedia, is a concept that includes proper prioritization between "work" (career and ambition) and "lifestyle" (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development/meditation). 

Completion of the CPA exam is one of the toughest steps we take in our early professional careers. It can impact our future and open doors to many opportunities in our professional careers. However, pass rates indicate the CPA exam continues to be challenging.  The AICPA released the 2015 cumulative pass rates of AUD 47.28%, BEC 56.48%, FAR 46.75% and REG 49.43% and for the 2016 first quarter results AUD 44.87%, BEC 55.40%, FAR 44.74% and REG 47.55%.  Passing the exam requires dedication and discipline.  Four of our staff members who most recently passed the exam, provided some insights on their approach. Read below to see what Tyler Disk, Tax Supervisor, Andrea Shanahan, Tax Supervisor, Molly Holland, Audit Senior, and Todd Cone, Audit Staff had to say:

Voluntary Protection Program Act

Many people collect “orphan” 401(k) plan balances as they move from job to job. Why should employers care? Helping new employees roll over their accounts from former employers can be beneficial for both parties. The same is true of assisting former participants (who have left your business).

Without a good pay and benefits structure, you can’t attract and retain the best employees. But devising a compensation strategy is tougher than it looks — many factors go into paying competitively without breaking the bank. One such factor is your compensation philosophy.