AICPA initiatives for members: an update.

Are you aware of the many AICPA initiatives to help members succeed in their professional lives? From new resources and tools to advocacy efforts that benefit members and the public, here are some recent efforts on members' behalf.

Addressing Small Firm Issues

Information, tools or resources for many of the initiatives briefly discussed below can be found at www.aicpa.org/pcps.

* Staffing is a critical issue for CPA firms. To shed light on the attitudes and expectations of the most promising young professionals, PCPS released "The PCPS Top Talent Study: Gaining a Strategic Advantage in Recruiting and Retention" This brochure discussed the results of the landmark PCPS Top Talent Study, helping small firms glean practical recruitment and retention advice. It is available at www.cpa2biz.com. An article in the Nov. 2006 Journal of Accountancy also summarized the results and offered insights on what firms can learn from them.

* Where can practitioners turn to learn how their firms and their management decisions compare with other practices? The 2006 PCPS/TSCPA National Management of an Accounting Practice Survey gathered detailed benchmarking information on the state of CPA firms and practice management trends. In addition, "The State of CPA Firms Today: An Analysis of the 2006 PCPS/TSCPA National Management of an Accounting Practice Survey" offered PCPS members a concise summary of this study.

* To help CPAs strengthen their practices, PCPS launched a series of highly popular online Practice Management Forums for its members covering such issues as profitability, succession, strategic planning and marketing. They feature nationally known speakers leading live PowerPoint presentations and answering participants' questions. More forums are planned after the end of busy season.

* Seasonality Success, Winning Strategies for Profitable Firms, a new quarterly electronic newsletter for PCPS members, contains practical tips that help practitioners achieve profitable busy seasons. It concentrates on four key practice management areas: Positioning, Client Strategies, People, and Systems and Processes.

* PCPS Firm Size Network Groups, which expanded last fall, offer PCPS members the opportunity to discuss with their peers the goals, challenges and concerns unique to firms of the same size. Meetings take place twice a year. Each group sets its own agenda and chooses its own meeting locations. To learn more, go to www.aicpa.org/pcps and click on "Community."

Serving the Public Interest

* Through its 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy effort, the AICPA positions the profession as a leader in helping Americans improve their understanding of finances for every stage of life. Feed the Pig [TM], launched in Oct. 2006, is a national campaign targeting "career builders" those aged 25-34. Produced by the AICPA with the Ad Council, the award-winning campaign demonstrates how to increase savings and reduce spending to help build financial security. Public service announcements were developed for radio, print, television and multimedia venues. For more information, go to www.feedthepig.org. Separately, a new study commissioned by the AICPA revealed that young Americans face an uncertain financial future unless they change how they manage their money.

FEEDTHEPIG.ORG

* To make it easier for CPAs to serve clients and the capital markets, the AICPA Special Committee on Mobility was created to address inconsistent state rules that do not protect the public interest but do make it more difficult for CPAs to practice...