What does a CPA firm have in common with Apple and MIT?

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Steve Jobs convinced Steve Wozniak to help him start Apple Computers in the mid-1970s.  He knew there had to be a better way of doing business in the field of technology.  The success of Apple is built on his vision.

Put People First
Fourteen years earlier in 1962, two other innovative entrepreneurs also set out to change the way of doing business in their industry.  Jim Kaufman and Jay Rossin envisioned a CPA firm that was truly different from the others. They wanted to build a workplace where people wanted to come to work. If employees feel joyful, challenged and fulfilled, they believed, they’ll provide the best possible service for clients.  This vision led to profits and growth for the business, now in its 50^th year.

Share the Vision
To realize his goal, Jobs assembled people who shared his vision and values.  At Kaufman, Rossin & Co., that common purpose is the basis for a strong company culture.

“For optimum success and power of people in an organization, you must have goals and values that are clearly defined and commonly shared with a culture that supports it,” Kaufman told 300+ team members at his recent semi-annual seminar. 

The central atrium at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California

Foster Personal Connections
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s famous Building 20 became known as one of the most innovative spaces in the country.  Completely by happenstance, the building’s design and amalgam of experts promoted collaboration.  Walls were torn down and offices were constantly shuffled around to make space for more big thinkers during World War II.  Professors of all disciplines mingled with students in the long corridors of the building. People interacted, shared, and created like nowhere else! 

Jobs also saw the power in fostering personal connections to spark creativity and serendipitous problem-solving. As CEO of the budding animation studio Pixar, he designed the company’s headquarters with a central atrium housing essential services, so employees would meet, interact and brainstorm.

Likewise, Kaufman, Rossin’s main office in Coconut Grove encourages employees to meet in the central kitchen, gym, community center and other common areas. These chance meetings spark conversation, creativity and collaboration.

While modern technology makes it increasingly easy to communicate via email, text and social media, Kaufman reminded employees that there is no substitute for face-to-face interactions when it comes to developing and nurturing valuable personal connections with co-workers, clients, and other members of the community.

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Lisa Cawley Ruiz is a brand journalist at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office. Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. Lisa can be reached at lruiz@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn.

How to Survive Tax Season

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Tax season is in full swing, and for accountants, that means long work days, extra workloads, and heightened stress between January and April 17.  So how do CPAs cope with busy season? We asked our professionals at Kaufman, Rossin to shed some light on how they relax, revive, de-stress, and maintain productivity…

And we got a lot of fun, interesting, and even some quirky responses!

So tell us, how do you survive tax season? Leave a comment below, or tell us on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter with the #SurvivingTaxSeason hash tag!

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Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin.  Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

It’s all about the people!

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Jim Kaufman put it best at this morning’s How to be a Best Place to Work seminar when he used the words “caring”  and “culture” to describe what makes Kaufman, Rossin & Co. a perennial winner of Best Place to Work awards.   He should know — he’s the real architect behind the employee-focused CPA firm that keeps clients satisfied by putting their people first.  For nearly 50 years he’s made sure that the firm never loses sight of  Joy at Work, one of its core values.

Marketing principal Janet Kyle Altman, HR Director Joy Batteen and the firm’s benefits broker, Sean Dugan from the Hays Companies, gave some tips that other companies could learn from.

• Compensation is not the only factor that motivates employees. It’s  important, but only to the extent that you’re competitive in the marketplace.  Use salary guides for your industry (staffing companies often provide them) or www.salary.com to see where you stand.
• Traditional Benefits should be customized to employees’ needs as much as possible.  Some benefits brokers provide Total Compensation Reports that help employees recognize the value of the benefits you’re offering.  If you have a cafeteria plan, make sure you educate employees well – some are afraid they’ll lose their money — and consider offering a debit card that helps make it easy to use.
• Non-traditional benefits are where you can create a really special workplace.  At Kaufman, Rossin these include everything from our annual Weight Loss Contest and on-site gym to the firm’s fully stocked kitchen and subsidized yoga and massage.  Go to a Kaufman, Rossin party and you’ll see all levels – from managing partner to administrative staff – truly enjoying themselves together.  These special features create real camaraderie.
• Community involvement helps build good feelings within the company and outside.  Kaufman, Rossin believes it should extend to all levels, and encourages all employees to get involved in causes they care about.  The firm demonstrates its support by budgeting an annual community contribution fund, and lets employees at all levels submit requests.  And of course big community events like the Corporate Run are fun, healthy, and good for the community.
• Professional Development is an area where we get a lot of positive feedback.  Since 2006, Kaufman Rossin University has provided employees with opportunities to learn technical skills, technology, management techniques and even “life” skills.  We’ve taught everything from PowerPoint to Poker, Management to Music Appreciation, and much more.  For several summers the firm has offered voluntary Leadership programs for employees at all levels who want to be future firm leaders.  One year our Innovation Challenge (modeled on The Apprentice) created buzz, teamwork, and great new ideas for the firm.
• Leadership is at the core of a Best Place. This isn’t something you can fake, or drive solely through HR.  Through open communication daily and semi-annual seminars that show all staff how the firm’s future is unfolding, Kaufman, Rossin keeps our leaders in touch with employees, and our employees looped into the vision.

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Janet Kyle Altman is marketing principal for Kaufman, Rossin & Co., and responsible for many of the management and leadership training programs the firm offers.  She can be reached at jaltman@kaufmanrossin.com.

You’re invited! Party for the Parks

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

I’d like to personally invite you to Party for the Parks – a wine tasting competition to benefit the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade.

If you just sighed and thought, “another charity event…” you don’t know the half of it!

This isn’t your ordinary fundraiser!  For starters, it’s at SET Nightclub, one of the hottest clubs in South Beach. The Miami Beach Veiled Wine Society (MBVWS) combined their love of wine with giving back to our community to create a fresh, fantastic way to raise money for the causes we believe in.

This is how it works! Each team of 2-3 brings 3 bottles of the exact same wine (this event’s wine theme is S. American Malbec) for a blind taste competition. Do I have your attention now? The team that brings the highest scored wine takes home 70% of the unopened bottles, 2^nd place takes home 30% and last place gets their bottle back! I can’t describe how much fun these events are. And the best part is that we raise a lot of money for a lot of great non-profits.

So if you are looking for an exciting new way to do good for our community, definitely come to this month’s event!

Party for the Parks! Benefiting Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade
Saturday September 10th, 2011
Doors Open: 7:30pm
Registration Closes: 8:30pm
$10 minimum donation at the door per person

SET Nightclub
320 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139

RSVP to Wolfgang at wpinther@kaufmanrossin.com or on MBVWS’s Facebook Event Page.

Get more information about this event on MBVWS’ website and Facebook Fan Page.

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Wolfgang H. Pinther is the marketing supervisor at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. Wolf can be reached at wpinther@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect to Wolf on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.

Ready to shop? Florida sales tax holiday is August 12th – 14th!

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

If you’re on a budget, or you simply love a great deal then mark you calendar -  Florida’s sales tax holiday is Friday, August 12th through Sunday, August 14th.

So what can you buy that is exempt from sales tax? Quite a bit actually!

• Clothing, wallets and certain bags (handbags, backpacks, fanny packs and diaper bags) having a sales price of $75 or less each.
• Footwear having a sales price of $75 or less.
• School supplies having a sales price of $15 or less per item.

I plan on taking advantage of this tax break – I’m making my list now of what I need (work shirts, gym shoes, and maybe even a few new ties)! Feel free to share what you’re excited to purchase and your favorite store.

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Wolfgang H. Pinther is the marketing supervisor at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. Wolf can be reached at wpinther@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect to Wolf on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.

I Tweet, You Tweet, We All Tweet for Ice Cream!

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

You’ve done it – you’ve embraced social media at your company and are actively engaging with your online audience through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blog, Flickr, etc. If you’re spending time implementing these social networks, and your social media strategy is supporting your overall marketing efforts, then you’re probably already seeing the benefits.

What exactly are these benefits? Kaufman, Rossin’s marketing principal, Janet Altman, wrote an intriguing blog post that answered, “Why is your CPA firm engaging in social media?” She lists three main benefits for Kaufman, Rossin, and entrepreneurial businesses alike: build relationships, differentiate from competitors and build brand awareness.

And another benefit – free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for your entire company…

A few weeks ago, that’s exactly what our Miami office received! How did we manage to get free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for over 200 employees?

Twitter!

Ben & Jerry’s began their Miami ice cream campaign on May 2, 2011. Their ice cream truck visits offices, community events, nonprofits and other locations by request. A few of our employees who are active on Twitter started following and tweeting @BenJerrysTruck asking them to bring #OMGFreeBenJerrys to our office.

Sure enough, the Ben & Jerry’s Truck brought enough Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and AmeriCone Dream ice cream to satisfy the sweet tooths of all our employees.

Although this may seem like a minor social media success, it definitely adds to our “Best Place to Work” Firm culture. It was great surprising our employees with a fun Friday afternoon treat!

It really is amazing what a little team collaboration and social media can do!

Do you and your company have any fun social media success stories? We would love to hear them!

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Contest for a Cause

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Community involvement plays an integral part in contributing to our Firm culture here at Kaufman, Rossin & Co. Many of our employees dedicate their time to do good in our community, and we were curious. What were others doing to get involved? We decided to find out through a little healthy competition via our Facebook Fan Page.

Over the past few months, we asked our Facebook Fans to upload a photo of themselves getting involved in their community (e.g. volunteering, participating in a community event, fundraising, etc). We chose seven finalists out of the twenty photo submissions to be voted on by the public to decide the winner of the competition and of a $500 charity donation on behalf of Kaufman, Rossin. 

We are excited to announce that Lesley Lyons, South Florida community advocate and K-9 lover, rallied the most votes for her Basset Hound Rescue photo from her family and friends! She chose to contribute the $500 donation prize to The Humane Society of Greater Miami to help support the rescue and care of Miami-Dade animals.

And although we could have only one winner, the contest helped many people share information about important nonprofits that they hold near and dear to their hearts.

Check out the photos from the seven Facebook Community Photo Contest finalists on our Facebook Fan Page.

Learn more about The Humane Society of Greater Miami.

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Why in the world is an accounting firm attending SXSW?

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

As you’re reading this, I’m hopping on a plane to Austin, Texas. Why? I’m attending the biggest, most innovative, tech-savvy, social media and interactive conference in the nation – South by Southwest (SXSW)!

You may have heard of SXSW, as it refers to one of the most popular music festivals in the country. I will be participating in the 5-day interactive and film portion. Each day of the interactive and film section is filled with media-rich content relating to technology, social media, metrics, mobile apps, web development, forecasting and much, much more! This information is presented via panelists, speakers, workshops, book readings, organized meet-ups and social gatherings. It’s actually an incredibly overwhelming process just to prepare for this social highlight of the year! Each day  has programs that run from 8am to well past midnight including the film premieres. Sessions for each day are organized by topics, time and location (Austin Convention Center and participating downtown hotels). But within each allotted time frame, attendees must choose from one of the 30 – 40 different presentations to attend – all very useful and interesting! See for yourself by clicking here to visit the SXSW schedule. The conference ends with the Interactive Awards which has been phrased as the “Grammy’s” of social media. After all, Twitter and Foursquare were launched at SXSW!

So you may be wondering… why in the world is an accounting firm attending SXSW? Shouldn’t Kaufman, Rossin & Co., one of the top CPA firms in the country, be participating in conferences relating to accounting, tax, audit, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), etc?  While these conferences reap tremendous value for our accountants at Kaufman, Rossin, we also want to see beyond the numbers.  Our firm is dedicated to innovation and providing valuable resources for our clients, prospects and community.

One major way Kaufman, Rossin has embraced innovation is by hiring a full-time social media coordinator – me! The Firm recognizes the importance and value that an online reputation brings to our brand and its ability to strengthen relationships. Therefore, SXSW is the perfect opportunity to learn how to think outside the box and be fueled by the latest tech and social media trends.

I will be absorbing heaps of information within the next week, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you. Be sure to check back for a recap of my experience and some creative ways I’ll be documenting my trip!

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Think your life insurance is non-taxable? Make sure.

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Many of our entrepreneurial clients think that if their company owns life insurance on an employee, it’s non-taxable.  Be careful: it’s a little more complicated.

Corporate-owned life insurance requires specific reporting in order for the proceeds to be non-taxable .

Any corporation that owns life insurance on an employee must

1. obtain a written consent from the employee and
2. annually report the ownership of this life insurance on Form 8925. 

An “employee” for this purpose includes officers, directors and highly compensated employees. The consent and reporting requirements apply to life insurance contracts issued after August 17, 2006. These rules will likely affect buy/sell agreements between corporations and their shareholder/employees. The proceeds from life insurance will be taxable if these procedures are not followed.

If you have questions about whether your life insurance  is in compliance, please contact me or any Kaufman, Rossin professional.

Dennis Fitzpatrick is a tax principal at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. He can be reached at dfitzpatrick@kaufmanrossin.com.

 
This information is not intended or written to be used for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties and it cannot be used for that purpose. Further, this information is a general description of current tax law and is not presented as a tax opinion on any general or specific tax issue or situation. This information may not be used to promote or market any transactions stated herein. Readers are advised to seek advice from their own tax advisors if they have questions.

Social Networks – A friend or foe of the workplace?

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Most companies have jumped onboard, or at least recognized the need to include social media in their marketing efforts. The ability to build and cultivate relationships without face-to-face interaction is just too attractive to ignore; and if you do, you can bet your competitors aren’t.

Now, the big debate in the workforce is whether employees should have access to social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter during company hours.

Some argue that if these networking sites are made available, much of the time spent would not be on professional development. And how could you argue against that? Yes, I can log on Facebook to update my status that my firm is looking to hire, but how can I ignore that my father sent me pictures from his recent ski trip? So they’re right, blocking out all personal use might just be impossible.

Others argue that banning it doesn’t do any good since most of us can go online via our mobile phones – and then employers would not be able to monitor our usage. In the same example, I’d probably be less likely to make that same status update if I had to do it through my phone or if I had to wait till I got home. And what’s to stop me from looking at my dad’s pictures via my phone?

I believe it’s safe to say that we all see the pros and cons of each side and that this is not a black or white topic, but a nice mesh of grays.

The Miami Herald posted a good article this week that develops this idea further: Social networks test companies’ boundaries. I have to agree that social networks are a “powerful trend,” and that strategic companies will adapt and evolve. The key is to develop company goals and a roadmap to get there. And equally important, companies must educate employees and teach them what is acceptable usage and how they can help!

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Wolfgang H. Pinther is the marketing supervisor at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. Wolf can be reached at wpinther@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect to Wolf on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.