January Is a Good Month for CalCPA Members

By Michael A. Thompson, CPA

Surprise! We just entered a new decade: 2010! You’ll spend the next few months working on tax returns from last decade. In anticipation of those heads-down months, I want to encourage you to update your firm profile on CalCPA’s “Find a CPA.” I also want to get you out of your office so you can attend our chapter social in Palo Alto and CPA Day at the Capitol in Sacramento. Here are the details:

Find a CPA: This is a marketing tool available free to CalCPA members. To be listed in this resource, however, you must take the initiative to establish your firm profile in CalCPA’s website. You can direct anyone looking for a CPA to the “Find a CPA” website. To get the widest selection of local CPAs, I suggest searching by area code “650,” which covers the San Francisco peninsula. Then select “Individuals” under “Tax Return Preparation & Planning.” Your search result will be a very nice list of local CPAs specializing in IRS Form 1040.

Chapter Social: Thursday, Jan. 14 is our chapter’s Membership Social at the Old Pro Bar in Palo Alto. There’s no better way to start the new year than by using this opportunity to meet with old friends and make some new ones. All chapter members are welcome, especially our new chapter members and our young and emerging professional members. The cost is $10 for CalCPA members and $20 for nonmembers. The event is free if you’ve joined the chapter within the past 12 months. Register online or contact Jane Dunbar for free attendance.

CPA Day at the Capitol: This will be held Wednesday, Jan. 20. I find this annual event to be very rewarding, because collectively, as CalCPA members, we represent the CPA profession to our local legislators. At this event, small teams of CPAs visit the offices of each and every legislator. We let them know who we are, and we are straight in letting them know how proposed legislation will impact CPAs and the general public, such as the proposed tax on professional services. In addition, with the recent passing of the 150-hour rule, we will clearly communicate that California must responsibly implement this new legislation. We also will educate legislators on CalCPA’s financial literacy programs, which are available free to their local constituents. Register today and join us in Sacramento.

Here’s my pretax season executive summary: Update your firm profile in “Find a CPA,” attend our chapter membership social and attend CPA Day at the Capitol. January is a good month for CalCPA members.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 11:17 am and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.