San Diego Chapter
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Archive for the ‘Presidents Message’ Category
September 1st, 2009
By Joseph A. Forlenza, CPA
I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I have been making a point of enjoying the evening light by getting out to exercise and spending time with friends and family. One of those recent occasions with friends was our End of the Summer Networking Bash last month. It was a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy time with friends and colleagues.
I would like to take a moment to remind you how to use our website to find out about chapter events, programs and activities. Just go to our website and on the left-hand side, you will see all the current chapter events. You can get a description of the event, including the topic, the speaker and where and when the event is being held. If you decide to sign up, click on the event. Note that you will need your CalCPA member ID and password. If you do not know your ID and password, you can call customer service at (800) 922-5272 and give the course ID number and your credit card.
Last month’s young and emerging professionals event was going to a Padres game, and it was a real blast! The Padres beat Milwaukee 11-7. I enjoyed meeting new friends and reconnecting with some old ones in a relaxed outdoor environment. I would like to thank Joan Neely and Louie Wong for doing a great job co-chairing the YEP Committee. And if you haven’t checked out a YEP event yet, please do. Everyone is welcome.
Another great event that I attended last month was the Business and Industry Interest Group meeting. Colleen Harvey, CFO of Karl Strauss Brewery, discussed how the company grew out of a passion for beer into a burgeoning local business. She explained the way the company is structured and how it manages its divisions and restaurant sites, as well as a little bit about the metrics she uses to track its progress (but no secrets were revealed). I would like to thank Jill Elsner, our Business and Industry Interest Group chair, for arranging this fun and informative presentation. I particularly enjoyed the Tower 10 IPA beer sample that was given out at the end. You can try it too! There is a Young and Emerging Professionals event being held at Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens Thursday, Oct. 1. Check out our website for all the details and to sign up.
So, as we come into autumn, be sure to take some time to enjoy life, be with friends and family, and, when you can, sign up for some of the great events that our board members are working hard to arrange for us all. You’ll be glad you did!
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August 7th, 2009
By Joseph A. Forlenza, CPA
As I returned from the CalCPA Council meeting and Centennial Gala in June, my thoughts turned to our profession’s past and what lies ahead. After thinking about it, I am left with the impression that the CPA profession is perhaps not prepared for the next 100 years. While facts and figures were the story of the last 100 years, it’s clear to me that interpretation and application of facts are the keys to success in the next 100 years.
Anyone today can access facts and information. In addition, it is easier than ever to alter the appearance of data. This has changed the way we value information and make decisions. It is now common office banter to see co-workers’ photos cut and pasted into unlikely situations—atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, giving speeches to the masses, etc. Data can be mixed and remixed in a myriad of realistic looking, but specious ways. It is only when viewed in a broader context and from a comparative vantage point that it becomes apparent that it does not make sense.
How else can the reliance on algorithms to assess risk create the huge financial mess that we find ourselves in today? Easy, just use a familiar and accepted baseline of data and inject something foreign, such as sub-prime debt obligations, and blend in increasing amounts over time to create triple-A rated investments. In other words, we need to see if it makes sense in the context of the past and in the context of other relevant facts, and not just on appearances.
Today’s easy access to information makes us think we are smarter than we have ever been. In reality, it lulls us into a false sense of security. We need to look beyond the representational facts to the underlying reality of the situation at hand. If we begin to train ourselves to ask more questions about the nature of a given situation and not simply accept the past as an indication of the future, we will be much better prepared to address a given situation. We need ask more and better questions, and to develop new ways to evaluate the answers that we get. This means that a new and modern approach to financial literacy needs to be developed and applied. Today’s youth are great at quickly finding facts and figures, but we need to train them to look beyond the numbers to what is actually happening.
Personally, I like to get out in nature to reset my internal clock and relax. It helps me to realize that when an environment is changing rapidly, sometimes it is best to do nothing and just pay attention to what is happening, rather than reacting to the changes. When people respond, rather than react, to a situation, they take a moment to feel what the body is saying and to recognize it as valid, instead of allowing the environment they are in to negate their feelings.
Our economic crises was born out of an environment where almost everyone believed that it would work out well, that home prices would only go up. When it began to collapse, everyone equally disbelieved and entered a state of denial. We need to give ourselves and those on our teams the ability to have an educated gut check and to go with those feelings. I think that the more well-rounded a person is, the better able they are to do what is best according to their own moral compass. The more centered a person is allows them to act on those findings confidently against what is the norm. Perhaps this is the great value in the 150-hour rule. By opening up the additional education requirements to non-technical fields of study gives upcoming professionals the broad based background they need to make truly objective decisions in the face of a rapidly changing economic environment.
Times of change create the most opportunity, and it is by looking at things from a new perspective that enables some to take advantage of those opportunities.
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July 2nd, 2009
By Joseph A. Forlenza, CPA
CalCPA’s centennial gala was an elegant and festive event. Members came together and celebrated the great things that CalCPA has come to stand for over the last 100 years. These include the strategic priorities of advocacy for the profession, visibility and professional education, in addition to the respected status of CPAs as their clients’ most trusted advisers. It was also a chance for friends and colleagues to meet and have a wonderful time. What especially impressed me was the number of young CPAs who showed up to celebrate. The young professionals are an impressive lot, and they mingled comfortably with everyone, including the more senior generation.
The CalCPA Council meeting included messages from Andrea Cope, our new chair, and Conrad Davis, first vice president. Both expressed positive points on membership, indicating that total membership—at that time—was almost to the 35,000 mark. Since then, CalCPA has surpassed that figure. Andrea noted that younger members are becoming more involved and are the key to our profession’s future. She encouraged the use of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to stay connected and network with our peers.
Conrad pointed out that one of the best ways to attract new members is for current members to encourage other CPAs to join CalCPA. Let them know the many positive benefits our association offers, including networking opportunities, technical information and education, as well as professional and political advocacy. I urge us all to keep this in mind as we interact with our CPA peers. We are the best advertising this association has! Our sincere expression of how CalCPA works for us will naturally attract others who want to benefit in the same ways we do.
We also had a government relations update arranged by Bruce Allen, CalCPA’s director of government relations. Assembly members Fiona Ma and Mary Hayashi spoke on SB 691 (the 150-hour rule), inactive license disclosure, peer review, mobility and taxpayer privilege legislation, all of which are pending. These two women are strong advocates of the CPA profession and deserve our support and appreciation.
San Diego’s Jim Kuhn, the eldest past chair in attendance at the meeting, provided a glimpse into the CalCPA’s past, with stories of the early days. Jim recounted how, in 1958, he was involved in starting what sounds like the precursor to today’s Young and Emerging Professionals group. He spoke of getting together with younger members and creating their own meetings and social events separate from the regular chapter agenda. He talked about leadership training, installation events and golf tournaments to raise money—all familiar topics to us today. Jim recommended getting to know our colleagues. Jim’s passion for the profession is because of the people, and I can understand why he feels this way. Thanks for all your years of service and dedication, Jim!
This past month also saw our chapter board’s planning conference held at the Riverwalk Golf Club in Mission Valley. My primary goals for the chapter this year are focused on financial literacy, networking with other professional groups and expanding our membership in the business and industry segment. Of these goals, I feel that financial literacy is the most important. At the conference, Wesley Martin and Bobby Singer of San Diego State University’s Beta Alpha Psi gave an excellent presentation of a teaching tool that their group created. It is a game played with a bank balance and a variety of economic situations that change as cards are dealt. (Does that sound familiar?) The students get to make choices, spend or save and, at the end, see who ends up with the most money. The game is very well-designed and a lot of fun to play. It really gets the students to think about the results of the financial decisions they make within the context of a fun activity. We will be coordinating with the SDSU students to deliver financial literacy throughout the county this year. I invite you to join us in the effort.
We also had a very nice officer’s installation event held at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. I would like to extend my gratitude to Cindy Holcomb, Maria Nazario and the San Diego chapter members who made my installation event such a pleasure and success. It looked to me like everyone was having as good a time as I was. It was a privilege to share it with you all, and I am looking forward to a great year.
The SDCBA/CalCPA mixer was a lot of fun and a huge success. We had a balanced mix of attorneys and CPAs, which created a fun-filled night of conversation and networking. Thank you Leslie Mittanck, CalCPA ABC Interest Group chair, Jerrilyn Malana, SDCBA president, Ellen Miller, SDCBA executive director, and Cindy Holcomb, chapter program associate for arranging such a successful event. I look forward to having more great networking events throughout the year.
I hope this next year we are able to reach more people with our financial literacy initiatives, and I would like to see us learn more from one another so that we can all grow and prosper together.
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June 1st, 2009
By Joseph A. Forlenza, CPA
It is an honor and a pleasure to serve this great CPA profession—of which I am a very proud member—in the capacity of chapter president. As a CPA with a tax practice, I had the pleasure of serving people’s financial needs as a tax adviser. The experience I accrued in my accounting practice has served me well as a trusted adviser in my current position as a retirement-focused financial planner. It has been through CalCPA and other professional associations that I have been able to develop professionally and better serve the needs of my clients and grow my practice. It is with this commitment to service and professional development that I hope to lead the chapter into the next 100 years of excellence.
It has been 100 years since CalCPA has been serving its diverse and talented members as a nonprofit corporation. So please remember to register for the Centennial Gala being held June 19 at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. This celebration promises to be a worthwhile and elegant event.
I am excited to help lead the chapter as it moves forward into the next phase of its development. I would like to extend a warm welcome to Cindy Holcomb, our new program associate, and welcome back Maria Nazario as our program director. Additionally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Carmen Conrady and Gary Hammond for serving the chapter this past year as program associate and program director, respectively.
I also would like to express my gratitude to Marlene Thudium on her contributions and leadership during the past year as chapter president. Marlene got the chapter focused on financial literacy and the 150-hour legislative initiative. These are two important issues that I look forward to continuing to work on during this coming year. In fact, I feel that financial literacy and accounting education are two essential areas in which CalCPA is uniquely qualified to lead and contribute to both the profession and the public at large.
With regard to the 150-hour rule, I would be remiss if I did not mention the stupendous job the students from our local colleges and universities did in getting our state legislators to take notice of what students have to say in support of this initiative. These students took the time to go to Sacramento and visited locally with legislators. They clearly and precisely expressed their concerns and needs as students getting ready to enter the accounting profession. They made it clear that they had no interest in graduating with a degree that leaves them viewed as being substandard practitioners by the majority of other states. These students recognize that today’s business environment is global, competitive and demanding of skills that allow them a broader understanding and knowledge base so they can effectively understand, communicate and advise on their clients’ rapidly evolving business needs. Both Sharon Lightner and Tom Dalton have done an excellent job of leading this effort, and I would like to thank them both.
I look forward to a fun and productive year, and I am excited to work with such a great group of people and outstanding professionals on this year’s board of directors.
As a reminder to our local chapter members, please mark your calendar for the joint CalCPA and San Diego County Bar Association mixer being held on Wednesday, June 3, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Please consider coming out to meet some fellow practitioners and mingle with some local attorneys. I think this will be an excellent opportunity to build relationships and develop professional ties across our professions. Check it out and register online.
— Joseph A. Forlenza, CPA
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April 20th, 2009
By Marleen Thudium, CPA
It has truly been a pleasure serving as your chapter president during this last year. I owe you my deepest thanks for the opportunity to experience numerous highlights over the past 12 months.
The Leadership Institute that I attended with Joe Forlenza prepared me for my presidency, as well as provided me with information that is helping me in my own business. In fact, I recently referred to one of the Leadership Institute’s textbooks as a resource. While I was told that it would be a life-changing event, I didn’t realize the truth of that statement until now. The scope of my imagination was changed positively by this event. I am now aware of things that were beyond my imagination a year ago. I encourage you to apply for the Leadership Institute.
The installation dinner was exceptional! Thank you to Bob Magnusson and friends for providing outstanding entertainment. Also, special thanks to Carmen Conrady for putting it together and honoring my special request of a five-piece band.
I would like to extend my thanks to some key individuals who supported me during my presidency: Joe Forlenza for his wise advice; Gary Hammond, our program director, for his enthusiastic and innovative ideas; Carmen Conrady for trying new things; Sharon Lightner for her vision and dedication; Melody Thornton for making the time to attend additional meetings consistently; special committees that gave extra time to discuss future programs; and the entire leadership team of officers, directors, steering committees, committee chairs and co-chairs, as well as discussion group chairs, who made sure that our events and activities happened throughout the year. Most of all, I would like to thank the membership for your continued support of CalCPA with your dues and volunteer participation.
I’ve enjoyed the chance to visit with students who participated in our chapter during CPA Day at the Capitol and financial literacy committee. Special thanks to the students from USD and SDSU who supported our efforts on behalf of SB 691 by meeting area legislators. The staff at the different offices has warmly welcomed us. Many of the legislators are interested in working with us to offer financial literacy to their constituents.
With a new year, there is always change. I’m excited to welcome Joe Forlenza as our new president for 2009-10. As we begin this historic year, please join me at the Chapter Installation May 20, 5:30–7:30 p.m., at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. Also, please mark your calendar for an evening mixer June 3 with the San Diego County Bar Association at the Bar Center in downtown. Thank you Leslie Mittanck for spearheading this new event.
Thank you so much for a wonderful year. It has been a pleasure serving the membership of the San Diego Chapter.
— Marleen Thudium, CPA
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March 19th, 2009
By Marleen Thudium, CPA
Since most CPAs are either too busy at the start of the month or too tired at the end of the month to consider having a financial literacy event, it’s hard to imagine why we celebrate Financial Literacy in April. However, April is a great time to take stock of the happenings of the past year. Taxes can tell us so much about an individual. Have you found that you are passionate about a financial literacy topic right after taxes and then lose momentum over the next few months? I suggest you make a note of the topic and share your passion with the chapter’s board. Let’s make financial literacy an integral part of our contribution to the community.
I challenge CPAs to learn about CalCPA’s financial literacy offerings, as well as those of other organizations, such as the California Jump$tart Coalition, Junior Achievement and Operation HOPE. Let CalCPA, including the chapter board and Crystil Turner in the Redwood City office know of any outstanding programs being offered by schools or government organizations. We would like to recognize your hard work and partner with you in your efforts.
This upcoming year is a special one as we celebrate CalCPA’s centennial—100 years as an organization is quite an achievement! Locally, we will celebrate the centennial at the May 20 Chapter Installation at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. On the state level, we will celebrate the centennial at a gala June 19 at the Fairmont in San Francisco. I encourage you to mark your calendar now for these special events—and register today.
For all of you working hard through busy season, we look forward to seeing you soon at a CalCPA event.
— Marleen Thudium, CPA
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March 1st, 2009
By Marleen Thudium, CPA
I would like to begin with a special “Thank You” to Carmen Conrady for her cheerful nature and inspiration as she served as our chapter’s program associate during the past year. It was a pleasure working with her. Best wishes and success to Carmen in her position with the Education Foundation! Also, I would like to thank Gary Hammond for his service as our chapter’s program director. His encouragement for more involvement in the YEP program was greatly appreciated and produced some positive effects.
Please join me as I welcome Cindy Holcomb, our new program associate, who brings Texas hospitality and flavor to our chapter. I’m also thrilled to welcome back Maria Nazario as our program director. She was so excited that she even gave up her vacation to attend our February board meeting.
Mark your calendars now for several important events! The installation dinner for our new president, Joseph A. Forlenza, will be May 20 at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. Recently, Joe was elected to the Nominating Committee for the CalCPA Council. Congrats!
The new membership luncheon will be held April 29. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the benefits and value of membership in CalCPA!
Congratulations to our local college students who took first and second place recently at the Regional Best Practices competition in Las Vegas. The University of San Diego placed first with a project related to career services and financial awareness for college students. Good luck to the students as they move to the next competitive level!
San Diego State University students placed second with their interactive financial literacy budgeting and credit project. Their goal is to work with CalCPA to present their project to various organizations, such as schools and churches. The students have posted information about this project on their website. Also, the students will be offering a CPE class to CalCPA during the summer on G-mail, as well as how to integrate business processes. This will include the mail function, shared calendars and shared documents. Attendees will learn how to keep cost down, improve efficiency and provide continuity within their organization.
To all of you have a great busy season!
— Marleen Thudium, CPA
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February 5th, 2009
By Marleen Thudium, CPA
With tax season about to begin, my predictions were that January would be slow for the San Diego Chapter. It turned out that there was nothing slow about our chapter’s events or CalCPA’s. Our ABC Night was a full house, with people being turned away. The keynote speaker, an economist from Union Bank, was able to:
- tell a joke (and we all laughed);
- talk about the economy (and we all understood what he was saying);
- relate the economy in the United States to Japan; and
- give relevant local information.
This was truly an event worth attending.
Our International Committee and Financial Literacy and Business and Industry interest groups met in January. The Litigation Interest Group will meet again Wednesday, Feb. 11. If you are interested in any of these meetings, please check the website for upcoming events.
Additionally, our new Downtown Breakfast Discussion Group and the La Mesa Discussion Group met in January. Because the La Mesa group meets close to my home, I attend these gatherings when I’m available and find them well worth my time. On another note, Dick Maches, our Life’s a Beach Discussion Group leader, attended his first board meeting after surgery. Dick, we are so glad to have you back. For all of you members who have not yet attended a discussion group, consider trying at least one group—or all of them—to see which one meets your needs.
Now for CalCPA activities. The chapter sponsored five students to attend CPA Day at the Capitol Jan. 21: Malachi Harper (California State University, San Marcos) and Ryan Rios, Jessica Minick, Wesley Martin and Laurie Schrimpf, all from San Diego State University.
The day of the event, we all met at Terminal 1 for Southwest Airlines’ 6:55 a.m. flight to Sacramento. The students all seemed to have secured their boarding passes hours before the rest of us, which means that they got aisle and widow seats, and we ended up in the center seats between them. What a wealth of information they provided. I learned quite a bit from these students. CPA Day was outstanding, and a group of legislators came to our opening events and talked with us individually. Later we went to their offices, where legislative aides spent a considerable amount of time with us. This does not happen often. Of particular interest to them was the financial literacy program. Many legislators said they would take us up on our offer to help with the program.
The CalCPA Council held its meeting the following day, and featured presentations from two speakers. In her presentation, Selvi Stanislaus of the Franchise Tax Board encouraged all of us to e-mail her with our concerns, and she promised to look into them. The other speaker was AICPA Chair Ernie Almonte, who spoke about the economy. Sharon Lightner has invited Almonte to speak here in San Diego, and we will keep you informed of when and where—he is well worth hearing.
During our council meeting, we held the graduation ceremony for the Leadership Institute, which our chapter’s secretary, Melody Thornton, completed and graduated from. During the meeting, CalCPA Chair Greg Burke asked us to complete our strategic plan. Please send your information or ideas to chapter program associate Cindy Holcomb. We would like to hear your thoughts.
Your participation is important to CalCPA. For more information about upcoming events, please see our website.
— Marleen Thudium, CPA
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January 21st, 2009
By Marleen Thudium, CPA
Dec. 17 was our annual Christmas party, and our Young and Emerging Professionals added a community spirit element by having Toys for Tots donations. The Toys for Tots drive was made extra special by the representation of the United States Marines, one of whom has participated in the Toys for Tots drive with the Marines for the last 20 years and was instrumental in starting the campaign. We thank these officers for volunteering their time to the program and for their service in the military.
At the party we recognized our past presidents. For all of you who attended, thank you for coming, and we would like to thank all of our past presidents for their past and current contributions to CalCPA. Of particular notice was the absence of Dick Maches, a past president and a 40-year member. Dick is actively involved with the board on a monthly basis and heads the La Jolla Life’s a Beach discussion group. He brings a wonderful sense of humor to the board of directors meeting. Right now Dick is home sick, and we miss him. We hope he gets well soon and will again join us as soon as he can. For all of you who would like to send Dick a get well soon card, please contact chapter program associate Carmen Conrady for more information.
This year, unlike many of the past years, the Young and Emerging Professionals had 15 people at the Christmas party. I would like to thank all of our YEPs for participating this year and for your contribution to CalCPA. Keep up the good work.
I hope everyone has a happy new year.
— Marleen Thudium, CPA
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December 4th, 2008
By Marleen Thudium, CPA
Fall is now complete, Christmas at Roy’s will be held Dec. 17 and CPA Day at the Capitol is coming Jan. 21.
This fall came and went in a blur. There was the U.S.–Mexico Day, which was a fantastic event. Then came the Paperless and Technology Demo Day to help us all be more green and learn about the latest tax software.
The joint meeting with the Hong Kong Business Association gave a glimpse of all that is happening in the Pacific Rim.
Student Day saw many young students ready to spend a day with someone in the profession. For those who volunteered to host a student, the day was fantastic. Additionally, this event was my first opportunity to hear a speaker from the California Board of Accountancy, which was very informative and interesting
Our financial literacy volunteers had their first monthly meeting with a group of eager professionals and students from San Diego State University. The financial literacy group was tasked to coordinate one event this month this month with a group of students or adults to discuss topics related to financial literacy.
This is the first year that I made an appearance at the Tax Institute, which had a familiarity to it that I had not expected. It was like mashed potatoes for Sunday dinner in the Midwest. Taxes are a major part of what many of us do in our daily work, and the Tax Institute represents that core group of our accounting profession.
Our chapter interest and discussion groups met monthly throughout the year. If you have not attended one of these meetings, now is a great time to make a commitment to participate in the upcoming year. This next year should bring a Downtown Discussion Group to the list of available opportunities for networking and CPE. Check the chapter’s website for upcoming dates.
Our chapter’s Christmas party at Roy’s in La Jolla will be held Wednesday, Dec. 17. If you have not done so already, sign up today!
This year CalCPA is asking all members to participate in meetings with our local legislators. Your effort to attend is greatly appreciated. Your attendance is also requested at CPA Day at the Capitol Wednesday, Jan 21. Please mark your calendars and make your airline reservations. CalCPA is working hard to help pass 150-hours legislation. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, check out the mobility resources online.
— Marleen Thudium, CPA
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