| Share

Silicon Valley/San Jose Chapter

A blog for and by a community of professionals


President's Message

Lead by Following

September 1, 2010

By Ben Towne, CPA

15_pres_sm_2Even though most of you didn’t need practice, I thank you for coming out to join us at our recent Emerging Professional’s Summer Golf Mixer. Now that you’re all limbered up, come help make the annual Golf Tournament a success Friday, Sept. 17. Be a part of the CalCPA team that generates almost $40,000 in student scholarships each year—and see firsthand what we can accomplish as a team!

Read the rest of this entry »

Chapter News

Member Anniversaries

Congratulations to Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter members celebrating anniversaries this month.

Annual Golf Tournament: Support Our Scholarship Fund—and Have Fun!

Join us for a great day of golf and an opportunity to network with CPAs, bankers, attorneys, clients and associates, at a beautiful setting—Coyote Creek Valley, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. Everyone will succeed with our four-person scramble format. Registration fee includes lunch, dinner, beverages and prizes—and net proceeds benefit the chapter’s scholarship fund. (Note that registration fees and sponsorships are not tax deductible as charitable contributions. Accordingly, donated prizes for these events are not charitable donations.)

Many sponsorship opportunities are available. If you’re interested in being a sponsor, please contact Andrew Bader or Stephanie Stewart.

Register online.

Tax Interest Group: Individual Bankruptcies

Many of our clients are facing financial difficulties, as they may have been laid off from their employment, their business income might be down or out, the value of their investments might have collapsed or they might be facing a short sale or foreclosure for their residence or investment real estate.

In this environment, bankruptcy might offer important relief.

Attorney Michael Malter of Binder & Malter, LLP regularly counsels clients on bankruptcy and insolvency. In this timely seminar, he will introduce important information so we can better advise our clients on when seeking advice from a bankruptcy attorney may be appropriate.

Date: Thursday, Sept. 23

Register online | Download event flier

Community Outreach: CPAs Who Care Walk to Make a Difference

Join chapter past president Donna Bumgarner, fellow CalCPA members, family and friends Saturday, Oct. 30 for the Bay Area American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk in downtown San Jose. This will be our second year participating in this worthwhile event. Keep an eye out for more information about the walk, how to join our chapter team or how to make an online donation. Plan to walk to make a difference!

If you have questions, contact Donna via e-mail or phone at (408) 287-7911.

From our Green Committee: What Do You Know About the Smart Grid?

You may have seen recent press reports that venture investors are pumping billions of dollars into energy innovation. Apparently, there are also billions of dollars in government grants going into developing energy technologies.

All this capital is creating substantial new opportunities here in the Silicon Valley. With that in mind, what do you know about the smart grid? When you think about the power grid of yester-year, negative events like power outages during hot weather and price gouging from interstate energy contracts may come to mind.

However, if the smart grid is everything that is being said about it, benefits will include reduced energy consumption, increased reliability and potentially tens of billions of dollars in savings for businesses. It may also be a source for thousands of new jobs. Given these kinds of opportunities, in addition to the host of big names associated with the smart grid like PG&E, Oracle and Cisco, there may be hundreds of venture backed entities doing what they can to capitalize on smart grid potential.

So as you find yourself talking to people from these companies, Bert Taube, chair of our chapter’s Green Committee, has provided you with a smart grid glossary to give you an enhanced perspective into the smart grid.

Additional information about the smart grid can be found in this article in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. Note that the link will provide the full article to subscribers only until Sept. 6. After Sept. 6, non-subscribers will be able to access the full article.

Chapter Green Committee’s LinkedIn Subgroup

By Bert Taube, chair, chapter Green Committee

As chair of the chapter’s Green Committee, I would like to welcome everyone to our new LinkedIn subgroup. This is the right time to express our interest in clean and green technologies. Our goal is to share thoughts, ideas, questions and relevant information related to green and clean technologies with other CalCPA members. Put it to work for yourself and everyone else in the group. It will get you started with one of the most exciting—yet critical—areas in clean technology and energy.

Attorneys, Bankers and CPAs (ABC) Fallfest

Attorneys, bankers, CPAs and other financial professionals are invited to attend this fall’s foremost networking event at the San Jose City Hall- Rotunda. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres are included. Bring your business cards and come prepared for an enjoyable evening.

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 9

Register online | Download event flier

New-Member Orientation

This presentation is for members who have joined since Nov. 1, 2009, and others interested in learning more about CalCPA and our chapter. You will meet chapter leaders and get an overview of our chapter’s special interest committees. But that’s not all—after the orientation, new SVSJ chapter members may attend our ABC Fallfest at no cost (a $45 value).

Date: Tuesday, Nov 10
Time
: 3:30–4:30 p.m. (one hour prior to ABC Fallfest)
Location
: San Jose City Hall (Room 119)

RSVP: Chapter program coordinator Stephanie Stewart.

CalCPA News

CalCPA Accounting Education Scholarships

Did you know that CalCPA administers two scholarship funds—one for fifth-year students committed to following California’s Pathway 2 to CPA licensure and the other for students pursuing a master’s degree in accountancy or taxation?

Well, we do—and the application deadline—Sept. 30—is fast approaching.

For criteria regarding both scholarships and to download the application, visit our website.


Items of Interest

QuickBooks 2011: What You Need to Know
3 Hours Free CPE for CalCPA Members at Intuit
Download event flier.

New Members

Chapter Event Photos

Chapter News and Information

Monthly Archives

Local Interest Groups

From technical committees to discussion groups, the Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter offers a variety of opportunities to exchange information and connect with your peers. Lists committees or other information within the chapter.

Subscribe

Subscribe to Silicon Valley/San Jose Chapter Bulletin by Email

Subscribe in a reader

What's a reader?
Watch the video tutorial on CalCPA's website. (CalCPA members only)

Contact Us

Program Associate:
Stephanie Stewart
(408) 983-1122

Bulletin Editor:
Steve Grimaud

Program Director:
Vince Chin
(916) 551-2963

1235 Radio Road
Redwood City CA 94065

Chapter Leadership