September Newsletter

Volume 2009 Issue 3

Upcoming Clusters
Sign Up Today for CPE!

Career Advice
From the Mouths of Young CPAs

Getting Started In the World of Social Media
Perks Keep Public Accountants at Work

Financial Fitness
It Ain't Easy, But You Can Retire Well
Your Five Minute Guide To Travel Deals
When Is The Best Time To Buy?

Question or Comment? We're all ears.

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Upcoming Conferences


get the scoop State Tax Conference Nov. 2 Cool Springs Marriott, Franklin Conference highlights: Legislative Update, State & Local Tax Update, Business Tax/Sales Tax Update, Tennessee Tax Planning Roundtable, Commissioner Update, TN Department of Revenue Roundtable, Economic Development Update (including tax incentives) Click here more information.	fully loaded Tennessee Accounting & Auditing Symposium Nov. 9-10 Willis Conference Center, Nashville Conference highlights: AICPA Update, Technology Tools to Prevent Fraud, Internal IT Controls for Small Business, Transition to IFRS, Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Fair Value Accounting, XBRL Level 1, FIN48, PCAOB Update, ASB Update, Ethics, Financing Your Business in a Distressed Economy, SAS 99 - Detecting & Preventing Accounting Software/Security Problems, Accounting for Non-Profit Entity, White Collar Crime: Why? What? Who? Click here for more information.	Tennessee Federal Tax Conference Nov. 18-19 Cool Springs Marriott, Franklin, Tenn. Conference highlights: Ethical Issues in Estate Planning, TN State-Specific Ethics, Intermediary, NEXUS, Tennessee Tax Update, Economic Outlook, Real Estate, AMT, IRS Collections, Tax Accounting Update, Intermediate Estate Planning, Non-Profit Audit Issues, Corporate Update, Compensation Planning, Partnership/LLC – Capital Interest Series LLC, International Tax, Retirement Planning for Small Businesses, Recent Developments in Federal Income Taxation Click here for more information.

Upcoming Clusters

made to order
Chattanooga Cluster
Sept. 23-25
The Chattanoogan Hotel & Conference Center, Chattanooga

The Chattanooga Cluster offers high-quality continuing education courses from AICPA. Earn up to 24 hours of CPE credit in three short days!

Click here for more information.

level the playing field
Smoky Mountain Cluster
Oct. 19-23
Music Road Hotel & Convention Center, Pigeon Forge

Have some fun in the Smoky Mountains this fall! Join us at the Music Road Hotel & Convention Center for a week of education and relaxation. Earn up to 40 hours of CPE credit while taking in the sites and scenery of the Smoky Mountains. This year’s cluster features more than 20 courses covering the latest in accounting and auditing, taxation, management and technology.

Click here for more information.

raise your score
Tunica Cluster
Nov. 12-13
Harrah's Casino & Hotel
Tunica, MS

The Tunica Cluster is the perfect setting to combine earning CPE with fun extracurricular activities at the Harrah's Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Miss. The Harrah's offers 24-hour gaming, live shows, great restaurants and a variety of shopping opportunities.

Click here for more information.

Sign Up Today for CPE!

TSCPA offers hundreds of CPE courses every year, many of them targeting young CPAs. Whether you're new on the job and looking for a beginner course or you're just looking to take an update course and catch up on the latest changes in standards, TSCPA strives to meet your needs with quality CPE that's convenient for you.

For a listing of upcoming CPE courses, click here.

From the Mouths of Young CPAs

By Marc Rosenberg, Web CPA, www.webcpa.com

What do young CPAs want from their firms? Think again. Last fall, a group of 15 young staff from Chicago area firms got together for the Fourth Annual Rosenberg Associates Staff Forum to get candid about what it’s really like to be young and just starting out in an accounting firm. Here are some of the key realizations from that meeting.

Click here for full article.

Getting Started In The World of Social Media

By Brian Swanson, Web CPA, www.webcpa.com

As a new or young accountant there are a number of responsibilities and challenges on your plate.

Much of your time is dedicated to training on regulations (such as GAAP, tax codes, etc), internal firm processes, the studying for the CPA exam, CPE courses if you are credentialed, not to mention the day-to-day tasks associated with client service and delivery.

Click here for full article.

Perks Keep Public Accountants at Work

By Dona DeZube, Monster, www.career-advice.monster.com

There's no getting around it: Public accountants work a lot of hours. But accounting firms are betting that family- and work/life balance-friendly benefits like telecommuting, on-site day care and formal programs to help returning employees ease back into the workplace after a leave will keep more accountants on the job.

Given the resources firms invest in recruiting and training new CPAs, retention is often the driver behind these benefits, along with a real desire to make the workplace more appealing to accountants.

Click here for full article.

It Ain't Easy, But You Can Still Retire Well

By Peter Coy, ©Today, www.today.msnbc.msn.com

The expensive approach to retirement is to pile up so much money that you'll be safe no matter how long you live or what goes wrong with your health or the markets. But for many families, the amount required seems ridiculously out of reach, especially after the twin crashes of Wall Street and Main Street. "There's a big sense of futility and hopelessness," says Liz Davidson, founder and chief executive of Financial Finesse, a Manhattan Beach (Calif.) educational firm.

Take courage. There are more efficient and affordable approaches. You can have a secure retirement even if you don't have the biggest nest egg since the extinction of the Great Elephant Bird of Madagascar. In these seemingly out-of-control times, you can actually control many of the factors that will affect your retirement. "The news for most households is not as bad as they think," says Boston University economist Laurence J. Kotlikoff.

Click here for full article.

Your Five Minute Guide To Travel Deals

By MSN Money Staff, MSN Money, www.articles.moneycentral.msn.com

Getting a good deal on travel comes down to planning or dumb luck. You can cross your fingers and hope for the best, or do the research and get the trip you want.

The further out you know your travel schedule, the more time you'll have to watch airfares and lodging rates. Be patient - but not too patient. If you've been researching for a while and a good price pops up, jump on it. It might be gone in a half-hour.

Click here for full article.

When Is the Best Time To Buy?

Yahoo Finance, www.yahoo.com

Timing is everything. To get the best deals, you've got to know when to shop.

There are some purchases that are difficult to time perfectly, such as stocks, airplane tickets and gas. But many other consumer staples - from cars to electronics to furniture - go on sale predictably at certain times of the year, saving you a bundle if you plan your purchases accordingly.

Check out a selection of the best buys for every month of the year.

Click here for full article.

Photo Gallery

From chapter meetings to happy hours to volunteer opportunities, there are countless ways for you to get involved and meet fellow young CPAs.

Does your chapter have an event coming up? Snap a few pictures, then e-mail them to us. We'll use them for future issues of The Loop.



Attendees of the 2009 Young CPA Conference enjoyed a networking reception at Bailey's Pub & Grill.



Chattanooga Chapter Young CPAs David Debrosky, Jeff Geismar, Dan Norton and Mike Ketcham made up the first-place winning team of the chapter’s golf tournament, held this June.	Knoxville Chapter Young CPAs Carrie Greening, Heather Martin and Maurie Douglas pictured at the Knoxville Chapter Committee Day, held at Calhoun’s on the River in Knoxville.



Chattanooga Chapter Young CPAs Catherine Smith, Jack Shearer, Cason Love and Trey White from Ernst & Young enjoyed the June outing.	Chattanooga Chapter Young CPAs Chanda Pepping, Brooke Standefer, Michael Rogers, and Catheryn Konsavage enjoyed the June Young CPA outing held at Taco Mamacita in Chattanooga

Contact Your Chapter's Young CPA Committee

Interested in finding out what Young CPA activities are being planned in your chapter? Contact the Young CPA representative in your chapter.

Appalachian: Matt Loizeaux, mloizeaux@burkcpa.com
Chattanooga: Dan Norton, dsnorton@fsgbank.com
Elk Valley: Beverly Saylor, beverly.saylor@heritagesouth.org
Knoxville: Carrie Greening, cgreening@cj-pc.com
Memphis: Garrett Surles, gsurles@foutsandmorgan.com
Nashville: Briana Mullenax, bmullenax@lbmc.com
Upper Cumberland: Dan Fesler, dfesler@tntech.edu
West Tennessee: Courtney Whitt, Courtney.Whitt@horne-llp.com

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