Archive for October, 2010
I have had my iPad for awhile now and use it almost every day. One of the biggest advantages for me is the size and convenience of the device. For example, when I am out at the out at the softball diamond with my daughters I can easily pack the iPad and rely on it instead of packing my laptop. I would like to share with you a couple of examples of how I have used my iPad.
The Basics
First I have all of my email, calendar and contacts synced to it from our Exchange server. When I am on the road it is easier to write larger and respond to emails on the iPad rather than on my Droid phone, and can look up contacts and calendar items, while on the telephone if necessary.
I also have Team Viewer and iTAP RDP apps installed on this device. Team Viewer’s iPad version makes it easy to remote support PCs and the iTAP helps remote support the servers we maintain. We have a link on the web to download the Team Viewer client and once I get the ID I can connect to the PC and work on it, as if I was sitting at the machine. This has come in handy during lunch, on the weekends at the softball diamonds and at the firm’s Day of Caring (for example for a client of ours).
I also help maintain the firm’s web site and social sites. I can use the iPad to help here as well. For example, to update Twitter I use the Twitter app or to update the firm’s website I use the WordPress app to help update and make the changes to the firm’s website. I am also looking to use TweetDeck or HelloTXTR to update multiple social sites with ease.
Since my first article on the iPad I have also added the USA Today app and a DNS lookup app to my iPad. I also added the Drop Box app which is nice if you have a couple of sales people with PCs or iPads that need access to up-to-date documents. With this app they can always have the latest versions of the documents at their finger tips.
There really are more and more uses for this device and if you would like to discuss the potential use in your organization, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me.
by Melissa Merrick | Rex Miller, CPA
Team Members of the Manufacturing & Distribution Services Group
The Section 199 deduction (also referred to as the domestic manufacturing deduction, U.S. production activities deduction, and domestic production deduction) is a tax break for businesses that perform domestic manufacturing and certain other production activities. It was established by the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 in an effort to ease the tax burden of domestic manufacturers and as a result make the investment in domestic manufacturing facilities more advantageous.
Indianapolis Monthly released their 2010 survey of Five Star Wealth Managers. For a second year in a row, Anita Sherman and Larry Greenwalt have been named 2010 Five Star Wealth Managers. Larry Greenwalt was honored under the category of Taxation and Anita Sherman was honored under the category of Business Planning. This award places Larry and Anita among an elite group of Indianapolis accountants and CPAs. In Indianapolis, the resulting list represents less than 4 percent of the wealth managers in the Indianapolis area.
The Five Star Program and its research process adheres to the guidelines established within the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 regarding third-party recognition. The 2010 Five Star Wealth Managers do not pay a fee to be included in the research, or the final list of Five Star Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Managers.
Each respondent is asked to evaluate only wealth managers whom they know through personal experience, and to evaluate them on nine criteria: customer service, integrity, communication, knowledge/expertise, value for fee charged, whether the wealth manager meets client financial objectives, post-sale service, quality of recommendations, and overall satisfaction
by Stacey L. Spencer, QKA, Manager, Employee Benefits Group
On September 27, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (SBJA). This new law permits Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) plan sponsors to amend their plans to allow individuals to transfer otherwise distributable money from their 401(k) pre-tax account to a Roth account within the same 401(k) plan.
by Angela N. Crawford, CPA | Tax Services Group
Under Indiana law, nearly every business organization is required to annually report unclaimed property to the Indiana Attorney General’s office by November 1. The penalty for failure to file is $100 per day late, up to $5,000.
Greenwalt CPAs is pleased to announce that Amanda Meko, CPA has been named the Director, Audit & Other Assurance Services Group. Amanda is a Partner at the firm and also serves as the Team Leader of the firm’s Not-for-Profit Services Group. Meko will assume the Director responsibilities previously held by Anita Sherman, CPA, who recently was named as the incoming Managing Partner of Greenwalt CPAs.