David Cameron gave MP top job in mistaken belief she was an accountant - Daily Mirror

David Cameron speaks outside 10 Downing Street iabout the death of former Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi (Pic: Reuters)

DAVID Cameron gave young MP Chloe Smith a top job in the Treasury because he mistakenly believed that she was an accountant.

Other Tories had already been astonished by the 29-year-old?s rapid rise.

But her promotion to Economic Secretary might have been the result of a mix-up, it was revealed yesterday.

The PM ? keen to promote women after being stung by criticism that he was failing to connect with female voters ? told Ms Smith of his offer in a phone call.

She thanked Mr Cameron, �according to a report, but said the prospect was ?a �little daunting?.

The PM replied: ?Not daunting surely for someone who was a chartered �accountant??

The MP, who did work for �accountants Deloitte, �confessed: ?Er, well, �actually Prime Minister, I wasn?t an �accountant.

?I was a management �consultant in an �accountancy firm.?

Smooth Mr Cameron, who was reshuffling his team after Liam Fox quit as �Defence Secretary, said ?never mind? and welcomed her to his team.

Ms Smith, who was the youngest MP when she won the Norwich North by-election in 2009, got her new job amid fears that women were not happy with Mr Cameron, believing that they are hit hardest by government cuts.

Yesterday the Women?s �Institute joined the row by accusing the PM of not �listening to women, who have to ?push and fight? to gain recognition.

Ruth Bond, chairman of the National Federation of Women?s Institutes, called the decision to cut legal aid in divorce cases ?chilling?.

She also criticised �ministers for scrapping an �organisation that represents women in Whitehall.

Earlier this month, Mr Cameron apologised for �remarks he made in the Commons that were seen as patronising to female MPs.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/10/23/david-cameron-gave-mp-top-job-in-mistaken-belief-she-was-an-accountant-115875-23507652/

rancho cucamonga accountant rancho cucamonga accounting firms rancho cucamonga accountants

Denver accountant Anton to lead American Institute of CPAs - The Business Journal

Denver accountant Gregory J. Anton is the new chairman of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants� � , the world?s largest organization representing the accounting profession.

Anton, 47, was elected to the one-year volunteer post Wednesday by AICPA?s council.

In his acceptance speech, Anton detailed the ways technology is changing the profession. Automation has transformed the way financial information is collected, processed and presented, but a CPA?s value continues to lie in his or her ability to solve problems and identify opportunities for clients and employers, he said.

?As CPAs, we can decipher, disseminate and manage knowledge,? Anton said. ?This is what a computer or smartphone cannot do.?

Anton outlined a full agenda for the coming year, including a continued push for private company financial reporting standards, the debut of a new management accounting credential, and the celebration of AICPA?s 125th anniversary.

AICPA also is launching an initiative to mobilize retirement-age CPAs to lend their expertise to government, schools, nonprofit groups and the accounting profession as a way to give back and strengthen these organizations during a time of economic duress.

Anton is a co-founder of Anton Collins Mitchell LLP� � , an 85-employee accounting firm with offices in Denver and Greeley. The regional practice has been recognized for both its rapid growth over the past decade and the creation of a desirable work environment.

?I?m hoping to bring a new perspective to attracting and keeping young people involved in and committed to our profession,? Anton said.

Anton is the past president of the University of Northern Colorado� � Alumni Association and past chair of the UNC School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2011/10/19/denver-accountant-anton-to-lead.html

rancho cucamonga cpa firms tax service rancho cucamonga cpa rancho cucamonga ca

NYer Of The Week: Retired Accountant Now A Full-Time Volunteer

'); if(infobox=='True' && ShowInfoBox_l148571_0==false){ jQuery("#player_infobarl148571_0").trigger('click'); ShowInfoBox_l148571_0==true; } }; $.setup_player(Play_Conf); //info bar setup jQuery('#player_infobarl148571_0').click(function() { var $info =jQuery('#player_info_contentl148571_0'); if($info.text()!=''){ var $content = jQuery('div',$info); //min heigth var min = $content.css('min-height'); var max = $content.css('max-height'); $info.slideToggle(600); ShowInfoBox_l148571_0=!ShowInfoBox_l148571_0; } }); });

� To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

A retired accountant is giving back to the New York community through countless volunteer efforts. NY1?s Jessica Abo filed the following report.

When Sami Steigmann retired from being an accountant, he decided it was time to start giving back.

?I like to do two things. Okay, number one, I like to give tours. The other thing that I like to do is, I have a need, it's not a want, it's a need to share and to teach,? says Steigmann.

At 71 years old. this Manhattan resident volunteers at 18 locations. He's a Big Apple Greeter, gives tours of the Intrepid and at Governor's Island, and he helps at New York Cares and with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

NY1 joined Steigmann on his tour through The Museum of Jewish Heritage ? A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. He was born in Romania and is a Holocaust survivor himself.

?That he was able, through internal resources, to choose a path to do good in the world and make peoples' lives better is a remarkable story. He's a remarkable man,? says Dr. David Marwell, director of the museum.

?He does more work than I do, and I do a lot, so I'm really impressed that he's able to do all of these things especially for the museum,? says Monica Brandwein, volunteer coordinator.

Steigmann spends about 60 hours a week volunteering, and he says that number is about to increase thanks to a new organization he helped start.

?I am the co-founder of a new organization called ISME ? Initiative for a Sustainable Midtown East ? and they are looking to help the community become more environmentally aware,? says Steigmann.

His friend and fellow volunteer May Shalit says Steigmann is a gift to every institution he supports.

?My husband and I went with our little grandson Shane and followed his tour on the Intrepid and the facts and figures that he just remembers, it was like a brilliant 18-year-old, his mind,? says Shalit.

For giving so much of his time to New York organizations that need him, Sami Steigmann is the latest New Yorker of the Week.

If you'd like to nominate someone to be NY1's New Yorker of the Week, send an email describing their qualifications to: nyer@ny1.com or mail a letter to:

NY1 News
New Yorker of the Week
75 Ninth Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011

Source: http://www.ny1.com/content/features/148571/nyer-of-the-week--retired-accountant-now-a-full-time-volunteer

cpa in rancho cucamonga cpa firms rancho cucamonga ca Yorke CPA\\\'s

NYer Of The Week: Retired Accountant Now A Full-Time Volunteer

'); if(infobox=='True' && ShowInfoBox_l148571_0==false){ jQuery("#player_infobarl148571_0").trigger('click'); ShowInfoBox_l148571_0==true; } }; $.setup_player(Play_Conf); //info bar setup jQuery('#player_infobarl148571_0').click(function() { var $info =jQuery('#player_info_contentl148571_0'); if($info.text()!=''){ var $content = jQuery('div',$info); //min heigth var min = $content.css('min-height'); var max = $content.css('max-height'); $info.slideToggle(600); ShowInfoBox_l148571_0=!ShowInfoBox_l148571_0; } }); });

� To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

A retired accountant is giving back to the New York community through countless volunteer efforts. NY1?s Jessica Abo filed the following report.

When Sami Steigmann retired from being an accountant, he decided it was time to start giving back.

?I like to do two things. Okay, number one, I like to give tours. The other thing that I like to do is, I have a need, it's not a want, it's a need to share and to teach,? says Steigmann.

At 71 years old. this Manhattan resident volunteers at 18 locations. He's a Big Apple Greeter, gives tours of the Intrepid and at Governor's Island, and he helps at New York Cares and with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

NY1 joined Steigmann on his tour through The Museum of Jewish Heritage ? A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. He was born in Romania and is a Holocaust survivor himself.

?That he was able, through internal resources, to choose a path to do good in the world and make peoples' lives better is a remarkable story. He's a remarkable man,? says Dr. David Marwell, director of the museum.

?He does more work than I do, and I do a lot, so I'm really impressed that he's able to do all of these things especially for the museum,? says Monica Brandwein, volunteer coordinator.

Steigmann spends about 60 hours a week volunteering, and he says that number is about to increase thanks to a new organization he helped start.

?I am the co-founder of a new organization called ISME ? Initiative for a Sustainable Midtown East ? and they are looking to help the community become more environmentally aware,? says Steigmann.

His friend and fellow volunteer May Shalit says Steigmann is a gift to every institution he supports.

?My husband and I went with our little grandson Shane and followed his tour on the Intrepid and the facts and figures that he just remembers, it was like a brilliant 18-year-old, his mind,? says Shalit.

For giving so much of his time to New York organizations that need him, Sami Steigmann is the latest New Yorker of the Week.

If you'd like to nominate someone to be NY1's New Yorker of the Week, send an email describing their qualifications to: nyer@ny1.com or mail a letter to:

NY1 News
New Yorker of the Week
75 Ninth Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011

Source: http://www.ny1.com/content/features/148571/nyer-of-the-week--retired-accountant-now-a-full-time-volunteer

rancho cucamonga accountants accountants rancho cucamonga accounting rancho cucamonga

Ten tips for picking the perfect accountant

Hiring an accountant for your business is no longer just about finding someone good at number-crunching and getting the maximum returns come tax-filing time.

Registered professional accountant Fernando Renna, for one, has seen the role change dramatically since he began his business 28 years ago in Cambridge, Ont.

More related to this story

?We?re not just bean counters any more,? says Mr. Renna, a spokesman for the board of directors of the Society of Professional Accountants of Canada. ?Thirty or 40 years ago, business owners may have said, ?Here are my books, do my taxes, goodbye and I?ll see you next year.? Now, accountants are expected to do a lot more.?

There is more demanded of accountants as businesses emphasize risk management ? one of the repercussions of the global economic downturn, according to a recent report by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is based in London, England.

?Business success depends on the ability to make sound decisions in a risky, uncertain world,? says the report titled Accountancy: The Future Outlook, based on interviews with 750 chief financial officers, partners and senior finance executives. ?Qualified accountants can help management teams to make those decisions, based on information drawn from accurate data and informed by broad business knowledge.?

Stan Swartz, of Sloan Partners LLP Chartered Accountants in Toronto, sees accountants as business sleuths.

?We look below the surface to see what helps business owners, or what?s causing [their business] not to do well, or give advice on how to turn it around or help them determine if it?s time to pack it in,? says Mr. Swartz, who is also a certified management consultant and financial planner.

When just starting out, business owners may be inclined to use a buddy from school who does some accounting, but that strategy just won?t do as the business grows and becomes more complex, stresses Frank Fazzari, a managing partner of Fazzari & Partners LLP Chartered Accountants in Vaughan, Ont.

So how do you go about finding a great accountant?

Here are 10 tips, including questions to ask in an interview:

1. Get referrals:

   Mr. Renna, Mr. Swartz and Mr. Fazzari say they get 90 per cent of their clients through word of mouth. ?When someone has been referred to me by a friend, I feel a double obligation to do my job well,? stresses Mr. Fazzari. You can also get referrals from professional associations.

2. Determine your business needs:

   Do you want an accountant to just handle the books and file your taxes, or someone who can give advice, and who will be there as your business grows? Most business owners want someone to advise them on a range of things. ?A lot of people go to their accountants before they go to a lawyer, because [we] can help them deal with leases, franchise agreements ? we have that well-rounded knowledge,? says Mr. Fazzari, adding it?s also important to ask if the accountant has the credentials to sign financial statements and do statutory compliance work.

3. Get licensed candidates:

   There are three professional accountancy designations, each with different educational requirements and duties. Chartered accountants (CA) have global recognition and their services range from startup counselling to acting as a trustee for receivership, insolvency or bankruptcy. Certified management accountants (CMA) integrate accounting expertise with advanced management skills, and certified general accountants (CGA) have a range of duties, from providing insights into financial statements and reports to overseeing internal accounting processes. ?You have to get a certain degree of education and a certain amount of experience before you get these designations, and there are ethical rules that have to be met,? says Mr. Swartz.

4. More related to this story

   More from The Globe and Mail

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-money/valuation/ten-tips-for-picking-the-perfect-accountant/article2186815/?utm_medium=Feeds:%20RSS/Atom&utm_source=Report%20On%20Business&utm_content=2186815

accounting firms rancho cucamonga ca cpa rancho cucamonga rancho cucamonga cpa firm

Wareham town accountant succeeded by private firm - SouthCoastToday.com

By ANIKA CLARK

October 22, 2011 12:00 AM

WAREHAM ? The staffing upheaval in Wareham's accounting department may soon be over.

"We've appointed a town accountant," said Town Administrator Mark Andrews Friday, after accepting the recommendation of a screening committee. "It's a business arrangement with a company who had applied through the process."

Baystate Municipal Accounting Group is headed by Justin Cole, according to Andrews, who said the company comes "very well recommended" and is experienced at the town's accounting system. Most recently available Secretary of the Commonwealth filings indicate Baystate is a Maynard-based firm and lists Cole as president, secretary, treasurer and director.

Hiring the company would fill the position vacated by Elizabeth Zaleski, who left the post after a draft audit report for fiscal 2010 found a six-figure discrepancy between the accountant's general ledger and the treasurer's cash balance. Zaleski defended herself with a lawyer who contended the town hadn't followed the proper termination process. Ultimately, the town reached a settlement with Zaleski of $42,500.

Andrews said he didn't immediately know how many candidates had applied for the position. He said the screening committee was chaired by John Foster, treasurer/collector; Ana Miranda, director of operations/finance for Wareham Public Schools; Samuel Gray of the Finance Committee; and Selectman Ellen Begley. The matter must still be put before the Board of Selectmen, which has 15 days to review it, said Andrews, who said the company would work from Town Hall.

Reader Reaction We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
Not sure how to add your comment? Here's how

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFe_2bM7hYsy_8BvJ4nsXGNqa10cQ&url=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111022/NEWS/110220338

cpa rancho cucamonga california cpa in rancho cucamonga cpa firms rancho cucamonga ca

Accountants embrace levity to boost food bank project - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

For several years now the local office of BKD, an accounting firm with offices all over the country, has made raising money for Community Harvest Food Bank one of its primary charitable causes.

It encourages staff members to contribute and asks them to approach friends, family members and even some clients for donations.

The big fundraising push comes just before Thanksgiving. As a lure, certain staff members agreed to do what you might call silly things if they met their fundraising goal.

One year they agreed to grow beards, not too daring, except for one accountant who couldn�t grow one. In later years, they agreed to wear 3�-inch red high heels to the company party, take the polar bear plunge in the St. Joseph River on New Year�s Day and yet another year to take part in a four-mile run on Thanksgiving Day, even though none of them was a runner.

The efforts have paid off pretty well. In the last eight years, BKD has raised $24,200, which it has contributed to the food bank�s annual Turkey Rally.

Food bank officials say that in the last four years its Turkey Rally has raised $27,409, plus around 1,000 turkeys and around 3,000 pounds of other food.

So BKD�s efforts alone have raised a substantial portion of the Thanksgiving food drive. Last year, for example, the firm raised $8,200.

The problem with an annual project like this, though, is that the firm has to come up with a new silly stunt every year.

This year, the firm has set a goal of raising $6,000, and for each $1,500 raised one accountant will dress up as a living Christmas tree and put himself on display during BKD�s client night at the Festival of Trees at the Embassy Theatre. If the push raises $9,000, the local office�s overall boss will even dress as a tree.

If you want to look silly, I can�t think of a better way to do it than to show up at a Christmas tree exhibition dressed as a Christmas tree.

One wonders, though, isn�t there a certain amount of risk in this? These guys are accountants. Maybe some of them are closet joggers, but don�t they wear gray suits and pore humorlessly over columns of numbers most of the time? Isn�t showing up dressed as a Christmas tree a little out of character?

Well, yes, said Jeremy Carnahan, a CPA and manager with BKD, but they�ve got a pretty personal relationship with their clients, and most of them know about the firm�s involvement in the food bank program, so they�ll understand.

Plus, the stunt will take place at a party of sorts, not during a consultation on tax law.

Carnahan, who had no idea what an important part his firm�s fundraiser played in the food bank�s Thanksgiving food drive, would actually like to expand the overall effort.

�My ultimate goal is to institutionalize this,� Carnahan said. �My long-range vision is to get other businesses involved. I�d like it to be a food bank event, not just a BKD fundraiser. It could become one of the marquee fundraisers in Fort Wayne.�

Carnahan and other staffers will be accepting donations from the people they approach.

For the general public, the food bank�s Turkey Rally will take place Nov. 3, when people will be encouraged to bring holiday food items and frozen turkeys or hams or cash donations to the food bank at 999 E. Tillman Road. Donations will be accepted from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. that day.

Frank Gray reflects on his and others� experiences in columns published Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. He can be reached by phone at 461-8376, by fax at 461-8893, or by email at fgray@jg.net. You can also follow him at twitter.com (@FrankGrayJG).

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFx7RrfjKGp9aD8kXdLvFtHCsSqnw&url=http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111018/LOCAL0201/310189976/1002/LOCAL

Yorke CPA\\\'s www.yorkecpas.com rancho cucamonga accounting