Apply today. Application deadline is Sept. 1.

Some helpful tips before taking the survey include:

• The following reports are needed to complete the survey: accrual basis balance sheet, profit & loss statement ending 12-31-09 (2 year comparative); payroll reports by employee (gross wages, hours worked); A/R aging report; partner draw/salary information; from billing system (hours & fees)—billing by service code; employee analysis by service code; and employee analysis of billable/non-billable hours and fees.
• Keep copies of all your supporting documents to refer to for future surveys.
• Set up memorized reports now, so they are available for future surveys.

If your firm is not yet a PCPS member, you can join for $35 per CPA (maximum $700). Nonmembers can purchase results reports for $300 (survey participants receive a $100 discount; AICPA members receive an additional $100 discount.)

The survey closes Friday, Aug. 13.

For more information, go online.

Hello San Joaquin Chapter! I would like to welcome and thank our new slate of officers and committee chairs for 2010–11. The following people dedicate their attention and care to the committees/positions below to bring CPE events and fund-raisers to our area.

2010-11 Chapter Officers and Directors
President: Michelle E. Benton
Vice President: Richard D. Cline
Secretary/Treasurer: Damien R. Martin
Past President: Christine (Chrissy) M. Stiles

Directors
Garry J. Browning
Cynthia Guerrero
Sheril V. Imfeld
Tara E. Eastwood
Eric Vander Veen
Christopher H. Weed

2010–11 Chapter Committee Chairs
ABC Night: Garry J. Browning
Accounting Principles & Auditing Standards: Mark J. Croce and Susan Y. Hudgens
Emerging Professionals: Eric D. Vander Veen
Estate Planning: Richard D. Cline                         
Financial Literacy: Michelle E. Benton
Golf Tournament: Nathan A. Miller and Ralph Bucheli
Government Relations: Garry J. Browning
Litigation: Eileen M. Pastenieks
Management of an Accounting Practice: Eileen M. Pastenieks
Membership: Christine M. Stiles
Personal Financial Planning: Christopher H. Weed
Taxation: Garry J. Browning
Technology: Ralph Bucheli

Our chapter reinstituted the ABC Night May 20 and it was a great success with 106 attorneys, bankers and CPAs in attendance. Thank you to Gary Browning for all of his efforts as event chair.

The San Joaquin YEP Certificate Program kicked off with 12 registered members. I would like to thank Lammert Van Laar and Gary Hammond for facilitating an after-class discussion. After just two classes complete thus far, the responses have been fabulous!

The litigation lunch class recently held in Stockton was overbooked with a topic of fraud in the workplace and forensic credential overview. Thank you to CalCPA Chair Conrad Davis, Annette Stalker and Eileen Pastenieks for coordinating the event.

Our annual golf tournament is quickly coming up Aug. 2! This event raises money for our chapter’s Scholarship Fund. All of the scholarships given from this fund stay at the local seven colleges and universities. Our fund is severely low and we are at risk of only being able to give a few scholarships this November. Please send some of your staff, clients, friends and family to the golf tournament to support our future accounting professionals! It’s not too late to sign up online. I hope to see everyone there!

Financial literacy remains a key focus of CalCPA, and it will be accelerated this coming year. CalCPA will be sending an informational brochure to more than 2,000 high schools and colleges in California, which will invite educators to learn more about presenting financial literacy topics to their students. CalCPA members have already exposed more than 20,000 students to financial literacy presentations. Out goal is to reach 20,000 more within the next year.

In addition, financial literacy has provided a way for members to give back to their communities by introducing important financial topics to students and the general public.

If you are interested in volunteering, you can change your volunteer preferences in your CalCPA member profile, or contact Crystil Turner, CalCPA’s community outreach manager.

More information on CalCPA’s student outreach programs is available online.

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The CPA Activate Pass* is one such tool. Attend up to 80 hours of live CPE, including webcasts, plus unlimited Education Foundation online courses. Your CPA Activate pass will provide you with CPE you need to maintain your professional credibility-fast.

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*CPA Activate Pass is valid Sept. 15, 2009-March 15, 2010. Program and pricing for CPAs who currently have inactive California licenses.

Summer was in “full swing” Aug. 3 when our chapter hosted its annual golf tournament at the Stockton Golf & Country Club. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The weather was perfect for our 68 golfers and the venue was great, located right on the San Joaquin River. It was a wonderful day to get out of the office and network with other professionals.

Mark Croce and Eric Vander Veen, once again, barbequed a delicious lunch and at the end of the day, there were hors d’oeuvres and cocktails to enjoy while the winners of the tournament were announced. Chase Chevrolet donated a car for the hole-in-one contest. A few golfers were “concerned about their golf game” and possibly breaking the windows of the car, but it was returned to Chase Chevrolet (in one piece!) as no one had a hole in one.

Our golf committee, chaired by Nate Miller, worked hard over the last few months to put the tournament together. This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, including Employer Network, our Eagle Sponsor. Thank you to all of the golfers and sponsors for coming out and supporting our scholarship fund. And for those of you who missed this year’s tournament, there’s always next year!

I also want to bring your attention to some of the great local CPE that will be offered in the next few months. I encourage everyone to sign up for these classes. We don’t have very many offered here in the San Joaquin Valley, so I encourage everyone to attend, as we can all benefit. Think of how great it is to be able to drive a half hour to a class, instead of an hour or more-usually during rush-hour traffic!

PFP Committee Chair Chris Weed will be hosting a financial planning workshop Oct. 22 at the Stockton Hilton. The topics will include property and casualty insurance, annuities, long-term care insurance and investing in bonds. Net proceeds will also benefit our scholarship fund.

Also, the Education Foundation will be hosting a Fraud CPE class Tuesday Oct. 27 at the Doubletree Hotel in Modesto. But you don’t have to wait until October to take advantage of local CPE classes. There will be a three-hour Adobe Acrobat class offered Monday, Sept. 28 at Community Hospice in Modesto. Some of the topics that will be covered are merging PDF files, extracting pages and encryption options. Just take a look at our chapter’s homepage for more information and to sign up.

I hope everyone enjoys these last few weeks of summer and I look forward to seeing you at our local CPE classes this fall!

Well, we have survived another tax season. I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to end! But, I’m glad it’s behind us and I hope everyone is getting the much-needed rest and time off that they deserve.

I am excited about being your new chapter president and am looking forward to a successful year. First, I want to thank our past president, Michelle Benton, and all of the officers, board members and committee chairs for all of their hard work this past year. Our chapter’s success is due in great part to their continued support and involvement.

There is a lot to look forward to during this next year. One of the biggest upcoming events is CalCPA’s Centennial gala Friday, June 19 at The Fairmont in San Francisco. This fun-filled evening will include dinner, dancing and a silent auction. Also, our chapter’s golf committee is working hard at planning another successful tournament this year, which is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3 at the Stockton Golf and Country Club. Net proceeds benefit our chapter’s scholarship fund. More information will follow, but be sure to mark your calendars and register early for both of these great events!

One of my goals for this year is to bring the financial literacy program to our local high schools. CalCPA has been running the program for several years and has presentations suited to the high school level, including topics such as credit cards, savings and investing, and money management. In today’s economy, it’s crucial that we get out and teach these young adults the importance of financial responsibility so they can avoid the financial situations that many Americans are in today. I would love to see some new faces from our chapter help volunteer for this, so stay tuned for more information to follow in the next few months.

On a closing note, I want to congratulate Eric VanderVeen, one of our Emerging Professionals Committee chairs, on receiving his CPA license. He truly is one of our rising stars! Great job, Eric!
— Christine M. Stiles, CPA

Register today.

Register today: (800) 922-5272.