http://kulaconsulting.com/blog A New Perspective Thu, 14 May 2009 00:05:11 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en kulaconsulting/GRNghttp://feedburner.google.com Does it sometimes feel that you are always in the close cycle?  Either month, quarter, or year end close?  We believe that must be the case as we hear the following everyday:  "I can't talk now, I'm in close."  This is usually said in a hurried, almost whispered voice.  Closing ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/m8XOU99UhpU/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2009/05/13/reward-your-staff-this-memorial-day-weekend/ Eleven percent!  Did I read the EDD press release correctly?  The unemployment rate in the heart of the Silicon Valley is currently eleven percent.  In March, 2008, four months into the recession (that we officially learned about in late August, 2008), the rate was five-point-three percent (5.3%).  We have doubled ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/LPb_ReIxiU0/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2009/05/05/silicon-valley-unemployment/ Last week's posting ended with this question: "What does a poorly run financial institution have to do to get a qualified opinion from its auditors?"  Evidently I'm not the only person asking this question.A small army of lawyers is asking or planning to ask Big 4 bigwigs the ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/O4c5SExw82k/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/10/03/big-4-going-going-gone/ Does anyone remember the old banking maxim: "If you owe the bank a little bit, the bank owns you -- but, if you owe the bank a lot, you own the bank?" Looks like this is a truism, because "We the People" now own the banks, and the insurance companies, and ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/RbIgNMnDpfE/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/09/26/get-off-my-lawn/  Hello, is anybody there?  Is this mic on?  Is the end of the financial world as we know it just a few days away?   As I read the financial news, listen to talk radio and play phone tag with my broker it certainly feels like apocalypse now. It’s like ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/sIZUz1OZeZU/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/09/19/should-accountants-be-afraid-of-the-big-bad-economy/ This is yours truly on a trip to France we took in 2005. My friend, Monsieur Doggie, did not enjoy a sip of wine - but he devoured pate like Alpo. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/9y8ktVfhzvI/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/07/03/a-tall-tail/ Talk about a moving target...I went by Costco last week about 10 a.m. - a gallon of gas was about $4.38. Shortly after lunch, I drove by that same station and gas had jumped up to $4.45 per gallon! The unthinkable is just around the proverbial corner: $5 a gallon. Would ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/txVanwWh5NU/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/06/18/gas-prices-zap-accountants-energy/ Earlier this month I posted a blog about the globalization of accounting and reporting standards, and how those proposed changes could adversely impact American accountants’ careers.  I have a vested interest in this subject: as an owner of an accounting staffing firm, the future of the profession has an enormous ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/IUII2DUw-sk/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/03/04/who%e2%80%99s-leading-the-charge-toward-international-accounting-standards/ I hate to be an alarmist, but did anyone notice that the SEC agreed to let foreign companies file their reports under International Accounting Standards? Plus, three years from now, US companies will be able to elect to file using international instead of US GAAP.  What happened, why and what could ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/DWR-1QZoHxI/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/02/04/globalization-strikes-the-accounting-profession/ A friend of mine called me complaining about the rapid rate of turnover at his mid-sized accounting firm. He swore he was doing everything right: he paid great salaries and hired only the best and brightest “star” CPAs. Yet still, he was constantly having to fill positions. First off, I told him, ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kulaconsulting/GRNg/~3/XfoveDRjapA/ http://kulaconsulting.com/blog/2008/01/22/the-secret-to-retaining-key-employees/