Perspective

I was driving through Napa with the air in my face on a perfect day when I saw this hay neatly stacked.  …

After fuming about this issue for a couple of days, I decided to help gather my fellow CPAs together and see what we could do to stop the IRS in their tracks. It seems the IRS has decided to come after some wineries for using LIFO  to value their inventory. 

Last week , with the help of the Napa Valley Vintners Association, we brought Washington Insider, Dean Zerbe, …

Many career difficulties can be traced directly to communication. It is always wise to understand your own style and the styles of those you work with and sell to, but it makes even more sense today. Almost every job posted on Monster.com includes a requirement that the applicant have “excellent communication skills.”

…and only half of what you see.

 Just ask CNBC’s Jim Cramer of Mad Money. In last night’s episode of the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, among other things, Cramer tried to explain why he recommended his viewers buy Bear Stearns just days before the company’s collapse.

90% of economic activity is based on psychology. How we …

Yesterday’s Press Democrat tells the tale of a winery employee who almost got away with embezzling ”nearly 1,000 bottles of Bordeaux-style red wine” some valued up to $175 each, for a total of almost $200,000 worth of wine. The former customer service employee, based at the winery’s distribution center, managed the scheme by creating fake shipments of wine, which he labeled lost. He then sold the wine online, with the aid of two other individuals.

Company …

 Why is the tax credit side of the stimulus bill not going to help our country?

Three easy to understand words. They are “too darn complicated”. The purpose of tax credits is to help people do something for the economy or spend money that they otherwise might not spend. Tax credits can do …

There is no better gift than a nice warm security blanket. But unlike our favorite Peanuts character, we need more than a blanket to get that warm, fuzzy feeling of security.  Now is the time to take a look at your processes to see where you might tighten up your procedures, review roles, or change passwords.

We’re fortunate to have our own Certified Fraud Examiner (aka Inspector Gadget), …

As I was visiting with a customer and watching a hospitality employee walk us through the steps of a blind wine tasting, it occurred to me that there are some similarities between the tasting process and how we work as auditors.

1. You apply the smell test

Wine Tasting – you sniff the wine in the glass, and inhale the aroma. The smell influences the taste of the wine.

Audit – you apply the “smell test” to transactions to see if the substance …