What are pivot tables and how do they work?  The short answer: pivot tables enable you to summarize, analyze, explore and present key findings. By analyzing data in detail, you can spot trends and discover unanticipated findings. A few examples of pivot table uses:  Query large amounts of data in a few clicks.  Expand and collapse levels of data to hone your results.  Move rows to columns or columns to rows (hence, “pivoting”) for different takes on summaries of the source data.  Focus on the exact information you need by filtering, sorting, grouping and conditi ..read more

So you’ve finally perfected that birdhouse collection made from recyclable materials that you’ve been working on since the beginning of COVID-19. After uploading a proud picture of your craft to your personal social media account, the unexpected happens – people want to buy your birdhouses! And here it is. The very important question: is your birdhouse making still a hobby or is it now legally considered a business? How do you determine if your activity is a business or hobby? Here’s the short answer: A business operates to make a profit, while people engage in hobbies for sport or recreation ..read more

Within the Texas Administrative Code, the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy’s Rules of Professional Conduct are clearly laid out within five subchapters. CPA applicants in the state are required to take a four-hour course covering the Code of Professional Conduct, and then take an open book ethics exam covering the material in the Code. Texas CPAs are also required to take a four-hour, Texas-specific ethics course every two years as part of their Continuing Professional Education.  Like all states, Texas takes the ethics of it’s accounting professionals seriously and goes to great l ..read more

The field of accountancy looks vastly different than it did before the turn of the century, with a variety of technologies being implemented in business models to reduce human error, improve efficiency, and track and analyze data. New professional accountants and CPAs now have to be well versed in a variety of technologies on day one of their first job.  International, national, and state-level governing bodies are trying to keep up with the ethics in an increasingly technological field by updating, amending, or adding to their already existing codes of conduct, but it isn’t easy for them ..read more

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the rule-making and standard-setting body of the CPA profession. AICPA membership is not a requirement of the CPA profession, but it does help accounting professionals stand out by proving they’re being held to a higher professional and ethical standard. Membership also helps CPAs stay up to date with the most recent changes within the industry.  Like we said, becoming a member of the AICPA isn’t necessary, but it may be a great move for your career; members are connected to a network of over 400,000 other CPAs who help guide each ..read more

The California Accountancy Act (CAA) is the enabling act of the California Board of Accountancy, and is the comprehensive framework for Certified Public Accountants in California. It gives the California Board of Accountancy authority to license, regulate, and discipline California CPAs and covers a variety of topics, from continuing education to standards of professional conduct.  CPAs in California should do a comprehensive review of the CAA to ensure they are compliant with the regulations. Below, we’ll cover the basics of the California Accountancy Act and how it pertains to CPAs prac ..read more

Why Professional Ethics Are a Cornerstone of the Accounting Industry The core of the accounting profession is simple math; debits equal credits, assets equal liabilities plus equity. And, as we know, math and numbers are the same across all languages, and they represent certain rules that haven’t changed in centuries. In the end, everything should even out and be accurate. So in an industry based on actual information, why do we need professional ethics? The reality is that accounting simply can’t be accounting without a code of professional conduct. Ethics are a cornerstone of our industry, a ..read more

I should not even be telling this story but here goes. My husband took an Excel course yesterday and came home all excited to share the tips he learned. Yes, I too wondered why he was taking an Excel course when he could ask me a question or better yet – read my blog or eBooks! Anyway, I digress. Sadly, the two tips he learned have been around forever. I could not believe that he did not already know them since he has been using Excel since 1995. When I mentioned this, his response was that many people do not know these tips or learn them and then forget about them if they are not using t ..read more

I received a call from my daughter yesterday. She was totally frustrated as she was trying to plot data for a class project that contained a lot of empty cells. I told her how to fix it and then learned that these suggestions would not work on a MAC. As I helped her figure how to do it, I tripped across a lot of information on plotting empty cells and realized that a lot of people struggled with this. So, of course, here is a post on how to handle plotting data when some of the data is missing. Here is a simple example. Below is twelve months data on beverage sales. Almond milk sales did ..read more

Fill and Sign PDF Forms Open the PDF that you want to fill in and sign using Adobe Acrobat DC. Click the Fill & Sign tool located in the right hand pane. Click in a field and start typing. Adobe may suggest responses based upon previously entered data or stored information. To accept, Adobe’s suggestion, use your cursor to highlight it and then click to auto-fill the field with the suggested data. All your new responses will be saved and will appear as suggestions next time you fill out a form. Checkmarks on the form If you need to add a checkmark, hover over the checkmark square a ..read more