MSCPA

I’m so glad we had this time together

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By Margaret Herriges, CAE, IOM

When I was a kid, the Carol Burnett show was in its heyday and my family watched it together and we laughed until we cried. Oh, it’s a good memory! That’s where the title of carol-burnett-show-2013this blog comes from, the closing song at the end of Ms. Burnett’s variety show. Some of you will remember it; those who are younger than 40 will think the Carol Burnett Show is just a late-night infomercial for a video.

This song has been running through my head a lot lately because it’s time for me to say “so long.” After 17 fun, exciting, wonderful years with MSCPA, I have given my resignation. My last day in the office will be June 29th.

When I started with the Society in 2000, I didn’t appreciate the real value of a CPA. I didn’t know how vital you are to the business world and to people’s personal finances. I know your importance now and I am, and will continue to be, a strong advocate for CPAs, especially my friends in Montana.

I’ve been fortunate to work closely with so many of you and the friendships we’ve made are priceless.  The things we’ve accomplished through the years, the Board meetings, the Annual Conferences and the many volunteers whom I’ve had the privilege to work with, these are the memories I will be taking with me, along with too many laughs and smiles to count. I’d hate to lose touch so you can find me on Facebook and you can reach me at mc2@bresnan.net.

I’ve been lucky to grow through my job as your Communications Director. My job has morphed from one of hard copy communications to electronic newsletters and social media and so much more. I’ve earned my IOM (Institute of Organization Management) and CAE (Certified Association Executive) credentials along the way and my appetite for knowledge and more experience has grown with these accomplishments.

I’m grateful to Jane for the opportunities I was given along the way. She made it possible to have a job AND a family. I was 31 when I started at MSCPA, I had been married not quite four years and I didn’t have a child. I laugh when I look back and remember that the board had to write a maternity policy for me!  I was the first staff to ever have a baby while working at MSCPA. That baby is now 16 years old and moving on to his own adventures. This office has been his home as well.

I’m grateful to the rest of the staff I’ve worked with throughout the years: Jean, Carol and Heidi who are still here, but also to Kay Roos, Susan Lively and the interns we used to hire each legislative session.  It’s been a good gig.  Allen Lloyd, you are going to LOVE it here! I wish you all the best.

Thank you for your support through the years, your friendship. I have long maintained that CPAs are the best people to work for; I’m guessing I always will. So I want to leave you with the song I mentioned in the opening of this blog, because I am so very glad for the time we had together, https://youtu.be/PjQuZCTLAv4, please consider it my thank you gift to you.  We had a laugh (many) and yes, we even shared a song or two. But, it’s time to say so long.

God bless!

 

Goodbye from Jane Egan

Montana Society of CPAs Allen Lloyd, Leadership Tags: , 2 Comments
Egan Jane color

Jane Egan MSCPA Executive Director

Quoting Winnie the Pooh: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

I am excited to be retired and have the time to explore new opportunities but also am sad to be leaving this organization that has been so good to me.

My career with the Society started when Jane Campbell recruited me to be the Society’s first communications person. I remember my first day. . .I didn’t know much about associations or CPAs. As I met you and worked with you, I quickly learned what remarkable people you are. You are smart, generous, giving and dedicated. You taught me how to be a better person and I thank you for letting me work with you all these years. I appreciate the special partnership we have with you, our members and I am forever grateful to you for all you do and have done for me, the Society and the profession. I’ll always remember the fun we have had and the things we achieved together. Please continue to share your time and expertise to advance the profession – you do make a difference!

The Legacy Foundation is near and dear to my heart and I am honored and awestruck by your contributions in my name.

I want to pay tribute to my team for their support and hard work and always putting you, our members, first in everything they do. They have a total of 51 years of service on your behalf:

  • Margaret Herriges – 17 years
  • Carol Lopuch – 13 years
  • Jean Reiden – 10 years this go around with a total of 18 years
  • And Heidi Weis – our newbee at almost three years

IMG_0262Please make an opportunity to get to know your new executive director, Allen Lloyd. The future for the Society looks bright with Allen at the helm.

Thank you!

We’ve made it easier for you

Montana Society of CPAs Membership Value, Professional Development Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

by Jean Rieden, Professional Development & Membership Director

We offer a lot of classes each year. And you can find them all on our website. But how do you find a specific class topic you are looking for or maybe an instructor? We’ve made it easier for you!

We’ve added filters to our Professional Development page on the website, so instead of scrolling through 50+ live classes  and literally thousands of webcasts, you can do a search by live or online classes, keyword, field of interest, city where the class will be held, credits, course level and month.

Say for example you love Pat Garverick’s classes and you want to know what we’ve hired him to teach in 2017. Simply type Garverick in the Keyword box and click search. Voila! You can see three classes that Pat is scheduled to teach in Montana.

Garverick 2

Or perhaps you are looking for advanced level taxation classes, either live or online, you’ll click both the live and online course boxes, add Taxation to the Field of Interest box, scroll to Advanced under the course level box and then search. You’ll discover you have a LOT of options!

Taxation-Advanced 2

And remember, if you log in before you look for classes your registation will be pre-populated for you AND you can easily register others from your office.

I’m always available to answer your questions if you need any help.

P.S. Be sure to buy your FLEX Credits by June 30th. It will save you money on live classes.

 

This is important, trust me.

Montana Society of CPAs MontanaConnection Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

I know our members in tax season are thinking “reading a blog from Margaret is the LAST THING I WANT TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW!” But trust me, this is important. It’s about how to find your next hire.

We are going to start a big social media campaign for Montana accounting jobs starting on May 1st.  We know you need to hire and that will be a big focus for us in 2017 with this campaign in the spring and another in late summer.

Herriges Margaret 2014

Margaret Herriges, MSCPA Communications Director

Last fall we did a MontanaConnection social media campaign for the first time and had great exposure for Montana accounting jobs. But just like any promotional campaign, success won’t happen overnight. We need to build our brand and name recognition and establish ourselves as a legitimate job site for accountants and CPAs looking for a new job. We need to sell not only the job itself but our lifestyles, our opportunities, our cities . . . we need to showcase why a job in Montana is worthy of a big move.

So I’m interrupting everyone’s busy schedule now to urge you to get those job openings posted before May 1st! Any job posted between April 17th and April 30th won’t be charged until May 1st, giving you an extra couple of weeks’ exposure at no extra cost. The more jobs we show on MontanaConnection, the more viable career opportunity our out-of-state target market will see it as.

You can find more information about MontanaConnection and post your job online at https://www.mscpa.org/careers.

Thanks for taking time to think about this.  If you have questions about our upcoming campaign call me, email me . . . I am here to answer your questions. Your input is invaluable.

Best,

Margaret Herriges, CAE, IOM
Communications Director
406.442.7301

Presidentially Speaking

Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, dues, Industry & Financial Professionals, Just for Fun, Leadership, Legislative, Membership Value, Networking, Presidentially Speaking, Professional Development, Tax Season Tags: , , Leave a comment

By Annette Hill, MSCPA President 2016-2017

hill-annette-2016Hello fellow CPAs!  Happy Valentine’s Day!  I’m trusting you’ll take some time today to spend with your loved ones, especially your valentine!  Consider taking a breath to reflect on other areas in your life that cause you to feel grateful; home, health and relationships.

Many of you have asked us how it’s going with the search for a new executive director.  I’m happy to report that we are on schedule with the timeline set by our Strike Force leader, Brenda Byrnes. We are in the interview stage, having received numerous applications from qualified candidates and are on track to introduce you to a new executive director by our Annual Conference in June.

What about Jane?  Even more of you have inquired about Jane’s retirement and we assure you that you will have opportunities to celebrate with Jane, to congratulate and thank her for her many years of service to the Society.  Watch for details!

It is opportunity season for those of us in public accounting and no doubt many in industry, nonprofit, government and education are feeling the opportunity as well, wrapping up calendar year end activities and initiating 2017.  Our staff at the Society office have been closing the January 31, 2017 fiscal year and commencing the next one with issuance of dues statements.  Your statement hit your physical or virtual mail box on February 1st.

As you review the notice, you’ll see that our Society staff has done an outstanding job of detailing the five strategic pillars and the benefits your dues provide our members.

MEMBERSHIP tools and services, volunteer and leadership opportunities

SUSTAINABILITY and focus on being the most valuable resource for members

CONNECTION through Find-A-CPA, MontanaConnection.org, MSCPA.org, local and rural chapters, e-publications, social media and this blog

PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE with 52 live CPE courses, 4 conferences and thousands of webcasts

ADVOCACY with representation at the state Legislature, Department of Revenue, State Board of Accountants, IRS and AICPA.

What an inspiring and fitting list for our pillars! They guide our board of directors, staff, committees, task forces and all of our volunteers, charting the course for our mission.  That’s important and we need to keep it in front of us.  However, as you consider paying your dues this year, you might be asking yourself, “What’s really in it for me?”  I’ve spent a few moments considering the value my membership brings me.

In 20 years as a member, I’ve enjoyed benefits in all of the pillars and for that I’m grateful and have no doubt I have received much more than the cost of my membership dues.  One of my favorite benefits though, is really one captured in the MEMBERSHIP pillar.  “Tools and services” include our Society office and staff.  This is the benefit working for us every day that we may not even know is happening. Our Society office and staff are our best return on investment.

Have you called the Society office and been greeted with Heidi’s cheery and welcoming voice?  Have you experienced an issue with CPE and had Jean fix it for you?  Have you had Carol hold your hand as you worked through the paperwork to get your first peer review completed? Have you paused to giggle a little when you read the latest recipe for tax season mixology drinks on Facebook or learned what music Reidun cranks when she needs some inspiration? Attended a fun-filled, professional MSCPA conference? Reconnected with a CPA that left the state? (Thanks Margaret!) Finally, do you know the influence and the respect our illustrious executive director commands with our state legislators? Have you changed your job and in the stress of changing co-workers, locations and career goals, have you found some comfort in the familiarity of your MSCPA staff and office?  Have you remembered that these same people probably call you by name, recognize your spouse, know where you work and understand your passion for the accounting profession?

THIS is the value of membership.  I encourage you to renew (join if you are not currently a member) pay your dues and enjoy the benefits our greatest resource can bring you.  See you in Billings at the 104th Annual Conference!

 

 

It’s a win/win for you AND your clients!

Montana Society of CPAs Industry & Financial Professionals, Membership Value, Networking, Professional Development Tags: , , , Leave a comment

by Jean Rieden, MSCPA Professional Development & Membership Director

ATTENTION BING MEMBERS:industryconf2017
Why YOU Should Attend the Industry Conference

We hear it all the time. Montana CFOs frequently have to do it all: AR, AP, finance, inventory, payroll, HR, grant compliance, contracts and more! The Industry Conference provides the information you need to know to be an effective finance professional. Whether you are the CFO, the CEO or the staff accountant, you will benefit from the engaging presentations on relevant and timely topics. The education and networking opportunities you will access are invaluable to your role in your organization.

ATTENTION PUBLIC PRACTICE MEMBERS:
Why YOUR Business Clients Should Know About the Industry Conference

Education and networking can reduce the risk of errors and cut down on fraud. The Industry Conference provides the education and networking opportunities that will help your clients make better decisions in their work, improve their accounting and financial processes and help them provide better information to management which makes them a stronger member of the accounting team. It’s a win/win for you AND your client!

Click here to register and find more information or feel free to contact me, jean@mscpa.org, 800.272.0307.

I hope I see you, or your clients, in Helena March 22 & 23!

Sing Along! It’s Harvest Time!

Montana Society of CPAs Just for Fun, Membership Value, Tax Season Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Margaret Herriges, MSCPA Communications Director

By Margaret Herriges, CAE, IOM |  Communications Director

I’m a farmer’s daughter and since I started working for MSCPA nearly 17 years ago, I’ve equated tax season with harvest: there’s a lot of work to be done and you only have so much time to do it.

Growing up, we’d take my dad a treat around 4:00 pm; something to sustain him and motivate him to keep working. It was that “pause that refreshes”. Similarly, each tax season we try to do something a little offbeat and fun for our members. It’s our way of supporting you and motivating you through this busy season. In the past we’ve done Tax Season Mixology and last year we found some pretty outrageous tax season memes. This year we’re going to help you burn that midnight oil with some groovy tunes. Welcome to our Tax Season Playlist!

We recruited MSCPA Board members to help us with this and each day at 4:00 we’ll be sharing a song, complete with the YouTube link, on our Facebook page.  We’d love to hear from you! Be sure to comment if you like the song, and tell us your favorites and we’ll add those to our play list, too. Occasionally there may even be a dedication from the MSCPA staff to our hard-working members!

You don’t have to be a CPA in tax to enjoy this. We dedicate these sound bytes to ALL our members!

So work hard and may your harvest be plentiful! We’ll be here for you to help in any way we can. And if you find yourself with one of our Tax Season Playlist songs stuck in your head . . . you are welcome!

In honor of the first day of tax season 2017, January 23rd, Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing by Stevie Wonder, dedicated by President-Elect Josh Herbold.

A note from Sara

Montana Society of CPAs Industry & Financial Professionals, Membership Value, Networking, Professional Development, Raising the Bar Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

By Sara Smith, ALPS Corporation, Missoula, MSCPA Industry Conference Task Force Leader

Smith Sara 2017.jpgBeing a glutton for punishment, I signed up for the Butte 50, a mountain bike race along the Continental Divide trail. If you have done it or know someone that has, you know that this race can only be described as a “suffer fest.” About 45 miles into the race, there is one last final grind to the top. Imagine my surprise when I encountered Tyler Hamilton, our 2017 Industry Conference Keynote Speaker, right before the end of the climb passing out Coca-Cola. He was like a beacon of light in the depths of the pain cave. He gave me the sweet syrupy liquid to drink, a slight push, and told me I was almost there. I can’t even explain what a boost that was to my deflated and exhausted spirit.

Those of you that don’t know who Tyler is, the short version is that he raced along Lance Armstrong with the US Postal Service team during the Tour de France. Now, I think we all know what hhamiltontyler150appened to Lance, but not everyone is familiar with Tyler’s contribution to the story. In Tyler’s book “The Secret Race”, the full story provides some context that describes the pressure of being an elite athlete. The toll that lying takes on your family. The way relationships and friendships break down when you are not being fully honest with yourself. In many ways, it mirrors some of the same themes Andrew Fastow, the former CFO of Enron, spoke about at the 2016 Industry Conference.

If you didn’t get to hear Mr. Fastow speak, you missed what I can only describe as a controversial presentation, the kind that sticks with you. To literally silence a whole room of CPAs takes a powerful story, one that touches the foundations of each of us. Having heard Tyler speak before, I promise you that this presentation will cause at the very minimum reflection of your path, the choices you make under pressure, and how living a transparent life can be transformative. His approach is novel as well, with ample time to ask him literally anything you want to know about Tyler Perhaps you want to know what it is like to win an Olympic medal or what it feels like to have that same medal stripped from you…Tyler can answer that question for you.

industryconf2017We have great speakers lined up for this event. We read every evaluation form and take all of the input to try to produce the best possible conference for our industry leaders. Our goal is to make sure you take something away that you can use personally and/or professionally. I think the 2017 Industry Conference is going to be one that you don’t soon forget so I encourage you to register.

Are you ready to make an impact?

Montana Society of CPAs Advocacy, Legislative, Membership Value Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

by Jane Egan

Egan Jane color

Jane Egan MSCPA Executive Director

The 2017 Legislative Session begins January 2nd and promises to be just as busy and exciting as past ones.

Our current Governor, Steve Bullock (Democrat), was re-elected and Republicans hold a majority in the Senate and House.

The Governor has released his budget proposal which includes (among many other things):

  • a new tax bracket of 7.9 for people who make over $500,000 a year
  • increase in tax credits for new and expanding businesses
  • 6% tax on medical marijuana
  • Elimination of state capital gains credit for gains topping one million annually
  • A state earned-income tax credit for the working poor

Two of our committees—Legislation & Governmental Affairs and State Taxation—have been working on our legislative agenda for a number of months and are close to finalizing the details. We do know we will be initiating legislation to:

  • establish a corresponding deduction/subtraction on the Montana return for a credit on the Federal return that has an add back to income and
  • allow for CPA firm mobility

We have a Board-approved Legislative Policy and we are delighted to have Helena attorney, Holly Franz, on board as our lobbyist again this session.

Your MSCPA committees and staff work the legislative session for you—we want and need your participation and input. Contact me (800.272.0307) with your ideas and watch for notices by email and in eConnect on the many ways you can make sure the CPA voice is heard in this session.