familiar face, new roleTeresa Mackintosh expands her position at Thomson Reuters.

SOLUTIONSTIpS, TReNdS, aNd cONNecTIONS fOR USeRS Of ThOMSON ReUTeRS SOfTwaRe

SOLUTIONSISS

Ue

1 |

20

10

newly releasedaccounting cS marks the next generation of client service.

cloud coverageSleep better with the security offered by remote hosting.

behind the scenesHow the right software support

let one firm focus its attention forward—on growth.

[ ]Save time and money on your infrastructure+

Solutions is published by the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters, 7322 Newman Boulevard, Dexter, MI 48130; 800.968.8900. Printed in the United States. Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters, Issue 1, 2010. Page 4: Copyright 2010 Martin Barraud; page 6: Copyright 2010 Joe Vaughn/Vaughn Media Inc. (Bryan Hoeft), Copyright 2010 Bryan Hoeft (inset); pages 8-11: Chris Cone/Chris Cone Photography (Randy Anderson); pages 12-13: Copyright 2010 Charles O’Rear/Corbis

issue 1 | 2010

[ 2 ]

Questions or feedback? Email your thoughts to Solutions@ThomsonReuters.com.

cloud computing 12

4 newslineGet ahead of yourself; serve clients better; easy renewal; and more.

7 software in action What two CPAs like most about the ARNE community.

14 tips & tacticsAdvice and answers to make your life a little easier.

AlSO INSIDE

SOLUTIONS

Join our online users’ forum, at CS.ThomsonReuters.com/Community.

Find more on the web, at CS.ThomsonReuters.com.

SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010]

Facebook (search for Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting)

Twitter (@TRTaxAccounting)

FEATURES

Randy anderson: Make ROOM fOR fOcUS

8

6 Behind the Scenes:Bryan hoeft

Visit us on:

CS.THOMSONREUTERS.COM [ 3 ]

A Conversation with Jon Baron and Teresa Mackintosh: Part 1

VIEW POINT

effective January 1, 2010, Jon baron

stepped up to the new role of president,

americas, workflow & Service Solutions,

for Thomson Reuters. while Jon will

continue to be based out of dexter, Mich.,

the scope of his role will expand to include

the management, growth strategies, and

regional expansion of the corporate and

accounting firm software and services

markets in the U.S., canada, Mexico, and

all of Latin america.

Overseeing daily operations in dexter will

be teresa mackintosh, cpa.cITp, senior

vice president and general manager,

professional Market. Teresa, who has

been with Thomson Reuters since 1996,

was previously senior vice president of the

core segment of professional Software &

Services. Under her direction, that segment

experienced significant growth.

for the past two years, Teresa has been

recognized as one of the Top 100 Most

Influential people in accounting by

Accounting Today and has been one of

The CPA Technology Advisor’s “40 Under 40”

for the past four years.

In this issue and the next, Jon will pass the

official Solutions View point pen to Teresa as

they share their thoughts on changes in the

accounting industry, going global, and more.

Solutions: the profession has never

experienced a greater pace of change.

from shifting firm and client demographics

to technology advancements, from

new trends in communication and

collaboration to the mobile explosion,

firms are faced with more challenges—

and opportunities—than ever. what do

you see as the biggest game changers

impacting the profession in 2010?

tm: I believe the biggest game changer is

simply that all these trends are converging

on our profession at the same time.

when taken together, they’re not only

changes that will fundamentally disrupt

any “business as usual” approach—they

represent a true paradigm shift in the tax

and accounting industry.

as a profession, we now have a golden

opportunity to: 1) serve an increasingly tech-

savvy customer base; 2) operate at a higher

level of proficiency; and 3) strengthen our

foundation for future growth. and with

this opportunity comes a responsibility—

to ensure the success and stability of our

profession through tumultuous times.

Jb: I think general digitization is a big game

changer. It’s a broad category that covers

paperless office innovations—such as

document management, client portals, XML,

and web services—that allow us to gather and

aggregate data from disparate systems, then

use the data for financial and tax reporting.

we’ve had these kinds of products for more

than a decade, and now they’re taking hold at

all levels. forward-thinking firms are adopting

paperless technology much more quickly.

another major development is the mobile

web—anywhere, anytime access with

notebook pcs, tablets, and smart phones.

The speed at which the world is adopting this

technology is simply amazing—much, much

faster than earlier computing developments

like mainframe computing, mini-computers,

personal computing, and the desktop web.

It’s difficult even to imagine the profound

impact that the mobile web will make on

the profession.

and wrapped around both digitization and

the mobile web is the impact of digital

natives—the generation who has grown up

in the computer age. They’re coming into the

profession in very large numbers today.

Most firms will change dramatically with

digital natives as clients and members of

accounting firms.

LiSTen up: Teresa and Jon discuss more about the digitization of our industry—and what possibilities excite them most—in a podcast, available online at cs.thomsonreuters.com/solutions.

Join us in the next issue as Jon and Teresa discuss what they’re looking forward to the most about their new roles, what it means

to be part of a worldwide accounting community, and more.

NeWsLiNe

SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010][ 4 ]

with tax season over, it’s a good time to learn new ideas and best practices, and get your staff up to speed on the latest enhancements to your Thomson Reuters software.

Our mid-year training can help, with demonstrations, lectures, and question-and-answer sessions available.

we’ve been working on a range of training opportunities, including planning, best practice efficiencies, getting ready for electronic filing, and several new offerings that can help you get a head start on tax year 2010.

This year’s classes are being presented entirely via the web, so you and your staff can learn from any location you choose. and with a variety of discounts, it’s easier than ever to invest in your future. This year’s promotions include:

• send a fourth attendee free when you register three paid attendees from your firm.

• $25 off registration when you register at least two weeks in advance.

Register today or get more information at cs.thomsonreuters.com/midyear, or call 800.968.8900 for personal assistance.

Make Time for Forward Thinking Mid-year training gives you and your staff a head start.

Just another Marketing Mondayhere’s a blog to log on to: Marketing Mondays. Jack larue, senior vp, mypay solutions, brings more than 25 years of marketing and sales experience to his blog, giving you insight on topics ranging from streamlining collections to defining your competitors—and even incorporating the right color into your firm’s branding. Join the conversation at CS.ThomsonReuters.com/Community/Blogs/.

iT’S So eaSyThe number of cS professional Suite users who renewed online increased 20 percent from 2007 to 2009. Visit cs.thomsonreuters.com/renew for an easy way to renew.

CS professional Suite®

& enterprise Suite™

ACCOunTinG

accounting cS™

client Bookkeeping Solution®

engagement cS®

financial analysis cS®

Trial Balance cS™

write-Up cS®

DOCuMenT MAnAGeMenT

filecabinet cS™

GofileRoom®

pAYROLL

accounting cS payroll

mypay Solutions®

payroll cS®

pRACTiCe MAnAGeMenT

practice cS®

TAX

fixed assets cS®

GoSystem® Tax RS

planner cS®

ToolBox cS®

UltraTax cS®

WeB SeRViCeS

Netclient cS®

NetStaff cS®

web Builder cS®

SaaS Leasing

Accounting CSThe next-Generation professional Accounting Software

CS.THOMSONREUTERS.COM

Thomson Reuters recently announced the release of accounting cS, the next generation of accounting software for the cS professional Suite and enterprise Suite.

accounting cS offers unprecedented accountant/client collaboration, enabling firms to configure shared data and set controls that allow clients to access critical information in real time—ensuring a consistent interface between client and accountant.

acting as a central location where the accountant can integrate data from multiple sources, accounting cS allows full cross-client functionality. for example, firms can apply setup criteria to multiple clients and process several clients simultaneously. accounting cS can also adapt

to both a task-based workflow—allowing firm specialists to work in their primary area of expertise—and a traditional client-based workflow.

The current release of accounting cS includes write-up, trial balance, payroll compliance, financial statement design, and enhanced reporting functions, as well as accounting cS payroll for live payroll processing. In fall 2010, accounting cS client access will be released, which will offer a shared database that gives the client full day-to-day bookkeeping functionality, while allowing full client/accountant collaboration controlled by the accountant.

for more information on accounting cS, visit our website at cs.thomsonreuters.com/accountingcs.

VIRTUAl ClIENT OFFICE: A New Way to Serve Clients Virtual client Office is the newest way to offer your business clients 24/7 access to day-to-day bookkeeping software, document management, and Microsoft® Office software. an extension of our Netclient cS portals, Virtual client Office makes the applications available to your clients individually or as a package. clients access the software via a portal on your firm’s website, from any computer.

Virtual client Office includes client Bookkeeping Solution (cBS), filecabinet cS, and Microsoft Office applications. we also offer Virtual client Office powered by Right Networks,® which includes QuickBooks,® SmartVault,TM and Microsoft Office applications.

Both the programs and the data in Virtual client Office are stored in the Thomson Reuters class IV data centers, where they receive the same level of service and security as your Virtual Office cS and SaaS (Software as a Service) application data.

To learn more about Virtual client Office and what it can do for your firm and clients, visit cs.thomsonreuters.com/portals/virtual-client.aspx.

Z

[ 5 ]

- (adj.) Serving as a model or standard by which all other software solutions are measured; the most perfect embodiment of a tax workflow process.

WHAT’S THE WORDAT YOUR OFFICE?

Add to our list and view our ad gallery @ CS.ThomsonReuters.com/Words.

[ 6 ] SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010]

PROFIlE: bryan hoeft

a pIcTURe-peRfecT pROfeSSIONaLin his wordsI got started in photography on a trip to europe in 1991. I wanted to share the amazing sites I visited with friends and family back home, so I focused on telling a story with photography. the photo bug never left.

i love putting what i’ve read and learned about photography into practice, using a photojournalistic style. I also take photographs for various Thomson Reuters websites.

what’s not to love about my job? I get to combine my three passions in life: marketing, the web, and photography.

i collaborate with some of the most forward-thinking minds in the industry. we work on projects like the new website we recently launched, which combines cutting-edge approaches, usability improvements, and (of course) some great new visual images.

we also created the users’ conference online gallery. Uc is so cool that we wanted to capture and share those experiences with people who couldn’t make it there.

The challenge of working on the company’s site is to keep it on the forefront of web technology with an engaging design and plenty of self-service capabilities.

i think the next few years will be a real tipping point as to how we use the web in our lives, especially when it comes to the social networking phenomenon. I feel very fortunate to be in a position to use my skills and experiences to help Thomson Reuters figure out how we can use these tools to better serve our customers.

my favorite photo? My two children sharing ice cream on a hot summer day. They were completely unaware I was capturing a very special brother/sister moment.

iNsiDe sTORY

Just two years after joining the Thomson Reuters sales

department in 1998, bryan hoeft leveraged his web

experience into a position on the marketing team. When he’s

at work, our Director of Marketing does what he loves most.

When he’s at home, he focuses on the people he loves most:

his wife, Sheila, and their two children. And no matter where

Bryan is, he’s never far from his Nikon.

[ 7 ]CS.THOMSONREUTERS.COM

a good online community is like a good friend. well,

actually, a whole group of them. consider aRNe.

an invaluable source of information, support, and

camaraderie, aRNe is the online community for

Thomson Reuters software users.

Solutions asked two users to share why they regularly

turn to aRNe: Lynn wells, an accountant at paul T.

wells, cpa, in paris, Texas, and Shayna chapman-

Burris, cpa, a managing member of chapman & Burris

cpas in Gallipolis, Ohio.

Solutions: how often do you visit arne?

lw: I usually have it minimized on my computer all

the time. Then, if I’m waiting for something to print or

on hold on the phone, I’ll bring it up to check in.

Solutions: what do you like most about arne?

scb: I used to work at a large firm where you could

always find someone who was an expert in a specific

area. Our firm here is small, so aRNe allows me

to pick the brains of people who might have more

experience than I do on a particular subject. That’s

very valuable to me.

Solutions: are there particular kinds of information

you use arne to find?

lw: here in Texas, we don’t have a state income tax

return. So when we have returns we’re not familiar

with, we need a little help. Or maybe we just need

affirmation that we’re doing what’s best for the client,

so it’s helpful to see what other professionals would

do in the same situation.

scb: Sometimes I’ll find things I didn’t even know

I was interested in learning. I generally read every

topic, and when I learn something new, I’ll file it away

for future reference. There have been times a subject

comes up with a client and I remember having seen it

on aRNe, and I go back to the file.

Solutions: in what other ways do you use arne?

lw: a member of our staff who is a fairly new cpa

recently said how helpful aRNe has been because she

tends to second-guess herself. Being able to confirm

what she’s doing by checking on aRNe gives her

more confidence.

scb: It’s also a great place to find answers to software

questions. The fact that I can refer to aRNe, in addition

to contacting technical support, is one of the reasons I

chose Thomson Reuters.

It is a good networking opportunity. Lynn’s in Texas

and I’ve connected with her as well as people all over

the country. I have clients across the country, too, so

getting to know people on aRNe who can help me

find answers about tax laws and regulations in other

states is helpful.

sOFTWARe iN ACTiON

you’ve got a friend in arneTwo cpas dish about one of their favorite industry experts.

MeeT aRne at

cs.thomsonreuters.

com/community.

[ 8 ] SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010]

RaNdy aNdeRSON, cpa, UNdeRSTaNdS The NeedS Of SMaLL BUSINeSSeS. for seven years, he’s had one of his own—an appraisal firm that performs personal property valuations.

So when he decided to expand by opening an accounting practice, anderson had a clear idea of what he wanted and how to get there. his new practice would provide comprehensive accounting services, allowing clients to focus their time on being experts in their industries.

“we try to work with people who want to outsource their accounting,” says anderson, ceO of fOcUS: a Next Generation accounting firm in Louisville, ky. “By letting us handle their payroll, tax returns, internal accounting, bill payment—all those kinds of things—they can focus on the other aspects of their businesses.”

although anderson’s firm also serves clients who only need tax return preparation, they position themselves as an alternative to an internal

accounting department. Their main client base consists of providers of professional services, such as physicians and attorneys.

“for what they would pay an accounting clerk, they can outsource it to us and enjoy our expertise all year long,” anderson explains. “we bring more value to the table this way, instead of just working with them once a year on their tax return.”

outside expertsfOcUS is uniquely positioned to promote this model. The firm uses an outsourcing model for all its information technology (IT) needs. when fOcUS established operations in 2009, the company began by putting a technology infrastructure in place: the cS professional Suite, using the Software as a Service (SaaS) option. all software and technology that fOcUS needs is delivered and managed remotely by Thomson Reuters.

“I quickly realized that having Software as a Service and cloud computing capabilities with a reliable

the way to go: SaaS gave

Anderson the freedom to develop his

firm’s specialty: being a one-stop

source for accounting needs.

Z

a new accounting firm hits the ground running with the help of leased software and technology.

FOCuS

FORMAkE ROOM

FiRM FACTS

Z basics:established in fall 2009, fOcUS: aNext Generation accounting firm has a staff of four: anderson, an accounting manager, an administrator, and an office manager who is shared with anderson’s appraisal business. The firm plans to add at least one more staff member later this year.

Z website: The company offers a variety of services, including secure client

portals created with Netclient cS, at focusedcpas.com.

Z software:In addition to the complete SaaS for cS professional Suite, the firm also uses QuickBooks, SmartVault, and bill.com, which all integrate seamlessly with the cS professional Suite.

SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010][ 10 ]

company like Thomson Reuters was the way to go,” anderson says. “I don’t have the time or energy to spend doing IT work.”

at his appraisal business, anderson personally experienced how much work is involved in updating software, backing up systems, or getting support if a server goes down. Now, he doesn’t even have to think about those chores.

plus, using SaaS and cloud computing helps him lus, using SaaS and cloud computing helps him promote a hosted model to his clients. “I can show promote a hosted model to his clients. “I can show clients I practice what I preach,” clients I practice what I preach,” anderson explains. “when I’m telling them, ‘hen I’m telling them, ‘you focus on what you do you focus on what you do ybest and let us handle your accounting and tax needs,’ best and let us handle your accounting and tax needs,’ it’s a big endorsement for me to say, ‘Look, I do the it’s a big endorsement for me to say, ‘Look, I do the same thing myself.’” same thing myself.’”

There’s an added advantage to SaaS, too: No major There’s an added advantage to SaaS, too: No major upfront costs, which makes budgeting easier. Software upfront costs, which makes budgeting easier. Software is leased on a monthly basis and firms only have to is leased on a monthly basis and firms only have to lease the software tools they truly need.lease the software tools they truly need.

a strong foundationBefore choosing SaaS for Before choosing SaaS for cS professional Suite, anderson did a lot of research, including investigating nderson did a lot of research, including investigating the reliability, security, and uptime of Thomson Reuters the reliability, security, and uptime of Thomson Reuters data centers. “Most small, medium, and even regional enters. “Most small, medium, and even regional accounting firms won’t have the level of security, accounting firms won’t have the level of security, backup, and redundancy that their backup, and redundancy that their data centers offer,” he notes.

another reason anderson chose Thomson Reuters is that the cS professional Suite is a fully integrated system. This let him quickly establish a company infrastructure that prepared him to efficiently serve clients right from the start.

“Taking the time to build the infrastructure and set up our processes and procedures before we had a lot of clients prepared us to serve them efficiently,” he says. “I didn’t want to get a lot of clients but then not have the resources I needed to service them.”

anderson proves the theory, “Build it and they will come.” he’s picked up plenty of business in the year after launching his firm. In fact, he’s already considering expansion, which he says will be made easier with tools like practice cS and Netclient cS.

“from the beginning, I knew there were technology resources out there that could help me work remotely or work with clients in other cities,” anderson explains. “This software was a big eye-opener for me because it can allow me to do all those things.”

“ “

I think it’s very important to establish a brand for yourself. We created a tag line that RootWorks helped us develop: Leveraging today’s technology to accelerate tomorrow’s success. Randy Anderson

CS.THOMSONREUTERS.COM

[ 11 ]

LeARn MORe OnLine:

Thomson Reuters partner Summits and SaaS helped Randy anderson. could they benefit your business? find out by listening to Randy at cs.thomsonreuters.com/solutions.

wise counselanderson emphasizes that he didn’t learn the value of cS professional Suite and SaaS on his own, although his 20 years in the industry—including many at one of the country’s largest accounting firms—didn’t hurt.

when anderson was in the planning stages of launching fOcUS, he attended a conference where he met with specialists from Thomson Reuters and M. darren Root, managing member of Rootworks.

anderson says Rootworks and the Thomson Reuters partner Summits proved to be invaluable resources. “I never felt any sales pressure, but they gave me a wealth of information, which was exactly what I was looking for,” anderson says.

“I’ve put a lot of emphasis on partnering with a strong company like Thomson Reuters,” he adds. “They’ve been around forever, and they’ll be around tomorrow. Their support is very responsive, and when my clients hear the name, it gives instant credibility.” 2

his story

Before becoming a CPA, Anderson spent

six years in the Air Force. “I kind of took

the nontraditional route,” Anderson

says. He was stationed in Hawaii,

where he earned his undergraduate degree at Hawaii Pacific University.

Anderson went into public accounting

and quickly developed a niche in business

valuation.

Z

Remote Done Right software as a service (saas) for cs professional suite is a hosted option that allows

firms to lease software from thomson reuters on a monthly basis. saas provides 24-hour remote

access to software and data via the internet, and thomson reuters handles all the hardware,

software maintenance, and updates.

firms can lease software based entirely on the needs of the company and individual staff

members. for example, the head of the firm might have access to all products—known as

the “full service profile”—while a tax preparer might only require access to the applications

necessary to do his or her job, such as ultratax cs and filecabinet cs. each profile includes the

relevant cs professional suite products, microsoft office products, and netstaff cs functionality.

plus, everything is hosted at the class iv thomson reuters data centers for optimal security,

redundancy, and uptime. firms are protected against the risk of fire, theft, or natural disaster,

and can maximize the benefits of remote staff and resources thanks to offsite hosting.

iNDusTRY AT LARge

[ 12 ] SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010]

Up, Up, and Awaya down-to-earth view on the ins and outs of cloud computing.

cloud computing is one of the hottest technology

topics of the moment, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to

dissipate anytime soon. But if you think cloud computing

sounds more like something your weatherman should

practice, here’s your chance to grasp some of the basics

of this concept.

WHAT’S IT All ABOUT?according to experts at the University of california at

Berkeley, cloud computing is defined as “applications

delivered as services over the Internet, and the hardware

and systems software in the data centers that provide

those services.”

In plain english, this means computer technology that

runs remotely, away from your physical location. If you

employ software as a service (or SaaS, which you can

learn more about on page 8), that’s cloud computing.

If you back up your files at an offsite center, that’s

cloud computing. If you use Google’s calendar system

dropbox for file sharing, or picasa to show off your

vacation photos, that’s cloud computing, too.

Virtual Office cS, GofileRoom, and GoSystem Tax RS are

examples of Thomson Reuters integrated offerings that

provide remote access to both software and data. The

full line of cS professional Suite tax and accounting

software and select Microsoft products are available in

the Virtual Office cS environment, as well as the SaaS for

cS professional Suite offerings. everything is hosted

on servers at class IV, IBM-certified Thomson Reuters

data centers.

THE GOOD STUFFThere are plenty of reasons why cloud computing is

becoming so popular. here are four:

1 . you can store all your data offsite, at multiple you can store all your data offsite, at multiple y

locations, ensuring redundancy that protects

important business information. plus, this type

of digital filing gives clients and staff access to

information anywhere, at any time.

2. hard drives, printers, and other computer equipment

can be part of your “cloud.” work on a document at

want to learn more about virtual office cs or saas? Naturally, everything you need to know is online. Visit cs.thomsonreuters.com/web-services.

a client’s office, and send it to a printer at another

office for maximum flexibility in remote operations.

3. Many of these systems handle maintenance and

upgrades, acting as an extension of your information

technology (IT) department. for smaller firms, this

may eliminate the need to hire IT personnel.

4. cloud computing gives you the flexibility to change,

upgrade, or expand your IT capabilities quickly

and nimbly, making you more responsive to the

marketplace, the needs of your business, and the

requirements of your clients.

BEST PRACTICESas with any technology, it’s smart to review your

needs and the potential downsides before taking

a leap into the clouds.

• data security can be a factor any time you’re

transmitting information over the web or other

networks. Make certain that whatever services

you’re using have built-in security. for example,

the Thomson Reuters data centers provide

around-the-clock internal security monitoring

and multiple levels of data security, including

state-of-the-art encryption.

• protecting your data and operating systems, even

when information is not being transmitted, is equally

important. The Thomson Reuters data centers, for

instance, feature advanced fire control systems and

high-tech cooling capabilities, as well as proactive

monitoring and troubleshooting.

• Business continuity is another vital consideration.

If your software and hardware are hosted remotely,

your provider should have a backup location and

other redundancies in place. Verify how quickly you

can be up and running again in the event of a power

outage, natural disaster, or other emergency. as

an example, the Thomson Reuters data centers

consist of multiple locations that perform regular

data backups for the quickest possible restoration

of operations.

wherever your data is stored, you’ll want to establish

a business continuity plan. determine which

employees have access to certain data. prepare a

plan for emergency backup or file retrieval.

CS.THOMSONREUTERS.COM

a down-to-earth view on the ins and outs of cloud computing.

Thomson Reuters maintains one of

the world’s largest

data centers, with multiple

facilities for extra security.

Its capacity is so great

that it could store the entire contents of the

Library of congress

100 times over.

Z

[ 13 ]

Tips & TACTiCs

[ 14 ]

TAke iT OnLine

More answers await you at cs.thomsonreuters.

com/tips.

SOlUTIONS [issue 1, 2010]

engagement cs

Q: can I edit my pdf documents in engagement cS?

A: yes—in fact, you have two options for editing pdfs:

1) the included pdf X-change Viewer, which lets

you edit documents right from the engagement cS

workspace, or 2) your own adobe® acrobat® Standard

or professional software. engagement cS is set to use

the pdf X-change Viewer by default, but if you’d rather

use adobe acrobat as your primary editor, follow these

steps to change your settings:

1. choose setup / user preferences / engagement cs.

2. clear the checkbox called use single click to

open pdf files inside of engagement cs.

The next time you double-click a pdf file in an

engagement, it should open in your default

pdf editor.

ultratax cs

Q: how do I complete form 1040X, amended U.S.

Individual Income Tax Return, in UltraTax cS?

A: follow these steps to complete form 1040X.

1. with the original client’s return open in UltraTax cS,

print or preview the original return.

2. Open Screen amend in the general folder, and

enter x in the transfer original information field.

#note: If you are also amending a state return,

mark the transfer original information field in the

state Screen amend before making changes to the

federal data.

3. In the applicable input screens, make all necessary

data changes. 4. Return to Screen amend, open the explanation of

changes and date corrected statement dialog, and enter all necessary information.

# note: The IRS significantly revised form 1040X for

tax year 2009 and specified which form revisions

were eligible for use when amending a prior-year

return. although the IRS allows taxpayers to use

the revised version of form 1040X (Rev. January

2010) when filing returns for tax years 2006

through 2009, the IRS does not require you to use

the revised version of the form when amending

returns for tax years prior to 2009. Therefore, you

can amend prior-year returns using the earlier

version of form 1040X as it exists in prior-year

versions of UltraTax cS.

virtual office cs

Q: I’m a Virtual Office cS Microsoft exchange user. how

can I move older emails and sent items to a location

other than my main exchange mailbox?

A: you’ll need to create a pST file, which is an email

file that holds data outside of an exchange mailbox.

To do this:

1. In Outlook, choose file / data file management.

2. click the data files tab, and then click the add

button.

3. In the New Outlook data file dialog, highlight

office outlook personal folders file (.pst) and

click oK.

4. when prompted for the location, do not choose

the default location. Instead, navigate to the my

documents folder, name the file, and click oK.

5. In the create microsoft personal folders dialog,

you can assign a title to the pST file, or leave

the default title of personal folders. you can

also add a password to the pST file, although

Thomson Reuters does not recommend doing so.

6. click oK to create the pST file. Once you’ve created

the pST file, you’ll see that an additional Inbox

appears in the folders and email views in Outlook.

THe OnLY OFFiCe SuppLY YOu ReALLY neeD: answers to your most nagging software questions.

featured solutions in this issue

ACCOunTinG

engagement cS

DOCuMenT MAnAGeMenT

filecabinet cS

pRACTiCe MAnAGeMenT

practice cS

TAX

fixed assets cS

GoSystem Tax RS

UltraTax cS

WeB SeRViCeS

Virtual Office cS

[ 15 ]CS.THOMSONREUTERS.COM

you can create subfolders in the new Inbox, and

move emails from your exchange mailbox to the

pST mailbox. you can cut and paste or drag and

drop individual items, or you can move multiple

items together.

#you can easily move multiple messages by

highlighting the ones you want to move and then

right-clicking one of the selected messages and

choosing Move to folder. you can then select the

folder in the pST file to which you want to move the

selected items.

fixed assets cs Q: Several of my larger clients frequently transfer

assets between different divisions of their companies.

I’ve been tracking these transfers on a spreadsheet,

but is there a way to track intercompany asset transfers

with fixed assets cS instead?

A: yes. In fixed assets cS, you can transfer assets

within a client to different activities or to different

locations, divisions, cost centers, and departments

within the same activity. The program will calculate

current depreciation based on the original asset’s

transfer date, and will make a copy of the asset and

assign the balance of the current depreciation for

that year (or depreciation period) to the newly created

asset. you can transfer assets individually by using

the transfer tab in the asset detail dialog or transfer

multiple assets simultaneously by choosing tasks /

mass transfers.

# you can also print current-year transfer reports for

Tax, Book, or State treatments via the file / print /

reports tab.

filecabinet cs

Q: we’re just beginning to use document presentation.

do we have to open each client drawer to designate it

as a Netclient cS contributor?

A: No, you can designate multiple drawers as

Netclient cS contributors by following these steps.

1. In filecabinet cS, choose setup / system

configuration.

2. click the netclient cs tab.

3. click the select drawers button.

4. highlight the drawers that should contribute to

Netclient cS, then click the select button to move

them to the drawers selected pane on the right.

5. In the action group box, verify that the assign

drawers to be contributors to netclient cs option

is marked, and click the reassign button.

practice cs Q: how can I assign projects and tasks to staff

members when I’m not sure who will be available

when the job is ready?

A: If your firm is licensed for the practice cS

Staff Management module, you can define each

staff member’s skill set and assign projects and

tasks to a work Queue. when the item is ready to

be worked on, it will appear in the work Queue

portlet on the Staff dashboard of each qualified

staff member (as determined by the skill sets you’ve

already defined). Staff members can pick up projects

and tasks from the work Queue as they’re ready to

take on more work.

gosystem tax rs

Q: how do I run a report showing the status of my

electronically filed returns in GoSystem Tax RS?

A: To run this status report, do the following:

1. In the GoSystem RS browser, navigate to returns /

process / electronic filing / status report.

2. Select and enter information to focus the report on

the desired clients—for example, return type, e-file

type, or federal status. To see all transmitted federal

e-files, choose all statuses (excluding ready to

send) in the federal status drop-down list.

3. click the continue button to generate the

report, which you can then print or save as a

Microsoft excel spreadsheet.

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