David A. Vaudt, the Chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) will keynote the Soci-ety’s 33rd annual Nebraska Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference scheduled for June 10 and 11, 2014, at The Cornhusker in Lincoln.

The GASB Chairman will open the Conference with a “GASB Up-date” from 8:10 to 10 am on Tuesday, June 10.

Vaudt became the GASB chairman on July 1, 2013, after serving for 10 years as the State Auditor of Iowa. Prior to his election as State Auditor, he

worked for 25 years in the Des Moines, IA office of KPMG LLP, including 13 years as an audit partner. Vaudt also served as the Chairman of the Iowa Ac-countancy Examining Board from 1995-2002 before resigning after his election as State Auditor. Twice named to Ac-counting Today’s annual list of the “100 Most Influential People in Accounting”, he is a graduate of Upper Iowa Univer-sity.

Other well-known speakers at the Conference will include Frank Craw-ford of Crawford & Associates in Okla-homa City, OK who will speak on OCBOA topics, and real-life cases of fraud; Jeremy Wortman on ethics and Mike Wolfe on changes in single audit requirements.

Not-For Profit Conference Following the 33rd Governmental

Conference at The Cornhusker will be

May 2014

Official Publication of the Nebraska Society of CPAs

GASB Chairman David A. Vaudt

Nebraska CPAs! Don’t forget to VOTE

May 13, 2014

GASB CHAIRMAN TO KEYNOTE CONFERENCES the Society’s 18th Not-for-Profit Or-ganizations’ Conference on Thursday, June 12.

Speakers highlighting the one-day conference will be Society member Tony Sorrentino of Omaha presenting a “Healthcare Update”, Monte Montelea-gre speaking on “Cyber Security” and “Disaster Recovery” and Mike Wolfe giving an “Accounting and Auditing Up-date for NFPs”.

For more information about the two conferences, including registration forms and complete agendas, go to Pages 7 & 8 of this newsletter.

A short schedule of the Society’s

May, June and July 2014 CPE Calendar can be found on Page 9 for handy, future reference and a CPE Coupon for mem-bers only is on Page 5!

In April, the 2014 CPE Catalog and Member Resource Guide was mailed to all members and is posted on the Soci-ety’s website at www.nescpa.org.

“Also, members with questions, comments or suggestions about the Soci-ety’s 2014 CPE schedule and courses should feel free to contact us by phone, fax or email,” said Trudy Meyer, Vice President. “The Society staff looks for-ward to seeing members at CPE courses and conferences throughout 2014!”

Bryan Slone Campaigns for Gov.

With the May 13 primary election approaching, Society member Bryan Slone of Omaha continues crisscrossing the state meeting with Nebraskans in his campaign for the Republican nomi-nation for Governor.

“I’m running for Governor with a vision to move Nebraska Forward. My plan will make taxes lower, fairer, and flatter and will unleash Main Street Nebraska,” Slone said.

He is a long-time Society member who retired as General Partner of Deloitte in Omaha last November to run for Governor. A licensed Nebraska CPA, he graduated from Gering High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

At its January 7, 2014, meeting, the Nebraska Society’s Board of Directors endorsed Slone for Nebraska Governor.

2

The AICPA, NASBA and Prometric are pleased to mark the 10th anniversary of computer-based testing (CBT) for the Uniform CPA Examination and note the continued enhancements and suc-cessful expansion of the test administra-tion over the past decade.

“With a commitment to keep the pro-fession on the forefront and with an eye to continually attract the best young profes-sionals to the CPA profession, the AICPA, NASBA, and Prometric worked to convert the CPA Examination from a pencil-and-paper administered exam to a leading edge computer-based testing model ten years ago, setting a global standard on how accountancy professionals should be tested,” said Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, President and CEO of the AICPA.

One of the key changes in the con-version was an increased emphasis placed on skills assessment through ques-tions based on case studies known as Task-Based Simulations. These simula-tions typically require candidates to use spreadsheets and/or research authorita-tive literature which is provided in the Exam. The addition of task-based simula-tions allows the CPA Examination the flexibility to closely measure the evolving

skills newly licensed CPAs need to per-form in their everyday work.

During the ten year period since the launch of CBT, more than 400,000 candi-dates have sat for a total of more than two million sections of the Exam.

“NASBA is proud to be a part of this truly momentous occasion in the evolution of the Uniform CPA Examination. Over the past decade, aspiring CPAs have tested for more than two million sections with the very first computer-based Exami-nation administered at NASBA’s Guam Computer Testing Center,” said NASBA President and CEO, Ken Bishop.

Young professionals aspiring to be-come CPAs have seen an increase in con-venience and accessibility resulting from the conversation to CBT. Prior to the con-version, candidates were able to sit for the CPA Examination only twice a year; once in May and once in November. Currently, candidates can take the Exam 243 days a year, allowing for much greater testing flexibility. Candidates are now able to take advantage of nearly 300 testing locations with a 31 percent increase in the overall number of testing seats since 2004. In addition, candidates now receive their scores seven to 45 days after taking a

section, whereas it took 90 days to receive score results under the pencil-and-paper model.

The CPA Exam is administered in 54 jurisdictions nationwide by the AICPA, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and Prometric. The Exam was administered internationally for the first time in 2011 in Japan, Bahrain, Ku-wait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emir-ates. In 2012, testing expanded to Brazil.

More information on the CPA Exami-nation is available on the AICPA and NASBA websites.

Tax Return Totals According to the Internal Revenue

Service (IRS), as of April 4, 2014, Nebraska taxpayers had sent into the IRS about 71 percent of the expected 884,000 individual tax returns. Of those returns, around 95 percent have been e-filed. The IRS expects just over 45,000 extensions in Nebraska. Nationally, the IRS has received al-most 100 million tax returns as of April 4 and expects about 35 million more by the April 15 deadline.

COMPUTERIZED EXAM CELEBRATES 10TH YEAR

3

By Sandra Wiley Shareholder & COO

Boomer Consulting, Inc.

You may have heard it before, or you may have actually uttered these words, “why did we wait so l o n g t o l e t a n u n d e r -performing employee go?" In some firms today it may actually be called the under-performing epi-demic or the under-performer drag, but no matter what words you are using to describe the prob-lem, the results are the same - our firm suffers when the leaders do not take action.

The other word that I hear when talking about an employee that is just doing “okay” is that they may not be overachieving, but they are probably average. I have been attending Strategic Coach (an en-trepreneurial coaching think-tank) for many years and one of the con-cepts that we hear is “that average is where the worst of the best meets the best of the worst”. That does not sound like the kind of firm you really want to build does it?

In this article we are going to focus on managing the under-performer. Results from a recent

Career Builder survey involving more than 2,000 US employees revealed that 27 percent of bosses “have a current employee they would like to see leave their com-pany”. Many of you are either in this category or you know another leader in your firm that feels this way. Please think about those situations where there is a person in the firm that you really would be okay about if they left for another opportunity. Now ask yourself, how are we managing them today?

1.  We point out their shortcom-ings in blunt little comments that we hope they catch so that we don’t really have to have a conversation with them. Really, has this ever worked to turn around a per-son’s performance? Very unlikely. 

2.  We reduce their job respon-sibilities, which much of the time means that they get to do less for the same pay and transfers a higher workload to our super stars. Think about where the reward is happening in this sce-nario. Your under achiever is winning and your top talent

is being punished. 3.  Fire them. That can work,

but sometimes is short-sighted because we may have overlooked a way to manage them and make them better, so we lost a per-son that if we had simply worked with them in a differ-ent way they could have been amazing. You will never know. 

4.  Do nothing. Sadly this is the most likely thing that is being done right now. Ignore it and the issues might “right them-selves” or maybe the person will just go away. Again, not likely. 

Rather than trying one of the strategies above, let’s discover the strategies that will work for you, the under-performer and ultimately the firm.

Society Committees to Meet May 28 At Noon At Mahoney State Park

The Society’s annual Mid-Year Committee Meeting Day has been set for Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at Mahoney State Park, off of Interstate 80 - Exit #426. All committees except the CPE Planning Committee will meet. This is a “working lunch” meeting, which will begin with a lunch buffet at Noon and conclude at 2 p.m.

All Society members who have previously volunteered for committee service will also receive an email with the meeting details and a RSVP request. Members interested in still joining a committee should contact Lori at the Society office by phone, mail or email (lori@nescpa.org).

The Society’s Board of Directors will also hold a quar-terly meeting on the same day at Mahoney State Park.

Nebraska CPA is published ten times annually for members of the Nebraska Society of CPAs. Publication is monthly, with the exception of two combined issues: February/March and December/January. Copy deadline is the tenth of the month prior to publication.

Nebraska Society of CPAs 635 South 14th Street, Suite 330

Lincoln, Nebraska 68508 (402) 476-8482 or (800) 642-6178

Fax (402) 476-8731 Email society@nescpa.org

www.nescpa.org

OFFICERS Daniel L. Wells, Chairman

Anthony J. Pruss, III Chairman-Elect Patrick G. Kirlin, Secretary

Michelle R. Thornburg, Treasurer Patrick J. Lavelle, Immediate Past Chairman

DIRECTORS

Vaughn L. Benson Sheila A. Brugger Thomas J. Meister

Shari A. Munro John W. Sehi

John B. Fruhwirth

Elected Member of AICPA Council

Richard D. Gifford West Nebraska Chapter President

STAFF

Dan Vodvarka, President Trudy Meyer, Vice President

TIPS FOR MANAGING UNDER-PERFORMERS

Continued on Page 10

4

Thomas G. Stephens, Jr., CPA.CITP One year after its public availabil-

ity, Windows 8 garnered approximately 7.41% of the operating system market, according to data released by Net Ap-plications. Though Windows 8 share of the market pales in comparison to Win-dows 7’s 46% share, it does exceed – though barely – Apple’s 7.28% share.

Moreover, momentum behind Win-dows 8 appears to be building and many anticipate significant gains in Microsoft’s latest operating system in the coming quarters. Given this back-ground, perhaps now is the right time to consider whether you should up-grade to Windows 8 in the near future.

When Microsoft released Windows 8, many business users and information technology managers immediately chose to avoid the operating system for two rea-sons. First, Windows 8 contains no “Start” button, creating some confusion around how to launch traditional applications such as Excel and accounting and tax ap-plications. Second, business users would have to boot the operating system to the new Modern user interface, and then navi-

gate to the more traditional desktop user interface found in prior versions of Win-dows.

In August 2013, Microsoft released Windows 8.1 to manufacturing, and the product became available to the public on October 17 and this update addressed both of the issues cited above. Users who up-grade to Windows 8.1 will benefit from a newly designed Start button to provide direct access from the desktop to tradi-tional applications and from the ability to boot a computer directly to the desktop. With these two enhancements, Microsoft removed two of the major obstacles stop-ping many business users from migrating Windows 8. In addition, Windows 8.1 provides a number of additional features targeted to business users, including tools to assist in managing Bring Your Own Device scenarios, enhancements to facili-tate computing while away from the of-fice, and security enhancements.

Last Days of XP Since its introduction in 2001, Win-

dows XP has provided exceptional reli-ability, stability, and functionality to mil-lions of business users. However, in con-

junction with Microsoft’s stated product support policy, Windows XP was “sunset” on April 8, 2014. Since this date, Micro-soft no longer supports Windows XP and the company no longer provides service packs, updates, patches, etc. for Windows 8. For this reason, virtually all business users of Windows XP should now plan to migrate away from Windows XP.

Until recently, Windows XP held 33% of the operating system market and a substantial portion of these users were in businesses. If you are currently running Windows XP, the migration to Windows 8 will be a significant effort, as you will need to perform a “clean install” of Win-dows 8. This means that you cannot load Windows 8 on top of your existing Win-dows XP or Windows Vista installation. Of course, with a clean installation you will need to reinstall all of your applica-tions and restore a backup of all of your data files once you install Windows 8. Note that a clean install is not necessary if you are upgrading from Windows 7. Rather, in this case you can install Win-dows 8 over the top of the existing Win-dows 7 installation.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF WINDOWS 8?

Nebraska Society membership applications have been received from the following indi-viduals. Objections should be filed with the Secretary of the Nebraska Society of CPAs: Patrick G. Kirlin, Rhea Cattle Company, 5935 McCall Lane, Arlington, NE 68002.

Lacey Hoffman, Lincoln Journal Star; Lincoln

Alison L. Jacobs, Fuhrman, Smolsky & Furey, PC; Omaha

Chase S. Manstedt, Immanuel; Omaha

Lauren Nogel, Seim Johnson, LLP; Omaha

Megan A. Pryal, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium; Omaha

Brent M. Sommer, Seim Johnson, LLP; Omaha

Membership Applications

Continued on Page 8

Forensic Accounting Investigations Aren’t Just for Lawyers

Accountants can benefit from them too.

Cody F. Carse, CPA Certified Fraud Examiner

Certified in Financial Forensics

Asset discovery / recovery Contract disputes Expert witness and consultant Fraud examinations Landlord / Tennant disputes Purchase or sale of a business Shareholder / Partner disputes Suspected theft by employees or others

402-201-6427 ccarse@CodyFCarseCPA.com

www.CodyFCarseCPA.com

5

NEBRASKA SOCIETY MEMBERS . . . THANK YOU!! The Society’s Board of Directors has approved a $15 CPE discount coupon for each Society member

to use towards Society-sponsored CPE courses during the 2014 CPE year.

Only one coupon per member per year can be used. It’s EASY to use! Please just attach the coupon to your CPE/Conference registration and deduct $15 from your payment.

$15 Coupon $15 Coupon

Offer valid only for Nebraska Society of CPAs’ members towards Society-sponsored CPE courses or conferences.

Member’s Name __________________________________________________Course & Date ___________________

Only ONE coupon per SOCIETY MEMBER per CPE year.

$15 Coupon Send Coupon with CPE or Conference Registration Form. $15 Coupon

Nebraska Society of CPAs 2014 CPE/Conference Discount Coupon

Expires December 31, 2014

One of the Society’s longest run-ning discussion groups, the Lincoln MAP Roundtable, has announced its 2014 meetings schedule.

The group, which is open to all Society members but is aimed at members involved in the Manage-ment of an Accounting Practice (MAP), will meet monthly at the Miller Time Pub and Grill in The Cornhusker in Lincoln from 7:30 until 9:00 a.m. for a no-host breakfast meeting.

Phil Waldron of Lincoln, organ-izer of the meetings, said that the af-ter tax season organizational meeting will be held on Friday, May 16, 2014.

Other meetings this year are tentatively scheduled for June 20, July 18, August 22, September 19, October 17, November 21 and De-cember 19.

For more information, call the Society office at 402-476-8482 or e-mail lori@nescpa.org.

2014 MAP Meetings Scheduled In Lincoln

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6

THE NEBRASKA SOCIETY OF CPAS’ JUNE CONFERENCES The Nebraska Society of CPAs will host two conferences, it’s 33rd Annual Nebraska Governmental Accounting & Auditing

Conference (GAAC) on June 10 & 11, 2014, and it’s 18th Annual Nebraska Not-For-Profit Organizations’ Conference (NFPC) on June 12, 2014. Both will be held at The Cornhusker, A Marriott Hotel, at 333 S. 13th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Parking is available at The Cornhusker Hotel and all City of Lincoln parking garages. Parking tickets for these locations will be vali-dated during Conference registrations.

A block of sleeping rooms has been reserved at The Cornhusker Hotel for conference attendees at the special rate of $89 per night for a single or double. This block of rooms has been reserved under our name, The Nebraska Society of CPAs. All reservations must be received on or before Monday, May 26, 2014. Any reservations made after that date will be subject to availability and the hotel’s guest room rates. Reservations are made by calling The Cornhusker at (402) 474-7474.

The Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy has approved the GAAC for 16 hours of continuing professional education credit, of which 2 hours will count towards the ethics requirement , and the NFPC for 8 hours of continuing professional education credit, of which 1 hour will count towards the ethics requirement.

Please list any specific needs on your registration form or notify us by email (tmeyer@nescpa.org) or phone (800) 642-6178 at least one week prior to the conference and we will do our best to accommodate. For your comfort during the events, we recommend dressing in layers to accommodate the varying temperatures in hotel meeting rooms.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM PLEASE MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS BELOW AND EMAIL (SOCIETY@NESCPA.ORG), FAX (402.476.8731) OR MAIL (NEBRASKA SOCIETY OF CPAS, 635 S. 14TH STREET, SUITE 330, LINCOLN, NE 68508) THIS FORM. YOU WILL RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION WITHIN 3 BUSINESS DAYS.

Please select one breakout session for each session by filling in the circle (). 3:15 to 4:05 PM “(Timely Topic Pending)” - Frank Crawford, Crawford & Associates, P.C.

“Taxpayer Advocate Service: Your Voice at the IRS” - Ron Freeland, IRS “Auditing IT Controls” - Sean Winekauf, KPMG LLP

4:10 to 5:00 PM “Update From the State Auditor’s Office” - Deann Haeffner & Mark Avery, NE Auditor of Public Accounts “Taxpayer Advocate Service: Your Voice at the IRS” - Ron Freeland, IRS (repeat) “School District Audits” - Dana Weber, CPA & Bryce Wilson, NE Department of Education

Confirmation and/or Credit Card Receipt: Email Mail Address: _________________________________________________________ Attendee : ___________________________________________________ Firm: _____________________________________________________ Mailing Address: ______________________________________________ Special Accommodations: ____________________________________ Contact Name: ________________________________________________ Contact Number/Email: ______________________________________ NEBRASKA GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING & AUDITING CONFERENCE - JUNE 10 & 11, 2014:

$370 - Two Days Society Member (and non-CPA, accounting staff of a sponsoring Society member) $400 - Two Days Society Nonmember $290 - One Day Society Member June 10 June 11

NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION’S CONFERENCE - JUNE 12, 2014: $210 - Not-For-Profit Company Employee $230 - Society Member (and non-CPA, accounting staff of a sponsoring Society member) $260 - Society Nonmember

A $35 late fee will be applied to registrations postmarked or faxed less than 10 days prior to the conference dates.

Please select one breakout session by filling in the circle (). 10:30 to 11:20 AM “Disaster Recovery” - Monte V. Monteleagre, EGiS Technologies, Inc.

“Tax Update for Hospitals” - Lorraine Egger, KPMG LLP “Communication & Collaboration from the Cloud with Microsoft Office 365 for Not-For-Profits” - P&L Technology

Payment Information: Total Due $

Credit Card: MasterCard Visa

Card Number Cardholder Name

Cardholder Signature

Billing Address Expiration Date CVV Code

Check to be Mailed - Payable to The Nebraska Society of CPAs

7

Location: The Cornhusker Hotel, 333 S. 13th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska

TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 7:30 to 8:00 AM Registration, Continental Breakfast

8:10 to 10:00 AM “GASB Update” - David Vaudt, Chairman, GASB 10:15 to 11:45 AM “OCBOA” - Frank Crawford, Crawford & Associates, P.C.

11:45 AM to 12:30 PM Buffet Lunch 12:30 to 1:20 PM “Nebraska Department of Revenue Update” - George Kilpatrick, Ruth Sorensen & Kathy Prevo, NE Dept of Revenue

1:25 to 2:15 PM “Affordable Care Act” - Rex Schultze, Perry, Guthery, Haase & Gessford, P.C., L.L.O. 2:20 to 3:10 PM “Service Organizations and SOC 1 Reports” - Paul Koehler, CPA

8:00 to 8:10 AM Welcome & Opening from Governmental A&A Committee Chairman, Chris Lindner

Nebraska Society of CPAs, 635 S. 14th Street, Suite 330, Lincoln, NE 68508 www.nescpa.org Conference fees include parking, materials and food.

18TH ANNUAL NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS’ CONFERENCE ~ JUNE 12, 2014 7:45 to 8:20 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:20 to 8:30 AM Welcome and Opening Remarks from Not-For-Profit Committee Chairman, Jamie Johnson 8:30 to 9:20 AM “Selecting the Right Retirement Plan for Not-For Profit Employees” - Michael Johnson, Executive Wealth Mgmt

9:30 to 10:20 AM “Cyber Security” - Monte V. Monteleagre, EGiS Technologies, Inc. BREAKOUT SESSIONS

10:30 to 11:20 AM “Disaster Recovery” - Monte V. Monteleagre, EGiS Technologies, Inc. “Tax Update for Hospitals” - Lorraine Egger, KPMG LLP “Communication & Collaboration from the Cloud with Microsoft Office 365 for Not-For-Profits” - P&L Technology

11:20 AM to 12:10 PM Buffet Lunch 12:10 to 1:25 PM “Affordable Care Act (ACA) Update” - Tony Sorrentino, SilverStone Group

1:30 to 2:20 PM “Practical Lessons in Internal Controls” - Chris Lindner, BKD LLP 2:35 to 3:50 PM “Accounting & Auditing Update” - Mike Wolfe, BKD LLP 3:55 to 4:45 PM “Ethics: Realigning Trust, Security & Compliance” - Frank Crawford, Crawford & Associates, P.C. - Ethics 1 Hour

4:45 PM Conference Adjourns

8 Hours of CPE - Includes 1 Hour

of Ethics

THE NEBRASKA SOCIETY OF CPAS’ JUNE CONFERENCES

33RD ANNUAL GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING & AUDITING CONFERENCE ~ JUNE 10 & 11, 2014

Conference Fees: A $35 late fee will be applied to registrations received, postmarked or faxed less than 10 days prior to the conference. Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference

$370 - Two Days Society Member (and non-CPA, accounting staff of a sponsoring Society member) $290 - One Day - Society Member $400 - Two Days Society Nonmember $320 - One Day - Society Nonmember

Not-For-Profit Conference $210 - Not-For-Profit Organization Employee $260 - Society Nonmember $230 - Society members not employed by not-for-profit organizations (and non-CPA, accounting staff of a sponsoring Society member)

BREAKOUT SESSIONS 3:15 to 4:05 PM 4:10 to 5:00 PM

“(Timely Topic Pending)” - Frank Crawford “State Auditor’s Office Update” - Haeffner & Avery, NE Auditor of Public Accts “Taxpayer Advocate Service: Your Voice at the IRS” “Taxpayer Advocate Service: Your Voice at the IRS” - R. Freeland, IRS (repeat) “Auditing IT Controls” - Sean Winekauf, KPMG LLP “School District Audits” - Dana Weber, CPA & Bryce Wilson, NE Dept of Educ.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 7:30 to 8:05 AM Continental Breakfast & Welcome

8:05 to 10:00 AM “Real Life Case Studies in Fraud” - Frank Crawford, Crawford & Associates, P.C. 10:15 to 11:30 AM “Changes in Single Audit Requirements & Government Audit Quality Issues” - Mike Wolfe, BKD LLP

11:30 AM to 12:15 PM Buffet Lunch

12:15 to 1:15 PM “Early Warning Strategies for Governments: Navigating Through Troubled Times” - Nancy Zielke, Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector Services, LLC

1:30 to 3:10 PM “Ethics” - Jeremy Wortman, HRD Initiatives LLC - Ethics 2 Hours 3:10 PM Conference Adjourns

16 Hours of CPE - Includes 2 Hours

of Ethics

8

Windows 8 does not place any oner-ous requirements on hardware. In general, almost every computer that would have run Windows Vista and Windows 7 will also run Windows 8. Further, many com-puters that run Windows XP currently can run Windows 8 without any hardware upgrades or replacements.

Specific hardware requirements for Windows 8 include the following: Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or

faster RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2

GB (64-bit) Free hard disk space: 16 GB (32-

bit) or 20 GB (64-bit) Graphics card: MicrosoftDirectX 9

graphics device with WDDM driver If you are unsure as to whether your

computer meets these specs, note that the Windows 8 installation routine will check your computer as part of the installation process. If your computer does not meet the minimum specs, the installation proc-ess will abort and notify you of any defi-ciencies.

Difficult to Learn & Use? In my experience, not at all. In fact,

most business users will likely perform most of their actions from the Windows 8 traditional desktop. If that is the case, us-ers will notice very little difference be-tween Windows 8 and prior versions of Windows. In fact, the only difference you might see is improved speed, as you will notice that Windows 8 is very fast, both in booting a computer and in performing specific tasks such as opening a file, searching a folder, and launching applica-tions.

Those who choose to work with Win-dows 8 through the Modern interface will see many differences between Windows 8 and prior versions of Windows. This is

analogous to a Mac user who purchases an iPad – yes, there are differences but learning how to use an iPad is a very sim-ple process for most, just as learning to use Windows 8 from the Modern interface will likely not present many obstacles to those who decide to use the operating system in that fashion.

Windows 8 has much to offer. Im-proved speed and security, coupled with productivity enhancements make this an operating system that all computer users should look at and consider using.

Stephens is a shareholder in K2 En-terprises. You may contact him at tommy@k2e.com.

WINDOWS 8 . . . From Page 4   

Members in the News Brad Crain of Lincoln has been elected to the Board of

Directors of the Nebraska Safety Council. . . . Vicki Young of Fort Calhoun has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Methodist Hospital Foundation in Omaha. . . . Steve Eck of Omaha has been named Vice President of Commercial Banking at First National Bank of Omaha. . . . Terri Piccolo of Benning-ton has been named Senior Vice President-Finance for Farmers National Co. in Omaha.

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The Nebraska Society of CPAs’ 2014 Spring - Summer Conference / CPE Calendar www. nescpa.org Date Course Conference / Course Title Type Discussion Leader Facility & Location

May 21 MOTT Planning to Defeat the 3.8% Medicare Tax & Other Tax Topics

(4-Hour Morning Course) TX Bradley P. Burnett, J.D., LL.M. Sandhills Conv. Ctr., North Platte, NE

21 ISNR IRS’ Scathing New Repair vs. Capitalize Regs (4-Hour After-noon Course) TX Bradley P. Burnett, J.D.,

LL.M. Sandhills Conv. Ctr., North Platte, NE

22 AFPL Audits of 401(k) Plans: New Developments & Critical Issues for an Effective & Efficient Audit AA Melissa G. Critcher,

Surgent McCoy Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

23 ADCR Advanced Compilation and Review Engagement Issues: Striking the Right Balance Between Compliance, Client Service and Prac-tice Management

AA Melissa G. Critcher, Surgent McCoy Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

30 NAFR Nonprofit Accounting & Financial Reporting AA Paul Koehler, CPA Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE June

10-12 GAAC NFPC

33rd Annual Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference & 18th Annual Not-For-Profit Conference - SEE PAGES 6-7 Various The Cornhusker, Lincoln, NE

16-17 STP2A AHI Beginning In-Charge Staff Training AA R. Nelson, AHI Assoc. Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

18 FSTI The Many Facets of State Taxes & Incentives - From the Com-pany's Strategic Perspective TX Nick Niemann, McGrath

North Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

19-20 Excel & QuickBooks - SEE BELOW MA Mac McClelland, K2 Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE 24 FAQAA FAQ – Accounting and Auditing AA H. Sibelman, Loscalzo German American Society, Omaha, NE 25 ARU 2014 FASB and AICPA Update AA H. Sibelman, Loscalzo German American Society, Omaha, NE 26 DKFS Disclosure - The Key to Financial Statements AA H. Sibelman, Loscalzo German American Society, Omaha, NE

27 ASD Audits of Nebraska School Districts AA Julie D. Bauman, CPA & Marcy J. Luth, CPA Holiday Inn & Conf. Ctr., Kearney, NE

July 1 CL4TCA Tax Challenges for Older Americans (4-Hour Morning Course) TX Carla Gordon, AICPA Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

1 CL4SSM Social Security and Medicare: Maximizing Retirement Benefits (4-Hour Afternoon Course) TX Carla Gordon, AICPA Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

2 ITTF International Taxation TX Michael Tilton, AICPA Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE 8 AFASB Advanced FASB Review: Complex GAAP Issues AA M. Van Wagoner, AICPA Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE 9 RRNS Revenue Recognition AA M. Van Wagoner, AICPA Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

10 VAL Business Valuation Topics: Everything You Want to Know … and More MA Chris Best, Acclaro

Valuation Advisors Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE

Cornerstone Bank (York, NE), a $1.3 billion family-owned bank with 34 locations in 25 communities in Central Nebraska, has an immediate opening for a qualified CPA. Job duties relate to internal bank audit. Excellent benefit package. Compen-sation based on experience and qualifications. Send resume and cover letter to Human Resources, Cornerstone Bank. P.O. Box 69. York, NE 68467 or email hr@cornerstoneconnect.com. Equal Opportunity Employer/Women, Mi-norities, Protected Veterans and Per-sons with Disabilities/AAP.

OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE PAGES 9, 11 & 12

As you plan your continuing professional education courses for the year, please keep in mind the technology-focused LIVE seminars that we offer through the Nebraska Society of CPAs.

6/20/2014 Advanced QuickBooks Tips and Techniques Mahoney State Park

K2 Enterprises also offers a broad curriculum of technology-focused CPE webinars on a variety of topics, including Excel, QuickBooks, PDFs, accounting solutions, and Microsoft Office. As a NASBA approved sponsor of webinar learning, you are assured of a high-quality event that is both convenient and affordable. Join K2 Enterprises at our technology webinars and earn CPE credit from the comfort and convenience of your home, your office, or any other location with Internet access. Each is sure to make you more efficient and productive in the application of technology to solve common, everyday business problems. For information on the topics and dates, please visit www.nescpa.org/webcasts.php#K2Webcasts .

K2 Webinars

6/20/2014 Excel Reporting – Best Practices, Mahoney State Park Tools and Techniques Mahoney State Park

6/19/2014 Advanced Excel Mahoney State Park

10

1.  Daily Communication. That does not mean that you must have a face to face, hour long meeting daily. An email, an instant message or a quick stop in their office are imperative to help con-nect the under-performer to the job requirements. These communications should be all about their performance not just personal issues. 

2.  Train your Supervisors – and get training your-self. Growing your knowl-e d g e a n d y o u r team's knowledge is critical to helping everyone in the firm. Teaching can come from books, web seminars, conferences, internal training and coaching. Your excuse cannot be “there are no re-sources or opportuni-ties”. The only excuse you

could possibly give is “I don’t want to” and that is not how a true leader thinks. 

3.  Coach, Counsel and Men-tor. Insuring that you are coaching individuals to im-prove in the moment per-formance issues; counseling to correct personal or outside the professional guidelines issues; and mentoring to in-sure long-term professional goals within the firm, are all parts of helping the under-performer improve his or her career to achieve a higher level of success. Identifying and showing support by cor-recting is imperative to the under-performer to feeling like they are important to the firm and the firm leaders. 

4.  Tie their job to the overall firm goals. All employees like to feel like what they’re doing is important. They want to know that they are making a difference. The

more you can tie what they are doing to the overall strategies of the firm the more likely you will be to turn t h e i r p e r f o r m a n c e around. This will not be as easy as it sounds. Enlisting t h e i r h e l p i n t h i s is important. The other thing that may have to happen is as you talk through their re-sponsibilities you will need to watch them do the work, have them do the work and last, watch them again! 

5.  Teach them – don’t just say “no”. We have a habit of saying no automatically when our team members – especially the less experi-enced – come up with new ideas or ask questions. It is sometimes blatant and sometimes a little more sub-tle, but the message is sent with a megaphone to the team members, “don’t ask q u e s t i o n s , j u s t d o your work”. That is a killer to star performers and under-performers alike. There is a pretty easy fix in theory – stop, listen, allow! Stop what you are doing. Listen to the idea. Allow yourself to ask questions and clarify be-fore you decide to move for-ward, get more information or stop the idea. 

6.  Write It All Down. Make sure you capture all of the communications and work that you do with the under-performer. If the worst case scenario happens and you must terminate, you will want all of your hard work recorded. 

Identify your under-performer and don’t allow “drag” for one more day! Follow the steps above and work hard to change their re-sults. However, if you don’t see the improvements you want, don’t be afraid to make the hard decision to let the person find other opportu-nities that will fit them better. 

TIPS FOR MANAGING . . . From Page 3 

11

OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE PAGES 9, 11 & 12

Senior Accountant–Financial Reporting Primary responsibilities will include supervising and coordinating the Com-pany’s (i) compliance over internal controls over financial reporting; and (ii) GAAP research, application, and compliance. In addition, this role will assist with the Company’s budget and forecasting process. RESPONSIBILITIES: The Company’s internal controls over financial reporting: 1. Supervise and coordinate the Com-pany’s compliance related to internal controls over financial reporting (and the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley Sec-tion 404) 2. Participate in the development of a sustainable solution to identify, ana-lyze, and monitor financial statement risks and the related internal controls over financial reporting in order to meet the Company’s financial reporting ob-jectives and for Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance 3. Identify, develop, and implement improvements and best practices in re-gards to internal controls over financial reporting 4. Assist with the development of pro-grams to educate and train others on the performance of internal controls over financial reporting 5. Plan and review tests of internal con-trols to ensure they are carried out ef-fectively and timely GAAP research and compliance: 1. Perform and supervise GAAP re-search and analysis and apply results to the Company’s operations and/or spe-cific transactions 2. Monitor and implement new ac-counting guidance as determined appli-cable to the Company 3. Be a resource and/or assist other business segments in application of GAAP related to unusual and/or signifi-cant transactions Assist in the Company’s annual budget and forecast process (including moni-toring actual vs. budget variances throughout the year) EDUCATION: 4-year degree in ac-counting, CPA preferred EXPERIENCE: (top of next column)

Tonniges & Associates, PC in Kear-ney, Nebraska is looking for an indi-vidual with 3-5 years in public ac-counting to lead audit engagements; prepare corporate and individual tax returns.

Required Skills Excellent client relationship skills Excellent time management skills

and ability to meet deadlines Proven ability to supervise and train

other professionals Strong communication skills, both

written and verbal Required Experience

Current CPA certification 3-5 years or more of audit and tax

experience in public accounting Experience with QuickBooks is pre-

ferred.

Omaha Area, NE CPA Practice for Sale: Well-established firm produc-ing annual gross of $1,530,000. The practice has a loyal client base and an excellent reputation for providing the highest level of service and quality work. Nice mix of revenues, 54% tax work, 37% audit and 5% accntg svcs. For more information about this op-portunity or others in your area, please call 1-800-397-0249. To view listings, inquire for details and regis-ter for free email updates visit us at www.AccountingPracticeSales.com

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR PRACTICE? Accounting Practice Sales is the leading marketer of ac-counting and tax practices in North America. We have a large pool of buyers, both individuals and firms, looking for practices now. We also have the experience to help you find the right fit for your firm and negoti-ate the best price and terms. To learn more about our risk-free and confi-dential services, call Trent Holmes at 1 - 8 0 0 - 3 9 7 - 0 2 4 9 o r e m a i l Trent@accountingpracticesales.com.

1. 2+ years accounting and/or financial statement audit experience or related experience 2. Experience with identifying, analyz-ing, documenting, and monitoring inter-nal controls over financial reporting. Apply online at Nelnet.com.

12

OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE PAGES 9, 11 & 12

Nebraska Society of CPAs 635 South 14th Street, Suite 330 Lincoln, Nebraska 68508

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE

PAID CORNERSTONE

Practice Acquisitions Sought McDermott & Miller, P.C., is inter-ested in acquiring or merging in a qualifying CPA firm(s) along the I-80 corridor from Omaha to Kearney, Nebraska. Particularly we are look-ing at firms within a 50 mile radius of I-80 that would specially include such cities as Omaha, Lincoln, York, Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney among others. If your firm is interested in discuss-ing this opportunity, please contact Norm Saale at 308-382-7850 or nsaale@mmcpas.com. Serious in-quiries only.

and timely filing of tax returns and management reports.

Completing accounting, financing, and tax duties as required. The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to handle multiple projects in a fast paced environment. Benefits include free employee health insurance, matching 401(k), company assisted dental insurance, PTO vacation, and more. For consideration, send your resume to dean.moeller@ricomaha.com or mail a copy to: Resource Consultants Inc, Attn: Dean Moeller, HR, PO Box 241297, Omaha, NE 68124.

Northeast Nebraska manufacturer is looking for a hands-on Controller to work closely with the CFO to man-age the Company's accounting func-tions. These functions will include establishing and maintaining sound accounting principles, practices and procedures. The Controller will have responsibility for general ledger maintenance for several companies, cash flow management, group health and casualty insurance programs, financial statement preparation, co-ordination with outside accountants for income tax return preparation and supervision of accounting staff. Qualified candidates will have a de-gree in accounting with 5-10 years experience in accounting manage-ment. CPA credential is not neces-sary but is preferable. Please send resume and salary requirements to Heritage Homes of Nebraska, Inc., PO Box 37, Wayne NE 68787 or email terry@heritageind.com.

Accounting Associate

Resource Insurance Consultants is looking for an Accounting Associate on a career path towards Controller. The successful candidate will be a cer-tified public accountant with a mini-mum of 2 years experience in a CPA firm processing corporate tax returns. The duties for the position include: Preparing and analyzing accounting

records and financial reports. Computing and filing tax returns. Developing and analyzing budgets. Advising management on tax strate-

gies and budgetary requirements. Processing payroll and payroll tax

payments and returns. Invoicing clients and processing

payments. Processing vendor payments and

1099 files. Managing cash and credit positions. Managing multiple company inter-

relationships to maximize profitabil-ity and minimize tax implications.

Maintaining entity licensing to re-main in good standing.

Managing staff to ensure accurate

Do Your Clients Need

Low-Cost Incorporation Services?

Attorney Prepared—Prompt and Affordable Filing Fees and Costs Included NE or IA, standard organizations:

Incorporation $449.00 Nonprofit Corporation $449.00 Limited Liability Company $499.00 Professional Corporation $549.00 (Nebraska Only) Additional States Available—Call for Pricing

7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200

Omaha, NE 68114

Phone 402-391-2400 Fax:402-391-0343

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