Fresno Chapter
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Archive for the ‘President’s Message’ Category
September 11th, 2009
By Sheryl M. Yardumian, CPA
As summer draws to a close, it is time for our chapter to gear up for upcoming events. Our local events are a great way for everybody to get involved with the chapter and network with other local CPAs to create a better future. Here is a summary of what’s coming up:
Student Night: This will be held at TorNino’s Thursday, Sept. 17, beginning at 5:30 p.m. This is an exciting night where we award our scholarship winners. In the past, this has been one of our best-attended events, and is important to all of the students who plan to pursue accounting as their career.
Golf Tournament: Our annual Golf Tournament will be held Monday, Oct. 26, at Fort Washington Country Club beginning with shotgun start at 11 a.m. This event has historically attracted more than 100 golfers and raised a substantial amount of money for our scholarship fund. Take advantage of this opportunity to play golf with other CPAs and business professionals—and be sure to invite your clients! Lunch and dinner is provided, and there is even a rumor of a special hole-in-one prize! Registration forms and sponsorship information is available online.
Member Awards Night: This event will prove to be our premier event of the year as we recognize members in various capacities, such as new members, 40-year members (yes, there are some of those), along with our board of directors and committee members who volunteer numerous during the year to put on all of these great events. In addition, we will be celebrating 100 years of CalCPA and will announce the first winner of the Distinguished Member Award. If you are interested in nominating a fellow member, please complete the form available online. Also, the Young Emerging Professionals Awards will also be presented that night, so complete your nomination forms as soon as possible.
There are numerous upcoming opportunities for local CPE, as well, through our various committees. The Litigation Committee will present our next committee meeting Thursday, Oct. 1. The topic is “How Not to Get Sued.” The Committee was very lucky to have secured the speaker for this topic-you won’t want to miss it. Register online.
Please pay attention to your e-mails that announce these events. And as always, you can access our chapter events online. I hope to see all of you at one or more of these events in the next few months.
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August 12th, 2009
By Sheryl Yardumian, CPA
The chapter has 952 licensed members and needs 48 more to reach the magic number of 1,000. Once we have 1,000 licensed members, we will increase our representation by one seat on the CalCPA Council. I realize that all of you reading this are members, but if you know anyone who is a CPA, is trying to become a CPA or is an accounting student, please forward this information to them. One of them will become our 1,000th member!
In addition to CalCPA providing us with a voice in Sacramento and continually enhancing our public image, member benefits include, among others:
- CalCPA Daily Clips (daily new articles)
- CalCPA BUZZ (bi-monthly newsletter)
- California CPA monthly magazine
- Monthly chapter bulletins
- E-communities and forums
- Website resources (classifieds, member directory, Find a CPA)
- Member discounts for continuing education events and products
- Technical hotlines
- Insurance plans (California CPA Protect Plus)
- Affinity programs
- Volunteer opportunities (financial literacy, student outreach and disaster outreach)
- Chapter networking opportunities
- For students, resources such as free résumé posting, free CPE and scholarship resources
- For candidates, resources such as CPA review course discounts and Young Emerging Professionals Connection e-newsletter.
As you can see, CalCPA offers something for everyone. And, if you are a long-standing member, take a moment to review the above list to make sure you are getting the most from your membership.
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July 6th, 2009
By Sheryl Yardumian, CPA
I had the honor last month of attending the CalCPA Council meetings in San Francisco and CalCPA’s 100-year anniversary gala celebration. The gala was wonderful and I was honored to be among so many incredible people who are an asset to our profession. San Francisco was a great location with beautiful sunny weather!
At our Council meeting, we were updated on several bills in the legislative pipeline that affect CPAs, including the 150-hour rule, mandatory peer review and designation of inactive status. You can find status updates and more information on these bills online.
I also recently attended the CPA Affinity Group with several Fresno CPAs and officials. This group was spearheaded by the mayor’s office and its goal is to create two-way communication with the local CPA community to hear our concerns, issues, comments, suggestions, etc. The focus of this particular meeting was the various tax credits available to business owners in the city of Fresno for incentive zones. The next meeting will be scheduled in the fall and I encourage as many of you to attend as possible.
Given the economy, I know everyone is on a tight budget, so your chapter has ways to help by offering local, low-cost continuing education. Here are some upcoming CPE events:
July 28: Tax Committee
July 29: APAS summer series (continues Aug. 26, Sept. 30 and Oct. 28)
Oct. 1: Litigation Committee
Other upcoming events that support our community and the scholarship fund include:
Sept. 12: Day of Caring
Sept. 17: Student Night
Oct. 26: Golf Tournament
Nov. 17: Member Awards Night (Centennial Celebration)
Week of Jan. 11: Blood Drive
Please help support our chapter by attending as many of these events as possible. Our success depends on each and every one of you. If you are unable to attend an event, consider making a donation to our scholarship fund.
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May 7th, 2009
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA
The Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee passed Senate Bill 691 April 27. SB 691 provides for a revision of the existing law regarding licensure. Under the bill, candidates for licensure would require proof of completion of a minimum of 150 semester units prior to licensure and one year of qualifying experience (in addition to a baccalaureate degree and successful completion of the CPA Exam). The current Pathway 1 (completion of a baccalaureate degree with completion of at least 24 semester units in accounting and 24 semester units in business related subjects, board exam passage, and two years of qualifying experience) would be eliminated.
Voting in favor of the bill were committee members Aanestad, Correa, Florez, Oropeza, Walters, Wyland and Yee. Three members—Corbett, McLeod and Romero—did not vote.
In addition to a number of CalCPA members, approximately 20 students and candidates attended the hearing to express their support of the bill. SB 691 will next go to the Senate Appropriations Committee. A date for this next hearing is not yet known. If the bill clears that committee, it would then go to the floor of the Senate.
You can find more information SB 691 on the CalCPA website. If you would like to send a letter in support of this legislation, please contact Kay Coffin for a sample letter, as well as the address to which the letter should be directed.
In other news, be sure to register for CalCPA’s 100th anniversary gala celebration. The event will take place Friday, June 19, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. In addition to dinner and dancing, the evening will include a reception and silent.
This is my final President’s Message. Next month, our new officers will take the reins of the chapter. I wish our incoming officers great success! Sheryl Yardumian, Elaine Reule, Jodie Rolih and Laura Cullen will do a tremendous job for the Fresno Chapter.
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who served as chapter officers and board members this past year: Sheryl Yardumian, Elaine Reule, Jodie Rolih, Laura Cullen, Tim Baker, Kristi Miller, Norman Wong, Paul Chen, Ron Hickok and Adrienne Cantrell. And a special thanks to Kay Coffin for keeping chapter operations running so smoothly! It has been my utmost pleasure to work with this group of wonderful professionals. I also want to thank all the chapter members for their input and participation in the various meetings and events this past year. Your support and involvement in the chapter is incredibly generous. Thank you all!
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
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April 8th, 2009
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA
Congratulations to all those who have successfully navigated another tax busy season. That’s right, by the time this message is available, the 2009 busy season will have ended—April 15 will have come and gone. So, take a few moments to enjoy the sunshine and warmth of the spring season!
Here’s a look at some recent developments:
Senate Bill 691 is a CalCPA-sponsored measure introduced Feb. 27 by Sen. Leland Yee (co-authored by Assembly members Fiona Ma, CPA and Roger Niello, CPA). SB 691 would revise existing law regarding licensure. Currently, the law requires an applicant for licensure to comply with education, examination and experience requirements under one of two pathways that set forth different standards. Pathway 1 requires completion of a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university with completion of at least 24 semester units in accounting and 24 semester units in business related subjects, CPA Exam passage and two years of qualifying experience.
Pathway 2 educational and examination requirements are the same as Pathway 1, but also requires proof of completion of a minimum of 150 semester units prior to licensure and instead accepts one year of qualifying experience.
Pathway 1 would be sunsetted Jan. 1, 2014 under SB 691, and all applicants would be required to comply with Pathway 2. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee April 27. For additional information on CalCPA’s support of SB 691, please refer to our online resources. Eliminating pathway 1 would bring California’s licensing standards up to those of 46 other states and remove barriers to interstate commerce for California CPAs and their clients. Existing CPAs that did not get a license with 150 hours of education would be grandfathered in.
In recognition of its 100th anniversary, CalCPA will be hosting a gala celebration Friday, June 19, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The evening will feature a reception and silent auction, and will continue with dinner and dancing. Registrations for the anniversary celebration can be made online.
Also—don’t forget to renew your membership! CalCPA offers a number of benefits to its members. Additionally, the Fresno Chapter has outstanding educational and social activities available each year. Please remember to renew your membership!
Until next month, have a wonderful spring!
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
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March 13th, 2009
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
Financial literacy is one of CalCPA’s key initiatives, and given the current economic environment, this issue is receiving wide attention. In January, the United Way presented a community-based organization meeting to discuss financial education and the Bank on Fresno program. You may be asking: “What is the Bank on Fresno program?” Well, Laura Cullen, chair of our chapter’s Financial Literacy Committee, attended the event and graciously provided the following information from that January meeting. Thank you, Laura!
Fresno is one of five cities selected for Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Bank on California Initiative, which attempts to ensure that residents have access to mainstream financial institutions. Bank on Fresno is a joint effort of the Office of the Governor, Office of the Mayor, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, local financial institutions and nonprofit organizations. The United Way of Fresno County is serving as the local organizing agent. A goal has been established to start 10,000 unbanked Fresno residents on the path to financial mobility by helping them to open a low-cost, starter bank account and to access the education necessary to manage it successfully. An unbanked person is someone without an account at a traditional financial institution. Many of these individuals carry their money on their person or store it at home, which can make them susceptible to crime; these individuals are especially vulnerable in the event of a disaster.
Recent market research shows that Fresno has the highest percentage of unbanked residents in the country at 11 percent—twice the national average. The consequences of being an unbanked individual can severely impact a person’s lifetime income, which in turn can impact the local economy and community. According to a research brief from the Brookings Institution, “a full-time worker who utilizes a lower-cost checking account instead of check-cashing services could potentially save $40,000 over their career. Depending on the types of checking accounts, residence, money-management skills and account stability, this same unbanked worker … could generate as much as $360,000 in wealth over a 40-year career. This would be enough to pay about 25 years of retirement, not accounting for the value of Social Security benefits.” (Fellows & Mabanta, “Banking on Wealth: Americas’s New Retail Banking Infrastructure and Its Wealth-Building Potential,” Brookings Institution Research Brief, 1/08).
- Additionally, studies show that most unbanked households have adults with steady jobs and moderate incomes.
- In similar initiatives that target unbanked individuals, the community’s banks have begun to consider these individuals as valuable customers.
- According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Brookings Institution, cities where a greater share of residents has a bank account have a higher rate of homeownership and lower crime rate. These are important indicators of the overall economic and social well-being of a community.
During the January meeting, the local coalition identified potential opportunities to help unbanked individuals within the Fresno community. These include:
- Providing assistance with real-life budgeting issues
- Helping the unbanked gain an understanding the financial world, including terminology
- Initiating small, community-based classes that are linguistically and culturally appropriate
You can find more information on the Bank on Fresno program online.
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
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February 10th, 2009
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA
The new year has begun, as has another tax season. As everyone gears up for or is into another business tax season, I hope you will remember to take a few moments each day to take care of yourself and your loved ones.
CPA Day at the Capitol
CalCPA held CPA Day at the Capitol Jan. 21. CalCPA members provided legislators with information on our various financial literacy programs in the hope that they will partner with us in providing financial literacy information to various constituent groups. CalCPA members also met with state legislators to discuss issues of importance to the profession. The main item of discussion was the proposed legislation regarding the 150-hour rule. Currently, 46 states have adopted national standards of licensure that include 150-hours of education for licensure. California’s licensing requirements do not follow this national standard, and this undermines California CPAs’ ability to compete.
It is anticipated that should California fail to conform to the national standards, other states will restrict California CPAs from doing business in those states, because the California CPA license will not be considered “substantially equivalent.”
CalCPA is supporting legislation that will sunset Pathway 1 effective 2014, so that only Pathway 2 will be allowed for licensure. This will allow California CPAs to be considered “substantially equivalent” to CPAs from other states and allow California CPAs to represent their clients’ interests in various states without obstacle. All existing California CPAs and those licensed before 2014 would be grandfathered in under the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy Rules of Substantial Equivalency.
Council Meeting
The CalCPA Council met Jan. 22. In addition to reports from CalCPA’s chair, treasurer and committees, the nomination process was reviewed, and candidates for CalCPA leadership (chair, first vice chair, treasurer, vice chair and council members-at-large) were introduced. All candidates were afforded an opportunity to introduce themselves and briefly describe their qualifications for holding the respective office. Subsequent to the council meeting, the Nominations Committee met to finalize the slate of officers and council members. You can review the slate of candidates online.
During the Council meeting, the most recent class of the Leadership Institute was recognized. Jodie Rolih, our own chapter treasurer, graduated as part of this class. Congratulations Jodie!
CalCPA 100th Anniversary
Be sure to mark your calendars for Friday, June 19 when CalCPA will hold its 100th Anniversary Gala at the Fairmont in San Francisco. This event will include a silent auction, dinner and dance. More information is available online, where you can submit your story about interesting people you have met and the relationships you have forged through CalCPA.
CalCPA at Your Fingertips
Looking for information on CalCPA events for which you’ve registered? Or maybe you need a listing of all the CPE you have taken from CalCPA or the Education Foundation? Look no further than the “Manage My Account” function on the CalCPA website. Once you log in to the website with your username and password, the Manage My Account function provides you the ability to update your personal and professional profile, as well as locate Education Foundation products and course discounts.
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
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January 12th, 2009
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA
Happy New Year! The holidays are past and tax season will soon be upon us. Many, if not most, of you will soon be working long hours to meet the tax deadlines. Remember to take a few minutes each day to appreciate yourself and those around you!
Have you seen the December and January/February issues of California CPA? In both issues, several of our young and emerging professionals have been highlighted. Tim Hancock was featured in the December issue and provided insight into issues addressed by our new professionals. The January/February issue spotlighted Nikolya Serdyuk, our chapter’s recent YEP of the Year recipient. In fact, he was even featured on the issue’s cover! Congratulations to both Tim and Nikolya. If you haven’t yet had a chance to read the great articles, I hope you will take a moment to do so.
In December, several chapter members participated in legislative visits with district directors from the offices of Sen. Dave Cogdill and Assemblymembers Mike Villines and Juan Arambula. They addressed several issues of importance to our profession, including the proposed legislation regarding the 150-hour education requirement, licensure mobility and mandatory peer review. Additionally, they introduced the relevance of CalCPA’s financial literacy initiative to community members. Discussions ensued as to how CalCPA could assist in promoting financial literacy to these legislators’ constituents.
Past presidents met Dec. 17 to discuss various issues that face our chapter. A lively discussion addressed the legislative issues described above, as well as the importance of CalCPA membership to professionals. Thank you to Adrienne Cantrell for hosting the event!
During the next month, you will receive information related to the election of the chapter’s officers and directors for 2009–10. Please be sure to cast your ballot! My sincere appreciation goes to Nomination Committee members Adrienne Cantrell, Tony Mastro and Jim Braun.
CPA Day at the Capitol
Would you like to help legislators understand key issues facing California CPAs? Then join us for the CPA Day at the Capitol Wednesday, Jan. 21. Two issues we will address include the 150-hour pathway to licensure and financial literacy.
California is part of a national effort to remove unnecessary barriers to providing services across state lines, which is costly to CPAs’ clients and may, in fact, interfere with consumer choice. The information you provide will be crucial in educating legislators and their staff before they vote on issues important to you as a California CPA. Additionally, you will establish meaningful relationships that ultimately will create a more favorable business environment for CPAs throughout California.
More information is available online. Additionally, as information becomes available, we will provide it in future chapter Bulletins.
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
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December 12th, 2008
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA
This past month or so has been busy with a number of chapter and CalCPA events. First, we had a wonderful turnout at the Annual Golf Tournament Oct. 27. Thank you to everyone who participated and supported our scholarship program by buying raffle tickets and mulligans.
In November we recognized our past presidents, 40-year members, young and emerging professionals and new members at our first Members Night, hosted by the chapter’s Young and Emerging Professionals Committee. This group did an outstanding job of organizing the program, including a terrific raffle. I’d like to offer my personal thank you to the YEP and Dinner Planning Committee: Tim Hancock, Nicole Centofanti, Crystal Cota, Tom Harris, Henry Oum, Nick Andrade, Julianne Averill, Brian Crow and Lan Bui.
Congratulations to our 40-year members: Thomas McFerson, Larry Jorge, Mark Cameron and Harold Sudjian. It is tremendously inspiring to learn of our 40-year members’ professional accomplishments.
During the evening, the YEP Awards for Excellence were announced. These awards recognize our young and emerging professionals who have significantly impacted the profession or their community. The recipients were:
YEP in the Community: Jennifer Brandon, Baker, Peterson & Franklin
YEP of Determination: Nicole Centofanti, M. Green & Co.
Inspirational YEP: Susan Davis, K.R.M. Risk Management
Innovation of YEP: Keith Scott, Seventh-Day Adventist Church
YEP Demonstrating Leadership and Team Work: Crystal Cota, M. Green & Co.
YEP of the Year: Nikolya Serdyuk, Baker, Peterson & Franklin
Congratulations to the award recipients, as well as to all YEP members who were nominated. Be sure to watch for more information on CalCPA’s young and emerging professionals in the January/February issue of California CPA magazine. I’d also like to thank Vicki Crow and Natalie Lay for serving on the selection committee. The task of selecting the recipients was daunting given the number of qualified nominations received.
The annual CalCPA Women’s Leadership Forum took place Dec. 3. It was a wonderful event! The program and speakers provided information on various topics, including leadership skills and opportunities, work/life balance and presentation pointers. If you didn’t have a chance to attend the event this year, consider attending in 2009. It is a wonderful program that is open to both women and men!
CPA Day at the Capitol takes place Jan. 21. This is your opportunity to meet with your legislators in Sacramento to discuss new legislation that is expected to be introduced in January and that will impact all California CPAs.
Did you know California law does not meet the national standard for CPA licensure and California CPAs are at risk of losing the ability to serve their clients’ interests outside of California? Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple: California must adopt the 150-hour educational pathway as its only pathway to licensure. More than two-thirds of new California licensees choose the 150-hour pathway—what’s more, that percentage has grown every year since the option was introduced in 2002. (All existing CPAs and those licensed before 2012 would be grandfathered in.)
Help communicate this to your legislators in Sacramento. Register today for CPA Day at the Capitol.
As we end 2008, I’d like to offer a special thank you to the Fresno Chapter officers and directors. It has been a pleasure working with each of you this year. A heartfelt thank you to Kay Coffin for her commitment and direction to our chapter. She is a tremendous asset to CalCPA, and I am honored to work with her.
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA
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November 18th, 2008
By Denise M. Patterson, CPA
The chapter’s annual golf tournament took place Monday, Oct. 27. The weather was wonderful, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. Although we don’t yet have the final accounting of the event, I’m sure it was successful and raised a good bit of money for our chapter scholarships. I’d like to thank Dave Denham for sponsoring the event again this year. The folks from Denham Personnel were out in force to help register participants, take photos and sell raffle tickets and mulligans. Thank you everyone!
Be sure to mark your calendar for upcoming CalCPA and Fresno Chapter events, including:
Look for additional information in this issue of the Bulletin, as well as e-mail messages sent directly from the CalCPA.
First YEP Awards
Award recipients were announced at the Nov. 19 Members’ Recognition Dinner. We’ll announce the winners in next month’s chapter Bulletin.
Women’s Leadership Forum
Join CalCPA Dec. 3 for a day of leadership development, professional growth and recognition at the 2008 Women’s Leadership Forum. From tips and strategies for attaining leadership, positions within the profession to handling difficult situations, mentoring and public speaking, this event designed by women CPA leaders will feature top speakers dedicated to helping women advance their careers. Be sure to register online today!
Then join other women as they finish the successful day of networking at the Women’s Leadership Forum with a networking dinner.
The Fresno Chapter is planning to hire a bus to transport all interested members to Los Angeles for the Women’s Leadership Forum. More information on registering for the bus transportation will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
CalCPA Leaders Wanted
If you’re interested in helping shape the next group of CalCPA leaders, nominate a member for the job. Or, if you’re interested in a leadership role, self-nomination is the best way to make your interest known. The CalCPA Nominations Committee is accepting nominations until Monday, Dec. 1 for 2009–10 CalCPA officers and council members at large.
Learn more and download an application.
CPA Day at the Capitol
California law does not meet the national standard for CPA licensure and California CPAs are at risk of losing the ability to serve their clients’ interests outside of California. However, the solution is simple: California must adopt the 150-hour educational pathway as its only pathway to licensure. More than two-thirds of new California licensees choose the 150-hour pathway—what’s more, that percentage has grown every year since the option was introduced in 2002.
New legislation will be introduced in January to help move this effort along. We need you as constituents to meet with your legislators Wednesday, Jan. 21 and urge their support.
All existing CPAs and those licensed before 2012 would be grandfathered in.
Help communicate these important points to your legislators in Sacramento. Register today for CPA Day at the Capitol.
CalCPA At Your Fingertips
Looking for information on CalCPA events for which you’ve registered? Or maybe you need a listing of all CPE taken from CalCPA or the Education Foundation. Look no further than the “Manage My Account” function at the CalCPA website. Once you login to the website with your username and password, the Manage My Account function provides you the ability to update your personal and professional profile, as well as locate Education Foundation products and course discounts.
Forget your username and password? No worries. Simply visit the Login Recovery webpage. Enter your e-mail address, and your username and password will be e-mailed to you.
CalCPA Member Discounts on CCH Tax Guidebooks
CalCPA members can order CCH’s 2009 U.S. Master Tax Guide and the Guidebook to California Taxes 2009 at significantly discounted rates:
- 2009 U.S. Master Tax Guide (Expected ship date, late December): $49.95/members; $69.95/nonmembers.
- Guidebook to California Taxes 2009 (Expected ship date, late January): $44.95/members; $64.95/nonmembers.
Order your copies today.
I wish you, your family, and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving!
— Denise M. Patterson, CPA (FL)
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