Spring 2012 E-Update

In the works at Denver headquarters: Canadian Tax Sharegroup Webinar; Mobile App - Follow us on Facebook LinkedIn YouTube; Read Member News

2012 NARM - May 20-22 in Milwaukee - 122 members are registered
NARM Info

in this issue . . . Click for direct access to these sections:
Welcome New Firm	National Recognition	3 New PDA Webinars	Success Stories	Emerging Leaders
High Performance Firms	Staff Training	Tax & SaLT Conference	International Updates

AGN-NA Welcomes New Member Firm!
Downtown Chicago firm Horwich Coleman Levin, LLC has been admitted into membership. Horwich Coleman Levin (HCL) was formed in 2005 from mergers of individuals who had worked together or knew each other from Chicago firms.

“AGN membership gives us access to 450 CPAs in the US and another 400 offices of accountants around the world who are committed to providing the highest level of accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services,” said Lawrence A. Horwich, managing member and founder of HCL.

HCL has a staff of 18 and provides a full range of tax and auditing/accounting services. It has a significant specialty in investment advisory, broker-dealer, hedge fund and commodity trading segments. In addition, the firm has specialized in providing high net worth individuals tax, valuation and home office services.

AGN-NA Members Named Best Accounting Firms to Work for by Vault Accounting 50
Find out which firms, and how the survey was conducted, on our Facebook page

Partner Development Academy - New Series of 3 Webinars
Beginning on July 17 @ 2 p.m. ET, Jennifer Wilson and Tamera Loerzel of ConvergenceCoaching will present a 75-minute webinar on Target Account Selling to Close More "A" Clients. These PDA webinars (at no cost to members) are designed to be an easy-to-participate-in method to learn from industry thought leaders discussing leadership issues within CPA and CA firms.

Rounding out the 3-webinar series from ConvergenceCoaching will be:

October 18, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET - Trust: Developing It, Maintaining It, and Repairing It - 75 minutes
January 10, 2013, @ 2 p.m. ET - Talking Straight to Drive Change - 75 minutes

AGN-NA Success Stories
Back in January, AGN-NA debuted Success Stories to highlight how the AGN association works. Our first success story was submitted by Dee Palaschak, Tax Sharegroup CTL from Sisterson & Co. LLP.

While the just-completed tax season is still fresh in your mind, are there any "life-saving assistance" stories you would share about how AGN members helped with your client issues? Share Your Story!
(Route: www.AGN-NA.org homepage > AGN-NA Success Stories in the Coming Attractions section)

Training and Conferences
EMERGING LEADERS ACADEMY 2012 - TELL RITA YOUR FIRM WANTS TO PARTICIPATE!
Upstream Academy has created Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA) to meet the needs of firms across North America - an ongoing program with consistent follow-up and accountability to help member firms attain their partner development goals. More Info
(Route: Login at www.AGN-NA.org > middle column headed Toolkit - click on Partner Development Academy > Emerging Leaders Academy)

HIGH PERFORMANCE FIRMS
Upstream Academy is rolling out a new program this coming June aimed at helping firms become High Performance Firms (“HPF”). Upstream’s goal with “HPF” is to help make firms “measure-ably better” – using measurement tools, dashboards and throwing in a money-back guarantee – by presenting workshops focused in the following areas:

Vision & Strategy – Financial Metrics and Partner Alignment
Strategic Team Member Alignment
Providing Amazing Client Service
Developing a Culture of Business Development

Sam Allred, Tim Bartz and Dev Warren (a recent addition to the Upstream Team) will co-teach the four 2-day workshops on each of these topics. Sam and Dev held an introductory call to interested firms; access the recording of that call: http://www.upstreamacademy.com/hpfcallAGN.asp and click on Listen to the Introductory Call.

HPF Brochure | More Info
(Route: Login at www.AGN-NA.org > middle column headed Toolkit - click on Partner Development Academy > High Performance Firms)

2012 STAFF TRAINING - REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Audit Staff Training
Level 1:1/8-11/12 (already completed) Level 2: 7/8-11/12	Level 3: 7/15-18/12 Level 4: 11/11-14/12

Tax Staff Training
Level 1: 1/3-6/12 (already completed) Level 2: 10/21-24/12	Level 3: 10/28-31/12 Level 4: 11/11-14/12

Audit & Tax Level 5: 12/2-5/12	Audit & Tax Level 6: 12/9-12/12

EBP-Audits: Level 2/3, 5/6-8/12

Contact Irene Hayden with any questions, or visit our website for More info
(Route: www.AGN-NA.org homepage > Staff Training in the Coming Attractions section)

AGN-NA TAX & SALT CONFERENCE
October 24-25 - Hotel Monteleone - New Orleans - More info coming soon!

International Updates
UPCOMIING EVENTS

AGN World Congress - New Orleans, USA - 22-24 October - More info coming soon!
Asia Pacific Region Conference - Singapore - May 3-9 - More Info
Central & South American Regional Meeting - Panama City, Panama - 9-11 August - More info coming soon!
European Region Congress - Moscow, Russia - 7-9 June - More Info

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING & AUDITING COMMITTEE (IAAC)
The IAAC provides members with high-quality technical assistance concerning issues related to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Standards on Auditing (ISA). To submit an enquiry to the IAAC, please see more details on how to do so here.

PUBLICATION FROM INTERNATIONAL TAX COMMITTEE (ITC)
The ITC has published a US 2012 Tax Survey on Income Tax. The full survey can be seen here or visit the ITC page at www.AGN.org > Members Area > Private Home > International > International Tax Committee.

2012 AGN EUROPEAN TAX SURVEY BROCHURES
The 2012 Tax Surveys on the AGN European website have been finalized. Find the results (detailed surveys, summarized brochures and articles) on the website www.AGN-Europe.org / Tax Surveys. The brochures are now available for ordering; download the Order Form to receive your copies. These are a very useful marketing tool for all AGN firms.

See Surveys and Brochures | Download Order Form