14 Ways to Accept Mobile Payments Looking to convert your tablet into a point-of-sale (POS) system for your business? Need a way to accept credit cards on your smartphone? There are dozens of services out there for those in need of simple, mobile solutions for business. Here are 27 mobile payment options for those looking to boost sales and build business with mobile solutions. Apple Pay Apple's new mobile wallet lets customers pay for purchases using their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Apple Pay uses near field communication (NFC) technology, so you'll need a POS system that supports the NFC chip. Flint Mobile You don't need a credit card reader to accept credit cards — just use your smartphone's camera. As a mobile management tool, Flint Mobile can also send invoices for online bill payment, handle cash and checks and manage customized coupons with Apple Passbook integration. The Flint Mobile app is free to download. Square If you're looking for a no-frills approach to mobile credit card processing, then check out Square.
Top Seven Growth Areas for CPAs : CPA Trendlines Article can be found at And four questions to seize the “high-leverage” opportunities. After spending the last six months with CPAs all across the U.S., Maryland CPA association CEO Tom Hood has a thought or two on where accountants can find new opportunities. Hood In fact, he has seven: ValuationForensics and fraudGovernmentalInternational (IFRS and tax)Health careGreen / sustainabilityXBRL After gathering your own list, Hood says the next step is to assess which options are what he calls “high-leverage opportunities.” What’s a “high-leverage opportunity?” Are they a source of passion for us? The whole system is part of Hood’s I2A: Insights to Action, an increasingly popular strategic planning process and leadership development program for the profession. “The two things all of the greatest management thinkers seem to agree on is that we must build on our strengths and focus on opportunities,” Hood says. Via CPA Success.
How new UK spouse visa rules turned me into an Englishman in exile | Richard Fabb Think of exiles in modern history, and you think of people forced to live away from where? Castro’s Cuba? Franco’s Spain? Apartheid South Africa? Well, now you can add David Cameron’s UK to that list. Today marks the first anniversary of draconian changes introduced by the British government to visas for foreign spouses brought in by home secretary Theresa May. The changes are barring thousands of British expats around the world from going home. What’s proved to be the most iniquitous change, and gained most attention, is the new financial hurdle – though that alone is not the main problem for me. What is ultimately leaving me exiled is the extension of the probationary period. The long probationary period is meant to make it harder for sham marriages to last, and to be a period in which the applicant can assimilate into society. Me: Hello, I’m being prevented from returning to the UK, I need your help!
Five Questions to Ask Clients Today : CPA Trendlines Make checking a client’s pulse part of your everyday habit. by Rick Telberg Busy season may be hectic and the hours may be long, but if you’re not making time to get to know your clients better, then you’re missing an opportunity that may not come again for another year. By then, a competitor may […] Already a PRO Member? Click Here to Login & Continue Reading → Choose a one-time Daypass, or a Monthly or Annual plan with a 7-day, no-risk free trial. Instant sitewide access for 24 hours Choose $12.99 Daypass Go PRO now with a 24-hour Daypass (one-time charge) 7-day, no-risk free trial then billed to your credit card monthly. Choose $24.97 monthly Regular monthly rate: $29.97. Free bonus gifts then billed to your credit card annually.
Research By Rebecca Hill Research Fortnight Kudos, an online service set up by publishing consultant Melinda Kenneway and two colleagues, aims to help researchers get their work noticed in an increasingly competitive environment. “The Kudos idea acknowledges that publication is still the heartbeat of research; it’s what people are judged on,” Kenneway says. She says that when the team spoke to researchers about making the most of their papers, it found some to be “very savvy”, whereas others “didn’t have a clue”. Both the Royal Society of Chemistry and publisher Taylor & Francis are backing Kudos’s beta phase, in which the online tools will be developed. “Our platform is good at the moment, but we want to know how to improve it and help authors improve their impact and amplify their voice,” Russell says. “The idea is to integrate this into publishers’ workflow and make it useful no matter where an article is published,” Kenneway says. « back
Check out this link (via Chief executives across diverse industries are intending to upgrade their internal audit departments, according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Brian Brown, leader in internal audit services at the firm said: “CEOs across all industries are looking to upgrade their enterprise-wide risk management capability to better prepare for success in what is expected to continue to be a very challenging business environment. Needs and expectations for internal audit have never been higher, so the key question is whether internal audit is delivering. The study reveal critcial risks, aligning internal audit's interests with those of stakeholders and then reforming the staff to match those interests as the keys areas of concern. The study involved a survey of 2,000 executives across 50 countries.
The Cellular Shaman: How Cells Can Shape-Shift & Transform Our Consciousness The following is excerpted from Secrets of Your Cells: Discovering Your Body's Inner Intelligence published by Sounds True. A Shamanic Doorway - Crossing Over When I first took off my lab coat to spend time with children as the balloon lady on the pediatric floor of the hospital, I formed a special bond with a five-year-old boy named Alvaro, who had been diagnosed with leukemia. I met Tom in his office. From that moment, Toms nonintellectual, nonlinear shamanic approach to inner wisdom intrigued me, and he became my lifelong teacher of healingheart, mind, and soul. My work with this shaman was a true turning point. Influenced by my shamanic studies, as I witnessed living cells heroic efforts to defend against danger, I began to see them as more than programmed tissue. What convinces the cell to choose one focus of attention over another? Cell biologists have long believed that a cell behaves the way it does because of genes, proteins, and signaling molecules. Tuning Our Strings
CPA Jobs Set for Surge. But When? : CPA Trendlines Economists predict demand for accountants and auditors will explode over the next few years. by Rick Telberg In a report that’s getting a lot of attention from savvy CPA firms and financial services headhunters, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last month forecast a 22 percent headcount expansion from 2008 through 2018. That’s 279,400 new jobs. Courtney Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group, told me that jobs are already surging for accountants in the new bailout and recovery industry. But he also says that today’s displaced job hunters will need to look first at contract work and temp jobs until employers feel it’s safe to hire permanent workers again. To be sure, many tax, accounting and finance professionals are still slogging through the Great Recession. On the other hand, finance and accounting professionals continue to do better than average. Tax accountant. Looking past the recession, the BLS sees burgeoning opportunities for professionals. Judgment?
10 Little Positive Habits that Can Change Your Life Here are 10 positive habits that you can consider incorporating into your routine. Quite often we get so caught up in day-to-day activities that we get distracted from thinking about and developing little positive habits that could make the difference between having an okay day and a upbeat, positive day. Some of them may seem so simple and obvious that we don’t even think of implementing them regularly. 1. Upon awakening make the commitment to face the day and whatever it brings with a positive frame of mind. 2. Be grateful for and focus on the good things you have in your life. 3. Make a conscious effort to keep your brain active and functioning at optimum levels. 4. Read the comics or tell a joke just to loosen things up. 5. When you walk through the office, down the street or are in a store, make it a point to smile at someone to acknowledge them. 6. 7. Just as we enjoy a nice compliment now and then, it makes us feel good to know a loved one appreciates us. 8. 9. 10.
Expand Your Impact (without increasing your hours?) Back in 2003, my otherwise healthy father had a serious myocardial infarction. For days I traveled back and forth from my home to the hospital in Massachusetts, visiting, keeping track of his progress, and advocating on his behalf. Had I been in private practice, or working for a hospital or agency, that would have been devastating to my work schedule and livelihood because I was out for weeks. You see, those working models are based on an hours-for-dollars payment model. For decades, we as practitioners have been primarily bound to this model, charging clients either by the amount of time we spend with them or by the procedures we perform, and in both cases, it’s all about the time we’re required to put in. There are a lot of problems inherent in this, but one of the most frustrating is that the only way to increase our income is to see more clients . . . and that means working longer hours. And that’s true even if you use Skype in your practice. Please leave your comment below.
How to write a successful CV before applying for a job 11 January 2015Last updated at 19:12 ET By Kevin Peachey Personal finance reporter, BBC News Kevin Peachey reports on the advice available for getting a potential employer's attention Employers receive an average of 60 applicants for every advertisement for a low-skilled job, and 20 for every skilled job. Significantly, almost half of these candidates are perfectly suitable for the role, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) So that makes their CV - or curriculum vitae - all the more important when attempting to stand out from the crowd. Experts say there are some golden rules for getting a CV correct, not least accuracy, spelling and grammar. Don't repeat the mistakes, they say, of a lawyer who stressed his "dew diligence", or the applicant who ignored commas when describing his interests as "cooking dogs and interesting people". Key points Applicants will often need to complete an application and send a CV Desperate measures Changing CVs
UK spouse immigration rules 'unjustified', High Court says 5 July 2013Last updated at 16:16 ET The judge said it was for the home secretary to decide if any changes should be made to the rules UK family immigration rules are not unlawful but are "onerous... and unjustified", the High Court has ruled. Three claimants had challenged the new measures which set earnings thresholds for people wishing to sponsor the UK visas of spouses coming from abroad. A judge said the court would not "strike down" the rules, but urged the home secretary to adjust them. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), said the ruling proved they were "disproportionate". The Home Office introduced the rules in July 2012 to ease the financial burden of migration on the state. Under the new family migration policy only British citizens, or those with refugee status, who earn at least £18,600 a year can sponsor their non-European spouse's visa. This rises to £22,400 for families with a child, and a further £2,400 for each extra child. 'Sit up and listen'