PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Ready To Get Started

First and foremost, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve as this year’s RISCPA president. I look forward to continuing to work with an active core of dedicated members including our board, committee chairs, committee representatives, and volunteers that help make the numerous activities of the Society happen. 

I am also fortunate to have the RISCPA staff by my side for the upcoming year. Led by Executive Director, Robert Mancini, his team helps provide the vision and professionalism to ensure that we are meeting our goals and continuing to provide many valuable services to our members.

In June, the Board held a half-day retreat that affirmed our mission and clarified our vision for the upcoming year and beyond. To no surprise, the topic of CPE and its evolving nature were a continued focus of the discussions. Also, improving our financial position was a topic of the meeting. To this end, we are pleased to be coming off a year where our balance sheet was greatly improved. The results were a welcome sign, as we continue to increase our efforts to ensure that our CPE is relevant, adequately sized and delivered efficiently, while still being profitable to the Society.

The Society is continuously learning about important issues as they relate to the profession and informing our members about our findings. Our strong ties with the AICPA and our membership involvement on a national level allows our Society to stay current and keeps our members apprised about critical news and any changes that could impact them or their clients.

At the recent AICPA Spring Counsel meeting in Washington, two key items were unveiled that I wanted to share with our members. The first was the Total Tax Insights Calculator™, and the second was entitled, “A CPA’s Insights Into Federal Government’s Finances.” As individual CPAs, one of our goals should always be to educate, and I believe both these tools help us meet that mission. Our role as educators becomes especially more important as the electorate prepares to vote. The calculator can help provide a greater understanding about certain tax scenarios, as opposed to campaign rhetoric, which can sometimes use “taxes” as a political football to create fear and resentment on both sides of the aisle. As we approach our upcoming elections, regardless of your political affiliation, I ask you to use this calculator and then pass it along to friends and clients. It will give anyone who uses it a clearer understanding of the cost of taxes in his/her economic life. An informed and wiser electorate, no matter the issue, is always a goal for which to strive.

In closing, I thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your Board President for the upcoming year. I look forward to working on your behalf and sharing more news about What Counts to you and your Society.

Samuel Suls