by James Hastings | Nov 7, 2018 | Industry
The question of why I started Engage is really three questions: what is the problem; why Engage solves the problem; and why I decided to start the company and build the app. This is the first of a six-part series. Part I, below, talks about why accountants should use...
by James Hastings | Nov 3, 2018 | Industry
Recently, I wrote about how Engage for CPAs can solve some of the most common obstacles that prevent accountants from using engagement letters in their practices. This Journal of Accountancy article by Roby Sawyers, CPA, Ph. D. explains how accountant-client disputes...
by James Hastings | Nov 2, 2018 | Industry
Some engagements, like attestation and SSARS 21 financial statements, require the CPA to have a written agreement with the client. However, there are many benefits to using engagement letters even when they aren’t required. Why should CPAs use engagement letters?...
by James Hastings | Nov 1, 2018 | Industry
Small CPA firms deal with several challenges. Some are common to any small business, like credit and managing employees, while others, like maintaining a license and compliance with the rules of practice, are specific to CPAs. These are broadly termed practice risk....
by James Hastings | Oct 5, 2018 | News
Earlier this week, the New York Times published a special investigation into Trump’s tax affairs headlined “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father.” Among other things, the article describes an inter-generational wealth transfer from...
by James Hastings | Sep 27, 2018 | Industry
Sarah Ference, the risk control director at CNA, writes in the Journal of Accountancy that engagement letters serve many purposes: they strengthen the CPA-client relationship by clearly communicating the terms of service and defining the division of responsibilities...
by James Hastings | Sep 26, 2018 | Accounting Technology
The IRS believes that virtual currency gains have been widely under reported, perhaps because virtual currency traders believe the transactions are anonymous. However, Congress has given the IRS broad authority to obtain and examine all information that may be...
by James Hastings | Sep 26, 2018 | Accounting Technology
The price of bitcoin doubled in 2016 and finished 2017 at an astonishing 1600% increase. The price fell to a mere 684% increase in 2018, but anyone who bought bitcoin in 2015 is still reaping incredible gains. The financial upside may compensate...
by the Engage Support Team | Sep 24, 2018 | Founder's
Now That’s What I Call Customer-Driven Innovation By Matthew Rhodes San Francisco-based CPA and tax lawyer Jim Hastings is no stranger to software that makes lofty promises of saving him time and money. Over the years, he’s used numerous services and tools to help run...
by James Hastings | Jul 25, 2018 | Company
Pine Street Cloudware was founded by professionals with specific expertise in law, accounting and technology. Our focus is improving the current transition from paper processes to an electronic workflow in the accounting industry. We launched Engage in 2017, a...
