December 2007 | Channel Counties Chapter Bulletin

TOOLS

 

CHAPTER EVENTS

Top Five Individual Tax Planning Issues for Your Client’s Well-Being

Speaker: Noelle Allen
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 5
Time: 8:30 a.m./registration; 9 a.m.–noon/CPE
Location: Fess Parker Doubletree Resort; 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd.; Santa Barbara
CPE: 3 hours
RSVP: Online

Estates & Trusts

Speaker: Mary Kay Foss
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 8
Time: 8:30 a.m./registration; 9 a.m.–noon/CPE
Location: Hotel Mar Monte (Vista Room); 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd.; Santa Barbara
CPE: 3 hours
RSVP: Online

 

INTEREST GROUP MEETINGS

AP&AS (Santa Barbara)

Date: Thursday, Dec. 13
Topic: Auditing Alternative Investments – Nonprofit Organizations
Speaker: Doug Halley of Deloitte Touche LLP
Location: Santa Barbara Club
RSVP: rita.williams@calcpa.org or 805-571-1558.
Info: Interest Group Chair Tim O’Keeffe.

AP&AS (Ventura)

No meeting in December.
Info: Raj Acharya

Conejo Valley Discussion Group (Thousand Oaks)

No meeting in December.
Info: Interest Group Chair John Jackson

Santa Barbara CPA Discussion Group

No meeting in December.
Info: Contact Interest Group Chair Cindy Young or chapter program associate Rita Williams.

Ventura CPA Discussion Group

Date: Thursday, Dec. 20
Topic: Tax Fraud
Info: Interest Group Chair Garry Jones at (805) 778-1858 or chapter program associate Rita Williams

Chapter Board Meetings

For more information on chapter board meetings, or if you wish to attend, e-mail chapter program associate Rita Williams or call (805) 571-1558.
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 5
Time: 12:15 p.m.
Location: Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 8
Time: 12:15 p.m.
Location: Hotel Mar Monte

 

Save the Date

Chapter Retreat/Installation of 2008–09 Board of Officers & Directors

Date: June 6–8
Location: Hyatt Incline Village; Lake Tahoe
[back to top]

 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome Channel Counties!

By Cindy Young, CPA

Can you believe 2007 is nearly over? Here we are in December, which, of course, means the busy season is just around the corner. Plus with the holidays and hoopla leading up to them, December always seems to just fly by. Instead of waiting for Jan. 1 to begin those resolutions we make and break each year, why not start Dec. 1? That’s my plan for this month: Making time every day for my five minutes of sit-ups and at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise outside. With a little luck and a hearty dose of self-discipline, I hope to sail through the holidays with plenty of energy and maybe even fewer pounds by the beginning of 2008.
   It’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of all we need to get done, so that making time for exercise seems impossible. I figure, if I get into the habit now, before the holiday frenzy begins, I’ll have a better chance of maintaining my workout commitment through the holidays, as well as those tough first four months of 2008, when I’ll need it most.
   I’d like to remind you of a challenge your chapter board takes very seriously. Recruiting the next generation of CPAs, those new staff people so crucial to the continuation of each successful practice, is a struggle. The competition for those new graduates is fierce, but we, your chapter’s board members, have a plan to help persuade those educated here to stick around.
   We hosted a happy hour Nov. 6 in Camarillo for the Young and Emerging Professionals and accounting students from Cal Lutheran and UCSB Extension in Ventura. CalCPA members and the students enjoyed getting acquainted in a casual setting. We’re planning to host a similar event in Santa Barbara early in 2008. Watch for details. Connections made now will make a difference once recruiting season gets into full swing.
   We’ll also soon begin the process of selecting scholarship recipients. The first step is the delivery of the scholarship application to the various accounting departments at the colleges and universities within our chapter area. The scholarships are awarded in May at our awards night event, which presents an excellent opportunity to meet the best and brightest students. Those students who receive a scholarship from our chapter need to understand that they have extremely lucrative career choices right here. They don’t have to move south or anywhere else to get the best start for their careers. It’s our challenge to clearly relay that message. I’m reaching out to you, our chapter members, to join us in our commitment of achieving that goal.
   We’ve scheduled only two more three-hour CPE events before the busy season that might just interest you. Noelle Allen will present a seminar titled “The Five Top Issues You Need to Know for your Client’s Well Being” Wednesday, Dec. 5 at the Fess Parker Double Tree Hotel in Santa Barbara. And Mary Kay Foss will address estates and trusts Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the Hotel Mar Monte. A full breakfast buffet will be offered starting at 8:30 a.m. with the presentations beginning at 9 a.m. For further details, check the CalCPA website by clicking on the links in this newsletter.
   My warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season to you and yours.
—Cindy Young, CPA
[Back to top]

CHAPTER NEWS

New Members

On behalf of the Channel Counties Chapter’s officers, directors and members, we extend our warmest of welcomes to our new members: Kristine Vail, Michelle Dykes, Eryn White... [see all new members]

Changes to Your Record?

Have you moved recently? Planning a move? New e-mail address? Make sure you let us know. Update your records online or send your updated information to chapter program associate Rita Williams or call (805) 571-1558.

2008–09 Channel Counties Chapter Board of Officers and Directors

Do you know someone who has mentioned an interest in serving as a chapter board member, officer or director? If so, here is your opportunity to nominate that person.

Article XI (4) of the Chapter Bylaws reads:
   “Nominations by Members.
   “Five (5) members or more may nominate a candidate for Chapter Board officer or director. Such nominations must be filed with the Secretary of the Chapter not later than the 15th day of January in each year.” The proposed slate must then be filed with CalCPA by Feb. 15.
   Please forward all nominations to chapter program associate Rita Williams or call her at (805) 571-1558.
[Back to top]

CalCPA NEWS

CalCPA Member Discounts on CCH Tax Guidebooks

CalCPA members can order CCH’s U.S. Master Tax Guide 2008 and the Guidebook to California Taxes 2008 at significantly discounted rates:

2008 U.S. Master Tax Guide (Expected ship date, late-December 2007): $41/members; $61/nonmembers.

2008 Guidebook to California Taxes (Expected ship date, late-January 2008): $39/members; $59/nonmembers.

Order today.
[Back to top]

RESOURCES:

Channel Counties Chapter Leadership