Newsletter, July 2005

SECRETARY'S MINUTES

The regular monthly meeting of the Santa Barbara Bookkeepers' Association was held on Tuesday, June 21, 2005, at Mulligan's Cafe.

President Jennifer Loren opened the meeting and introduced four new members.

Sandy O'Meara had two job openings to announce.

The winner of next month's free lunch is Brenda Richter.

A brochure provided by State Compensation Insurance Fund was distributed to everyone present. The brochure asked, "Are you comfortable at your workstation?" It then went on to describe how one's "Ergonomics Quotient" which included such items as the height of one's chair, the lighting, and the organization of work space, can affect one's job performance. A representative from State Farm will come to your workplace to offer advice if requested. Table discussions followed.

Vicki St. Martin announced that next month's meeting would have a special program and our members would have the opportunity to invite CPA's and EA's to our lunch. Details will be forthcoming.

Paula A. Mauro
SBBA Secretary

LOTS OF EVENTS GOING ON THIS MONTH! HERE ARE SOME!!

SANTA BARBARA BOOKKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
PROFESSIONAL GUEST EVENT
July 19, 2005
11:30 a.m.
Mulligan’s Cafe

Invite a CPA or Enrolled Agent to join us for a FREE LUNCH at SBBA’s July meeting!

For a fun networking opportunity and a chance to visit one-to-one with other accounting professionals, invite your favorite CPA or Enrolled Agent to our July 19th meeting.

Jeff C. Hohman, CPA, is a loss prevention specialist with CAMICO and will speak to us about coping with ethics and liability and provide information on engagement and disengagement of clients.

This is your chance to introduce SBBA members to new contacts and an opportunity for professionals to familiarize themselves with our organization. Perhaps future synergistic relationships may be established!

Because bookkeepers and accountants work so closely for the benefit of our mutual clients, a good line of communication is the key to avoiding challenges and increasing work satisfaction. What a perfect opportunity to learn a few new things from our speaker and become familiar with one another in a casual social setting! Or maybe a chance to pose a question or discuss an issue of concern.

Each member who brings a CPA or Enrolled Agent will receive a free lunch for his or her guest! So, invite your special guest, today!

RSVP by e-mail to Jennifer Loren (jen.loren@cox.net) and come participate in a fun and informative meeting! You must RSVP by Thursday, July 14th. Since this is a special lunch, if you reserve a space and do not attend you will be charged.

HERE'S SOME INFORMATION FROM BRENDA RICHTER:

Two of the largest professional firms in the county - the accounting firm of Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf and the law firm of Hatch & Parent - are spearheading the formation of the new CPA/Law Society in Santa Barbara County.

Their first luncheon meeting will be held July 21st at the La Cumbre Country Club. 12:00 to 1:30.

The luncheon will feature a symposium led by Ron Baker, CPA on alternatives to pricing your services based on customer perceived value, rather than on hours spent.
Based upon Ron's best selling book, this presentation will give you alternatives to pricing your services based on customer perceived value, rather than hours spent. Value Pricing will help you communicate better with your customers, discover their expectations up-front, remove surprises from their invoices and get them involved in establishing the scope and value of your services. This will, in turn, lead to enhanced customer loyalty and profitability. Professionals interested in being among the leaders in their profession and moving away from the hourly billing method to achieve a competitive differentiation will find this presentation stimulating and practical.

Your investment for this lunch is $35 for non-members and $25 for members of the CPA/Law Society.
For reservations email: cpalawsb@bpw.com
Please include your lunch choice (Chinese Chicken Salad, Chicken Piccata or Vegetable Pasta)
Please respond by 07/12/05.

Also note, I have no connection what-so-ever to the CPA/Law Society.
I am providing this announcement for general information purposes only.

RULES OF ETHICS

Bertrand Russell, the British mathematician, philosopher and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1950 wrote about the rules of ethics:

Do not feel absolutely certain of anything
Do not think it worthwhile to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.
Do not use power to suppress opinions you think are pernicious, for if you do, the opinions will suppress you.
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient if you try to conceal it.
Do not be envious of the happiness of others who live in a fool's paradise, for only a fool will think that is happiness.

These rules establish integrity, honesty and responsibility. If we choose to ignore them we must face the consequences such as distrust, bitterness, cynicism, lower productivity, a diminished reputation, and a loss of trust and respect that are essential to good business relationships. The importance of what we do goes well beyond what it gives us; it determines who we are.

From January issue, California Tax Education Council Newsletter

And now: A silly pun (or two):

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and met in the lobby where they were discussing their recent victories in chess tournaments. The hotel manager came out of the office after an hour, and asked them to disperse. He couldn't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.

And finally, I sent 10 puns to some friends in hopes at least one of the puns would make them laugh. Unfortunately,
no pun in ten did!

PLEASE REMEMBER to notify Vicki St. Martin of any email or address changes to keep the data base current!!

We need one volunteer willing to prepare the April, August & December newsletters . . . how about you?