Superheroes are all the rage in Hollywood. We've had Batman, Ironman, and soon the Green Hornet featured in action-packed adventures on the big screen. I like to think of sales tax vendors in a similar vein. Without these vendors, we would be at the mercy of rogue tax authorities, with their unwieldy rate changes, jurisdictional gerrymandering and dastardly dizzying product classifications. We would lead dark and dreary lives filled with daily tax rate lookups, rule validation, and infinite audit adjustments. Thank goodness we can reach for the red phone when we get overly taxed.

Budgeting software, once a distinct category of software in its own right, is quickly being subsumed by a Business Process Management orientation that takes a more holistic approach to management of budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and planning. Having moved away from simple spreadsheets over the past decade, budgeting has taken root online as a web-based application, operating either as an independent module or as an integrated package.

With stirring signs of a fiscal recovery in the offing for 2011, it may be time for forward-looking accountants to become more aggressive in their pursuit of a financial planning practice.The practice is generally split into three differing parts:

*Financial planning, which identified the client's needs and goals and indicates priorities for wealth accumulation;
*Asset Allocation, which identifies the types of assets best used to maximize returns into order to meet those needs and goals;
*And rebalancing/re-selection tools, which keep the plan current over the number of years necessary.

Of all the new invoicing software packages out there, which one is right for your clients? As accounting professionals, we know, we will get these questions from our clients. This review will help you serve as an advocate for your clients. Any accountant or CPA can answer a client's question, but how many offer advice before they are asked? I have earned many of my clients by providing this type of advice to clients. Be seen as a partner with your client instead of just a number cruncher.