Checkpoint^® Practice Development

Checkpoint aids in Practice Development with the following tools within each of the product libraries:

General Features
Federal Tax Features
International Tax Features
Estate Planning Features
Pension & Benefits Features
Payroll Features
Financial Reporting and Management Features

General Feature – All Product Lines
Interactive Financial Calculators – Over 100 common general calculators providing quick answers individualized to your client’s specific financial situation. This great enhancement enables more flexibility in decision-making and scenario building, all while you remain within your tax research environment. You’ll be able to determine if a particular set of facts pertain to a client, and cover everything that your practice throws your way. There are nine different types of calculators: auto, business, investment, loan, mortgage, personal, retirement, savings, and tax.

Client Letters – Integrated throughout Checkpoint are sample letters a practitioner can send to their clients to explain how they are affected by a change in the law or to generate new business. These client letters are continually updated to reflect changes in the law and new letters are added throughout the year.

Federal Tax
Document Assembly – The easiest way to complete Election & Compliance statements and Tax Advisors Planning System practice aids and more by simply answering a few questions.

Forms, Legal Agreements & Practice Aids – RIA’s Tax Advisors Planning System (TAPS) is a transactional planning tool that integrates the rules, planning ideas and implementation techniques to guide practitioners through complex transac-tions. Written by a national network of expert practitioners and consisting of over 40 titles (and growing), the focus of TAPS is proactive planning, by giving customers a practical framework for recommending a specific course of action or way to structure a transaction. Includes over 700 charts, checklists and sample letters, agreements, clauses and documents to help you implement your planning strategy with ease.

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International Tax
Compare It (International) – With the click of a button, use Compare It to easily search similar or related U.S. treaty articles, Treasury Technical Explanations, and Editorial Explanations across multiple countries.

International Tax Rates Create-a-Chart – With this unique interactive product, you can create up-to-date international tax comparison charts, with links to the controlling authority, detailed explanations and WG&L treatises.

RIA’s International Treaties Database – Includes thousands of international treaties with the U.S. and between other countries. The International Wizard feature on Checkpoint enables quick and easy sorting of these treaties.

Estate Planning
Estate Forms and Legal Agreements – RIA has put together the expertise of the RIA Staff, WG&L authors including Howard Zaritsky and TAPS authors to create the best collection of Estate Forms and Legal Agreements.

Wills & Trust Forms & Clauses – Provides the actual language needed in order to draft wills and trust agreements.

Estate Filled-in Forms – Provides line-by-line explanations, prepared by RIA expert editors, on how to fill in forms 706 Federal Estate Tax Return, 709 Federal Gift Tax Return and 1041 Income Tax Return for Trusts or Estates.

Estate Planning Checklists – An estate planning questionnaire, plus checklists for implementing the plan and administration of the estate. Avoid missing any essential steps in the planning and administration process.

Estate Client Letters – Fully prepared letters to clients explaining how the practitioner can help the client utilize various tax savings and planning strategies. A practice building tool, it allows a practitioner to present an option to a client, with full supporting information. Both Estate & Gift related client letters, and Lifetime/Financial Planning related letters are easily accessible.

Estate Sample IRS Correspondence – Includes templates for correspondence with the IRS regarding various recurring estate planning situations.

Pension & Benefits
Practitioners Plan Documents & Clauses – This database helps practitioners draft and amend pension and benefit plan documents by providing working language that can be copied from Checkpoint, and adapted and integrated into the practitioner’s plan.

RIA Benefits Plan Documents & Clauses – RIA authored text helps practitioners draft benefits related plan documents and clauses by providing actual language and samples that can be copied from Checkpoint and adapted and integrated into the practitioner’s plan.

Pension & Benefits Practice Aids – Practical everyday tools for the practitioner, including:

• Key government and association addresses and telephone numbers
• Determination letter applications for qualification of retirement plans
• Model forms for meeting requirements for administering plan distribution options for plan beneficiaries
• Obtaining prohibited transaction exemptions
• Obtaining DOL advisory opinions and information letters
• COBRA continuation compliance

Payroll
Federal and state payroll-related forms – These forms can be filled in on line, printed out, and in most cases filed with the relevant agency.

Calendars – Provide easy access to all federal and state deposit and filing due dates.

Financial Reporting and Management
Interactive Checklists – These checklists are designed to assist with choosing a collection agency, cash planning and forecasting, mergers and acquisitions planning, understanding key risk management issues, and disaster recovery planning.

A Comprehensive, Web-based Resource for Controllers – Timely electronic updates keep you up-to-date on accounting and management issues.

Expense Reduction Guide Questionnaires – A system of questionnaires with a unique diagnostic approach to help the controller focus on areas where the most money can be saved.

Cost Management Practice Aids – Sample illustrations, cases and guidelines help you implement cost management improvements in your organization.

The Latest Tools – For budgeting, performance measurement, credit and cash management, personnel, tax planning, managerial reporting and systems management.