General Articles

College education is becoming increasingly more expensive; and, a college degree is valued in the workforce. The Pell Grant and other scholarships are used by millions of students to help ease the cost of attendance. The interaction between these scholarships and the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), can be complex, and can lead to leaving eligible tax credit money unclaimed.

Pell Grant Allocation
A Pell Gant (or many other scholarships) may be applied to:
1. Tuition, fees, and course related materials, or
2. Living expenses.

When the Pell Grant is applied towards living expenses, the scholarship is taxable. However, in many situations, students would benefit by including their Pell Grant (or other scholarships) in taxable income (or towards living expenses) so that they have more expenses eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

Many students and parents are unaware that they have a choice in how this grant (or other scholarships) is allocated.

For more information and examples in regards to this topic, please visit the referenced article. For help calculating and maximizing your benefits, please contact Brian McFarren at bmcfarren@brickleydelong.com of (231) 726-5815.

The Center for Audit Quality of the American Institute of CPA’s recently released an alert that contained seven key areas for audit consideration. These are important topics that are being focused on by various regulatory agencies such as Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

The seven areas are:

1. Revenue recognition
2. Going concern
3. Internal control over financial reporting
4. Accounting estimates
5. Engagement quality review
6. Professional skepticism
7. Related parties and unusual transactions.

For more information on please read the full article, or contact Eric Van Dop at (231) 726-5855 or evandop@brickleydelong.com.

Effective January 1, 2014 and for earlier periods, the IRS issued final regulations, commonly referred as tangible property repair (TPR) regulations.

The regulation governing materials and supplies is Reg. Sec. 1 162-3, which requires changing accounting methods in some situations.

For more details and guidance concerning the impact of these IRS final regulations on the tax accounting for materials and supplies, visit the referenced article or contact Martin Simescu at (616) 608-8520 or msimescu@brickleydelong.com.

Brickley DeLong is excited to announce that this coming April, we will be partnering with one of our CPAmerica International firms, Mueller CPAs, in hosting a Next Generation Conference for members of our two firms. Mueller is located in Chicago, IL. The day and a half event will take place in Muskegon, MI, with a full-day discussion on topics such as: personality profiles, embracing generational differences, networking, business development, and goal setting. In addition, the seminar will include a panel of partners from the two firms.

This event inspiration stemmed from a recent CPAmerica Emerging Leaders Conference attended by staff members from over 25 firms, including Brickley DeLong and Mueller. The goal of the seminar is to not only discuss generational differences, but to discover the similarities between age groups, and find optimal communication techniques to benefit all.

“Today, there is a unique occurrence with five different generations in the workforce”, stated Timothy Arter, Brickley DeLong’s Managing Partner.   “It is our hopes that this seminar will encourage discussion among next generation leaders critical to the two firms, and that the partnership with Mueller may bring about new ideas and accountability among the future leaders of the two firms.”

Kerry Halloran, from Brickley DeLong PC and Chris Gent, from Mueller CPAs are co-chairs of the planning committee.

“One of the unique things about this Next Generation Conference is that it’s being planned by a committee of the next generation of leaders from each of our firms; so, we are choosing the topics that we feel are most important to us at this stage of our professional careers.  We are excited that our two firms are able to work together to plan this conference and begin to develop relationships that will continue with us as our careers progress.”

The conference will take place April 29-30, 2015. The first day will consist of dinner and networking amongst firm members, and the second day will be a seminar at the Grand Valley’s Michigan Renewable Energy Center.

To learn more about Brickley DeLong PC and our Next Gen initiatives, please contact us at (231) 726-5800 or comment below.

We are pleased to announce five full-time hires, three interns, and one part-time staff accountant for our Grand Rapids and Muskegon offices.

Jacob Barton, intern (Grand Rapids)
Jacob is currently in his senior year at Grand Valley State University. He has two more semesters to obtain his 150 hours, which allows him to sit for the CPA exam. In his free time, Jacob enjoys watching and playing sports, and he has a specific interest in college football and basketball. He currently resides in Wyoming, MI.

Michael Glowacki, staff accountant (Grand Rapids)
Mike has been interning with Brickley DeLong since January 2014. He has obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Directed Accounting from Ferris State University, and plans to start sitting for the CPA exam shortly. In his free time he enjoys fishing, being outdoors, and spending time with family and friends. He is excited to begin this new chapter in his life and looks forward to the upcoming tax season. He and his wife currently reside in Howard City.

David (D.J.) Hendrickson, staff accountant (Grand Rapids)
D.J. is from Kalamazoo, MI. He moved to Grand Rapids upon his graduation from high school. He attended Hope College, and then Grand Rapids Community College, where he earned his Associates in Accounting and General Business. He is currently attending Davenport University; in December 2015 he will have earned his BBA and MBA in Accountancy. D.J.’s hobbies include painting, photography, and general home maintenance. He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife and 16-month old son.

Bryan Jacques, staff accountant (Muskegon)
Bryan attended Grand Valley State University for accounting. Prior to studying accounting, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Central Michigan. He plans to start sitting for the CPA exam shortly. In his free time, Brian enjoys cycling and spending time with his wife. He currently resides in Grand Rapids.

Shelby Jacobs, administrative assistant (Grand Rapids)
Shelby graduated in 2013 from Ball State University with a degree in Advertising. She hopes to continue her education by getting a Master’s in Human Resources. Her hobbies include traveling, kayaking, reading, shopping, and spending time with her dog.

Zachary Meyers, intern (Muskegon)
Zach is from New Era, MI. He is currently in his third year of college, and is attending Grand Valley State University for accounting. He has previously attended both Calvin and Grand Rapids Community College. In his free time, he enjoys golfing and snowboarding.

Joseph (Joey) Nejedlo, intern (Muskegon)
Joey is from a small town in Wisconsin called Hortonville. He has also lived in Nicaragua and India; so, he is able to speak Spanish, Hindi, and Tamil. He received his first degree in Languages and Cultural Arts of Asia from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His second degree was in Education from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Now, he is in the MSA program at Grand Valley State University. In his free time, Joey enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities, snowboarding being his favorite. He and his wife currently resides in Norton Shores.

Evan Patterson, staff accountant (Muskegon)
Evan grew up in Ravenna, MI. In 2013, during tax season, he interned with Brickely DeLong in the Muskegon office. He has now graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance. Currently, Evan is working towards his MBA and 150 hours. He enjoys spending summers at his family’s cottage and snowboarding in the winter. It is a privilege to have Evan back with the firm full-time.

Tonya Shackelford, part-time staff accountant (Muskegon)
Tonya is a Grand Valley State University alumnus and a returning employee to Brickley DeLong. She is married and has four children ages 3 to 12. In her free time, she enjoys photography, scrapbooking, and watching her kids play sports, which include a lot of soccer and dance. She lives with her family in Twin Lake.

Brittany Wright, word processor (Muskegon)
Brittany is our newest administrative team member. Prior to her hire, she worked for a law firm in Grand Rapids. Currently, she is attending Baker College for business management. She lives in Muskegon with her husband and two children. Some of her hobbies include being involved in her church, reading, and hanging out with her kids.

For more information on careers or openings at Brickley DeLong PC, please visit our career pages or contact Christine Dill, firm administrator, 231-726-5835 or cdill@brickleydelong.com.

Brickley DeLong PC is pleased to announce the promotion of three senior managers to partner.

Eric P. Van Dop, CPA	Terry D. Maycroft, CPA	Valerie R. Lewis, CPA

Both Eric and Terry are headquartered in our Muskegon office. Val is headquartered in our Grand Rapids office. We celebrate the achievement of these three individuals and are thankful for their dedication to our firm, clients, and fellow employees.

Our growing firm now has a total of 15 partners and 35 staff members. To learn more about our staff members and opportunities at Brickley DeLong, please contact Christine Dill at (231)-726-5835 or cdill@brickleydelong.com.

Muskegon, MI – Timothy Arter of Brickley DeLong PC has been elected to CPAmerica International’s board of directors. CPAmerica International is a member-driven association of large independent CPA firms.

Chip Helme, leading partner of Thompson, Greenspon & Co., PC in Fairfax, Va., is the new chair of the board. He succeeds 2014 chair, Bryan R. Chandler, leading partner of JamisonMoneyFarmer in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Joseph Ciccarello, leading partner of Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP, has been elected to the vice chair/chair-elect position.

“Last year proved to be a great year and I’m looking forward to what this board will bring to the membership in 2014,” said Alan Deichler, CPAmerica president. “As a member-driven association, the board represents the membership within CPAmerica.”

Among the nine elected board members, returning board members include, J. Brad Steward of Pulakos CPAs, PC; and S. Scott Voynich of Robinson, Grimes & Company, P.C.

The four newly-elected board members include Timothy Arter of Brickley DeLong, PC; John Lauer of HBL CPAs, P.C.; Robert McGowen of McGowen, Hurst, Clark & Smith, P.C.; and Jack Savage, Jr., of CF & Co., L.L.P.

CPAmerica is a unique blend of active members, headquarters staff and expert technical support.

About Brickley DeLong PC:

Brickley DeLong is a full-service public accounting and business consulting firm serving the West Michigan community with offices in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Hart. The firm offers personalized services in tax, accounting, audit, consulting and more. Growth in the firm can be attributed to its focus on client relations and dedication to providing quality, reliable services. As a member of CPAmerica, the firm delivers the attention and concern of a local firm paired with the knowledge and skill of a national and worldwide association. Learn more about Brickley DeLong on LinkedIn, Facebook,Twitter, or the firm’s website.

About CPAmerica International:

CPAmerica International is an accounting association of independent, CPA firms that provides practice management support, continuing education, marketing, online services and other programs for the improvement of its member firms. As a member of Crowe Horwath International, the association has more than 670 offices worldwide, and combined firm revenues of the alliance of more than $3 billion. Learn more about CPAmerica on the CPAmerica blog, LinkedIn and Twitter.