Workplace MANAGEMENT AND THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Q: One of my clients is keen on business lunches. Do I always have to pay?
A: IF YOU’RE INVITING THE CLIENT TO EAT WHILE TALKING BUSINESS, then yes. Etiquette rules are very clear here: you call the meeting, you foot the bill. That said, the same rules apply to the client. If it’s his or her idea to wine and dine while discussing the latest audit you’ve just completed, he or she can pick up the tab. If you’re on the hook to pay, there are ways to make that bill-
dropping-in-the-centre-of-the-table moment less awkward. For starters, says the Emily Post Institute, you can arrange payment with the restaurant when you first arrive by asking the waiter to hand the check directly to you at the end of the meal instead of putting it down, which gives your guest an opportunity to grab it. If you’ll be eating in a restaurant you frequent, you could give your credit card information to the front of the house and ask it to automatically make payment (including the tip percentage of your choice), which means you’re handed a receipt, not the actual bill. If your guest insists on paying, try saying something along the lines of, “Sorry Jim, this one’s on me. Next time, you can treat.” Be firm but kind, which, by the way, is a good business trait to display anyway, says the institute. — Lisa van de Geyn
PROFILE CPA JUNIOR
Lots of kids follow in their parents’ career footsteps, but few do it while they’re still in elementary school. Then there’s Carlie Weinreb — a third-grader in Toronto who can prepare tax returns without the use of soſtware or even a calculator, thanks to years of guidance from her father and self-employed accountant, Lorne Weinreb. As soon as Carlie could count, he taught her to tell time. By age four, she was learning multiplication through skip counting and patient, consistent repetition. “Lots of parents want to rush it, but it’s all cumulative and you’ve got to go slow,” says Weinreb. Now age eight, Carlie spends about a half-hour a day on income tax calculations and teaches university students how to do their own tax prep. Her achievements have landed her in the press and on TV, including spots on CBC and CTV. So, could you raise your own tax expert? Absolutely, says Weinreb. “My kid is totally normal — it’s all about exposure.” The proof? Carlie’s six-year-old sister can already fill out three-quarters of a tax return. — Tamar Satov
14 | CPA MAGAZINE | MAY 2016
Illustration: Maurice Vellekoop
Ruth Kaplan/KlixPix
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