Database of the Month: RIA Checkpoint

RIACheckpointRIA Checkpoint, also known as Thomson Reuters Checkpoint, provides access to ERISA, Internal Revenue Code & Regulations, State Codes & Regulations, Tax Cases, Tax Rulings, IRS Pubs & Other Tax Docs.

Here are some highlights and features of the Bentley Library’s institutional subscription:

Under the Table of Contents tab, users can browse to the specific document.

Under the Search tab, researchers can “find by citation” codes and regulations, cases, rulings, and IRS publications or researchers can use two different keyword interfaces. One keyword interface is called the “Intuitive Search” and the other is called “Terms & Connectors”. Intuitive Search recognizes if you enter a sentence, terms & connectors, or a citation and interprets your query to return the most relevant results for the terms you entered. It takes advantage of historical usage data, giving higher importance to documents that are frequently accessed. The second keyword interface is called “Terms & Connectors” which utilizes a more traditional search query language.

Top three search tips to increase relevancy in both the “Intuitive Search” and “Terms & Connectors” are:

  • use quotes around phrases
  • use the & symbol instead of AND between your search terms requiring both search terms appear in the results.
  • use of /p between search terms will require the terms to appear within 50 words of each other.

For more search tips view the Quick Reference Card.

Additional features of RIA Checkpoint include:

  • RIA Tax Watch (a chronological highlight of changes or proposed changes in tax legislation). Easily accessed under the Home tab in the My Quick Links area.
  • Personal Investment Calculators are available under the Tools area. Calculators are available for Auto, Business, Credit Card, Investment, Loan, Mortgage, Personal, Retirement, Savings & Tax guidance.
  • Quick Tax Amounts calculators are available under the Search tab in the Go To area.

More help is available at http://find.support.checkpoint.thomsonreuters.com

RIA Checkpoint is accessible via the library’s Databases A-Z page, and the Databases by Subject:Law & Taxation page. This database is limited to ten simultaneous users. Please contact the Reference Desk if you have questions or would like assistance using it.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to a database available from the Library’s website, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases), please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact Adam Williams, Research Instruction Coordinator at awilliams@bentley.edu.