Three Good Reasons to Avoid Tax Refund Loans

by Lynnea BylundJuly 28, 2012

3 Reasons To Avoid Tax Refund Loans You might be considering indulging in one of those income tax refund  loan advances, but you should think again. It is probably better to just wait it out because you will get your money. These short term loans end up costing American taxpayers over $900 million in fees […]

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Luca Pacioli and the History of Bookkeeping and Accounting

by Lynnea BylundJuly 17, 2012

Bookkeeping might seem a like dull subject. But it didn’t leap fully formed out of a weighty textbook. People have needed to keep track of their money for centuries, and the bookkeeping methods we use today can be traced back to one very influential man.* *Source: A Brief History of Bookkeeping by Oruk Duke From […]

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Construction Contractor Bookkeeping Is Different!

by Lynnea BylundJuly 10, 2012

We are always astonished when we encounter someone who is doing the bookkeeping for a contractor and they and treat the construction business like any other business.   Using regular bookkeeping and accounting for a construction business is like trying to assess the size and risk of an iceberg by only observing what shows of […]

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Small Business Technology Road Show Coming Soon!

by Lynnea BylundJuly 9, 2012

Join the experts at the Sleeter Group along with accounting and software solution leaders and your peers for a day of education, technology best practices, expert advice, and networking.  ———————- The Small Business Technology Road Show is a showcase of the latest accounting technologies that will highlight a broad range of small business solutions. Learn […]

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Equipment Leasing 101 for Business Owners

by Lynnea BylundJuly 8, 2012

Cash flow hurdles present challenges that many business owners must contend with. Your company needs to grow, but doesn’t have the available capital to float the expansion. For instance, you may need a new office server or network, or a new phone system, and the price tag sends you into an anxiety attack. What’s a entrepreneur to […]

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The Increasing Value of Outsourced Bookkeeping & Accounting

by Lynnea BylundJune 28, 2012

“The small-business market, unlike the mid- and enterprise markets, utilize the general services of public accountants in much greater volume and typically for more fundamental business services – such as business bookkeeping and daily process support,” writes Joanie Mann at her accounting technology blog.    Bigger companies  typically use their own financial departments and/or in-house […]

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How To Understand Social Security & Other Tax ‘ID’ Numbers

by Lynnea BylundJune 24, 2012

Social Security numbers, initially created by the Social Security Administration in November 1935, the numbers were issued to help administer Roosevelt’s New Deal Social Security program, otherwise known as the Social Security Act. The purpose of the Act – coming out of the Great Depression – was to provide benefits to retirees, the unemployed, certain […]

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Cost-Benefits of Outsourcing Your Business Bookkeeping

by Lynnea BylundJune 14, 2012

We can think of seven immediate benefits to outsourcing your bookkeeping / accounting to Catalyst – Never hire – or fire – a staff bookkeeper again. Expert service for a fraction of your current costs. No extended contracts required – cancel any time. No minimum payments. No problems/costs of computers, furniture, absenteeism or other headaches. […]

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Embezzlement, Protect Your Business

by Lynnea BylundJune 12, 2012

Embezzlement is the theft of money or property from a company by a person who has access to the money or assets. Embezzlers frequently are the professionals you are least likey to suspect. “Firstly,” says QuickBooks expert Donna MacMillan, “whether you are just starting in your business or been in business for awhile, educate yourself […]

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Warming Up To Asana

by Lynnea BylundJune 8, 2012

Source: Catalyst House Blog Lately, we’ve been putting Asana through its paces. Asana is essentially a very customizable cloud-based to-do list with a few tools that, when used intelligently, can bring order to a variety of projects. But what exactly is Asana? It can be best described as a collaborative to-do manager for both individuals […]

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The Legal Implications of Bookkeeping

by Lynnea BylundJune 5, 2012

We should be flattered – one of our Small Business Intelligence Update (SBIU) got picked up by Nina Kaufman’s Small Business Legal Blog at Entrepreneur.com. –  “Smart small business bookkeeping is the new sexy!” .  Well it’s just common sense! Source: Nina Kaufman | Entrepreneur.com – Aside from the “two sets of books” scenario that provides the fodder for tabloid […]

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Can Your Small Business Really Save Money w/ Good QuickBooks Accounting or Bookkeeping?

by Lynnea BylundJune 5, 2012

Many of us have heard about “hot shot” accountants and bookkeepers who save clients untold cash by reorganizing sole proprietors into 501c-3 status, or moving trust funds into semi-secret offshore banks. These are typically fabrications that stretch credibility as much as the Internal Revenue Code. What many small business owners do not realize is that […]

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Four Primary Advantages of Going Paperless

by Lynnea BylundMay 12, 2012

Paper documents, prehistoric faxes, and other modes of antiquated  correspondence are wholly outmoded in 2012. In fact, many Web-based services can help you reduce or even eliminate your use clumsy and ecologically unfriendly handling of paper, but is making the transition worth the challenge? Very possibly YES. Here are four benefits of going paperless from Kathryn Hawkins at Intuit Small […]

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Top Ten Tips for Mastering Outlook 2010*

by Lynnea BylundMay 10, 2012

Of all the changes included in the Microsoft Office 2010 suite, the biggest changes were to Outlook 2010. Largely used by companies and students, Outlook often seemed as if it were being left in the dust when each new set of Office products was released. Usually the only changes to Outlook were changes in the […]

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QuickBooks 2010 Sunset Approaching

by Lynnea BylundMay 8, 2012

It’s just about that time again…the time every year when Intuit discontinues supporting an older version of QuickBooks. This is called “sunsetting” a version. As usual, it’s the version from 3 years back. So QuickBooks Pro 2010, QuickBooks Premier 2010, QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 10, and QuickBooks for Mac 2010 will all be unsupported by Intuit […]

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A Dozen Powerful QuickBooks Features

by Lynnea BylundApril 13, 2012

Many businesses and financial professionals use QuickBooks for accounting purposes and other things like invoicing. In fact, it’s currently the most used software for accounting on the planet. However, few people know about its powerful features that can make life easier because they don’t have the time to learn all the ropes behind the software. […]

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Small Business Marketing by Referrals

by Lynnea BylundApril 11, 2012

Most business owners and practice managers believe that whether clients and customers refer them is entirely out of their hands. But science shows that people can’t help recommending products and services to their friends—it’s an instinct wired deep in the brain. And smart businesses can tap into that hardwired desire. Marketing expert John Jantsch offers […]

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Legal Structure Selection & Small Business Taxes

by Lynnea BylundApril 4, 2012

Whether you’re looking to avoid ‘double taxation’ or reduce self-employment and payroll taxes, as a business owner you must determine which legal structure is optimal for your business, financial status, and taxation. The subject of double taxation and the S Corp, partnership and LLC pass-through treatment of computation is a primary consideration when assessing business structures. But […]

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Avoiding the IRS Tax Audit Seven Red Flags

by Lynnea BylundMarch 24, 2012

The lion share of IRS audits last year — 1.2 million — were done by mail. Only 392,000 involved an in-person meeting with the IRS. That’s not necessarily good news.   Taxpayers overall face a low audit risk: The IRS audited 1.1% of all individual tax returns filed in 2010, or 1.6 million returns of 141 […]

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Tax Deductions from Barter Transactions?

by Lynnea BylundMarch 13, 2012

Have you been considering bartering lately because of the tightness of money? If so, have you given any thought to the correct tax treatment of bartered transactions? Although the Internal Revenue Service has a “Bartering Tax Center” on its website, after a cursory reading of the half dozen webpages devoted to its tax treatment, you […]

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