Sunday, February 24, 2013

Waukesha Accounting | Five Ways to improve your Finances


If you are having trouble paying your debts, it is important to take action sooner rather than later. Doing nothing leads to much larger problems in the future, whether it's a bad credit record or bankruptcy resulting in the loss of assets and even your home. If you're in financial trouble here are some steps to take to avoid financial ruin in the future.
If you've accumulated a large amount of debt and are having difficulty paying your bills each month, now is the time to take action--before the bill collectors start calling.
1. Review each debt. Make sure that the debt creditors claim you owe is really what you owe and that the amount is correct. If you dispute a debt, first contact the creditor directly to resolve your questions. If you still have questions about the debt, contact your state or local consumer protection office or, in cases of serious creditor abuse, your state Attorney General.
2. Contact your creditors. Let your creditors know you are having difficulty making your payments. Tell them why you are having trouble-perhaps it is because you recently lost your job or have unexpected medical bills. Try to work out an acceptable payment schedule with your creditors. Most are willing to work with you and will appreciate your honesty and forthrightness.
Tip: Most automobile financing agreements permit your creditor to repossess your car any time you are in default, with no advance notice. If your car is repossessed you may have to pay the full balance due on the loan, as well as towing and storage costs, to get it back. Do not wait until you are in default. Try to solve the problem with your creditor when you realize you will not be able to meet your payments. It may be better to sell the car yourself and pay off your debt than to incur the added costs of repossession.
3. Budget your expenses. Create a spending plan that allows you to reduce your debts. Itemize your necessary expenses (such as housing and health care) and optional expenses (such as entertainment and vacation travel). Stick to the plan.
4. Try to reduce your expenses. Cut out any unnecessary spending such as eating out and purchasing expensive entertainment. Consider taking public transportation or using a car sharing service rather than owning a car. Clip coupons, purchase generic products at the supermarket and avoid impulse purchases. Above all, stop incurring new debt. Leave your credit cards at home. Pay for all purchases in cash or use a debit card instead of a credit card.
5. Pay down and consolidate your debts. Withdrawing savings from low-interest accounts to settle high-rate loans or credit card debt usually makes sense. In addition, there are a number of ways to pay off high-interest loans, such as credit cards, by getting a refinancing or consolidation loan, such as a second mortgage.
Tip: Selling off a second car not only provides cash but also reduces insurance and other maintenance expenses.
Caution: Be wary of any loan consolidations or other refinancing that actually increase interest owed, or require payments of points or large fees.
Caution: Second mortgages greatly increase the risk that you may lose your home.
You can regain financial health if you act responsibly. But don't wait until bankruptcy court is your only option. If you're having financial troubles, don't hesitate to call us. We can help you get back on your feet.
We at Small Business Accounting Solutions LLC, work closely with small business owners in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Washington counties. As a "one-stop-shop", we provide our clients with complete Accounting services, Business and Individual Income Tax preparation, Payroll services, Quickbooks training and more! Small Business Accounting Solutions, LLC 1025 S Moorland Road Suite 500 Brookfield, WI 53005 Phone: (262)547-6000 http://www.sbasgroup.com

Friday, February 8, 2013

Milwaukee Accounting | Closing out Quickbooks

Over the past year QuickBooks has been hard at work recording and tracking and storing all of that financial data that you've entered so faithfully.
But when you turn the calendar page and make a new start January 1, your accounting software could use some closure on the year that's just passed. Here are some actions you can take to ring out the old and ring in the new. Here are some of the highlights:
  • Reconcile, reconcile, reconcile. Yes, we know it's not one of your favorite chores, but we really like to see all bank and credit card accounts reconciled by the end of the year if at all possible. Void all checks necessary and enter missing transactions.


Figure 1: You can make yourself crazy looking for a nickel when you're reconciling, but it's a critical function.

  • Make accrual adjustments. This is complicated, and it only applies if you accrue payroll and liabilities or prepay expenses that are then carried as assets. We'll need to create journal entries for you.

  • Close your books. This is optional and depends on whether you want to lock 2012 data to everyone except those who have the password and permissions. If you don't close them, you'll have easier access to last year's transaction details. Regardless of what you choose, QuickBooks will automatically make some year-end adjustments.

  • Do a physical inventory. Then compare this with what QuickBooks says. Reports | Inventory | Physical Inventory Worksheet.


Figure 2: It's good to match up your physical inventory count with QuickBooks occasionally, and the end of the year is as good a time as any.

  • Run income tax reports. As you know, QuickBooks lets you assign tax lines to tax-related transactions. Use the Income Tax Preparation Report and the Income Tax Summary Report. Let us know about any errors or omissions.

  • Check W-2 and 1099 data. You can't create these forms, of course, until after your final 2012 payroll, but you can get a head start. Ask employees to verify their names, addresses and Social Security numbers for accuracy. Also, make sure that your EIN and SEIN are correct, as well as the company address.

  • Clean up, back up. We can monitor the health of your QuickBooks data file anytime. But year-end is a good time to scrutinize your software's performance. Has it slowed down, started crashing or returning error messages? We can troubleshoot to find the problem and clean it up. We're sure you've been backing up your file faithfully, but archive all of 2012 and store it in a very safe offsite location--or use Intuit Data Protect for online storage.


Figure 3: Frequent backups are critical, but you should be sure to have a copy of your entire 2012 data file stored somewhere safe.

  • Double-check tax liabilities. If you're handling your own payroll, look back to see whether all of your payments and filings have been completed.
Again, these are suggestions. QuickBooks does not require you to do any of them. There's more you can do, and you will need assistance with some of these. So let's set up a December or early January meeting to get you started right in 2013.
We want to take this opportunity to thank you for letting us serve your company in 2012. We certainly appreciate your business, and we're happy to do what we can to help your business prosper in the coming year.

We at Small Business Accounting Solutions LLC, work closely with small business owners in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Washington counties. As a "one-stop-shop", we provide our clients with complete Accounting services, Business and Individual Income Tax preparation, Payroll services, Quickbooks training and more! Small Business Accounting Solutions, LLC 1025 S Moorland Road Suite 500 Brookfield, WI 53005 Phone: (262)547-6000 http://www.sbasgroup.com