CPA Pro Business Blog

Hiring Professionals for Tax Preparation and Bookkeeping

Lisa — 2008-05-22T11:05:04-04:00

Don't be tempted to do your own bookkeeping and tax preparation advises Portland tax professional Joseph Anthony. Small business startups with a few partners may decide to do everything they can themselves and contract out the rest. However, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

Most do not consider indirect cost such as their time and supplies they had to purchase when doing something that should be done by someone else. Anthony advises at some point early on, a small business should hire a professional for their tax returns and at least some of their bookkeeping.

One main reason is that tax professionals are more than just preparers. It is important to consult with an accountant outside of the crunch of filing season to be sure you are doing what you can to reduce the tax bill. For instance, many small businesses can benefit from creating a SIMPLE retirement plan for their employees. But, it generally has to be done by October 1 in order for there to be tax benefits for that year.

Keeping your bookkeeping accurate and in good order is not only smart business but also can keep you from having legal problems. A professional, either in-house or hired from the outside, needs to have knowledge of such things as double-entry and how to make a journal entry. Also, your books need to be as organized as possible so the tax pro can do their job effectively and in the least amount of time.

Probably the biggest thing is to be sure your tax pro and bookkeeper work together on your behalf. For instance, a bookkeeper will not know how assets are being depreciated or written off, the accountant will have to advise on that. Bookkeepers and tax pros serve two purposes; they keep you out of trouble and allow you to focus on running your business rather than getting bogged down in financial matters.

Don't Forget to Pay the Most Important Bill of All

Lisa — 2006-08-17T02:31:17-04:00

By Martin Lukac

What is the one bill that you often forget to pay? You may be thinking that you pay all of your bills, but you are missing one.

You need to pay yourself.

The correct way to manage your finances has you building a greater net worth each year. You have more money this year than you did last year. However, many of us simply use every cent we have on new cars, clothes and things that don't last.

You are letting one bill go long overdue. It is the bill for your future. The longer you put off this bill, the more it will cost you in the long run. If you ignore it, you will eventually face paying big time. And not just in money.

You will gladly begin to pay off your debt. You will gladly take on more debt. But think about what you are really paying for. Are these items that you will have in 30 years from now? Your fun now is costing you a comfortable retirement later.

You can't count on Social Security or Medicare. They are probably not going to be around in 20 years. The only thing you can depend on is your savings.

You are the only one that can make it happen. You can give yourself and your spouse the greatest gift of all -- a comfortable and secure future. Or you can sabotage it. But you can't just ignore it anymore. Because I'm telling you that there is a better way.

Start by eliminating your debt. Every dollar you are paying in interest is taking hundreds of dollars away from your retirement. Think I'm just blowing it all out of proportion? Run a few online calculators to see 1) how long it will take you to get out of debt and 2) how long it will take you to save for retirement at your current pace. If you aren't saving anything and have no plans to do so, you are planning on working until you die. No getting sick, no rest, no breaks. Because there will be no money.

It is a challenge. Every financial decision you make now will affect you for years to come. That is why the way you spend your money is so very important. Pay off your debt, don't incur new debt and save aggressively for your retirement. In this day and age, it is common to work for thirty years and then live for thirty years in retirement. You may think that thirty years is a long time to save, but remember that thirty years is a long time to not have any money. Prepare for your future.

Simply keep in mind how great it would be to retire comfortably. You can do that if you start now. If you have thirty more years, then great. You have time to really build up your worth without sacrificing too terribly much. Just avoid the bad debt of credit cards and unwise auto purchases. If you only have ten or so years, then you are going to have to sacrifice, but it is still possible. The key?

Start right now. Pay yourself and your future.

Martin Lukac represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate and mortgage rates. We specialize in daily updates, mortgage news, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Lukac

CPA Firms

Lisa — 2006-06-19T09:02:46-04:00

By Max Bellamy

CPA is short for Certified Public Accountant. There are many CPA firms that are some of the most reputed and well-established companies in America. A CPA firm performs many functions and has many specialties including auditing and attestation, accounting systems, taxation, business valuation, management consulting, forensic accounting, information systems consulting and information systems auditing. This is why they are so important to successful businesses and entrepreneurs. These businesses and individuals count of a CPA firm to keep them financially on track and ahead of the game.

Successful CPA firms are always on the lookout for the right people for the right job. Usually partners in a CPA firm are highly skilled, well educated individuals who play key roles in the successful growth of their company. To keep their skills honed, many firms require that their staff stay continuously informed by attending courses on a regular basis.

CPA firms must have established standards, procedures and policies relevant to many areas in order to facilitate the volumes of reports they must produce. These can be as specific as maintaining cash flow, billing, recovery and software. All CPA firms make these policies known to their employees through written content and training. Technology and the Internet are also used for educational purposes. Above all, CPA firms must constantly grow with clients and meet their ever-changing needs. They must remain relevant and important for their clients. For those looking to work or even establish a CPA firm make sure that it meets all the above standards.

CPA provides detailed information on CPA, CPA Exam, CPA Review, CPA Firms and more. CPA is affiliated with Expense Report Software

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy

Tax Haven Raises 2006 Entry Price

Lisa — 2006-03-23T03:59:14-05:00

by Roger Munns

While Monaco is a well known European tax haven, Andorra has remained little known outside of the financial community - despite enjoying the same tax advantages and arguably more private banking than her better known rival.

In contrast to the similar financial benefits both Monaco and Andorra residents enjoy, the two small countries have quite different climates.

Monaco has good all year round weather and is located next to the French Riveria, while Andorra is in the Pyrenees and between early December and late April attracts nearly ten million tourists for ski holidays. Monaco has year round tourists, peaking twice a year in May for the Grand Prix, and September for the Yacht Show.

Neither Andorra or Monaco have their own airports ? Nice airport has a helicopter link, a ten minute ride direct to Monaco, Andorra is not so fortunate and the nearest airport is Barcelona, a three hour drive away from the principality.

Both countries have opted to stay out of the EU, preserving their ability to maintain a no income tax policy.

The biggest difference is the entry price for becoming a resident ? which entails buying or renting a house or apartment.

One bedroom apartments in Monaco start at 800,000 Euros, but in Andorra the same size apartment starts at less than a third of the price at 250,000 Euros. And while a house in Monaco is a rarity, there is a good choice of houses for sale in Andorra, with prices starting at under a million Euros.

Rising Prices

Given Andorra's property price advantage for would-be residents choosing between Europe's primary tax havens, it has come as a surprise to many that the closing costs for buying a property in Andorra has not only been less than half that of Monaco, but also less than buying a property in many other mainland European countries at around four and a half per cent.

But Andorra has just raised property closing costs by introducing a three and a half per cent sale of goods and services tax on property purchases from January 1, 2006 - bringing the tax haven more in line with neighboring France and Spain.

Demand for property in Andorra and Monaco is unlikely to be affected by the recent increases though, according to European tax haven specialists Tribune Properties.

'Andorra and Monaco have historically seen an increase in property activity and residency applications when taxes are increasing elsewhere. The new German government has recently increased the top rate of income tax and the United Kingdom has seen an increase in the number of indirect taxes, making the zero per cent personal income tax both Andorra and Monaco offer an attractive preposition to high income earners.

Andorra's property inflation has been over ten per cent annually for the last three years, and when the 2005 figures are released we would expect it to be four years in a row, with no sign of a leveling off of demand for the year ahead.

With Andorra and Monaco's high speed cable and broadband internet access more and more company owners are moving their residence to low and no tax countries and running their companies from a distance geographically, while being able to share information with their head office in real time'.

As well as buying a property in Andorra or Monaco, both countries require residency applicants to establish a local bank account and deposit around 50,000 Euros (Andorra) or 100,000 Euros (Monaco), take out private health insurance, and to live there for six months of the year.

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For an on-line guide to Monaco and Monte Carlo including a map, the weather, flights and Nice Airport information visit http://www.yourmonaco.com

It's A Taxing Time Of Year

Lisa — 2006-03-23T03:49:49-05:00

by Stephanie Foster

Yes, that's right, it's that time of year nobody loves - tax time! No, this is not too early to think about it, especially if you have money coming to you.

All right, so it's not fun to think about doing your taxes. But there is a distinct advantage to getting an early start - it's a reminder to be more organized in this regard in the year to come. Make this as pleasant as possible next year.

Now, if you and your spouse each have jobs rather than businesses, your employer has handled the bulk of the paperwork as far as paying taxes goes. You just have to know what your deductions are. If you're only taking the standard deduction, you may be paying too much, sometimes quite significantly. If you aren't sure what all you can take a deduction on, consult your accountant, or, if you do your own taxes, go to http://www.turbotax.com/ and see what they suggest. You may get a pleasant surprise. They links to tax tips right on their front page.

Of course, if you have a home business, you have more paperwork and more deductions to consider. This is why many home businesses prefer to use an accountant. It saves a lot of worry and can be worth the expense. You can deduct in many cases for your home office, business supplies and more. Consult with a tax professional, and be sure you have receipts for everything in case you are unlucky enough to be audited. I am not a tax professional, so I really cannot give you better advice than that.

Now, if you've done your taxes and find out you're getting a big refund, it's time to celebrate, right? Not really. If you're getting a big refund, that means you gave the government an interest-free loan. You need the money more than they do, right? If you are overpaying to avoid underpaying (and who likes paying more at tax time?), put the excess you were thinking about paying into some kind of savings account. Even a plain savings account in a bank pays more than nothing, and you're still getting the advantage of money saved up. This is far harder to do, of course, since the money is nicely within reach, but it's a good practice in general to have some money you rarely touch anyhow.

Getting your taxes under control now can save you a great deal of trouble next year and in future years. Build good filing habits so that if you are ever audited you can easily justify your deductions. And finally, consult with a tax professional to get the most out of your tax return.

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Stephanie Foster is the owner of http://www.homewiththekids.com and offers free resources for parents who want to find real work at home opportunities. For more work at home advice, visit http://www.homewiththekids.com/wah.htm

seostone — 2006-03-08T03:19:26-05:00

What Is Shorting Stocks?

Lisa — 2005-12-19T12:42:43-05:00

by Cory Bain
Choose To Be Rich
http://www.choose-to-be-rich.com/

The whole idea of shorting stocks is to make money from stocks that are going down in price. When you short stocks, you are essentially selling stocks that you have borrowed, in other words you do not personally own them.

First, you need to have a margin account in order to sell stocks short. A margin account allows the broker to extend credit to you, based on Federal guidelines. You must have at least 50% of the amount involved in short selling the stock as cash in your account. This shows that you have sufficient funds available to buy the stock back should it go against you. Lets look at an example:

ZYX Co. is trading at $23.00

You would need $1150 in your account to short sell 100 shares. You would receive a credit of $2300 less commissions. Overall, you would have a credit balance of $3450 in your account.

ZYX Co. goes to $18.00

You've made $500. Your credit balance is still $3450, but the market value of the stock is only $1800. So your equity is $1650 ($3450-$1800). Your paper profit at this point is $500.

Although you will always pay interest on money you borrow from the broker, you may be able to negotiate a better rate if you're a preferred client or have a sizable account. You will also be charged by the broker for any cash or dividend payments on your short positions.

Assuming you are an average person without any insider information, the best time to short sell in general, is when the overall stock market is in a down trend. Even the best stocks go down in Bear Markets. If you're just starting out, take small short positions, never short a stock that is rising in price, and use stop-losses to avoid big losses on your short positions.
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To learn more about various investing topics, checkout the author's website. This article and others by Cory can be found at his website. Choose To Be Rich

Payroll Taxes

Lisa — 2005-12-19T11:50:36-05:00

by Matt Bacak
The Powerful Promoter

If you have employees, you are responsible for payroll taxes. This is a term that lumps all the different forms of employment taxes into one category known as "payroll tax". In reality, payroll taxes encompass Federal and state income tax withholding, social security and Medicare taxes (also known as FICA), Federal unemployment tax (FUTA), as well as any state and local unemployment taxes assessed. Payroll taxes are deducted each pay period from an employees gross pay. The remaining money distributed to the employee is what is known as "net pay". Along with any taxes deducted from an employee's wages, there is a social security and Medicare liability incurred by the employer. You must match the social security and Medicare amounts withheld on each employee. This is the employer paid contribution. Until recently, most employers reported and paid payroll taxes quarterly. With the advent of the EFTPS, or Electronic Federal Tax Deposit System, taxes are now paid on a monthly basis by all employers. The payroll taxes may also be paid via a tax coupon that is taken to your bank and presented with the monies to cover the payroll taxes due.

Every quarter, a Form 941 (or 943 for Agricultural employees) must be filed with the IRS. The amounts reported on the 941 should reconcile to the amounts turned in each month via the tax coupon or the EFTPS. At the end of the tax year, a Form 940 or information return must also be filed.

If you are a small business with employees, or you plan to begin operating a business with employees, you need to understand your tax responsibilities as an employer. The IRS provides links to all the relevant Forms and Publications via their Internet site at www.IRS.gov. Here you will find definitions and terms associated with employees from the onset of hiring, to termination. W-4's, W-2's, I-9's, all the employment taxes you will be responsible for reporting, all the rates associated with those taxes. The IRS also provides you with information concerning record keeping, employment eligibility verification, benefit and retirement plans, and even the definition to be used in order to determine if someone is an employee. There is a tremendous benefit to be had by investing the time and resources necessary to understand and comply with all the federal, state, and local regulations concerned with employees and payroll taxes. However, you should frequently seek the advice of a qualified tax professional, your accountant.

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Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine's e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com

How To Interpret And Profit From Financial Statements

Lisa — 2005-12-19T11:46:18-05:00

by Peter Leeds
The Penny Stock Insider

Financial statements are a useful tool for judging the health of a company, and for comparing it to its competitors. They show what the company owes and owns, the profits or loses it has made over a given period, and how their position has changed since their last statement. Generally if you can tell which direction a company is heading in, you can also forecast future stock prices with some accuracy.

Gaining a basic knowledge of financial statements, and applying this knowledge when choosing or assessing investments can help you pick tomorrow's winning stocks, while avoiding tomorrow's losers.
Of course, financial statement analysis will not always factor in significant news events, unexpected incidents, changes in management, and other factors which may influence share prices, but it provides a starting point from which to gauge the present value of shares, independent of future occurrences.

The following report details some simple financial statement explanation and analysis methods. Although the topic can get much deeper and more complex, this article is designed to give investors the ability to understand the numbers and simpler of financial ratios, and be able to use that knowledge to assist them to make better decisions when doing their due diligence.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet shows a company's financial position at a specific date, usually the last day of the company's fiscal year for annual reports. One side of the balance sheet shows what the company owns and has owing to it, called assets. The other side represents liabilities, which are what the company owes, and also has shareholders' equity, which represents the excess of the company's assets over its liabilities. Shareholder's equity is often referred to as book value.
Total assets are equal to the sum of the company's liabilities plus the shareholders' equity. In other words, take away liabilities from assets and the remainder is what value is owned by the shareholders.
The Balance Sheet can be used to uncover the value of the company, the debt load, and cash position.

Earnings Statement

Also called the Income Statement or Profit and Loss Statement, it shows how much revenue a company received during the year from the sale of its products and services, and the expenses the company incurred due to wages, taxes, operating costs, etc... The difference between the two is the company's profit or loss for the year. The amount left over after taxes is the net earnings.

Net earnings are basically saying how much money the company 'really' made over the course of the year. Some companies can have low earnings if they used much of their money for research and development, to acquire other companies, fuel aggressive growth, move into new markets, etc, which is much more favorable than if the company had low earnings because they didn't generate many revenues, their expenses were too high, etc...

Statements of Changes in Financial Position

This shows how the company's financial position changed from one year to the next. Also called the cash flow statement, this details how the company generated and spent its cash during the year.
This statement can be used in evaluating the liquidity and solvency of a company, and to assess the ability of that company to generate cash internally, to repay debts, to reinvest in itself, etc...

Sources of Financial Reports

Certainly you can get financials from the companies themselves. Most will gladly fax them to you, or mail you their latest quarterly and annual reports.

However, a faster way to access the information can be by Internet. For example, go to Yahoo.com and choose stock quotes. Enter the ticker symbol for the company you are interested in, and Yahoo will provide its most recent press releases, which will include past quarterly and annual reports with the financial statements. You can also check the previous reports to compare which direction the company is moving in and look for trends (i.e. increasing debt load, unpredictable earnings, decreasing revenues, erratic revenues, etc...).

There are also many other Internet resources which provide similar information, such as wsrn.com, bigcharts.com, (canada-stockwatch.com for Canadian issues), etc...

Comparison Shopping

To familiarize yourself with some of the numbers, try looking up the financials of three companies you own or are interested in.

(Balance Sheet) Which of the companies has the greatest long term debt load? Do any of the companies have greater current liabilities than current assets? Compare the current share price to the shareholder's equity (book value): is the share price much greater or less than the book value?

(Earnings Statement) What were the revenues of the most recent year (or quarter) and does the number represent an increase or decrease from the previous period? How much money per share did the company earn (or lose) in the most recent period?

(Statement of Changes in Financial Position) Has company debt been increasing or decreasing? What was the greatest expense the company incurred according to the statement?

Decision Making

Understand that financial statements can provide investors with a partial fundamental snapshot of a company. They only represent one piece of the puzzle. Remember that, while financial statements can help investors compare several companies, comparison is limited only to the numbers provided.

In other words, you can see that one company made money while the other lost money, but you don't know which has the better technical outlook (based on analysis of the trading chart), which is a potential takeover target, which will have the best future earnings, etc...

As well, the impact of financial statements tends to be long-term as it relates to share prices. Four quarterly reports showing increasing earnings may push the stock into an upward trend as the market begins to recognize the fundamental improvements of the underlying company, but one quarter of increasing earnings may or may not have a significant impact on shares.

Therefore, most investors use financial statements as part of a greater overall decision making process. Certainly, though, an understanding of and familiarization with the data can benefit any investor who takes the time to make educated trading decisions.

Important Points

Many growth companies don't need nor are expected to have positive earnings. Instead, they generally accumulate debt as they focus on research and development of new technologies, aggressively move into new markets, fight for market share with competitors, etc... Other companies with minimal growth prospects on the other hand, have more importance placed on actual earnings, lowering operational costs, etc...

Be sure to understand what numbers are important and unimportant to a specific company based on their situation and the position they are in. This can be done easily by going to wsrn.com and doing an industry comparison on the company in question. Do companies in the same industry seem to have positive earnings, or is the focus on growth, research, etc... Are they a larger or smaller company than the industry average, and are they growing faster than the others?
Read the fine print to make sure the numbers you are reading have been audited, rather than being just company estimates, or unverified results. This generally is not something you need to worry about with most exchange-listed companies, but it is important practice.

Many annual statements will begin with positive news about sales or revenue increases, or other positive comments, but further reading reveals that the company actually lost more money, increased debt, or had a poor quarter or year. For most companies their financial statements are part of their promotional material and they need to make the information sound as impressive and positive as possible, even if the overall results were disappointing.
Be wary of one-time earnings or loses. For example, a company may win a huge lawsuit settlement and the influx of money gives them positive earnings for the quarter. However, how would they have done when the one-time extraordinary is ignored?

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Peter Leeds, one of North America's leading Investment Coaches, is a self-made millionaire who has created his fortunes on the stock markets. He has also empowered thousands of individuals to do the same. He offers sites like http://www.pennystockinsider.com
to help penny stock investors make wise decisions.

Your Offline Banker Does Not Want You To Know The Differences Between Online And Offline Banking

Lisa — 2005-12-19T11:32:00-05:00

by David Jones

Offshore Incorporation 101

There are many major differences between online banking and offline banking; if you are presently undecided between your current, limited offline bank and opening a new online bank account, you should take some time to thoroughly evaluate your choices.

What's so good about opening an online banking account?

An online banking account will make it easy to do all your transactions and bill- paying at home whenever you want; whereas someone who doesn't have an online banking account will have to make a trip to the local bank and sort everything out there.

When you have bills to pay it's easier to switch on the computer rather than running down to the bank. You also can't delay trips to the bank; when a bill has to be paid, it has to be done on time, unless you want to pay additional fees and risk losing a good relationship with your creditor.

However, there are some benefits to using an offline banking account over an online account. One benefit is going over to the bank and being able to talk to someone face to face if you have a problem with your account. You can speak with a bank employee who will help you through the problem and will assist you in any possible way; and can even inform you of what went wrong.

Do you live within walking distance of your bank? Then another advantage is the exercise that you will get from walking down to the bank.

Other advantages of online banking are being able to make transactions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you give the order outside of regular banking hours, your order will be executed as soon as the bank opens. Do you want to check time deposit rates? No problem, just go online and you won't have to listen to some music while you are put on hold for twenty minutes, while the operator is trying to find the right person to connect you to.

If there is a problem with your online bank account you may send the bank an email. You can call the bank for urgent problems and since it is an online bank they have a lot less incoming calls than an offline bank. Meaning you will get an answer much faster.

These are just a few advantages and disadvantages you can factor in when you make the decision, but ultimately, the choice will be up to you.

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David Jones is a freelance writer and world traveler who writes on subjects in which he has a personal interest.
http://www.offshoreincorporation101.com/