Did you know President Abraham Lincoln, one of America’s most beloved leaders, also instituted one of its least liked obligations – the income tax? In this brief history of taxes, see the historical events which shaped income taxes in the United States today. Thanks Turbo Tax for sharing this resource!
Online Tax Preparation with TurboTax
Any successful accounting firm is built on the effectiveness of it’s time and billing process. Tracking tasks is the most pertinent step in this process.
There are times when it’s difficult to see the importance of tracking everything that goes on in the office. It may even seem like micro-managing but there is a purpose to tracking what owners and staff spend their time on. We often marginalize what we spend our time on and tout, “I value bill everything, I only flat rate invoice!” Why would we want to include another process and use one more software application that will add to the many we must keep updated?
We operate in a workplace that demands the need to multitask. To survive and get ahead you must be able to accomplish multiple tasks at once. Thus making it harder and harder to track our time, resulting in huge discrepancies in our utilization reports, (if we can even get our hands on them), as well as not observing the staff members who are really affecting our business positively and even worse avoiding the task altogether. This should stimulate the idea: “How many billing opportunities have I missed?”
Office Tools Professional’s Practice Management Software provides a time and billing solution that empowers you to capture billable opportunities to help your business grow. Within the customization features of Practice Management, we will determine the work codes we will use to track our billable and non-billable time. Our software has a standard billable rate per staff member as well work code, including three alternate tiers of billable rates. As we complete activities off of our work list whether it is a client telephone call, accounting, or bookkeeping we are prompted to track our time. When completing tasks throughout the day we capture more accurate records quickly resulting in a streamlined method that takes seconds to complete.
The bottom-line is so many firms are using sometimes up to five different software applications to complete the administration chore within their firm. This is frustrating, inaccurate and wasting up to one hour a day per staff member. You do not get paid for administration work but you must do it! Our Practice Management software cuts down how long you spend in administration work by managing the time, billing, paperless document storage, call tracking and CRM functions to name a few. Our system is completely integrated; by completing a call or assignment you automatically fill out a time card, which fill’s in the work in progress for the client and then that time can be invoiced…all in one step.
That is why we consider Office Tools Pro the accountants workflow solution!
Guest Post By: By Brian O’Connell
As summer draws to a close and we start to feel the cooler weather, some of us will notice a bothersome little itch that says: time to find an accountant I really like.
Your connection to an accountant has a lot to do with chemistry, which will only be clear once you’ve met. But there are ways to tell whether an accounting firm is going to be professional and client-centered. The best of these is with CPA websites for accountants.
Looking at your potential new accountant’s website will tell you a lot about whether you want to use them. Here are the 6 features that all CPA websites should possess:
Client Portal
This is by far the most important piece of your accountant’s website. A client portal is like a safe-deposit box that’s right on your CPA’s website. Most of them are just as secure as online banking, and they greatly increase efficiency.
Instead of having to drop off papers for your accountant or pick up your completed return, you just upload to and download from the client portal. It saves time – and it creates an online backup that cuts down on your need for hard copy recordkeeping.
Blog
It’s true, there are lots of blogs out there, and no one has time to read them all. But if your accountant has one, it shows that he or she is committed to keeping you up-to-date on the latest tax news, as well as important information about their office hours, staffing changes, and so forth.
Pictures
You may not think this matters much. After all, is it really so important to see how the office was decorated for the holidays?
Yet, again – as with a blog – when your accountant posts pictures of themselves, their staff, and their office gatherings, it points to an understanding that you, the client, need to feel connected to them emotionally. If they don’t understand this, they may not be the right accountant for you.
Online Appointment Scheduling
There’s no need, with technology being what it is, to wait around for your accountant to call back and make an appointment. Savvy and client-focused accountants include online appointment scheduling on their website, which allows their clients to see their (public) calendar and block in a time that works for both of you. When a CPA includes this on their site, you know they’re thinking about how best to serve you.
Online Credit Card Payment
Do you really still need to pay an old-fashioned invoice with an old-fashioned check? No. Find an accountant who’s made it easier for you by incorporating the ability to pay by credit card right on his or her site.
Articles, Guides, and Frequently Asked Questions
The best accountants know that the quality of CPA websites is built on content, content, content. You should be able to find answers to all your tax questions on your accountant’s website. Wondering if you can deduct that online class you took this year? Your accountant’s website should tell you. Having a baby? The website should explain all you need to know about how this affects your taxes.
In other words, your CPA’s website should act as a backup source of support and information for those times when you just don’t want to send an email or pick up the phone.
Good luck finding the right accountant this year. Check out their website, meet them in person – and then embark on a long and prosperous relationship!
Last month, I had the opportunity to interview John Pollock Certified Tax Coach in Dallas, Texas. John has built a phenomenal video blogging system at his website www.dallastaxcoach.com. We discussed why VLOGGING is the wave of the future and what you can do to catch it!
DM: You’ve invested over $50,000 and hundreds of hours creating over 500 posts in the last 3 years. Why?
JP: Simple. Because it IS the future. Wayne Gretzky says, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” The future of connecting with your market, internet searches, and best marketing practices lies in video blogs. To stand out in my field, I wanted to be where the market was moving toward, rather than stay in the past.
DM: How long do you spend each week creating your video blog?
JP: That is one of the keys to my success. I have studio set up and ready to go in my office. I can stop in the studio and record anytime I get an idea. I am disciplined and record 5 VLOGS each week no matter what.
DM: Wow, 5 VLOGS?! That must take a lot of time. How long does it take you?
JP: Not really that long. Once you get used to it. If you surf YouTube, you’ll notice the most popular videos are all under 3 minutes. I use this as a guideline and target my VLOGS to no more than 3 minutes in length. So let’s see, if I record 5 a week, and they are 3 minutes long, that is about 15 minutes total each week.
DM: Where do you find inspiration for your topics?
JP: Anywhere and everywhere. Surf the internet, watch TV, there are plenty of things to talk about for 3 minutes.
DM: Any success tips you can offer our readers?
JP: Not many CPA’s are VLOGGING. This makes it easy to stand out. Do something every day, and BE REAL. Be yourself. People want to do business with people. Don’t script it and don’t worry about it being perfect. Find an hour each week to seek out content.
DM: Any tips to leverage your time?
JP: Use easy resources available. I recently video blogged about the Charlie Sheen email. It was great. You don’t even have to write anything. You can merely be a clipping service for your clients. Aggregate content and include links to content on other blogs. Have your equipment set up and ready to record at any moment.
DM: So let’s talk results. What has this done for your business?
JP: This is the tough part to measure. I am making improvements to measure exactly what traffic is coming in through my VLOG. I can tell you that people pay attention. People are commenting on my videos. They say things like, “I like the one when. . . “ My web traffic is increased. It is frustrating that I cannot tell you I’ve made “x amount of dollars,” from this. But it is much easier for my clients to refer by forwarding my VLOG posts. Videos give my clients and prospects a chance to see me. But by the time you post this interview, I’ll have more than 700 posts to my site which is more than ANY other tax professional out there. And you don’t need to have over 700 posts to stand out in the crowd.
That’s right John, you don’t need 700 posts to stand out. But boy, do you stand out! if you haven’t tried VLOGGING, give it a try! What are you waiting for? Skate to where the puck is going to be and get started today!
by Kacee Johnson of Cloud 9 Real Time Bookkeeping
There is a myriad of reasons to move to the Cloud and utilize QuickBooks hosting solutions. Here are our Top 10 reasons and we think David Letterman would be proud…
10. Work Anytime, Anywhere
9. No more sending Accountant’s Copies back and forth
8. Automatic offsite backups
7. Full Desktop version in a multi-user environment (not like limited QuickBooks Online)
6. Disaster Recovery Plan
5. You don’t want to go through the hassle of becoming a “self-host” with Intuit
4. Save time and money
3. Client, employees and Accountant can all work in the same files at the same time
2. Instant access to real-time data
And the #1 reason to use QuickBooks Hosting….
You can LEASE QuickBooks to save money and always be on the latest edition of QuickBooks!
To lease QuickBooks, the user must be a client of the hosting provider, and elect to lease the product for the intended user. Cloud9 leases QuickBooks Premier and Premier Accountant’s Edition for just $12 per month per user. This allows the user to spend only $144 each year to always be on the latest edition of QuickBooks Premier or AE in the Cloud.
Get more information 877-MYAICTC (692-4282) | Contact
Copyright © Certified Tax Coach.org. All rights reserved.
Designed by piThemes.
