Activity Review

About This Software

Business management system with general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchase order, payroll, human resources, CRM, Contracts Processing, and bank reconciliation.
 

 

Pros: Easy to use; extremely capable & flexible; great support;
Meets needs of most business environments. Best product for the investment in software.
Each update/version offers more capability, features and ease of use.
This is the only software I have used where the upgrades are totally painless. All upgrade conversions are handled with virtually no manual work required. Compared to Great Plains and Solomon, which I have used, Activty is heavenly.
Cons: Some of the documentation a little vague as to where to fix warning and/or eror messages.
Overall: Great software. I've been using Activity since version one (1) and highly recommend the product.

 

Passport Business Solutions

Passport Business Solutions is an integrated software solution designed to give you greater control over your company’s operations and profitability. Strong transaction audit trails, versatile reporting options, graphical forms design for invoices, statements and purchase order forms, drill downs and look ups for fast data access are just a few of the features that save time and increase efficiency. Each of these elements is reinforced by the fact that you can invest in only the modules you need to design a system that best fits your organization.
Popular Functionality Modules

General Ledger Categorizes and summarizes accounting data. Provides comprehensive information for financial analysis and control. Custom designed financial statements show profit or loss,…

Accounts Payable Keep accurate information on vendor, supplier, and standard costs by tracking payment due dates, available discounts, and money owed to creditors. Provides maintenance and…

Product Definition Along with Inventory Management, helps to form the foundation of PBS Manufacturing . It allows you to create and maintain bills of material, work centers on the shop floor,…

Capacity Planning Allows manufacturers to plan optimal production based on actual requirements and plant capacity. Production bottlenecks and backload problems are identified before they occur…

Shop Floor Control Provides production management with accurate and timely information on jobs, work-in-process, and production activity. It allows detailed planning and scheduling, and…
Complete Functionality Module List

    Accounts Payable
    Accounts Receivable
    Capacity Planning
    Check Reconciliation
    Customer Order Processing
    General Ledger
    Inventory Control
    Job Cost
    Manufacturing Job Costing
    Master Scheduling & MRP
    Order Entry
    Payroll
    Point of Sale
    Product Definition
    Professional Time and Billing
    Purchase Order
    Sales Analysis
    Shop Floor Control

Canopus Treasury Review

Canopus Treasury is a comprehensive software solution designed to automate the treasury function of a large corporation and in-house banking operations. Built on the core banking platform, it is a powerful tool to centrally manage and control an enterprise's cash flows, internal funds transfers and external payments, at the same time achieving better corporate performance, enterprise-wide visibility and substantial cost savings.

Features Checklist

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Bank Reconciliation
• Billing & Invoicing
• Cash Management
• Collections
• Consolidation / Roll-Up
• Multi-Currency
• Project Accounting
• Tax Management
• Expense Tracking

Product Details

• Free Demo

  Yes , get a free demo
• Deployment

  Installed
  Web Based
  
• Training

  Documentation
  Webinars
  Live Online
  In Person
  
• Support

  Online
  Business Hours

Zoho Books Review

If you need online accounting, Zoho Books is definitely worth a look! Excellent user interface, navigation and superior depth in records.

Simple, easy-to-use cloud accounting software to help
you manage your business, the smart way!

• Get Paid Faster

  Send professional invoices to clients and start accepting online payments from them. It's simple, fast and convenient.
  
  
  
  

• Track Expenses Better

  Know your expenses better to save money in the future. Track, categorize and bill them to your clients all from one place.
  
  
  
  

• Automated Banking

  Connect your bank account and get a real-time update on your cash flow. Monitor transactions and categorize them instantly.
  
  
  
  

Cougar Mountain Accounting

Cougar Mountain Software Accounting (DENALI and CMS Professional) features depth, power, and flexibility in affordable packages that grow along with your company. With unbeatable security our comprehensive programs include all the basic modules you need to manage your business.

Average Ratings

• 3 / 5

  Overall
• 2.5 / 5

  Ease of Use
• 4 / 5  

   

   

  • Starting Price

    $1,000.00/one-time/user
  • Deployment

    Installed
    
  • Support

    Online
    Business Hours
    
     

GASB Updates Implementation Guide

he Governmental Accounting Standards Board has published a new authoritative implementation guide that details comprehensive authoritative implementation guidance that has been cleared by the board for state and local governments.

Implementation Guide No. 2015-1 incorporates the changes that came out of feedback received by GASB during a year-long public exposure of its previously issued implementation guidance, which was performed in conjunction with the due process leading up to the issuance of GASB Statement No. 76, The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for State and Local Governments.

Statement 76 reduces the GAAP hierarchy to two categories of authoritative GAAP. The first category of authoritative GAAP consists of GASB Statements of Governmental Accounting Standards. The second category includes GASB Implementation Guides, GASB Technical Bulletins, and guidance from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants that is cleared by the GASB.

Going forward, all new GASB implementation guidance, due to its elevated authoritative status, will be exposed for a period of broad public comment prior to issuance, as is done for other GASB pronouncements.The requirements of Implementation Guide 2015-1 are effective for reporting periods beginning after June 15, 2015. The guide is available for download free of charge on GASB’s Web site.

Are you working in the global marketplace?

It may not always seem like it, but the internet moves at the speed of light. The major connections between servers, and between countries, are mostly fibre-optic. Your emails, web clicks and downloads are carried around the world at incredibly high speed. So high that it’s faster than the signals moving around inside your brain.
The speed of light in a vacuum is almost 300,000,000 miles/second. That’s three hundred million meters per second. Nothing can move faster – it’s the universal speed limit. The speed of light in a fibre-optic internet cable is slower, by around 40 percent. Still, it can get around the world four and a half times in just a second.
This means that as far as the internet is concerned, nowhere is far away. You might be based on the opposite side of the planet to some of your potential customers, but in internet terms they’re right next door. In fact, they’re standing next to you. Go on, shake hands.

The world is getting smaller

And there are more of them every day. Ever more people are being connected, with better internet access coming to remote areas as well as cities. Whether by cable, mobile phone, high-altitude drone or balloon, the internet is reaching places it could never reach before.
Now look at your business. Where is your energy focused? Where do you direct all your attention? Are you looking at this vast global marketplace, or are you concentrating on your local customers?
Many of today’s entrepreneurs grew up in an era when the internet was slow and unreliable. Some of us grew up in a time when there was no internet at all! As a friend of mine is still fond of saying, “I remember the internet when it was just fields.”
But things have changed, and they continue to change – very quickly. Unfortunately our minds don’t always change fast enough to keep up. Some of us are stuck in a slower, more parochial past. We need to wake up, and fast.

Global marketplace means global competition

As I sit at my desk here in New Zealand, I’m about 12,000 miles away from some of my clients. But in real terms I’m one-third of a second away. That’s how long it would take email, instant messaging or video-conferencing to go from here to there. It’s a meaninglessly small duration. I truly work in a global marketplace.
That’s all very well, but there’s a sting in the tail. If I have global customers, I also have global competitors. And probably so do you. As Intel’s Andy Grove once put it, “If the world operates as one big market, every employee will compete with every person anywhere in the world who is capable of doing the same job. There are lots of them and many of them are hungry.”
It’s happening now. Long established business models are being overturned overnight. Don’t believe me? Ask a taxi driver about Uber, or a book publisher about Amazon. The age of your business is no defence. If you can’t adapt, you will be swept away by the tide.
What does this mean for you? It means that you don’t really have a choice. The global marketplace isn’t just a nice option – it’s a fact of life. There are people all over the world chasing business. Your business.
The only exceptions are those companies that can’t export their products or services. For example, you can’t easily cut someone’s hair from another country, or sell them freshly baked bread. Having said that, I wouldn’t bet against either of those things happening in the future.
For now, hairdressers, bakers and similar businesses don’t have to worry too much. The rest of us, though, had better stay on our toes. The fields were concreted over years ago.
If you still think your business can succeed by focusing solely on your local market, you could be in for a nasty shock. And wherever in the world that shock originates, it could arrive on your doorstep in less than one-third of a second.

Why you need online accounting

Peace of mind

I don’t want to scare you, but all it takes is one office disaster and your files are compromised. A dodgy employee, fire, flood or break-in and you’ve got a problem. Hard copies of old accounts are often irreplaceable, and a lot of the time businesses don’t fully recover from disasters for this reason.
Using online accounting gives your business access to the latest software and data security that’s safer than the lock on your front door. Simple as that.

Incredible convenience

Having the books in the cloud means our accountant can log in to her work without coming into the office. We can keep a finger on the pulse with staff raising invoices and expenses as they need to. It also lets everyone run project numbers when they’re on the road.
Being able to check accounts and invoices from anywhere is invaluable for businesses that aren’t office based like tradies and others on the road all the time. It’s like having an office in the palm of your hand.
In my small business, Xero automatically imports information from our bank accounts. This means there’s no need to manually reconcile accounts aor for hard copy statements. The latest transactions are categorised, bills are scheduled, and time sheets, inventory and customer relationship management are easily tracked. It’s made a world of difference to our systems.
And it works the other way too. We can easily pay bills online and store any receipts in the cloud.
I used to get an outstanding debtors list printed for me at the end of each week, but now I can log in and check up on client accounts whenever I want.

Time and cost savings

Online accounting obviously means saving on paper, printing expenses and storage costs. There’s also the time saving of not having to sift through reams of paper.
Unlike the old days of expensive software packages, there’s no big capital outlay required for this convenience.
This more streamlined, accessible system means the dreaded two-hour sit down on a Sunday night to tackle the accounts no longer exists. This is a huge change from the world of accounting when I started in business.
Creating new quotes, copying previous quotes, and turning them into invoices has all been streamlined. This means the process is fast and crystal clear from the beginning, something all businesses will be happy to hear.

Work-life balance

Despite the belief that being able to work from anywhere means it’s harder to switch off, I find it allows me to be more productive in those previously unworkable pockets of time. Even five or ten minutes sitting in a taxi or waiting for a meeting can be used productively.

8 Things You Must Do If Considering a Move to a New Firm

Here are 8 tips that can make this process more productive and less stressful.

1. Talk to your current firm. This is #1 and #1A to me. If you're good, your firm is going to want to keep you. Your role will not be in jeopardy if you raise the question of what your future there holds. Talk to your firm's leadership and get your concerns out on the table. Maybe your issues are resolvable. The bottom line is, don't invest all your time and energy in a job search only to find out that your current firm will do a lot to keep you. I would even go so far as to suggest you say that you aren't 100% sure your future is there without these changes. It is all too common these days for firms to offer a lot more money and/or promises to make things better if you go in to resign. Because of that event, what happens afterward is really not a true indication of their intent. 95+% of the time, things really don't change.

2. Discuss it with your spouse. It is most important that you both agree with the idea of you making a change. If your spouse doesn't buy into the idea fully, then you really shouldn't be doing it. What I hear frequently when I meet partners considering a change is "my spouse is behind me in whatever I decide regarding my career. "  My point is that a major decision like this warrants a serious discussion. 

3. Read your partnership agreement. You need to know what your contractual rights and obligations are. Interestingly, I find that partners often don't have a copy of their contract, can't find their copy, or have to get a copy from their firm, which, as you can imagine, is pretty awkward. At any rate, get your hands on your partnership agreement and read the restrictive covenants very carefully. Some are stricter than others, but that's a topic for a different conversation. And.... see #5 below. 

4. Get a sense of market conditions. Talk to industry colleagues that you can trust to be discreet and get their input. Read relevant articles from trade publications such as Accounting Today, Inside Public Accounting, and The CPA Journal. Talk to recruiters and other experts in the field who know the CPA world very well and who work primarily with partners.  

5. Talk to an attorney. Ideally this should be an attorney who specializes in partnership agreements. Meet them in-person, show them your partnership agreement, and have them clearly explain what you can and cannot do. If you don't know such attorneys, I would be happy to recommend a few.

6. Update your resume. You may have a firm bio with a photo and some brief background information and that's enough to start. At some point though, you will need a traditional, chronological resume with your job history, education, license information, professional and community organizations, etc. This is something I help partners with quite often and will gladly provide assistance.  

7. Assemble a client list or create a marketing plan. Nothing fancy, just a simple excel spreadsheet that includes client A,B,C etc, industry or individual, length of time they've been a client, services, recurring fee revenue, and the probability from 0% to 100% of their coming with you. If you don't have a potential book of business, I recommend creating a marketing plan. (It's a rare partner opportunity where business development isn't a prime topic) The marketing plan will be a short document outlining how you will attract new business by tapping into your relationships with bankers, attorneys, wealth advisors, insurance agents, etc., whom you've met over the years as well as how you will be involved with industry, trade associations, and other specialized groups for business development purposes. 

8. Engage a professional recruiter.This is a strong suggestion for the reasons that follow. Professional representation has value in terms of discretion, confidentiality, and awareness of below-the-radar screen opportunities such as boutique firms or confidential situations. And, you definitely want to work with a recruiter who knows the public accounting market, has relationships with the managing partners, and works regularly with partners. 

Future of Online Accounting

The increase in the number of online accountants seems to have has coincided with the elevation of online software. As such, small business accounting is as efficient as it has ever been.

There are several reasons for the rise of online accounting services. In a world where ease of use is a necessity not a luxury, it seems the simple nature of online accounting platforms employed by accountants has genuine appeal.

For instance, online accounting firms make the hassle of paperwork a distant memory by providing a simple online uploading system. You can lodge all of your documents by scanning them in or using your smartphone. You can then leave the rest to your online accountant.
  
Online accounting provides time poor businesses with a contemporary and affordable financial management system. It takes the time constraints of paperwork (sometimes poor paperwork that has to be done again) away from less experienced employees or bookkeepers who should be focusing on running their departments and dealing with staff, customers or stakeholders. It allows business owners to wipe their brow and focus on growth.

A further benefit of the online accounting model is the fixed fee structure. With online accounting you know the services you will receive for the price you have paid. There are different fee structures for the level of service you require, but again we live in a world where ease of use and transparency is a major caveat as to whether goods and services are purchased or not.

The future lies in a world where there are no appointments, flat fee structures, and any time, anywhere services.

It doesn’t matter whether the service or product is tea, tapware, telecommunications or accounting, there is an inbuilt need for online services. And with today’s technologies, there is no excuse for poor online experiences.

There is no expectation that traditional accounting will disappear, but as time-poor people look for ways to reduce stress and alleviate any business burden that can be outsourced, there will be an even bigger shift towards the delivery of online accounting.

Tips For Effective Tax Record Keeping

Keeping tax records should be a simple process: hold onto records that identify your sources of income, know your expenses, determine property value and then prepare your tax returns.
Few of us, however, are that diligent. We throw away vital documents due to space constraints; we fail to see the relevance in certain invoices, or we store them in a shoebox making it impossible for rediscovery.
Keeping records and forgetting about them isn’t such a bad thing if the auditor does come knocking at your door. At least you can turn your place upside down and then spend the required hours sifting through the relevant (and irrelevant) piles of crumpled paper. It’s better than having no records at all.
Here are the top five ways to keep your records in order.

 
1. Keep records in an organized system
The advantage of keeping your records in order is that your last five years of invoices are easily maintained and accessible. It is important to note that you need five years of records just in case the taxman does come knocking. Good record keeping makes it easier for you to meet your tax obligations, gives you a better understanding of how your business is running and it helps you make the right financial decisions.
Record keeping is also a legal requirement, with poorly kept records resulting in fines. The ATO suggests that individual and businesses allow time each week to ensure their records up-to-date.



2. Keep it digital

Electronic records (using accounting software approved by the ATO) will save you time, hassle and money. While it takes time to install the software, the advantages are numerous and include automatic calculations of earnings and profits. You can also claim the cost of record keeping software as a business tax deduction. It’s a win-win.



3. Seek professional help

If you are not an administrative type (and let’s face it, not many of us are) it may be worth seeking out someone who is. Hire someone internally who can manage the books, keep the invoices in check and your paperwork in order. Make sure this administration guru is someone you trust.



4. Ask the ATO for help

The ATO makes it as easy as possible for you to comply with your tax obligations and can arrange a confidential assistance visit. Visits are conducted by tax officers at your place of business where a tax officer will work through any issues you may have. If you are unsure of what records you need to keep it could be worth spending half a day seeking expert advice. You can also use the ATO’s record keeping evaluation tool. This is a free, interactive software program that will help you understand what your record keeping obligations are. It provides a list of records tailored specifically for your business and reports on how well the business is keeping records, including recommended improvements.



5. Separate business and private expenditure

Sometimes it is difficult to remember what you purchased and why. It is important to keep your business and personal records separate so there is no confusion.
Record keeping should be simple, but most of us see it as more of a chore and a burden than something conducted out of necessity that could save you time and money. Change your mindset and then change your habits and you will find that it is easier to stay on top of your paperwork.

Are your employees eligible for super payments?

Superannuation can be quite complicated. In essence employers must pay 9.5% of each eligible worker’s ordinary time earnings each quarter. According to the Australian Tax Office, ordinary time earnings (OTE) is usually the amount your employee earns for their ordinary hours of work. It includes things like commissions, shift loadings and allowances, but doesn’t include overtime payments.

For contractors, the labour component of their contract is the basis for their OTE and it is when contractors are thrown in the mix that things become complicated.

The ATO states that if you pay your contractors under a contract that is wholly or principally for labour, you are required to pay super contributions for them, even if the contractor quotes an Australian Business Number (ABN). These contractors are your employees and you must treat them as such, regardless of the service they are providing.

When do I pay Superannuation?
If an employee earns $450 or more (before tax) in a calendar month, you have to pay a super guarantee on top of their wages.
If your employee is under 18 or is a private or domestic worker they must work a minimum of 30 hours to qualify for superannuation payments.

You are required to pay super regardless of whether the employee:

• is full-time, part-time or casual
• receives a super pension or annuity while still working – including those who qualify for the transition-to-retirement measure
• is a temporary resident – when they leave Australia, they are entitled to the payments you made through a ‘departing Australia superannuation payment’ claim
• is a company director
• is a family member working in your business – provided they are eligible for a super guarantee (SG)

When not to pay Superannuation
Those who are not eligible for a SG include:

• non-resident employees you pay for work they do outside Australia
• some foreign executives who hold certain visas or entry permits
• employees paid under the Community Development Employment Program
• members of the army, naval or air force reserves for work carried out in that role
• employees temporarily working in Australia who are covered by a bilateral super agreement.

You must keep a copy of the employee’s certificate of coverage to verify the exemption.

What Do Employees Want Most: Better Health Benefits or More Vacation Time?

Besides more money, what other perks do employees really want? To answer that age-old question, Accountemps recently surveyed 320 employees and 2,100 CFOs across 20 of the largest US cities. The results were unexpected.
Almost half of the CFOs (41 percent) who responded to the survey said their employees wanted better benefits. Only 19 percent thought their employees wanted more vacation time.
But, surprisingly, 30 percent of employees surveyed said they preferred having more time off.
“Employers might assume that with the passage of the Affordable Care Act and healthcare benefits being front and center that [better benefits] is the most in-demand perk,” said Bill Driscoll, district president for Accountemps, a division of Robert Half that specializes in providing temporary staffing services for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals. “However, managers shouldn’t assume they know what their employees want.”
Driscoll advises managers to ask their team members about which workplace perks are most meaningful to them.
“If you’re not offering those incentives that rank highest on their wish list, your efforts to motivate or retain workers could fall flat,” Driscoll said.
With the economy and job market improving, certainly for accounting and finance professionals, Driscoll said more companies are offering additional vacation days and paid time off.
“Many companies evaluate their compensation, benefits, and perks to remain competitive, as the economy improves and the war for talent heats up,” he noted. “Offering additional vacation time shows employees that you’re committed to helping them achieve greater work-life balance.”
As a manager himself, Driscoll said he tries to set a good example for his employees. He’s already planning a vacation this year to Italy with his family, and he is encouraging his employees to make sure they are using their vacation time to recharge their batteries.
“Vacation days allow employees to take much-needed breaks from work to relax, recharge, and come back with renewed energy and enthusiasm for their job,” Driscoll said. “Both employees and companies benefit when workers are happy and well-rested.”

The IRS Doesn’t Take Pity on Home Sellers Who Suffered a Loss

The Internal Revenue Code looks kindheartedly on homeowners who sell at a profit. Internal Revenue Code Section 121 allows sellers to avoid taxes on some – and perhaps all – of their gains on sales of principal residences. The exclusion amounts are as much as $500,000 for married couples who file joint returns and $250,000 for those who file singly or who are married but file separately.
Revised rules allow surviving spouses more time to sell and still qualify for the $500,000 joint-filer exclusion. This break is available to a surviving spouse who sells within two years of the death of his or her spouse, provided the couple jointly owned and occupied their home.
Profits above the exclusion caps are subject to federal taxes, plus applicable state and local taxes. State and local taxes can be claimed as itemized deductions on Schedule A of Form 1040. But the alternative minimum tax completely disallows certain itemized deductibles, including state and local levies, whether on income or on year-round residences, second homes, or other kinds of real or personal property.
Sellers are able to claim exclusions only if they satisfy two key requirements. First, they’ve owned and lived in the property as a principal residence for periods that aggregate at least two years out of the five-year period that ends on the sale date. Second, they haven’t excluded gain on another sale of a principal residence within the two years that precede the sale date.
But Section 121 is one of those trains designed to run in only one direction, authorizing a phenomenal break for those with profits and offering no relief for those with losses.
Back in 1997, Congress and President Clinton cut a deal to exclude profits on sales. They flirted with allowing sellers a limited deduction for losses, but dropped the idea. The final version of the 1997 legislation left unchanged the rule that generally bars deductions for losses on sales of things that are considered personal assets, such as principal residences. And contrary to what many owners mistakenly believe, mortgage debts don’t enter into the calculation of gain or loss on a sale.
Note also that the law empowers the IRS to use its own special method to calculate whether a seller actually suffered a loss. It’s nowhere as simple as, say, comparing the $650,000 you received when you sold your home with the $700,000 you paid for it in 1996, thereby arriving at a loss of $50,000. You’ll need a calculator whenever there’s also a tax-deferred gain from a previous home sale before May 7, 1997, when the current rules took effect. Should that be so, you must subtract the deferred gain from your present home's cost to determine its adjusted basis at the time of sale.
Let's say the place that costs $700,000 was actually your fifth home, and four prior sales generated a cumulative profit of $600,000. The meaning of those numbers: You reduce that place’s basis downward to $100,000 – the difference between the $700,000 cost and the $600,000 postponed profit. Consequently, under the IRS method, the $650,000 sale doesn’t cause a loss of $50,000. Rather, it results in a gain of $550,000 – the $650,000 sales price minus the $100,000 adjusted basis. Suppose, instead, that the only dwelling you’ve owned is the one purchased for $700,000 and unloaded for $650,000. The IRS agrees you do have a $50,000 loss, but one that’s nondeductible.
The IRS and the courts are adamant in their refusal to make any allowances for extenuating circumstances. For instance, an IRS ruling barred a deduction for a loss caused by a doctor-recommended move from a two-story to a one-story home to allow a child the maximum use of his wheelchair.
It matters not that a homeowner is out of pocket because a job relocation triggered by a layoff, illness, death, divorce, or the like compelled a sudden sale before a home appreciated sufficiently to offset brokerage commissions, legal fees, and other expenses involved in buying and selling. Likewise, a loss isn’t deductible when you move to take a new job or are transferred to a new location.
What if your employer reimburses you for the loss? No offset of an otherwise nondeductible loss against the reimbursement because they’re separate transactions. The loss stays nondeductible. Nor is it permissible to include the reimbursement as part of the selling price and avail yourself of the exclusion. The reimbursement counts as income, says the IRS.

5 Tips to Help Your Website Attract More Clients

Marketing your accounting practice online is essential for client communication and sustained growth, yet many firms are still not using the most basic tool to its full potential: their website.
People expect you to have a useful website, and how well it performs depends on many variables. In addition to attracting more business, your website can serve to retain existing clients, as well as a resource for financial, tax, and business information and overall thought leadership.
Think of your website as a constant window that allows your clients and prospects to explore your business any time. This is your business card, your handshake, your first meeting.
How can you use your site to attract new clients? To answer this question, you must first know how many new prospects turned into clients from initially first visiting your site. Measuring this traffic can be done in a few ways:

• Create a contact page on your website that allows visitors to submit a request for information.
• Add a newsletter sign-up form on your website allowing visitors to register for your newsletter using their email address and contact information.
• Ask new contacts where they first learned about your business. Keeping track of where your new business comes from will help you focus your resources on the most productive prospect stream. Some may say they found you via your website while others come from word-of-mouth, advertising, driving by your business, etc.

Ok, now ask yourself: Are your prospects able to find you online? What search terms would they use to find a new accountant? These search terms will help you improve your website. Try out the logical search terms. Does your firm show up on page one of the results? Page 2? Page 3? etc.
There are also proactive measures you can take to make your website more visible. The search terms (keywords) should be prevalent in your website. These keywords should be used in your page titles and in the text on each page.
For example, if it is common for people to search for your business using “CPA in Hometown USA,” your website home page should include “CPA in Hometown USA.” Make sure your keyword section contains all the logical search terms.
Is there room for improvement to your website? Consider these five essential tips for creating a website that will produce new engagements for your services:

1. Ease of navigation. Your site should be easy to navigate with captivating content. If visitors struggle to navigate your site, they will leave.
2. Quality content. Content on your site should be timely and relevant. Clients and prospects are interested in how you can help serve their tax, accounting, and business needs.
3. Optimize your website for search engines. Your website should be reviewed for search engine optimization (SEO) annually. SEO changes constantly. Let your annual review include a search for the newest SEO techniques.
4. Promote, promote, promote. Talk to your clients and prospects about visiting your website for information. Get their feedback. Add your web address to your business cards, brochures, mailers, etc. (You’d be surprised how many firms don’t do this.) Use social media, print marketing, and email to direct people to your website. Add your website to local business listings and directories.
5. Update your site regularly. Your website will always be in a state of evolution. Schedule regular updates and add meaningful content. Refresh text to make sure it is current. Post articles that would be of interest to your clients and prospects – articles that may move them to call you with questions – such as news about a 529 college savings plan, tax shelters, retirement planning, etc.

Look, your website is a living brochure that must be consistently fed fresh relevant content and regularly monitored for its performance. It serves as the virtual gateway to your business – it makes a first, last, and lasting impression. If you wish to improve your website’s performance, it is up to you to consider these tips and make your site more attractive for prospects, clients, and search engines.

What Young Accountants Know That You Don’t

I recently spoke with graduates from some of the top accounting programs in the country to find out all the latest accounting best practices that your new, digitally savvy competitors have been learning to help level the playing field.
While there was much to glean from their perspective, there were five key things that recent accounting graduates know about growing a successful practice that you don’t ... but should!
The Client Search Begins Online
When it comes to attracting potential new clients, the strategic focus has largely shifted to Google search results. Consumers today first turn to Google to begin most B2B and B2C transactions. The look and content of your practice’s website matters, too – potential new clients are actively comparing your practice to others (welcome to the world of multi-tab browsing). The top accounting programs now preach the importance of a sleek-looking website, listings on popular review sites like Angie’s List, and directory listings with the accounting packages you work with (for example: QuickBooks' find an accountant search) to aid your Google search ranking.
When it comes to being found, you need to make sure you’re up to date on Local Search tactics – they are different than general SEO best practices. The easiest way to get started is to create a Google Plus page for your accounting practice. These listings come up on Google searches first, before webpage listings.
Emphasize Helpfulness
Today’s customers expect service, even before they actually begin a business relationship. Your website should have free, helpful resources and some informative guides or white papers. A recent KoMarketing study of customers searching for new business services found that nearly 40 percent claimed such resources, and info-rich guides were a “must-have” for them to consider selecting a business.
Clients Perceive Expertise Through Social Media
Today’s clients increasingly associate social media presence with expertise for businesses. You don’t need to post every day, but every few days share some industry news or a business accomplishment. Social media accounts have taken on the role of word-of-mouth referrals (several people your client knows already “like” your Facebook page). Social media also has created a new, powerful consumer mindset of “social proof." This relates to associating competence with a high number of social followers. For example, if you have 200 Twitter followers or Facebook “likes," the customer will perceive that your practice is better than another practice that only has 50 Twitter followers or Facebook “likes."
Decisions Are Made by Younger Members of the Business
According to a March 2015 study by Google, more than 50 percent of all B2B researchers are millennials. When considering your potential client profile, keep in mind that these days, it’s likely that a young millennial is presenting his boss with his top three recommendations. You need to appeal to those millennials by having a modern-looking website and demonstrated expertise (social media, testimonials, and extracurricular accreditations).
Pitch Your Skillset Beyond Taxes
The top accounting schools and programs all push the message of diversifying your practice, both to expand business opportunities and to bolster your core practice (perceived expertise and superiority). Without taking any extra classes, most accountants are already equipped to add several new offerings to their practice’s repertoire: competitive business analysis, business budgeting and forecasting, investor due diligence, exit and succession planning, and a great deal more. Go for it!
Small businesses still find in-person events like conferences to be the best way to investigate new business opportunities. Even the most advanced, innovative accounting programs agree that when it comes to attracting small business clients, in-person events such as industry conferences remain paramount. Try to attend at least one conference a year to actually meet potential new clients, and to showcase your practice.

Yendo Review 2015

Pros
Yendo provides a simple, clean interface that can manage most common accounting tasks such as creating invoices, running reports, tracking expenses and managing cash flow. It also creates annual and monthly budgets based on your actual spending trends.

Cons
This online accounting software is not designed to manage a lot of inventory or employees. Although Yendo provides developer APIs, it offers few integrations such as payment processing, document management or Google app compatibility.

The Verdict:

 6.95/10

Yendo online accounting manages a wide variety of contact information, and it can manage sales reps – making it suitable for those who manage a consulting or sales team. It also offers bulk emailing so you can keep in contact with customers and prospects.

 

Yendo merges cloud accounting with customer relationship management (CRM) and bulk email tools. While it cannot manage inventory, it can manage a sales team and customer communications. Even the Yendo online accounting introductory package supports up to 500 emails per month and unlimited invoices. It provides traditional bookkeeping tools as well as payment processing, data backup and credit card processing. The more advanced versions offer features such as developer APIs, two-factor authentication and dedicated infrastructure.
This service is best for those who manage sales or services rather than inventory.

And it includes better CRM tools than basic accounting software. It manages basic contact information as well as company logos, bank data, social media names and status. Surprisingly, it cannot save default currency information with the contact file. The contact files also connect with the bulk emailing tool for sending out quick mass emails. The Enterprise+ version can send out 20,000 emails per month.

Yendo is helpful for those that need to manage more than one business. The Standard version supports five companies; the Enterprise versions support an unlimited number of businesses and users. All versions support unlimited invoices. However, it should be noted that “unlimited” is subject to the company's fair-use policy. This is the only cloud accounting service reviewed that ties bulk emailing into its service offerings. If you want to send out newsletters or marketing materials to a long client list, this feature could be useful.

Its basic accounting tools range from invoicing and budgeting to reporting. It also includes more advanced tools such as managing deprecation of fixed assets, recurring invoices and budget forecasting. Yendo can be configured to import your bank data daily, and it creates forecasted budgets based on your spending and forecasted sales based on invoices. Reports are customizable and exportable as XLS or PDF files for sharing. While this accounting service does not offer a long list of integrations, APIs are available for developers to create custom integrations.

FreeAgent Review

Pros
FreeAgent accounts support unlimited users, clients, accounts, invoices and projects. With this simple-to-use online accounting software, you can create and email your first invoice within minutes. You can also use FreeAgent to track time, expenses and mileage.

Cons
This service does not include the ability to track documents or assign tasks. In addition, FreeAgent does not provide mobile phone specific apps.

The Verdict:

 7.43/10

FreeAgent provides all-inclusive accounts. Accounts include unlimited everything and are affordably priced plus they do not require you to agree to a long-term contract. Using this service, you can invoice, track projects, monitor overall performance, sync with popular apps and work with others easily. 

The creators of this accounting solution understand that most freelancers and small business owners are not accountants. They just want to run their businesses, make money, keep their customers happy and enjoy a stress-free tax time. FreeAgent is simple to use, affordable and is not loaded down with formal accounting jargon.

All accounts support an unlimited number of users, and FreeAgent tracks projects, tasks, expenses and mileage. It is compatible with services you may already use, such as PayPal, Google Apps and Basecamp.

With FreeAgent, you can easily create professional invoices online using your choice of theme and logo. When you create an invoice, you can even configure FreeAgent to send out a notice automatically should the invoice go overdue. Invoices can be emailed and saved as PDF files.

This invoicing tool creates recurring invoices. FreeAgent creates estimates, tracks bills, uploads bank data and tracks Schedule C information. It generates seven reports, including profit and loss statements, balances sheets and transactions. This service also logs journal entries. This accounting service does not track inventory, but it will allow you to save and assign codes to items that you invoice often to help save time.

This bookkeeping software tracks an unlimited number of projects and can assign currencies, budgets, PO numbers, billing rates, and start/end dates to those projects. It also has a tool for forecasting the profitability of a project. Along with the project, you can add/save related estimates, invoices, tasks, time, expenses and notes. However, although FreeAgent manages tasks, you cannot assign tasks. In addition, the software does not support the ability to attach files to a project, such as client documents, artwork or designs. To manage documents and such, you can utilize compatible apps such as Google Apps or Basecamp.

FreeAgent supports project collaboration by allowing an unlimited number of users while giving the administrator the rights to set permission levels for each user. Admins can limit users to only having access to log time or full access if desired. You can also provide free access to your accountant. Users can access FreeAgent using a mobile device's web browser. Using your mobile device you can time, expenses and mileage. It can also track invoices, attach receipt images to expense files and manage time slips.

WorkingPoint Review

Pros
It can track all account balances, including PayPal and Etsy accounts. It has a comprehensive dashboard with status graphs, and it provides general accounting reports. WorkingPoint is also accessible via a web-optimized mobile version.

Cons
WorkingPoint does not offer credit card processing, project tracking or multi-currency billing.

The Verdict:

 7.63/10

 

WorkingPoint is most suitable for solo operations, since it doesn’t track time, projects or employees (without an add-on). However, it does provide adequate basic accounting tools and the mobile version is fully functional.

WorkingPoint is a streamlined online accounting software nearly as capable as traditional accounting software. It does most things that clunky accounting software can do, but without the filler. Sure, mainstream accounting software can track which warehouse a specific widget is located in, but most startups and independent contractors do not need that ability – they just want to make invoices and get paid. WorkingPoint can do that. It can monitor accounts, create invoices, manage bills, generate financial reports and produce tax reports. This cloud accounting system has a helpful, attractive dashboard that quickly shows your daily operating costs, expenses, banking summaries, bills due and quick links to common tasks. If you have used traditional accounting software and found it to be overkill, you will appreciate WorkingPoint.

This bookkeeping system easily creates invoices using stored contact and item information. You can customize the invoices with your logo, font choice and personal message. The software can calculate taxes and discounts and manage recurring invoices. Completed invoices can be emailed or saved as PDF files. However, it does not manage currency exchange rates.

When you open an invoice file, you can see whether payments have been made and the history of the invoice, such as who created it. To help monitor shipments, WorkingPoint will store shipping information, tracking numbers and shipping dates. Helpful reports include top customers, item sales and sales forecasting. To assist you and your accountant track accounts, it produces income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements. Tax reports available include sales tax, estimated tax, 1099 and Schedule C reports.

WorkingPoint is best suited for those who have another method to track projects, or those who work alone. This service does not include a project tracker, yet it has expense- and time-tracking tools that many contract and freelance workers need. Although the Thunderstorm version of WorkingPoint supports unlimited users, it does not provide collaboration tools for project or job tracking

WorkingPoint provides a mobile version optimized for iOS and Android mobile phones. Using the mobile version, you can view customer contact information, track billable time, create invoices, record bills, check balances and view items. The mobile version syncs with the online version, and it is free if you have a regular WorkingPoint account.

A few features that make WorkingPoint different from other services we reviewed are that you can add email-marketing tools. This online accounting service also supports online company profiles, which is similar to a business social media tool. Using this tool, you can create a free company profile featuring your products and services with links back to your site. You can communicate with other WorkingPoint customers, see who is viewing your profile and share your company profile with other contacts. This could be helpful for businesses that have little or no web presence.

Less Accounting Review,

Pros
LessAccounting reduces the tediousness of routine accounting tasks and is ideal for those who operate more than one business. This accounting service does not limit the number of invoices you can send out or the number of businesses you can track through one dashboard.

Cons
This cloud-accounting service does not have tools for tracking time, tasks or projects. LessAccounting does not provide mobile apps. You have to use your mobile phone browser to access your account.

The Verdict:

 7.82/10

 

LessEverything has created an online accounting product that eliminates what most people abhor about accounting software, such as data entry, complicated billing and features they never use. LessAccounting is light and can reduce your accounting time to just a few hours per month.

LessAccounting's tag line is, "All small business accounting software sucks, we just suck the least." Most small-business owners and freelancers are not accountants, and they don't want to be. Nevertheless, they are burdened with the necessary chore of keeping their books. LessAccounting is designed to manage all traditional accounting software tasks in a simplified manner to help relieve your frustration and time spent on tedious tasks.

This online service tracks invoices, payments, mileage, proposals and expenses. It also provides all reports that your accountant needs to configure your business's taxes. LessAccounting can save you countless hours spent importing data by directly connecting to your bank accounts.

This service is ideal for those who provide hourly-billed or other services and not inventory. Although it can add items to invoices, it is not equipped to track volumes of inventory. LessAccounting will speed up your invoicing by auto-filling customer information and managing recurring invoices. It will also allow you to switch templates and currency at the invoice entry point rather than in the settings area. However, you have to add items in a second screen, which we found a tad annoying. To help you find and sort invoices later, you can add tags to them.

LessAccounting is an apt choice if you need to track mileage and track expenses by client. Keeping track of business mileage can help immensely at tax time and at 56.5 cents per mile for the 2013 tax year, mileage adds up quickly and should be tracked accurately. You can also track expenses with mobile phones and assign billable expenses to specific clients. However, keep in mind that though it can track more than one business through one account, you have to pay for each business separately. For the most part, LessAccounting is marketed to photographers, designers, developers, marketers and SEO consultants.

 Though eCommerce sites and retailers can use the software, it does not track complex inventory scenarios.
This online accounting solution is optimized to run smoothly with popular browsers on Macs and PCs, as well as via a mobile web browser. LessAccounting no longer provides an app for mobile devices, so to access your account by mobile you will need a capable smartphone with a web browser and data plan. Popular, compatible third-party integrations include ZenCash, Highrise, Basecamp, PayPal, Shopify and LessTimeSheet.