Benefits of Taking an Online Accounting Course

The internet has made almost everything easier and more convenient, like education. Today, getting a degree doesn't require you to physically go to a school because you can get online courses. Those who are thinking of being an accountant or running their own business will benefit a lot from taking an accounting course online. There's no telling how much money and time you'll be able to save if you take an online course instead of applying to a university. Plus, studying online can be very fun and exciting. It'll help you learn all the concept and skills needed to be able to make sound business decisions based on proper financial accounting.

How does one benefit from learning accounting online? Taking online accounting courses can be a lot better than the traditional method of learning because you have more control of your time. Flexibility is extremely important for people who want to learn. The reason some people don't find the traditional method of learning is they don't want to be confined to a certain schedule. There's no fun in having to drive to school and stay at a classroom for a certain period of time. An online accounting course will allow you more time to do stuff you like without having to compromise your time for learning. In addition, you don't need to spend money on gas, food, and clothes every day. You can take your lessons in your pajamas if you want to. Another benefit of taking online courses is you have more chances of learning things better. When you only have a virtual instructor, much of the work is left to you. You will be forced to do additional readings or find other resources so you'll be able to understand things better. It may seem like additional work but at the end of the day, you'll learn accounting better.

You also don't have to feel pressured by professors when called on the spot to explain something to the rest of the class. Taking an accounting course online will give you more time to digest and grasp lessons better. Who would want to be embarrassed in front of other students when you can't answer a question? Surely no one. This is why more people prefer learning accounting online. You don't have to be intimidated by the amount of work you face by studying all by yourself because helpful resources like accounting courses online can help a lot. Don't undermine the benefits of finishing an accounting course online. You're bound to get a lot from it.

If you want more detailed understanding of accounting, find plenty of resources at online accounting course which you can explore directly from your home. Why wait? Start learning accounting now. You can also watch videos covering different financial accounting topics.

http://EzineArticles.com/6506908

Benefits To Be Gained Through a QuickBooks Consultant

A QuickBooks consultant can offer quite a few benefits to your business, which is why hiring a professional is so critical. QuickBooks is software that has been designed to help your business in many ways which include organizing, billing, reporting and monitoring functions. However, understanding these functions and using them to their fullest potential isn't really easy from the scratch, which is where hiring a professional consultant could prove valuable. You could have a full fledged employee who handles your QuickBooks. You can also hire a consultant for a limited time period for knowledge transfer, if you are sure that your business needs don't demand extended expertise.

Payroll is an important component of running a business. The QuickBooks consultant can help you manage payroll functions weekly, monthly or fortnightly and also take care of taxes and other employee benefits. QuickBooks E-Pay can help you avoid tax penalties and tax filing worries. The consultant can also help you with the general ledger accounts, vendor bills and invoices and streamline payments and receipts making things as transparent as they should be for the long term benefit of your business.

A QuickBooks consultant can use the advanced features of the software to help your business through profit and loss analysis. Understanding which departments are costing you money and which ones are reaping profits is important for every business. There could be inefficiencies which the software can highlight for you to set things correct straightaway. A professional and well versed consultant can help you track income flows and chart the losses to identify what changes are required in the way you conduct business if any.

If your business is still in the evolution stage, a QuickBooks consultant can help in setting the basic infrastructure for processes. Similarly, reviewing customer accounts of a business and identifying what have gone past due dates is equally important. The consultant can help you use QuickBooks to track sales and expenses related to domestic as well as international businesses. The time of a consultant can be used judiciously to engage and train employees through available QuickBooks tutorials. A consultant can answer questions related to company expenses, employee payrolls or quarterly statistics easily thus charting the direction in which the business is going. Checks and receipts, invoices and sales are all important and can be overviewed through reports created by the consultant after understanding the basic setup of the business and its needs.

For more information about Quickbooks consultant, please visit: http://www.beatonaccounting.com/

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Misdirected Efforts? 46% of Small Local Accountants Spend Only 8 and 20 Hours Per Week Marketing

Recent surveys show that small practitioners are confused when it comes to the most effective ways of promoting their services. Studies asked respondents how many hours each week they devoted to pure marketing, and nearly half indicated that they spent between 8 and 20 hours per week. 53% said they devoted less than 8 hours per week "purely to marketing".

The results were confusing, to say the least, until focus groups with respondents shed some light on common thinking in two key areas. First, practitioners interpreted the term "marketing" as applying only to the acquisition of new clients. Second, the answers from small firms were based on "seat of the pants" estimates as they had not developed the necessary rubrics required to assess their marketing efforts.

As the previous survey demonstrated, there is a divide between large firms and small practitioners when it comes to the definition of "marketing." Small firms are more likely to respond that marketing applies only to obtaining new clients and often report that the majority of their efforts are focused there. Large firms, on the other hand, devote 80% of their resources to marketing services to existing clients. One local practitioner quipped that he did not consider marketing to existing clients to be real marketing because it was "easy." Marketing is nothing more than presenting a service. Offering services to existing clients is the most efficient and reliable means for any firm to increase wallet share.

The second focus group revelation is even more important because it goes to the heart of cross-selling and marketing to existing clients. It is the idea that marketing is a "seat of the pants" activity that cannot be planned or measured. This is the exact opposite of how marketing should be approached. A marketing campaign has to be all encompassing, which means that it has to be well planned with measurable goals and intermediate milestones.

One of the keys to a successful marketing plan is to ensure that all members of a firm are aware of what services the firm offers and what current clients need. Almost all small practitioners in the focus group reported that practice development was exclusively performed by firm principles. Not one reported having a comprehensive program that involved staff and other personnel.

If promotion is performed only by principles, a large percentage of the firm is cut out of the process, which means missed opportunities. In large firms, it is industry standard to have all-inclusive training programs that educate junior and clerical members of the firm to market services and look for client needs that have yet to be addressed. Importantly, these training programs emphasize the needs of existing clients and the duty of all members of a firm to seek out and address those needs.

Experts in the marketing of accounting and other professional services point out that gaining wallet share need not be about working harder so much as about working smarter. Marketing to existing clients is smart and engaging the entire firm in those efforts is smarter still. It may help to look at all marketing as "new," whether marketing a new service to an existing client or soliciting new business from potential clients. It is important to keep in mind that marketing to existing clients is "easy" because a relationship has been establish, trust has been built, and the practitioner understands the client's needs better than almost anyone, sometimes even better than that client. Marketing efforts should be focused, coordinated, and have measureable goals. An excellent first step is to educate the entire firm to assess and respond to the needs of existing clients.

You can continue to learn about Practice Marketing For Busy Accountants by visiting Secrets of Marketing Accounting Services

Kirk Ward is a retired tax expert, accountant and auditor. He provides the same resources he used in building his practices to startup accountants through his Secrets of Marketing Accounting Services website and rants about the commercial finance industry on "Kirk's Blog" (Wonder where he got the idea for the name of that blog?) where he describes his career as an auditor with "Bucket Of Blood" finance companies and banks.

He also offers accountants specialty items such as the "Bean Counter's Cookbook" (http://beancounterscookbook.com/) for tax season marketing and promotion.

http://EzineArticles.com/6500718

Living on A Budget - The Easy Way To Save Money And Be Happy

People of all ages should learn how to manage their money. From a young age, people should be taught how to move forward with financial matters. Without this training, money can turn into sand in the hands of a person and they will lose out big. If you or someone you know is looking at living on a budget, make sure to look at the upsides to it all. You don't need to live like everyone else, and if you can manage to steer clear of being in debt, you'll enjoy your life with a great amount of vigor. Consider the following great things about money management.

People assume that living on a budget means that you can't have fun. That's not true. Within a written budget there is wiggle room to put money away for entertainment and dining. It's very important to include these things, even if it's a marginal amount of money. Without these pieces into place, it can be a hard life to live, full of the doldrums of having to not spend money. Don't go overboard, explore options that are not expensive, or are free, and indulge.

For those that are thinking that living on a budget can only be stressful. It's vastly important to consider a few entertainment and reading options. Consider this wild idea, visit your local library and look at the media available. Every major metropolitan city has at least one main library, and inside the four walls they have books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, music, and movies all for free. In fact, tax payer money goes to fund these projects, so if you're a tax payer, get yourself a card and rent as many books, movies, and musical discs as you possibly can. Exhaust their resources and you will see that you won't miss spending money on a variety of different things.

Living on a budget is not difficult, at least not in the long term. You can spend some money; just make sure that you are always putting a few dollars away for a rainy day. You might not realize that there are others like you that are starting to save too. Never feel like you're alone in this process, because it's not a new thing that no one is doing. With the economical downturn of recent years, more and more people are doing the same thing, and having the same struggles as you. It takes the first step to move forward, take that and watch the finances grow.

Sandy Phillis is the author of Budget ideas http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ Here I have discussed various budget plans for many life occasions, ratings on budget plans and a free video to watch. Take a look at my site http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ to start your budget plan now

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Online Accounting Services Are an Investment for Your Business

As a small business owner, you want to make investments in your business; online accounting services will do that just that. There are all kinds of great software programs out there and virtual accountants that can help you keep your books straight and accurate. These online accounting services will also save you money and help you better the bottom line of your business. Bookkeeping today is something that you need to outsource, so do not try to do it yourself. Look at how online accounting services are actually an investment for your business.

• Use Systems that are Streamlined

With all the options out there, small business owners have choices. With online accounting services, they are getting more and more popular today. You will find that there are easy ways to get information over there and you can have your documents submitted by emails. You will also be able to easily communicate through email and know that you will be able to get it done so easily. Make sure that you are looking at these streamlined systems so that you can get the books done quicker and easier.

• Save Money With Online Accounting Services

People do not realize or comprehend the amount of money that you can save by outsourcing your bookkeeping and accounting services. You are going to be able to pay someone by the hours that they actually bill instead of paying them a salary. These services are going to save you a ton of money and are going to be an excellent way to save you cash by not hiring someone in your office that requires extra pay for when the bookkeeping is slower. You will find that just in the recruiting, training, and advertising for a new employee that you will save a ton of money just outsourcing your bookkeeping.

• Access Accountants that Corporations are Used To

The hard part about hiring accountants in house is that you just do not get the best of the best. Those accountants require a higher salary and generally end up in the hands of a corporation that is much larger. What you will find is that with online accounting services, you will be able to take advantage of a team of accountants, which is more like what a large corporation gets. Get talent and do not pay the extra cash that you would generally have to shell out for.

• Accountability and Liability

If there is an error in your books and you do it yourself, it is your fault. Instead, what you will find is that when you outsource you take the liability out of your hands. You want to have someone else to blame if there is an error and even though a team of professionals does a great job if they make an error, they are to blame for it. Be sure that you are looking into Online Accounting Services and getting what you need to have quality bookkeeping completed for you that is error free.

Online Accounting Services improves financial operations as well as increases the level of efficiency, adaptability and ability to wok with the market conditions while at the same time curtailing risks and costs. There are many reliable online bookkeeping firms that cater to small and medium businesses worldwide.

http://EzineArticles.com/6513525

What Is A Certified Public Accountant?

A Certified Public Accountant or CPA is a special type of accountant. Officially it's the title of someone in the United States, who has passed the Uniform Certified Public Accounting Examination and has met some additional state education and experience requirements to get this certification. This test is grueling and requires upwards of 150 hours of special education.

But what does this mean to you as a small business owner. Do you need a CPA or will a regular accountant or even a bookkeeper be sufficient for your business?

Most people use the term CPA and accountant interchangeably but there is a very big difference. The CPA designation carries a lot of weight within the financial community and certainly within the accounting profession.

Services Provided By Certified Public Accountants

In public accounting, those accounting services provided to a business on a contract basis, a CPA attests to and gives assurances that financial statements are reasonable and accurate and adhere to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). They also attest to the reasonableness of disclosures and that statements are free from "material misstatement".

As an auditor, a CPA's are required by professional standards and Federal and State laws to maintain independence from the entity for which they are conducting an audit and review, often called an attestation.

A CPA can also work as a consultant, advising companies on acceptable business practices and making recommendations on financial management. Typically these consultants do not work as auditors for a company at the same time they are acting as consultants.

As part of the certification, a CPA must complete 40 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) every year to keep up with the new rules and regulations in the financial, accounting, and business world. This is proof of the high level of expectations of the accounting profession for a Certified Public Accountant.

Typically a Certified Public Accountant will belong to a state association with the goal of keeping up to date with the accounting community and taking continuing education classes. Of course tax laws change frequently and any good CPA will spend time staying abreast of changes in financial areas. As a member of a local association they have access to the latest thinking and rules in the accounting area.

Why You Need A CPA

If for no other reason than Tax Planning it's good to have the advice of an accountant. And as far as business management and financial advice access to a good accountant is very desirable.

But does that mean you need a CPA?

In general you can assume that anyone who has taken the time to get certified as a CPA, and maintain that certification, is at the upper levels of the skill set of an accountant. It's a clear credibility booster to be a CPA. If your business can afford the best than a CPA is worth the money.

But does that mean they are better than a typical accountant. Of course not. But it does indicate a level of commitment that is worth considering. Certainly if legal proceedings are required, the assurance of a CPA will hold more weight than a typical accountant. Again much depends on the reputation of the CPA in the community as well. Certainly an audit by a CPA has an implied level of credibility.

And CPA's do much more than audits these days. They provide consulting and overall financial planning not only for small and large businesses but also for estate planning, investments, and strategic planning.

So if you want to run your business at the highest level you certainly want to consider hiring a Certified Public accountant like the ones at Clearwater Accountants.

Rick Hart is a business consultant. He provides tools for accountants in Clearwater and for many businesses in the area.
http://www.accountantclearwater.com/

http://EzineArticles.com/6512487

Finding Online Printable Coupons

Printable coupons are a great addition to a collection. Most sites will allow each one to be printed twice from a computer so if there are multiple computers in a home the opportunity is there to print numerous coupons for the same product. They are readily available online, but where is the best place to find and print them without wasting a lot of time hunting them down?

The popular sites SmartSource and RedPlum will offer the same coupons that you see in the inserts in the Sunday paper. Not all of them will be available for printing but the more popular ones will be. The manufacturer only allows a certain number of printings for each zip code, so couponers will want to check these sites on a regular basis to make sure the coupons that are wanted will be available.

Some users have been known to type in different zip codes if the coupon they want to print is no longer available. This is one way to successfully acquire that particular printable if the print limit has been reached in a certain zip code.

Another place to find printables is on a manufacturer's website. When visiting the site, look for a link that has the words coupon or special offer included. The manufacturer's websites are known for higher value, more desirable coupons. Cereal, frozen vegetables and snacks are some of the more popular manufacturer sites that consistently have coupons available to print.

Some manufacturers never release any online printables and the reasons they give do vary. Pampers, Pepsi and Gatorade are common coupons that people do look for but never find on the manufacturer's websites. These coupons are rare, hard to find and are usually only found in Sunday newspaper inserts a few times per year.

Not all stores will accept printable online coupons because of how easy it is to duplicate the coupons or commit coupon fraud with them. Never copy an online printable coupon because attempting to use a copied coupon is coupon fraud and can get the person who presents it in serious trouble. It is best to check with your particular store to see what their policy is on accepting coupons printed off of the internet.

Some stores that offer double or triple coupons will not double or triple an online printable coupon. Again it is because of the risk of the coupon being fraudulent. They will accept the coupon as a courtesy to their customers but are not willing to take the extra risk if the coupon does in fact turn out to be fake when they submit it to the company for reimbursement.

Finding free online printable coupons is easy. The reward for printing them off is money in the bank. After all, a penny saved really is a penny earned.

You can learn more about ethical couponing, frugal living and how to get items for free or close to it by visiting Helena's blog http://www.thecouponvixen.com/.

http://EzineArticles.com/6493577

Three Reasons Why Budgeting Does Not Work

Over the last few years people have found the need to start managing their money better. They are becoming faced with the reality that, after the economic crisis, they now have to look at where they're spending their money and making choices on how to cut back. For a long time money has proven to be the hardest thing to manage. A budget is a plan that limits and restricts your spending and is meant to be a guide for controlling your spending habits. Most financial gurus rely on budgeting as the starting point for managing your money.

Although many people opt for budgeting as the main method of managing their money, quite frankly, they just don't work. It does not matter if the budget has been made by a professional or by yourself, whether it's for a week or a month, or how big or small it is. Budgets don't work because people know what they should do to, but they often just don't do it. Here are three reasons why.

The first reason that budgeting does not work is that it is designed to be restrictive and depriving. The point is to control your spending so that you can meet your longer term goals. But how motivating is it to always cut back on things you want? It's not very motivating at all. Budgets do not focus on what makes you thrive, they focus on what you need to cut back on. When was the last time you got excited about limiting how much you should spend on eating out, or cutting out the family entertainment? Constantly cutting back can easily build into a feeling of deprivation which will quickly kill any motivation. Imagine instead a plan that allowed you more free time to spend with your family, or more time for the things you love to do. Doesn't this sound more interesting?

The second reason budgets don't work is that they focus on only one side of the equation. In order to be a good money manager, you must manage your cash flow...and that consists of two components; your expenses and your income. To build wealth, you must start by managing your cash flow which means making sure that you have positive cash flow on a regular basis (meaning you have more coming in than going out). When you have excess, you can then decide whether to put that excess in savings or whether to pay off debt. The best and most stable way to continue having more coming in than going out, is to increase your income while keeping your expenses low. You can only cut back so far in your spending, but the amount of income you bring in can be unlimited. If you don't focus on bringing in more money, then you'll never see your cash flow increase and your wealth grow.

The third problem with budgets is that they take way from short term gratification without a suitable replacement. When temptation arises for something outside of the budget, it's very difficult to say 'no'. However, when there's a highly valued long-term goal that you're working toward, it's much easier to say 'no' to that short term temptation. Inevitably, the sense of accomplishment and completion of achieving a long-term goal is much more satisfying than the quick pleasure you get from fulfilling that short-term desire.

So if you want to be a good money manager, then you must start with managing your cash flow. If you focus on keeping a budget, your chances of success will be much lower than if you focus on bringing in more income, especially if that income is coming in because you're working in a field that fulfills your natural skills, talents and passions.

Angie M. Grainger, CPA/PFS, CFP(r), Certified Money Coach
President at RETHINK Money Coaching, Inc. Helping people master their money so they use it to transition into thier NEW desired ideal life.

To learn more go to http://www.49secretsofmoney.com/

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Cut Cost Margins with a Freelance Bookkeeper

When you are a small business owner, you need to look into doing things like looking into a freelance bookkeeper. There are many people that are considering a freelance bookkeeper today and are looking at the benefits of this. What you will find is that having a bookkeeper is not a choice; it is something that you need to have, and there are many factors that should lead you to making this decision.

• Are You Spread too Thin?

For most small business owners, their to-do lists are constantly growing. In general, you do not want to spend the majority of your day doing bookkeeping; you want to spend it getting more business in the doors. Since you are the person that keeps things moving, do not bog yourself down with bookkeeping.

Hiring a freelance bookkeeper can also help you with everyday things that are going to pile up. You will find that a bookkeeper helps you keep your business running and keeps everything in line. It is so important to understand that you cannot put off your bookkeeping and accounting. Doing this can actually cause you to potentially put yourself at risk of breaking laws, getting behind on your taxes, and many other hassles you just do not want to deal with.

• A Freelance Bookkeeper Is What You Need

For the aforementioned reasons, you need a freelance bookkeeper. Not only will a bookkeeper that you hire as a freelancer save you money and save you time, but they will also help keep everything secure and in line. People sometimes overlook the fact that their books need to be kept meticulously and sometimes that is something that a business owner is not able to do effectively. If you don't have the budget to hire someone to come into the office and keep the books, or if it isn't a full time job for your organization, freelancing this position is a great idea.

• Save Money With a Freelance Bookkeeper

When you are looking at a bookkeeper that is a freelancer, you are basically looking at making a contract with an outsourcing service. These services are going to be able to help you with everything from your daily to your yearly bookkeeping services. The nice thing is, when you choose to outsource your bookkeeper, they are going to bill you hours, so you are only paying for the hours that they bill, not those hours they may have sat in the office and twiddled their thumbs.

• Know Everything Is Done Correctly

The great thing with hiring a freelance bookkeeper that is from a reputable company is that you can go on with your day by day activities and know that your bookkeeping is being done correctly. Pay for bookkeeping when you need it and know that you are getting a person that specializes in it instead of a person that can do it all but may not give your books the attention that they need.

The most important thing with a bookkeeper is that it is done accurately and correctly. For this reason, you want to use freelance bookkeepers to ensure that your books are done correctly. There are many reasons why people are using the options for a freelance bookkeeper and you will love getting a bookkeeper that is a lot more affordable and will get the work done accurately.

Many offshore bookkeeping firms offer Freelance Bookkeepers. There are many reputed Freelance Bookkeeping Firms that cater to small and medium businesses and CPA Firms worldwide.

http://EzineArticles.com/6505193

3 Reasons You Should Sit Down to Budget With Your Spouse

They say that money problems are the leading cause of divorce these days. While many couples argue about money, money itself may not be the issue. Everything in your life affects your finances. Some personal finance coaches encourage couples to sit down once a week (later on, maybe more or little less often depending on your own situation) with their spouse and discuss the budget.

What benefits does this offer?

1. Both spouses (and the kids if they are invited) know exactly what the financial situation is for the family and can make decisions accordingly. It is getting close to the end of the month and the dining out budget has already been met, so the family opts to stay in and eat at home this Friday night. Or the kids can see that if they save up for that video game themselves instead of begging Mom and Dad for it, the family will be able to stay on track planning a fun vacation.

2. Arguments can be avoided! If John knows that there is not enough money in the budget to cover a week-long camping trip, maybe he can work out a weekend instead. At the same time, Jane knows that John has been working hard and deserves a vacation, so she can help spot areas where they can cut back and open up a little room in the budget to make that trip happen. Sitting down together to work on the budget reminds you that you are a team. You care about each other's needs and desires, and you work together to figure out how to make them happen. Besides avoiding arguments, you are actually building a stronger, more loving relationship.

3. You will reach financial goals sooner. If you hadn't really considered financial goals before, this weekly meeting is a good place to talk about them. Want to save up for retirement or the kids' college? Want to plan a family vacation? Each week, you can discuss your goals and see the progress you are making towards them. If a large bill comes up (suppose Mikey needs braces), then you can work together to adjust the budget. This is much better than one spouse simply cutting up the other's credit card to cover the new expense, leaving that other spouse feeling undervalued and not respected. I've heard of this happening, and trust me, it's better to talk about it and work together as the team you are!

iMoneyCoach is a financial life coaching company that exists with the goal of helping people reach financial freedom and a life the LOVE! At iMoneyCoach we not only teach the fundamentals of successful money management, but we also look at how life affects and is affected by finances. This is what sets us apart from other financial programs.

All successful athletes have coaches. A personal finance coach can take a look at your situation and see things from a different perspective or things you had not noticed before. We help you get out of debt, teach budgeting that fits your life, and show you how to set meaningful goals. At iMoneyCoach we want you to not only get out of debt but go on to enjoy financial success.

http://EzineArticles.com/6491478

What Should an Internal Audit Tell You?

Thanks to the good people at the IRS (and contrary to popular belief, most of them are good people just trying to do their jobs, not screw over their fellow citizens), there is a very negative connotation associated with the word "audit." Not always realized is that most major businesses perform audits on themselves (and they should if they don't). This is a very important part of any business' accounting departments. Why would they do something that most individual people dread? The answer to that is that, if conducted properly, there is a great deal of important information that can come from an audit.

First, it shows the accuracy of bookkeeping. Bookkeeping is typically viewed as one of the simpler aspects of modern business, especially with the advent of computer systems that automate entries that were once done by hand in multiple ledgers. However, that does not mean that bookkeeping is any less important than it was ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred years ago. It is still critical to get the numbers right. If there is one process where the numbers are going askew, it is important to catch it and fix it as quickly as possible. This is also pivotal in helping businesses make future decisions. The effectiveness of decisions is dependent on the quality of the information available on which to base those choices. Only with accurate data can a business or company hope to consistently make decisions that will prove to profitable. Contrary to popular belief, most accounting errors occur not through unethical intentions, but rather from carelessness or honest mistakes.

Internal audits are also critical in preparing for tax time. While having inaccurate accounting data can lead to bad internal decisions that may or may not lead a company to a rough fate, reporting inaccurate tax returns to the government adds legal quandaries to the mix. When a business is audited by the government, it not only poses an immediate legal threat to that organization, it also does irreparable harm to that organization's reputation. Customers will think a business that cannot do its taxes properly will prove to be unprofessional in other departments as well.

Additionally, audits are used to determine fraud and theft where they do occur. They serve as the primary method of internal controls. Not only are they often necessary to help catch unethical behavior when it does occur, but they also help to serve as a deterrent against such behavior from one's own employees, suppliers, vendors, etc. I cannot even begin to describe the number of embezzlement cases I have heard which involved a situation where one person ran all the books all the time. Without any controls or oversight, these crimes can go on for months or even years before upper management discovers that there is a problem. Even once discovered, unless detailed records are kept, it will be tough to prove that the theft actually did occur.

More than anything else, audits should tell you whether you are doing things right. Now, it is up to your customers to tell you if you are doing the right things.

More accounting Info:
Ernst & Young - accounting
Apex Analytix - Accounting Software

http://EzineArticles.com/6506741

What an Employer Is Looking For When They Do a Background Check on You

Companies now are making something very common that the make in their hiring process and that is: employee's background checks (BGC). You are probably wondering when an employer can do these employee checks and the answer to that question is anytime. They can decide to do these checks; before they employ an individual, just periodic check on their existing employees, and even during promotional checks.

With all the changes in the economy and people looking for work it isn't safe anymore for a company just to go on whim when hiring an individual. There are many factors in why a background check is being used so much more and the demand for using. Some of these factors are; hiring individuals out of instinct on the type of character that they are, a company has a lot of information that their employees have access to and can be stolen, and the biggest benefactor is the attacks after September 11 have made stricter policies when it comes to security and verification of identity.

Clients are requiring background checks on every single employee that will be involved with any project that they are outsourcing to cover. There are two feelings to outsourcing /outsiders looking into their backgrounds. One being that there is nothing in their background that they have to hide and the second one being some individuals aren't comfortable with people in their personal background affairs.

There are many factors that play into verification requirements of the check. Some of these factors range from their social security number to all detail of that employee being considered for employment. The background check consist of; any current to previous address, educational background, any criminal record, if there are any drug addictions, their driving record, their character reference, record of their credit, medical records, if they are on the sex offender lists, etc.. They look into the social network sites like; Orkut, facebook, myspace, and many more just for the individuals profile. There are still codes of the law that background checks have to follow, but they only have to be followed by outsiders. These laws do not have to be upheld when the background check is being done with in the company.

A background check is also known as a consumer report and can't contain any information about; bankruptcy past 10 years, any judgments or civil suites, arrests older than 7 years, tax liens that were paid that are older than 7 years, etc., and there are no limits to finding information about criminal records. Plus a potential employer can ask for any detail in a background check, there is no restrictions when it comes to this.

Recently a survey was conducted and confirmed that over 60% of individuals seeking a job lie on some of their information so that their profile is more impressive. The information lied about most is the educational background, hiding their criminal and their civil background cases, and leaving out or making short of past employment information.

For an employer to avoid false information, it is essential to do a background check of an employee. With the right and appropriate background information on an employee it helps an employer from being faced with future legal acts and for all employees to be have a business relationship in good standing.

Thomas Bladecki is the author, you can find additional information about payroll processing, employee management and the latest news about human resources by visiting The Payroll Company. Get a free quote for outsourcing your payroll by visiting http://www.tpclv.com/.

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