How to Find the Right Bookkeeper

Whether you own a small business or a major corporation, you are going to need a bookkeeper to keep your records and your finances straight. While you might think that all you have to do is find someone with experience at bookkeeping, it’s actually a little more complicated than that. Finding the right bookkeeper takes work and know-how when it comes to what to look for.

For starters, you definitely want to hire someone who is a good communicator. You need a bookkeeper who can speak to you in a way you can understand without talking down to you. Likewise, the bookkeeper you hire should be able to understand your needs and to meet them with ease.

You’ll also need a bookkeeper who has all of the necessary skills to do the job. You want to hire one person to take care of all of your financial and record-keeping needs, so it makes sense that you would want to hire someone who can handle a wide range of tasks. At a bare minimum, your bookkeeper should be able to:

l  Reconcile bank statements                            

l  Send and track invoices

l  Take payments

l  Process payroll

l  Manage accounts receivable and accounts payable listings

If you can keep these things in mind as you search for a bookkeeper and commit yourself to being selective and discerning, there’s no reason you can’t hire a great bookkeeper.

Related articles

• Hiring a bookkeeper - Part 1 (paragonsbs.wordpress.com)

Businesses and Quickbooks

If you run a small business, you might think you’ve got your businesses finances perfectly organized and together. After all, when you’re armed with Quickbooks and a good financial advisor, what more could you need?

In truth, however, small businesses often make small mistakes that can affect them big financially. One such mistake, for example, is not fully separating business funds and personal funds. A business credit card should never be used to pay for personal expenses and vice versa. If you’re guilty of that offense, stop it now and talk to an accountant to find ways to fully separate your finances.  

Also, make sure you’re staying on top of invoicing. You need to know how many accounts are unpaid and how much you’re owed, as well as how many accounts are paid and how much you’ve made. Improper record keeping, often a result of putting off record keeping until later, can cause major problems and discrepancies when tax time rolls around.

You really shouldn’t be running a business without a professional accountant. And, if you’re running into these or similar problems, it’s probably because you don’t have the right accountant (or any accountant!) on your side. Remedy that problem, and you should save yourself a world of trouble.

Related articles

• Intuit will accept bitcoin payment for their cloud-based finance software (pfhub.com)

Beyond Quickbooks

Most people think Quickbooks is the only financial technology they need. In reality, though, there are a lot of great programs out there that can be used in conjunction with Quickbooks or on their own.

Peachtree, for example, is a very popular name in the accounting software world. Its features include:

l  Inventory tracking

l  People management

l  Item management

l  Vertical solutions

Another popular option is Freshbooks, which is used online. Users pay a small monthly fee for streamlined processes that make invoicing and sending estimates a whole lot simpler.

No matter what technology you use to help you with your business or personal finances, remember that software can do everything on its own. It needs reliable, educated people- preferably professionals - backing it.

So, instead of just relying on software to do all the hard work for you, also consider hiring a professional to help you get the most out of that software. There are many great accountants who are eager to assist you.

Related articles

• Picking the Right Small Business Accounting Software (smallbizbee.com)