LATEST ARTICLES
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) The Year of Workflow
Workflow has been a hot topic in all kinds of software, including applications used in accounting firms and in the general accounting packages used by companies to run their financial operations. After all, most of these organizations have software applications. Few larger than the very small companies linger in the era of pencil and paper. The trick is getting value out of the investment. Two areas are particularly important in this endeavor. One is business intelligence, or whatever you want to call getting understandable information out of the data. The other is workflow. Workflow is simply about who does what in what order. I would add one qualifier to that, which came from Roger Mongeon, the co-vice president of sales and marketing of Doc.it, and that it is about communicating that information within the organization so that everyone knows the procedures. More>> - (
) Sage Starts FAS Online Community
The company also hosts online communities for its Accpac, ACT, MAS, Peachtree and Simply Accounting software.The Sage FAS Online community is divided into four areas. The Connect section lets users interact with their peers and discuss topics in a forum environment. The Solve section provides a searchable knowledgebase with answers to common questions. The Participate section enables users to provide feedback and suggestions for improving the software. The Learn section offers a library of documents, including user guides, a depreciation guide, and tax information from U.S. and Canadian authorities.
For more information, visit http://community.sagefas.com.
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) VAT changes: HMRC issues guidance for businesses
HMRC believe that most till packages and accounting software will be able to accept the new 15% rate without any difficulty otherwise business will need to contact their software supplier. HMRC say they will be supportive of businesses making the change and won't expect them to put everything in place overnight.
With regards to VAT returns, when the period covered by the return crosses over the December 1 2008 whoever is doing the return simply adds the VAT on sales at the old rate to the VAT onto the new rate. This total goes into Box 1 of the VAT return.
If you've a payment has been received or an invoice sent out before December 1 for goods/services which will be delivered after December 1 then the business can choose to pay VAT at the new rate on the amount already received or invoiced, simply issuing a credit note for the overpayment to the customer. More>> - (
) 10 tips to help NFPs run at peak performance
There are a number of online donation options that integrate with existing accounting software.
Back It Up
There are more options than ever to conveniently back up your organization's vital business data. You simply cannot afford the risk of not consistently performing data backups and storing those backups safely off-site.
Keep It Current
Keep your organization's hardware and software systems current. Keep your knowledge current - make a point to learn and utilize all features of your software to its best advantage. Keep your Web site current. Be sure that your Web site is accurate and up-to-date and that it presents your organization's mission and purpose in a compelling way.
Get Involved
Join or form your own non-profit agency user group or networking group. More>> - (
) Going Virtual? Stay True to Software Licensing Rules
For example, one may choose to isolate a CRM system from an accounting program because they have vastly different system requirements. Furthermore, if one application causes issues with a shared system (a SQL server, for example), the other application won't be negatively impacted. Yet another advantage of virtual servers is that if one malfunctions, it's not necessary to re-install a new one—you can simply bring up another virtual server.Software virtualization, on the other hand, is quite different. It includes such subcategories as application virtualization, desktop virtualization, network virtualization, storage virtualization and more. The common element within these subcategories is the pooling of information at a central source and its distribution to other sources as needed, effectively conserving resources, memory and bandwidth. More>>
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) Pappas and Company
While we are committed to providing you, our valued clients and associates, with the latest tax, accounting and planning information we also have a firm commitment to our environment and hope that you will see this e-newsletter as both effective and environmentally friendly. We look forward to hearing from you and of course, encourage you to share our newsletter with your colleauges, associates and friends who may benefit from professional tax and investment planning information. We appreciate your referrals and welcome new clients. As always, if any of our information leads to questions or ideas for your individual or business needs, do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to working with you as we tackle some of the challenges this year. Sincerely, Gus Pappas End of Year Tax Planning for Individuals and Business Owners With dramatic shifts in the economy in the last two quarters, we at Pappas and Company strongly encourage each of you to take the time for an end of year tax planning session. More>>