ProConnection® Newsletter | Sept. 29, 2006 | Vol. V, No. 9
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Hire Right
Get the Quality Employees You Deserve
Choosing the right employee is about the most important decision you can make.
Whether replacing staff or expanding your operation, finding the right employees is crucial to your success. CPA Sandi Smith offers tips on how to hire right.
Limited resources for hiring? Don’t trip on your shoestring budget. Sandi also addresses how to deal with staffing needs economically.
Better Tools for Better Interaction
New Community Brings Practitioners Together
For the first time ever, Intuit has brought together practitioner forums across its product lines: QuickBooks ProAdvisors, tax practitioners, accounting professionals and advisors.
This new forum gives you the broadest base yet of professionals with whom you can share questions and best practices to serve your clients better. Plus, a real-time library built with contributions from other ProAdvisors and accountants.
Note: If you had already signed up for the end user forum at www.quickbooksgroup.com, you would use the same log-in information. We are hopeful to carry over pre-existing log-ins as well from the earlier discussion forum. Check out the conversations happening now.
Head Start on Tax Season
Real Practitioners Talk Ease, Profitability
We interview two full-service practitioners on how well QuickBooks and Lacerte work together to save time and leverage efficiencies.
Joe Reed works in New Jersey and Brett Cleaver in California, but both of these QuickBooks ProAdvisors and CPAs find that QuickBooks and Lacerte have helped them sail through tax season and find better margins on the horizon.
Read them in their own words here.
Changes in Charitable Donations Hidden in New Tax Law
Rules Hit 2006 Returns in Part
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 was supposed to be about pensions.
But the new law is loaded with provisions affecting clients who donate to charity. The changes apply to individual donors, business donors, and donors of certain kinds of real estate interest.
Goodbye, collection plates. As just one example, the new law cuts deductions for cash donations unless there are receipts.
Your clients need to know these changes. We provide a two-part overview of all the changes, plus client letter.
Install Notes for QuickBooks 2007
New Routines Help
QuickBooks 2007 has well-defined options and installation routines to help novices and experts for single computer or network installations.
Bringing Virtual Private Networks to Small Business
Small businesses need security as much as large ones. As a trusted advisor, you are in a unique position to provide these services, and the more VPN installations you do, the faster you become. VPNs used to be the domain of big business, but now the ease and cost of setting up VPNs means you can bring the same security to your small business clients.
Dr. Bob Spencer shows you how.
Your Best Tips Return in October
Look here next month to see the return of helpful tips from your fellow bookkeepers, accountants, tax preparers, and other practitioners.
In the meanwhile, here is where you can research existing practitioner tips or share your own tips with others.
QuickBooks Accountant Update Tour Hits 65 Cities
Know More. Grow More. Do More.
Seminars in 65 Cities Nationwide Start October 25. From Albany, New York, to Westlake Village, California, Intuit is going on the road to host its popular Accountant Update Tour so you can learn more.
"Know More. Grow More. Do More." The theme of this year's tour is to help you know, grow, and do more with QuickBooks 2007.
Cities Covered. From October 25 to December 8, Intuit is hosting seminars at 65 cities and will be visiting over 30 states.
Find the location nearest you in our list at the end of this newsletter. We hope you will be able to attend one of these seminars.
See complete schedules and sign now up for the tour location closest to you.
QODBC Driver by Flexquarters.com
Utility Shares Data with QuickBooks
Almost all QuickBooks data elements are supported by the QODBC Driver for read and write capability (depending on the license of QODBC purchased).
Find out more about this data utility. Or read the many positive customer reviews.
Recommend QuickBooks Compatible Solutions with More Confidence
Higher Standards for Inclusion
Now recommend QuickBooks Compatible Software with even greater confidence, thanks to a new program for independent software development companies that are members of the Intuit Developer Network (IDN).
New “Gold” and “Silver” membership medallions represent development companies with extensive industry-specific expertise. To list products on the QuickBooks Solutions Marketplace Web site, these IDN members now must meet rigorous evaluation criteria, and you can evaluate the results.
Now when you visit the QuickBooks Solutions Marketplace , you'll find customer satisfaction scores, product reviews written by ProAdvisors, and case studies about the small businesses that already use each specific QuickBooks compatible solution.
QuickBooks Compatible Software works with QuickBooks, thus eliminating most duplicate data entry, so your clients can focus on more important things like growing their business, while you focus on growing your practice.
Visit QuickBooks Solutions Marketplace todayand find the QuickBooks compatible solutions from our new Gold and Silver members that are right for your clients.
Be a Participant. Users of these products can post reviews, so if you have experience, consider posting your review to help others.
Listing of Cities in QuickBooks 2007 Tour by State
To help you check for the nearest location of the QuickBooks 2007 Accountants Update Tour, we've listed each state followed by the cities that will be part of this tour. Once you locate the most convenient city for you, then follow the links for the times the course is available.
Alabama: Birmingham
Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson
California: Anaheim, Concord, Los Angeles*, Ontario, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Diego*, San Francisco, San Jose*, Santa Rosa, Universal City, Westlake Village
Colorado: Denver*
District of Columbia: Washington*
Florida: Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando*, Tampa
Georgia: Atlanta*
Illinois: Chicago Area (several locations, including Rosemont*)
Indiana: Indianapolis*
Kansas: Kansas City
Kentucky: Louisville
Louisiana: New Orleans
Maryland: Baltimore, [Washington, DC*]
Massachusetts: Boston*
Michigan: Detroit, Grand Rapids
Minnesota: Minneapolis*
Missouri: St. Louis
Nebraska: Omaha
Nevada: Las Vegas*
New Jersey: Hasbrouck Heights, Middlesex
New York: Albany, Melville*, New York City, Rochester
North Carolina: Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham
Ohio: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus
Oklahoma: Tulsa
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Tennessee: Memphis Nashville
Texas: Austin, Dallas*, Ft. Worth/Arlington, Houston, San Antonio
Utah: Salt Lake City
Virginia: [Washington, DC*], Richmond, Virginia Beach
Washington: Seattle*
Wisconsin: Madison, Milwaukee
* For Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors, two-day Advanced Certification seminars are also available at this location.
Learn more about the tour and sign up here . Or, return to article.
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STAFF
Brandon Wilson, Publisher
Bill Teague, Managing Editor
Kevin Segedi, Web Production
COMING IN OCTOBER: NEW LOOKS AT PAYROLL
In October we will be sharing new insights into how practitioners are finding better waysw and improved margins in integrating payroll into their practices, along with articles, tips, and best practices on a wide range of topics that matter to you. Note: We apologize for a change in plans on the construction coverage we had planned for this late September issue. Construction coverage will be rescheduled.
DID YOU KNOW?
For enhancements in QuickBooks 2007, Intuit visited with customers on-site to identify these useful day-to-day improvements:
- There are nearly one million businesses that use Intuit Small Business Payroll Services. QuickBooks 2007 makes it easier for them to run payroll for all their employees at once.
- With QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll for Accountants, practitioners can conduct after-the-fact payroll adjustments.
- A new “Dividing Date” function that allows accountants to make changes to their clients’ company files, while the business owner continues to work on their day-to-day business transactions without interruption. When the accountant is done making adjustments, the business owner can review and import the changes directly into QuickBooks.
- Easier customization of forms -- including invoices, letters and purchase orders -- with color schemes and logos while showing users changes as they are made.
NOTICE: DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Intuit does not warrant or quaran-tee the accuracy of any statement or other information and materials provided in this newsletter. All articles and other information and materials in this newsletter (collectively, "Information") are provided for general information purposes only and are not intended to constitute legal, accounting or tax advice or opinions on any specific matters. The opinions expressed in Information are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of Intuit. Laws and regulations change frequently and their application can vary widely based upon the specific facts and circumstances involved. You, and not Intuit, are responsible for the applicability and accuracy of Information as it relates to your practice or to your clients. Your use of Information does not relieve you of responsibility, including those to any third party, for matters involving your practice or your clients (e.g., preparation of tax returns, etc.) and you may not rely upon Intuit for advice regarding same. The provision of Information by Intuit is not intended to create, and your receipt does not constitute, any form of relationship between Intuit or the author(s) and you.
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