Getting the Most Value From Bookkeepers

I learned a long time ago that if I wanted to derive value and performance from vendors, I had to set clear expectations about was important to our business, and how I wanted them to work with me.

A good bookkeeper alone is no guarantee you will get good service. Like managing staff, you will have to communicate your expectations clearly from the beginning.

A4 plastic concertina folder.

In here you file print outs of signed quotes, vendor quotes, client invoices, supplier invoices, bank statements and government correspondence. The bookkeeper will transfer these into the D-ring folders as they are processed through the accounting software.

10 large D-ring folders.

These will contain the bulk of your records, labeled by year and document type. They remain permanently on the client concessions. Remember that you need to keep your records for five years and they need to be clear enough to help your accountant minimize your tax bill.

Handle each piece of paper once.

If you are going to collect the mail, or open an envelope, either file it away immediately in the concertina folder or throw it out. If you are too busy to file it, do not open it. Handling the document once will keep you focused on providing value to customers.

Do not rely on your memory.

Write down what you need to brief the bookkeeper on using Microsoft Outlook Calendars. Attach an agenda to the calendar invite and update it as frequently as necessary, with the activities you need carried out and the priority. For example, apply for a company credit card, research government grants or find a better way to invest excess cash at bank. Have all your ducks lined up and you will maximize the bookkeeper's productivity.

Keep business and personal separate.

Bookkeepers can chew though your books quicker if you separate business from personal expenses. Mix them with personal and it makes it messy.Store safely in one place passwords to government + client payment systems.

Avoid writing checks.

Let your bookkeepers write your checks. That way you only have to sign them. Apart from the fact you could make an error, there are other reasons like conditioning vendors about the frequency of payment that makes outsourcing checks smart.

If you do have to write a cheque, recorded all the details of the transaction clearly on each stub as you write the cheque.

Imagine the stubs needing to be queried in a year's time - the more information the less time wasted. Double-check the cheque is correct before you issue it. Record the cheque number and date on the invoices you are paying with that cheque and the invoice number on the cheque stub. Make sure you use a red pen - that way these details catch the bookkeeper's eye.

Bank checks immediately.

When you receive payment for one of your invoices, record the date and pay-in amount. Do not chance filing the cheque to be banked later.

First make, annotate and file a photocopy of the cheque for your records. Staple the remittance advise to the cheque. Then bank the cheque within a day or two of receiving it. In the long run the cheque will be easier to track. The amount will appear in the next bank statement, and the date the cheque was written will correspondently close to the date it was banked. Very tidy. If you do lose the cheque, seeking a replacement is painful.

Staff expenses

Staff expenses can be very expensive to account for. A bookkeeper will ask you to supply them in Excel or equivalent to minimize our fee. This places the responsibility on the employee to collate and set out their expenses. If your staff do run-up a lot of expenses each month, consider supplying company credit cards to the most trusted.

Applying for a company credit card can be arduous, but effectively streamlines the reporting process. There are also some mobile applications which claim users can photograph receipts and the software will tabulate the details of the receipt into a spreadheet. These applications are cheap and worth piloting with one or two employees.

Debt Relief & All About It

In this era of plastic money we all tend to swipe our credit cards mindlessly or loan large sums of money to pay off our previous debts or purchase assets, without thinking about the debt that we are getting ourselves into! Most of us have huge debts to pay off to credit card companies or banks or other creditors and the inflation does not do much to help us out of this situation. The result is sleepless nights and loads of worries about the consequences of our credit card debts.

In fact the problem of debt often tends to make many people bankrupt and leads to immense tension and helplessness. Yet, we need not worry anymore because there are a number of debt relief schemes that are being offered by professional debt relief companies. These are reliable and efficient ways to get us the much needed credit card debt relief as well as they lend us of all other kinds of financial debts!

So we now have a guaranteed way to manage our debts without having to borrow money at high interests to pay off one that in turn drags us deeper into more and more debt. There is an easy way to jump out of the vicious circle of debt that worries us all in this era of financial crisis.

You can always rely on these companies to bring you the debt relief that you are looking for. They are trained in negotiating with various kinds of creditors who are giving you sleepless nights. Whether bank and credit card debt or even mortgage debt, these companies can take care of all your debt problems!

Even if the debt is not fully done away with you can expect almost up to 70% of your debt amount being reduced. In a situation where you are neck deep in debt this can come as a real relief to you. All this is thanks to their expertise and experience in interacting with various kinds of creditors and companies.

Moreover, such debt relief companies can also manipulate creditors in a way that will treat you of your high interest rates so that the principal amount of your debt does not keep adding up with complex and high rates of interest. In fact high interest is an important reason that leads to an ever spiraling debit situation.

Debt can often lead you to dire situations and these companies can actually lend a lot of your stress related to high debt rates! By negotiating well with your creditors these companies actually improve your debt situation. Often due to our stress and hectic schedules we are able to manage our finances properly. Such companies also show us how to manage our existing finances in a way that can help us pay off our debts more easily.

However, if your debts have crossed your capacity to pay; then these companies are of great help to you as they can bargain on your behalf with your creditors in an efficient manner so that you get the best deal possible.

The companies will show you how you can manage your debts better through debt consolidation, they also help you to settle your debts easily and can get you extensions for paying your debt off, and they also help you through debt negotiation and reduction to assist you with debt relief. Further they also train you in debt management and may be able to help grant you debt elimination depending on your financial situation and the stand point of your creditors!

With the help of such debt relief companies you can pay off your spiraling debts and get yourself out of the dreadful debt circle to make a fresh and tension free financial beginning!

What You Should Know About Your Web Host

Yesterday I received a nice email in my inbox, I read that short
and interesting email, it was like 5 to 6 lines max, at the end
was a link which I was asked to click on. I did exactly that. I
wait for about 1 minute but no page downloaded. I think my
Internet connection gets down so I checked it but it was perfect.

I refresh the page many times but results were same. I read all
other mails and did my routine work. In evening suddenly I
remember that mail. Since it was so Interesting, I again read it
and click on the link but this time also same results appears. I
finally give up and delete that mail.

This whole episode left a question in my mind that why people
do not choose their web host wisely. In fact it's the most vital
part of Internet business.

A web host is the first important step towards building our
Internet business. You can get cheap or even free hosting
services but do not prefer free hosting for commercial sites. Your
users are going to get blasted with annoying pop-ups every time
they surf to your page, it's going to be impossible to get a
decent position in a search engine, and you do not even get a
real business URL. No one's going to remember your web address
if they have to type http://www.myfreehost.com/my_site .

So the question is what points we should consider before select
our web host.

1. Space

It's the first point to consider that how much space your host
is providing to you. If you have one or two page website with no
downloads, it's not an important point but if you are planning
to go for resale right product, you need at least 100 MB space.
Most good web host provide minimum 1 GB space to their clients.

2. Bandwidth

It's the most important part to check. Did you know that sites
with high downloads causes many people to go over budget on
band and lose their host? Sometimes they have to pay fees
up to hundreds of dollars. It's essential to check before buying
any hosting services. Most good host provides 25 to 50 GB
Bandwidth.

3. Support System

It's also key point. If you get stuck at any point, how long
does it take to get support? Do they provide 24/7 phone support.

Some additional features we must check:

How many POP email account they are providing?

How many database that are providing?

Do they have Web based e-mail?

Do they have Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus filters?

Can you Password Protected your directories?

Do they take regular backup in case of server get crashed?

Do they have money-back Guarantee, if you do not like theirs
services?

Do they support Perl, PHP, Crontab and Secure Server Layer?

(You do not require these facilities in beginning but after some
time you need it.)

I personally trust "Ultimate Web Hosting Services" for my
hosting needs. They have all the features that a professional host
must have. The must to tell feature of this hosting service is
that it gives one hour response guarantee but usually I get
response in 5-10 minutes. I prefer this hosting service just
because of its speedy response and its tons of superb qualities.
You can try their services at:
http://www.ultimatewebhostingservices.com

I am not saying that they are the best. There may be other
companies that have even better services but in terms of their own
prices they are the best.

So whatever host you choose you must consider these points so
you never get in trouble.

Copyright 2005 Raamakant S.

How Much Does Your Meal Cost? Can You Cut it Down?

You may complain your government a lot recently that you can not buy anything with one dollar with this economic crisis and inflation rate. But did you know how much is a US dollar worth in each country? I do not mean conversion rate but I mean "worth". In many countries in Africa and Asia, a dollar could buy food for a week. No kidding it's true.For example,

* In Thailand, a meal such as rice with spicy chicken or pork cost between 20 and 40 Baht per portion. That is about 1 USD a meal.

* In India, food is extremely cheap. A kilo of tomatoes or most vegetables cost approximately 0.28 USD, a loaf of bread comes for about 0.23 USD, half-kilogram butter for 1.28 USD, 10 eggs for 0.50 USD.

You may think I'm living in USA. I can not afford to live there just for cheaper cost of living. Yes, it's not necessary to move just to cut down your meal price. There are tips and techniques that you can follow to cut the cost down.

1. Planning menus in advance for a week. You will see what items are needed. You can compare this list of items against weekly grocery for the best price.

2. Cut food waste. Buying food in volume may give you bargain power but it will save no money if you have to throw the waste out. Consider investing in a freezer to store food until it is needed.

3. Be self-discipline. Buy only items you have planned. Impulse buying can destroy a budget.

4. Use coupons first. Coupons can reduce the total cost of groceries by 50% or more. There's a woman on TV program said she can prepare food for the whole family of 2 adults and 3 children for a week with less than 30 USD. This is awesome.

Follow the 4 steps repeatedly every week then compare your receipts wherever your average meal cost is lessen. If not, let's find what goes wrong each week. The first few weeks may be tough for the beginner. You have to believe in yourself and be more disciplined. Probably consider go shopping alone next time so you can control the shopping list.

If you have done everything you can but you still can not cut the food cost down, let's think positively that you may reach your lowest point already.

12 Important Safety Features On Our Cars We Do not Think About

Well ok, this is kind of a different subject, and probably not the most obvious to some. But I'll guarantee some of us will be a little bit more informed, folks might even feel safer when they drive to work tomorrow. Whether you're the consumer or an automotive sales consultant, this article will list a dozen important safety features found on every car on the road. The consumer can benefit knowing what's on today's automobiles, just in case he / she meets the salesman who is not the most educated on their product knowledge. And lastly, sales consultants can enhance their presentations with these tasty tid-bits and increase potential contracts. So without fail, here are the main safety features found on the exterior of those cars.

# 1-crumple zones-A mainstay in today's automobiles, this is the harmonic flow of numerous body panels and brackets that absorb the energy normally associated with a crash. Parts like the hood, bumper and fenders are engineered to crumple like an accordion, therefore taking the brunt in any incidental situations.

# 2-Wraparound Headlights-Just like its name implies, it's a one piece headlight design that integrates the low beam, high beam, and turn signals. The headlights wrap around from the front or back of the car to the sides. Not only are the halogen headlights brighter and wider with the use of reflective cuts in the chamber, but folks driving along our blind spots can easily know our lane changing intentions. As a result, causing fewer accidents.

# 3-Breakaway Motor Mounts-These mounts attach the engine to the frame of the car. They're not noticeable, but the life saving impact is huge. In a front impact collision, they're specifically designed to break the engine away from the frame and with the forward motion, will make the engine slide underneath the car at a 45 degree angle. Making it less likely to have an engine sitting in your lap when the crash comes to a halt.

# 4-steel belted radials-It's pretty obvious, our tires are very important safety features, it is what keeps the car on the road. Tires are built with steel fibers built right in, how do they help? Well, motorists will have the peace of mind that their tires will hold up in even the most extreme conditions. Those belts will also give these tires a longer lasting life span. Less maintenance in the long run.

# 5-ventilated disc brakes-Equally important as the tires are, disc brakes stop the car. Brakes are constructed of a rotor, pads, and calipers for short. The poles are engineered with internal vanes, to help vent out the heat. And this will help defend against fade and making it less likely to repair the brakes often.

# 6-Side Impact Door Beams-Like the crumple zones, these aids in absorbing energy in a side impact collision. They are steel intrusion beams built inside the door for extra reinforcement. Every car and truck have these.

# 7-Laminated Windshield-This might be important, it is the very object that keeps bugs out of our teeth, and the rain out of our hair. The windshield is made up of two pieces of tempered glass with a laminate sheet in between. This is a glass sandwich that holds together well when sharp or heavy objects smash into it. There's no shattering or large pieces of glass flying about.

# 8-Tempered Safety Glass-The other glass that gives us 360 degrees of protection is also designed with safety in mind. Automotive glass is heat tempered, so that when it breaks, it shatters into a multitude of small cubes. The small cubes will not cut or injure the occupants.

# 9-Child Safety Door Locks-As this name indicates, they are small locks in the inside door jams of the rear two doors (4 door sedan or suv only). Lock them up and the little guys in the back seat can not unlock and pull the inside door handles while we are driving.

# 10-5 mph bumpers-I would classify this as a safety item for the car itself. In the event a driver lightly hits a lightpole, grocery cart, etc. at 5mph or under, it is illegally there will be any major structural damage. These days, the government mandated limit to follow is 2.5 mph, most automakers have the 5 mph variety.

# 11-Center High Mounted Brake Light-It's actually just a 3rd brake light mounted higher than the two main brake lights, and most autos have them. They're main purpose is to make drivers behind the motorist aware of their braking intentions, usually cars 6-10 back can see this clearly.

# 12-Safety Cage Construction-Think of a built in rollcage, it's the main exo-skeletal feature that delivers the most protection. In every accidental situation, this protects 360 degrees. We can even literally turn a car or truck upside down on its roof, the cage will support 1.5x it's own weight. There's nothing more important.

Here, there is our short list of safety features, hopefully you readers have a use for this information. And maybe, this will put more awareness at just how safe our cars really are. No longer will we pinpoint safety as just airbags and alarm systems, our daily drivers have been designed as intricately as the human body. All this for making our commutes, a safer one.