Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category

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Lowering Property Taxes

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

House Value lower than the Market Value?

“If you think your property is being taxed on a value that is higher than its current market value, submit a Prop 8 temporary relief form or contact the Assessor’s Office, and ask for a review form. Assessment Review Requests should be submitted to the Assessor’s Office no later than August 15, of the current assessment year. After August 15, taxpayers are advised to file an assessment appeal with the Clerk of the Board…” click here for the rest of the article

Click here for the “How To” information from the Assessor’s Office. 

I hope this helps you during this economical difficult time. 
Tammy

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Posted in Accounting, Small Business, Taxes, Tips | No Comments »

Avoid Identity Theft and Fraud

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put “PHOTO ID REQUIRED.”

3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the “For” line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check-processing channels will not have access to it.

4. Do not put phone numbers on your checks. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks.

5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Also carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling either here or abroad. We have all heard horror stories about fraud that is committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys (and they all seem to do that now), do not turn the “keys” in. Take them with you and destroy them by placing a magnet on them. This will erase any assocation with you as the holder of the key. Those little cards have all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever.

Here is some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know: 

1.  We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately.  The key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call.  Keeep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). However, here is what is perhaps most important of all

3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

Here are the numbers to contact about your wallet and contents being stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
3.) TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
5.) Police Department (obtain local number of where item was stolen).

 

For more information:
http://www.scambusters.org/creditcardfraudprevention.html

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11 Tips on How to find a Bookkeeper

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

During this time of economic hardships business owners are trying to find ways to cut back.  One of those ways is letting their bookkeeper or accounting go.  I do not recommend letting your accounting or bookkeeping go since it is the pulse of knowing if your company is making money.

Hiring a bookkeeper can leave us flustered with not knowing who  to trust.   We sent out a question to find out what people do when looking for a bookkeeper.  I hope this will help.

1.      First I always try to get a reference thru word of mouth. If I can’t find what I need then I Google it. I also read the comments by other customers, if any negative I usually move to the next. I also like simple and intuitive websites!

 2.      As a start, I would Google “bookkeepers – San Jose California”.  My criteria would depend upon my business requirements first, reference checking second, and then cost.

3.      Today people would probably ask a friend or type San Jose Bookkeeper into Google.  It use to be the phone book, but no more, of course.

4.      If I needed a bookkeeper I would ask friends and family or look in the yellow pages on yahoo and look at reviews if any one posted a comment.

 5.      I would go to Google and put in San Jose Bookkeeping. Then talk to 3 or 4 sources to compare pricing and service. Would think of a few key items I need bookkeeping help with like: Payroll (picking out # of employees) to make comparison fare. Monthly Expenses into QuickBooks, Billing, Ease of how service is setup?  I.e. communicating through email or personal office visits, etc., what are the rules or criteria of the bookkeeping service?

6.      I’d send an email to friends to see if they knew of anyone. I’d search Yahoo and see what came up. Then I’d search that company/person to see if anything else came up on them. I would probably check the BBB to make sure there were no complaints against them.  In order for me to feel comfortable they’d have to have a minimum of 10 years experience (probably the more, the better), and I’d ask them to give me the name of a client or two who would be willing to share their experience with me.

7.      I would Google “Bookkeepers San Jose, CA” or, if I had a phone book handy I would look in the Yellow Pages!

 8.      I would look online for a bookkeeper.  Craigslist, bookkepper.com, or the newspaper etc.  I have a neighbor that is a bookkeeper and she advertises in our subdivision newsletter.  I would just look for advertisements.

 9.      First we would look in the yellow pages. Second we would ask any accountants, CPA’s or Tax preparers for a recommendation. Third we would look in the newspaper under the SERVICES classification.  Hope this helps.

10. I would call around to different, small CPA companies (and also to the corporate CFOs I know) and see if any of them could recommend anyone who worked for them or who worked free-lance. I would assume that they would be the people “in the know” who would be able to refer qualified people.

11. I would start with the Better Business Bureau Org.  They rate businesses and in some cases provide recommendations.  The next place would be with the State Franchise/Business Licensing department.  Criteria for selecting a bookkeeping firm would length in business, any complaints filed, type of services and hours offered, Charges for the services and lastly interviewing candidates to see if there is a “connection” or comfort level with the individual, individuals, and the business.

We Train U-2 provides training for the business owners to help them understand their bookkeeping.  If you are not doing your bookkeeping and have a bookkeeper our course will let you know what your bookkeeper should be doing for you and your company.   Check out our online training courses page at www.wetrainu2.com.

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Posted in Bookkeeping, Small Business, Tips | 2 Comments »

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