New in 2012: Due Diligence Checklist Filing Requirement

On December 20, 2011, the IRS released regulations requiring paid tax preparers to file due diligence checklists with every return claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).  The Paid Preparer’s Earned Income Credit Checklist, Form 8867, was previously required of tax preparers to complete and retain in their own personal records; it was intended to help them acquire the necessary eligibility information from their clients.

The IRS press release explains, “The regulations also reflect recent congressional action to increase the penalty for noncompliance with the due diligence requirement from $100 to $500.”

For more information on these final regulations, refer to the Treasury Decision 9570 published in the Federal Register.

Extended Deadline for Various Tax-Exempt Organizations

On December 16^th, 2011, the IRS announced that it had extended the January and February filing deadlines for tax-exempt organizations until March 30, 2012.  Due to portions of the IRS’s e-filing system being offline during January and February of this year, the IRS has granted the extension.  The rest of the system will be fully operational and all businesses and individuals are expected to file accurate and timely returns.

The extension applies to all those tax-exempt organizations whose normal filing deadline is either January 17^th or February 15^th of this year; this includes those organizations that had an extension deadline for these same dates.  The majority of tax-exempt organizations have a May 15^th filing deadline and will be unaffected by this extension.

For more information, refer to Notice 2012-4 posted on IRS.gov.

Payroll Tax Cut Extended into 2012

The reduced payroll tax rate effective in 2011 has been temporarily extended into 2012, benefiting nearly 160 million workers.  The cut, which reduced the Social Security tax withholding rate from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent, will continue to be in effect through February 29^th, 2012 and will have no effect on employees’ future Social Security benefits.

Employers are expected to implement the new tax rate as soon as possible in 2012 but no later than January 31, 2012.  Any Social Security tax over-withheld in January should be compensated in an offsetting adjustment in employee pay as soon as possible and no later than March 31, 2012.  Employers and payroll companies must manage the withholding changes; employers are not required to take any action.

The press release explains, “The IRS will issue additional guidance as needed to implement the provisions of this new two-month extension, including revised employment tax forms and instructions and information for employees who may be subject to the new “recapture” provision.  For most employers, the quarterly employment tax return for the quarter ending March 31, 2012, is due April 30, 2012.”

Earning a Professional Designation is Good for Your Professional Reputation

Whether it’s enhancing your skill-set with a current employer or distinguishing yourself by building credibility with your own clients, the QS designation will stand as proof of your expertise.  To earn this QuickBooks designation you must complete the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks (PBG) and pass the final exam with a score of 90% or higher.  And just like that you receive professional certification!

Additional Benefits

In addition to the skills you acquire in completing the PBG, you will also receive the following:

• Thorough and complete training on the latest and greatest version of QuickBooks Pro
• 6 months’ worth of access to our experienced, qualified QuickBooks professional accountants and CPAs to answer your questions
• Accounting 101 Review
• 30 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) in most states
• A 100% money-back guarantee
• A valuable addition to your reference library

The PBG offers the most competitive QuickBooks training on the market.  Master QuickBooks and become the premier QuickBooks consultant in your area.  Call Universal at 1-877-833-7909 and enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks today!

Okay, so it’s not that bad, but it will consume the majority of your time for the next few months.  So why not ensure that you’re making the most of that time?

A 2005 Microsoft survey found that professionals only average about three productive workdays every week.  When you’re paid by the hour, that reduces your income by 40%.  That’s a painful statistic for the self-employed.

But it doesn’t have be that way.  When you apply effective time management techniques, you use the workday to your advantage, maximizing your income by using less time to accomplish more work-related tasks.  Here are 6 tips we strongly recommend:

Delegate and outsource when possible. In a Small Business Review article, author John Egan lists this as his number one time management tip.  In his article he references Dave Durand, a time management expert who says small business owners should never engage in “minimum-wage work.”  He suggests handing those tasks off to someone else so the small-business owner can keep their “eye on the horizon.”  Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to do everything yourself.  It’s wise to delegate and outsource some of those tasks that are too time-consuming for you, whether you partner with another professional to do them, or whether you assign the responsibility to someone within your organization.

Avoid time traps. No profession is immune to time leaks—interruptions, distractions, tangents that lead you off-task and make it difficult to be productive.  And it is impossible to plug those time leaks unless you know what they are.  Take a week or so to log interruptions, noting all those things that distract you from your core work tasks, specifically billable hours.  Once you have the information, you can evaluate it.  Which interruptions could have been avoided?  Which were of no value?  Perhaps someone regularly calls you for information that you could teach them to find themselves?  While the teaching moment may cost you an hour now, it may save you hours in the end.

Avoid multitasking. Most time management experts agree that splitting your attention amongst a slew of tasks can lessen productivity while generating more errors.  Focusing your attention on one task is the best way to accomplish more in less time and with greater accuracy.

Use “50% of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities and conversations that produce most of your results.” This tip comes recommended by authors Joe Mathews, Don Debolt and Deb Percival in an Entrepreneur.com article entitled “10 Time Management Tips That Work.”  It makes sense to focus your energy on those tasks that bring in the bacon.  However, often what we focus on isn’t necessarily what produces results.  Shifting your perspective on how you prioritize your time may be all it takes to put this principle into effect.

Plan each day.  Mathews, Debolt and Percival recommend you take 30 minutes each morning to schedule your workday.  Determine which tasks are most important and timely.  That way you ensure that you’re not only productive but responsible, completing those jobs that need your attention first.  Then, referring to that list of tasks, make a to-do list (and don’t forget, 50% of your day should be dedicated to those activities that produce the most results).

Plan for the big picture. While it’s important to plan your daily schedule, you should also look ahead and make plans for how you’d like to accomplish your vision.  This includes the big picture on where you see your business going, taking steps that will ensure you get there.

UAC’s QuickBooks Training Program

The Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks is designed to help you master all the software’s features and shortcuts, enabling you to work much more efficiently.  With 16 instructional CDs that contain 15 hours of training and an 800-page full-color instruction manual, you will have access to all you need in order to address your every client’s needs.

Upon completing the program you will be able to do the following:

• Pay bills quickly so that you and your clients never incur late penalties
• Be reminded when bills are due
• Write checks with one single click
• Create invoices quickly and effortlessly
• Become more organize by streamlining the process of tracking customers and vendors
• Keep on top of incoming and outgoing payments
• Access easy-to-read financial reports NOW
• Earn valuable certification as a QuickBooks Specialist

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks (PBG) will enable you to master this accounting software, saving yourself time and energy as you work with your own and/or your clients’ accounts.  To become more efficient by learning all the time-saving features QuickBooks offers, call Universal at 1-877-833-7909 to enroll in the PBG Program today!

Resources

–.  “Survey Finds Workers Average Only Three Productive Days per Week.”  15 March 2005.  Microsoft.com

Egan, John.  “Time Management Tips.”  SmallBusinessReview.com

Mathews, Joe, Don Debolt and Deb Percival.  “10 Time Management Tips That Work.”  Entrepreneur.com

If you intend to continue your business, be it full-time or on the side, you limit yourself by only offering tax preparation services.  It’s possible to build your business by landing more tax clients, but you’ll have more luck if you enhance your service offerings.  By adding complementary services like accounting, QuickBooks consulting, loan application services, and business turnaround help, your current clients are likely to request some of those services as well.  Without sending out fliers, postcards, or doing one radio commercial, you could increase your billable hours simply by informing current clients of your expanded offerings.   Consider the following:

Accounting

Chances are many of your current clients manage their own small businesses.  Accounting services are in high demand because every small business is required by law to perform various accounting functions—these business owners are more likely to trust an accountant who already manages their financials every tax season. 

QuickBooks Consulting

QuickBooks is, by far, the most popular accounting software on the market.  More than 80% of small businesses use it to manage their accounting.  However, these same businesses often need help setting up their companies and managing various tasks.  A QuickBooks Specialist can provide the assistance they need in optimizing this accounting software and all its features. When you consider that Intuit, the makers of QuicksBooks, charges $75 an incident and $349-$600 per year for support, you can see how easy it would be to offer your services for a more reasonable fee in order to serve clients in need of QuickBooks help.

Loan Application Services

Business owners are often intimidated by the process of completing a loan application package.  There are a lot of required components and many would feel more comfortable if they could enlist the help of a financial professional before submitting their application.  You could add loan application services to your offerings as yet another complementary service that would appeal to your target market.

Business Turnaround Services

The survival rate of small businesses is low even in an ideal market; imagine what it’s like now?  Many small businesses are struggling and owners often need help in moving those businesses from the red into the black.  Offering turnaround services will enable you to become a valuable resource to many current and prospective clients.

By all means, take a break!  But after you do, consider investing in your future by expanding your offerings.  Universal Accounting Center offers training in all these areas.  If you’re interested in expanding your business and your bottom line, call us at 1-877-833-7909 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-877-833-7909 end_of_the_skype_highlighting today to see how we can help make your financial practice even more profitable!  Now’s the perfect time!

Market Domination

The best way to secure your foothold in a recessive market is to add complementary services that are required by the majority of your clients.  And small businesses are required by law to keep financial records.  Your services become even more appealing when they’re coupled with informed reporting that will help your clients make more profitable business decisions based on the sound accounting data you provide.

Small Business Accounting

Small business accounting is a valuable niche market.  In fact, over 90% of accounting opportunities can be found in the small business arena.  Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has been training professionals like you in small business accounting for over 25 years because they recognize what many do not; most universities and trade programs are teaching students corporate accounting which isn’t preparing them for the typical, real-world accounting experiences they will encounter.

Becoming a small business accountant doesn’t require years of your valuable time.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program is not only reputable, but it’s self-paced, enabling a busy professional like you to take your time or complete the program quickly, in less than 60 hours.

And when you take this program you are trained to act as your clients’ Profit Expert.  What is a Profit Expert?  A proactive accountant who realizes that the information he/she generates provides crucial data that can make or break a business.  It’s the accountant’s job to share this data with business owners, explaining it in such a way that they both understand what the information indicates and can use it to make informed business decisions.  The PB Program will train you how to do that.

You will gain the confidence and skill necessary to start and manage nearly every client’s books, and when you have a question, our follow-up program enables you to call and ask one of our seasoned professionals.

QuickBooks Services

By why stop with accounting services?  Increase your business’s appeal by offering QuickBook services as well.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks will help you master this accounting software, and once you do, you can offer QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services, charging $45 to $75 per hour.

Becoming a QuickBooks Specialist would provide you with numerous ways to bring in more business, increase your income, and make your job easier.  You’ll find companies who want to do their accounting tasks themselves, but need help in configuring QuickBooks to meet their needs.  And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem.

Tough times require strategic measures.  By turning your tax service into a full-service financial provider, you get your game on, working year-round for clients that not only need your services, but value them enough to tell their friends and family about your business!  Take the initiative and learn more about these two programs. It won’t be long before you can dominate in a recessive market.

We know that right now you’re probably thinking about what you’re going to do for Thanksgiving.  Will you be eating with the in-laws?  Maybe you’ll be inviting friends over for a feast at your house?  Or perhaps you’ll buck tradition and order pizza?  Regardless of how you choose to spend this holiday, we’d like you to think ahead to the next one.

Things may be a little tight this Christmas.  The kids might be asking for a Wii, your parents may want a Caribbean cruise, and you may just want a little peace and quiet.  While all those things are great items for a Christmas wish list, we’d like you to consider giving yourself the gift of a more lucrative future.

Whether you prepare taxes on the side or run a tax practice year-round, you can benefit from adding complementary services to your menu.  What client wouldn’t be interested in taking their finances to a practice that could perform all their accounting and tax needs?  You can gain that accounting expertise in less than 60 hours, all spent on your own time and at your own pace, when you enroll in Universal Accounting Center’s (UAC) Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program.

Accounting Expertise

The PB course will supply all the know-how and confidence necessary for you to start and manage the books of current and prospective clients.  You will learn the day-to-day accounting functions required by small businesses, something not offered by most university degree programs.  You will gain a competitive edge that you will use with effective marketing strategies UAC will also provide.

The course consists of the following four modules:

Module 1-Accounting Made Easy. You will master the tools, procedures, and underlying principles that make up the bookkeeping processes of all businesses.  You will also understand the core building blocks of accounting and bookkeeping.

Module 2-Practical Small Business Applications. You will apply your understanding of the core accounting principles to specific industries.  You will learn to set up books from scratch, do payroll like a seasoned pro, and much more.

Module 3-Advancing your “Account-Ability.” You will learn sure ways to set up complete bookkeeping systems and manage the books for a variety of more sophisticated industries.

Module 4-Building a Successful Accounting Service. You will learn the steps to finding paying clients.  Upon completion of this module you will be able to start and grow an accounting practice following a proven program tested and perfected since 1979.

Upon successful completion of the course you can earn valuable professional certification, demonstrating your expertise.

In addition to all this, the PB program comes with the following iron-glad guarantee:

“If, after completing the course, you feel the course didn’t live up to your expectation, simply return the materials to Universal, for a 100% refund of any monies paid.”

QuickBooks Services

Adding accounting services to your menu would definitely expand your current offering and enhance your overall appeal.  When you add QuickBooks services to your menu, you become a full-service financial provider that also offers QB setup, help, and consultation services.

Consider this, Intuit charges $75 an incident and $349-$600 per year for QuickBooks support.  That’s too pricey for most small business owners, 85% of which currently use QuickBooks software; you could offer QuickBooks support for a more reasonable fee and draw in more clients in need of a little QuickBooks help. Becoming a Quickbooks Specialist will enable you to bring in more business, increase your income, and make your job easier.

This program comes complete with eight sessions that will train you in the following:

Sessions 1-3. The fundamentals of daily bookkeeping tasks, enabling you to gain a better understanding of the tasks that a bookkeeper performs. You will learn the key indicators of a company’s financial health, how to calculate them, and what they mean to your company. You will learn to interpret financial data in order to turn it into actionable business wisdom.

Sessions 4-6.  The must-know principles of marking down assets and how to depreciate them for the largest tax advantage in as little time as the law allows. You will learn methods of depreciating fixed assets and how to calculate allowance for bad debts. You’ll learn the benefits of each business structure and which form will legally allow you to pay the least taxes possible.

Session 7. The technique that will enable you to navigate the debit/credit maze and learn to use the accountant’s troubleshooting tool. You’ll be introduced to preparing financial statements and will be taught how to interpret them into practical steps you can take to increase profitability.

Session 8. Gross profit-what is it and what does it mean to the financial condition of your company? You will learn how the income accounts connect into the balance sheet.

These two programs will enable you to expand your business in 2009!  By enrolling in these courses today, you invest in the financial future of yourself and your family.  While most Christmas presents can wear out or break altogether, this gift of valuable career training will be a holiday investment you will never regret.

Enroll today and get your Christmas present early this year!

While it may sound counterintuitive to increase your service offerings during economic turmoil, in the long run, it can be the one thing that will ensure survival for your tax practice.

The longer the recession runs, the more competitive the market will become.  A prospective client will have less money to spend, and he’ll be looking for a financial provider that can give him more bang for his buck.

Consider the accountant who has access to much of the same information you do.  If that accountant offered tax preparation services in addition to accounting services, might you lose a client to a financial provider who is not only more convenient, but perhaps more cost efficient?

You gain a competitive advantage by becoming a one-stop financial shop for prospective clients.

Accounting Services

Thumb through your local phone book to see how many small businesses exist in your area.  Consider that all these businesses are required, by law, to keep an accounting record.  Most small business owners don’t have the expertise necessary to effectively manage their own books.  If you could perform those accounting services while increasing their profitability and decreasing their spending, your fee would be worth its weight in gold.  And you would have a competitive advantage.

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program is designed to teach you how to start a business’s books from scratch.  Whether you’re an experienced accountant or a beginner, this course will enhance your knowledge and confidence in order to add accounting services to your menu.  You can earn valuable certification demonstrating that you have the expertise required to manage a business’s financials.  Add to that the training you will receive on marketing your new skill set and you have a program that’s practically risk-free!

Here are what just a handful of graduates have said about the Professional Bookkeeper Program:

This is the best investment for the money and for my future.- B. Davies

We would like to thank you for the opportunities you uncovered for us through your excellent accounting course. – S. & C. Scharp & S. Young

Having been a CPA in ‘Big 8 Firms’ and a top level executive in bluechip companies I especially appreciate your ability to simplify the subject. You definitely are providing a greatly needed service to people who are interested in being independent. – D. Bird, CPA

Watch video testimonials here!

QuickBooks Services

By why stop with accounting services?  Increase your business’s appeal by offering QuickBook services as well.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks will help you master this accounting software, and once you do, you can offer QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services, charging $45 to $75 per hour.

More than 85% of small businesses use QuickBooks to manage their accounting.  That’s a large percentage of your target market!  And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem.  And it won’t be long before they realize that it will save them more time and money to let you manage all their accounting and tax needs.

Take advantage of this package deal and enroll in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program and its complementary course the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks.  Not only will diversifying your services enable you to wait out the recession, but it will enable you to grow your business and gain a competitive advantage.  Order now!

1. Get a good night’s sleep.

You’ll find yourself more frazzled if you’re running on little sleep.  The amount of sleep needed varies by individual.  Some can function well on 5 to 6 hours of sleep while others need 10 to 11.  Get to know what your body needs and then ensure you get a good night’s rest before each work day.

2. Eat a balanced diet.

Food fuels your body and your mind.  If you’re not putting good stuff in the tank you’ll find yourself lacking energy and drive to adequately perform your job.  When you eat foods rich in vitamins and nutrients you will find that you are able get more accomplished in less time.

3. Indulge in exercise.

Not only does exercise increase your energy levels, but it helps your body release stress and ensures a more restful sleep every night.  It also has incredible health benefits and makes you feel better.

4. Don’t procrastinate.

Procrastination causes of a lot of stress.  When you’re able to complete tasks and assignments in a timely manner, you save yourself a lot of grief and anxiety later.

5. Stay organized and prioritize.

Working in a chaotic, unorganized environment will cause stress.  Not only that, but it also forces you to spend more time looking for files or other records than it would take in a clean and organized office.  Purge your office of unnecessary paperwork and create a system for filing away everything else.  This will enable you to better prioritize your work day, filling it with more profitable tasks.

Once you’re able to establish a healthier work environment for yourself, you can take measures to promote a healthier work environment for your staff.  The United Health Care recommends the following.

1. Lead by example. Once you incorporate the above five tips, you are well on your way to setting a good example for your employees.
2. Use assessments. Your employee can better track their own health when they have assessments against which they can measure their progress. BMI, weight, blood chemistry and bloods pressure are all assessments you can use.
3. Provide training and development. When you make health a priority in the workplace your employees generally respond well.  Take the time to provide training and development opportunities for your staff.
4. Foster a healthy work environment. The UHC recommends providing health care, flex time, no-smoking policies, and maternity/paternity leave in efforts to foster a healthier work environment.
5. Create physical activity/community incentives.  Some companies include an onsite gym for their employees.  While that’s probably not realistic for most small businesses, you can promote a health program that rewards participants.  Encourage involvement in community races, group exercise programs, or weight loss groups.

When you ensure a healthier work environment, you will enjoy a healthier staff and, consequently, a more productive team.

A Software Program that Relieves Stress

In addition to the above suggestions, UAC encourages small business owners to use a software program that will enable you to do more work in less time.  Not only will QuickBooks expertise eliminate some of your stress, but it will also help you to work more efficiently and become even more valuable to your clientele.

Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks is a self-paced program that enables you to complete the parts that interest you and skip over the parts that don’t. Even if you have used the program for years, the PBG teaches you shortcuts and methods you may not have known. You will be impressed by the simple flow and completeness of this program.

Take action now to relief some of your tax season stress later.  Order UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks today!

References

United Health Care.  “Encourage a Healthy Work Force.”  Entrepreneur.com   30 September 2008

Customer service is awareness of needs, problems, fears and aspirations. – AnonymousCustomers are an investment. Maximize your return. – PeopleSoft AdHere is a simple but powerful rule: always give people more than what they expect to get. – Nelson Boswell

It’s difficult to request referrals from clients who are not currently happy with your services. Before you can use this valuable resource to increase your client base you must first ensure current client satisfaction. Only after you do can you begin approaching clients for referrals.

The following seven tips will help you better serve your clients so that they happily refer their family and friends your way:

1. Establish clear expectations.

Many of your clients may not have worked with a tax specialist before and are unsure what to expect. The rest have and may be running on old expectations. It’s important to have a preliminary meeting where you define the relationship and your expectations, taking special note of what your clients expect from you. You may need to negotiate some of these expectations so that both you and your client are satisfied. In establishing clear expectations from the beginning, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary frustration later.

2. Be respectful.

Regardless of your clients’ behavior, you must treat everyone with respect. Be courteous, thoughtful, and listen with intent. This applies to your face-to-face, email and phone correspondence.

3. Respond promptly and maintain contact.

Establish a policy on returning emails and phone calls. We suggest you respond within 24 hours; this shows clients that you are attentive and considerate of their needs. Also, when working on their accounts you should provide clients with periodic reports; otherwise they may assume that you’re not working at all.

4. Quickly resolve complaints.

Anytime your clients have concerns or complaints, you must respond quickly. The longer you wait to resolve a problem, the longer your client has to stew over it. On the other hand, the more quickly you resolve the client’s concern, the more satisfied your client is with your service.

5. Request feedback.

The best way to learn what your clients think of your services is to ask them. Consider giving all your clients a survey on which they can provide you with priceless feedback. Take this feedback into consideration as you modify your services and client relationships.

6. Save them money.

Consider recent ads where people are complaining of catastrophic situations to which another responds, “I have good news. I just saved a bunch of money on car insurance.” Nothing wins client loyalty like having a financial provider save them money. As you serve clients, consider this a priority; when you share your cost-saving tactics with clients, you will find them very appreciative of the effort.

7. Offer complementary services.

Clients appreciate convenience. Anything you can do to streamline their financial services is valued. Consider their needs and add complementary services that would make your business more convenient and, in turn, more appealing.

Only after you ensure customer satisfaction can you request referrals from your clients. Once you take the necessary action to meet your clients’ needs, you can approach them for referrals, at which point they are more likely to provide them.

Consider Adding QuickBooks Services to Your Menu

Intuit has cornered the market on accounting software with QuickBooks. More than 80% of small businesses use it to manage their accounting. Unfortunately for many small business owners, they are unaware how to optimize this software so they can retrieve the information they need to better run their businesses. Fortunately for you, this mean there are a number of small business owners in need of QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services.

Not only would adding QuickBooks services to your menu increase your bottom line, but it will also enable you to better work with clients to get the information you need to best prepare their taxes. As you demonstrate how to properly setup and use QuickBooks to manage their accounting, you can ensure you will receive the information you need in the format you need it in.

The Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks will enable you to master this valuable software program and earn professional certification as a QuickBooks Specialist. You can better serve your current clients and attract new clients in need of QuickBooks expertise. For a minimal investment, you can enjoy large returns. Increase your customer service efforts today by enrolling in the PBG Program!

When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.-John M. RichardsonMay the dreams of your past be the reality of your future.-AnonymousFor tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.-African Proverb

There are four more months left in 2008; how will you use them?

Your aspirations will continue to reside in your future unless you do something about them, today! You can take action to start your own bookkeeping service by enrolling in the Professional Bookkeeper Program. You could be finished in less than 60 days and earn certification that will show prospective clients that you have the expertise necessary to handle all their accounting needs.

One Simple Course

This course is designed to make you a Profit Expert. What’s a Profit Expert? A financial professional who does more than balance books, but also informs clients how to increase their business’s profitability. They are proactive accountants who help their clients make informed business decisions aimed at improving a company’s fiscal health.

In addition to becoming a Profit Expert, the Professional Bookkeeper Program will teach you all you need to know to start and manage a business’s books. Specifically you will learn how to perform small-business accounting tasks. This is remarkable because most accounting programs prepare their graduates to perform corporate accounting; however, more than 80% of accounting opportunities are not with large corporations but small businesses.

There are more than enough local businesses with which to build your client base. They could use someone specialized in those skills that satisfy their unique needs.

In addition to the reasons noted above, there are many more that detail why a bookkeeping service makes so much sense. Here’s a list of some of those reasons:

• Every business is required by law to keep books
• You can earn a good living (the average client will bring in about $300 per month)
• It’s an inexpensive business to start (you probably have most of what is required right now)
• No expensive equipment is required
• You can make money doing what you enjoy
• You can work anytime, any place
• Rented office space is not required
• Inventory is not required

A bookkeeping service is one of the easiest to begin. And to wrap up your training, we will also teach you how to market your new and unique skills. You’ll not only know how to start and manage a company’s books from scratch but also how to acquire those qualified clients that will appreciate your service offerings.

In less than four months you could be ready to start your own accounting practice. Why not celebrate the New Year early by enrolling in a program that will change the course of your future, today?

Our New Years Gift to You

When you enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program, we will give you a special gift enabling you to start a more profitable practice: QuickBooks Made Profitable.

Here’s how it works. Nearly 80% of small businesses use Intuit’s Quickbooks software. While other programs may be useful, Quickbooks has definitely captured the small business market. Learning Quickbooks will not only help you keep more efficient records, but it enables you to teach your clients how to use the software so that you can get the information you need, making your job much easier. Add to that the ability to represent yourself as a QuickBooks expert and you’ll be able to attract larger numbers of potential clients. This program will teach you how to leverage your time while saving clients money in taxes and helping them increase their profits. What client wouldn’t be interested in that? We’ll teach you how to use this valuable software package to generate even more clients!

What an offer! After ordering and completing these two programs you will be ready to start the New Year off right.

Don’t delay your dreams any longer. 2009 will be another banner year for the small business. Take advantage of it today! Enroll now!

This week its coming down to crunch time. There is only two more months until the Tax Season ’07 officially kicks off. Are you ready? I’m sure all of us have one or two things they still need to do, but for us who are wondering do we have the training that will allow us to get through the season with flying colors.. it’s getting down to the wire.

For what you may ask? The Universal Professional Tax Preparer’s Program is the most comprehensive tax preparation program available on the market. In the program, as you may know, you will be able to get the rundown on the standard deductions and exemptions as well as the complicated employee business expense and miscellaneous itemized deductions among many, many other skills taught. And the time is quickly passing to get the program and to master all the material before the season starts!

It is estimated that if you only spend one hour a day on the course materials, (which is a comfortable pace for most) that you will be done with the course and ready for the certification process in 60 days. If you carry that out, it takes you into the last week of December. Don’t procrastinate getting enrolled into the program. You will be able to have the confidence and the know-how to properly give the best Tax Prep Service to those that come to you and those you are doing business with. Give yourself that added edge in your tax preparation career!

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What else will give you that edge for the ‘ Tax Season? Have you dreamed of having your own accounting clerk who manages your accounts payable and receivable? A personal tax practice requires you to manage lots of fiscal information, and that probably requires more of your time than you might like to spend, especially when that time could go towards more billable hours. Most business owners’ dream system would include the ability to do the following:

• Track clients and vendors so that you can easily find their information from one location

• Quickly create invoices so that you can receive payment sooner.

• Write checks with one click.

• Remind you when bills are due.

• Process easy-to-read financial reports.

• Manage accounts payable and receivable.

Thankfully there is a system that can do all those things for you, making the business end of your tax practice more manageable and less time-consuming. QuickBooks Pro is that system, servicing more than 80% of small businesses like you. And as a tax preparer you know how valuable it is to use the same system many of your clients are using.

Get the Information You Need from Your ClientsAs a tax preparer you know how valuable it is to get the information you need from your clients, and in the right format. In fact, the biggest complaint many tax preparers, accountants and bookkeepers have is that the information they receive from their clients is difficult to sort out and sometimes unusable. This is true whether the client is doing the books by hand or through QuickBooks. Potentially, many of them are already using QuickBooks, so you can simply teach them how to use it so that you can get the information you need, making your job much easier.

Make Extra MoneyOnce you master Quickbooks, you can offer help services to other Quickbooks users, and that’s not just limited to your current client base; you can attract new clients by offering Quickbooks set-up and consultation services for $65-$95 per hour. You’ll find companies who want to do their accounting tasks themselves, but need help in configuring Quickbooks to meet their needs. And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem. Because even if businesses are doing the books themselves, they will need help in certain areas or have problems that only you can solve. Taxes and depreciation come to mind immediately, along with installation support, accruals, job costing, estate planning, and a myriad of additional services that only you can offer. And once your Quickbooks clients recognize the value and competence of your expertise, they’ll come to you for their tax needs.

Learn QuickBooks Now!Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has a training program that will teach you QuickBooks quickly, and painlessly. UAC’s Guide to Quickbooks Pro is a self-paced program that enables you to complete the parts that interest you and skip over the parts that don’t. Even if you have used the program for years, the program teaches you shortcuts and methods you may not have known. You will be impressed by the simple flow and completeness of this program. So why wait? In just a number of hours you could be ready to better manage your own finances, and add new services to your own practice, increasing your bottom line.

Imagine what you would pay for that accounts payable and receivable clerk we talked about earlier. Let’s say that clerk charged $25 an hour and you used her services 10 hours a month. That would cost you $250 dollars a month. Not bad, you think, especially if you can make that amount in less than 3 hours time preparing taxes. But in one year, that would cost you $3000. The retail cost of UAC training coupled with the QuickBooks Pro software is $485, but for a limited time you can get that for just $385; less than what you would pay that clerk in two month’s time. And if you already have the software, or are just interested in a trail version, it’ll just cost you $285. And in addition to having a system that can help you better manage your own business, you’ll also have the training to offer Quickbooks help services to current and potential clients. This could be just one way to expand your practice beyond tax season. Don’t wait; order today!