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• Reputation: 775 Q&A: 20 0 3 266 6 11 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 Tracy M

  1 0 We've been using Quickbooks for over a decade, and it has the largest marketshare of small businesses. This means that there are also tons of websites, youtube videos, and other businesses offering training/etc. Those with actual accounting backgrounds get annoyed with it, as it has a few quirks. But it's been around for so long, that any accountant knows how to work with it. And it IS pretty user friendly. Regardless of what you choose, the most important factor is going to be initially setting up your company correctly. If you have any CPA or bookkeeping friends, I'd lean heavily on them for help. Otherwise, it may be worthwhile to pay someone to help. Although, if your business is just service based, and you've just got some basic hourly charges/etc, this may not matter as much (if you've got a variety of goods and services to sell, you need to make sure that you get things in the proper categories (expense, income, cost of goods, longterm liability, equity, etc). The initial Quickbooks tutorial/walkthrough is pretty helpful about explaining/helping you choose, actually. And if you're starting out small/low-volume, you'll probably be fine. So I guess I've changed my mind while typing this paragraph. While still helpful to have a professional assist you in setting up the company, you'll probably be okay without that. *smile* The more accurately you set it up, the more you can trust/utilize the built-in reports (profit & loss, balance sheet, accounts receivable, etc). So, as I ramble/type out my thoughts, I think you'll be happiest with Quickbooks. And it's utilized so heavily, there will be many friends/acquaintances familiar with the system to help. Plus, there is a HUGE variety of websites and other resources for tutorials and help. Intuit (the makers of Quickbooks) will want you to spend a ton of cash on a specialized edition (contractor edition, etc) but I'm guessing the basic will probably suit your needs. Also, check retailmenot.com for a coupon code before making your final purchase at the intuit website. Then price check that with some of the office supply stores. Often it's cheaper, but sometimes Costco can beat them. Oh, Intuit likes to "sunset" each QB program after 3 years, and they lean heavily on you to upgrade. Many businesses feel forced to do this because they use the internal email system to send pdf files of estimates and invoices. But know that there's a great FREE program PDFCreator http://www.pdfforge.org/download that will set up as one of your printers. So then, you can choose the "printer" named PDF Creator and save each document as a PDF. Then you have the freedom to email your documents without having to buy new software within 3 years. (Doesn't matter now...you're welcome to use the free QB email service, but just wanted you to know for the future). Tracy M answered in Personal Finance 5 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I don't consult in this area but our firm has folks that do, plus I talk to lots of businesses in my job including about what systems they run. QuickBooks is the most popular accounting product by far. It works best when used in a very small org, doing one type of business. It isn't good at handling multiple company records (this could happen, you never know). It also has the ability to unpost transactions which can be a liability in a larger org as it makes it easier for someone in a larger org to be able to steal and cover their tracks . There are a lot of Quick Books consultants available through the Ibtuit site, and courses should be pretty readily available for this product at community colleges I would think. Microsoft also has a small business accounting package you could look into. agness answered in Personal Finance 5 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 1421 Q&A: 44 0 4 469 28 4 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 asteria

  0 0 I know this might be contrarian, but you aren't required to purchase accounting software, especially if you are the sole proprietor for a small service-based business. Right now I'm taking accounting courses at community college, and I've done some very simple bookkeeping in the past. Before you make any decisions in this area, find a good CPA - ask people you know with similar businesses for recommendations. They could help you decide what system would work for you. For example, do you want to learn how to do your own bookkeeping? Or do you want to just turn everything over to someone else? If you'd rather focus on therapy and building your business, it might be worth it to you to just turn everything over to a professional. If you do turn everything over, the CPA (and/or their bookkeeper) will probably set up a company file for you on Quickbooks. They'll do all the data entry, reconcile your checking account, and give you reports on where the business stands. They can also do your taxes. It might seem expensive, but don't skimp on this. You'll probably only have a few hours of bookkeeping per month to begin with. In the future, you could always buy a copy of Quickbooks, use the company file the CPA has been using, and do your own bookkeeping. Even though Quickbooks can be used like a check register, I highly recommend you learn some basic small business accounting before you take over. Look for a CPA who can provide training or give you recommendations. They'll still check your books, but you can send them an accountant's copy of your Quickbooks file. If you want to take classes, you could take Acct 110 (Intro to Bookkeeping) and Acct 131 (Quickbooks) at either North or South Community Colleges. They are often offered online, or look for similar courses that focus on bookkeeping for sole proprietorships. You should be able to find classes tailored for people who want to start their own businesses; this is another good question to ask for recommendations. I do agree with everyone else so far that Quickbooks is the most widely-used software, so if you do buy something get a basic version of Quickbooks. I find that it's easier to use than Peachtree - the screens and menus are less cluttered in Quickbooks. You could register for the 30-day free trial of Quickbooks Online and see what you think - I think you have to give them your credit card number though. Good Luck! asteria answered in Personal Finance 5 months ago | Report 1 comment by financeguy48… 0 0 I would agree that quickbooks is by far the most widely used software for accountants but what I had a question about was what kind of degrees do accountants have to have now days to get a good role within an accounting firm. I feel that quickbooks is not that hard to use and I have also talked to numerous people that say they are hiring people now without having your standard masters degree in accounting/finance. As someone commented on earlier they are taking an accounting class at a community college and feels that quickbooks is very simple to manage. I know people that are looking at programs to complete certificates in accounting instead of getting their bachelors/masters. http://accountingcertificateprograms.net/ is a good example of the kind of programs that are available now for people that want to get into finance and accounting. Its very interesting though that people even in this forum talk about how they are going to a community college for accounting and I am curious to see how they fair amongst the accounts that completed masters degrees. Either way back on the subject I would have to say quickbooks is the way to go in terms of easiest to use as well as most commonly used. financeguy48 commented about 1 month ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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