The Progressive Accountant Reviews

REVIEW: Workflow Software 2013

Tue, 07 May 2013 03:27:08 +0100

Now that tax season is over, what is next? Why evaluation of course! You are no doubt evaluating and re-evaluating what worked and what didn't work during tax season. Every year we want to be better. Are you serving your best clients well or are you working harder to take care of those that complain the most? Do you have the right staff? Are your processes allowing you and your staff to be as productive and profitable as possible?

REVIEW: Online Payroll Systems 2013

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0100

Payroll services for accountants, once considered a low-margin client service that accountants could take or leave, is once again gaining attention among accounting firms of all sizes. To a degree, this renaissance is based on the economy. With small businesses struggling under the burden of new taxes and uncertainties, accounting firms are working overtime to shore up their client relationships and their firms' revenue streams.

REVIEW: Scan This / Scan That

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:40:09 +0100

Scanners everywhere are converting paper to digital data. It does not matter that what is often being scanned was a digital file and used to create the printed page(s). It would be amazing if you, dear reader, are not already using scanning as part of your workflow and operations. We all know that working with digital files is easier, more accurate and way more effective for what needs to be processed. Tax data, accounting records, audit work papers are scanned on an almost daily basis through the accounting industry.

REVIEW: Website Builders 2013

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 05:02:03 +0100

Every business, big or small, needs a website. Your website tells people how to find you, advertises your products and services, and stakes your claim in your marketplace. Your website is also an essential part of your marketing plans, by allowing you to identify your company's brand: what are you focusing on, who is your target market, and what are you best equipped to do for them?

Windows Phone 8: Not Ready for ... Anything

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:04:10 +0100

I've had my Nokia 920 which runs Windows Phone 8 for about four months. In that time I've given it a decent workout and used it a fair amount. I have to say I'm unimpressed by Microsoft's attempt at a phone operating system. The application ecosystem is not only slim:

REVIEW: Engagement, Trial Balance Software 2013

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:39:46 +0100

As we are knee deep in our busiest time of the year, we are very conscious of how we spend our time. So, when working on the engagement software review, I wanted to look at the software from a workflow standpoint and not just a way to automate an audit. All the programs in the review not only do the typical trial balance and audit software but also work on the byproduct of the process - the tax return. In the past small firms that don't do audit work but do a lot of tax and tax resolution work would not have consider an engagement product.

Review: Budget Software 2013

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 02:36:17 +0100

Budgeting is one of those unpleasant tasks every manager has to do. It's a lot of number-crunching, comparing actual expenses versus last year's estimates and adding information about upcoming projects and known expenses. Thousands of people do their budgeting in a spreadsheet. However, while this is adequate for a basic budget for a department or small company, you have to enter the budget data manually, making it difficult to scale your budgets for larger companies. Moreover, spreadsheets rarely provide the analysis tools to create an accurate, tight budget based on existing numbers, and they are not suited for collaborative financial planning. This is where budgeting software comes in.

REVIEW: Tax Planning Software 2012

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:36:27 +0100

Sequestration. The Fiscal Cliff. The Affordable Health Care Act. A double-dip recession? We are not even into the new year, the environment for both individual and corporate taxes is changing for 2013. And while the dust has not yet settled on exactly how tax law will change, one thing is clear: Tax Planning will become critical, especially for small business owners.

Microsoft Surface Swims into the Mobile Ocean

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 02:50:59 +0100

Microsoft has come out from behind the curtain to join the mobility party. With the launch of its Surface line of tablets, this is a key moment for the personal computing universe. After a long hiatus which must have been filled with days and months of inner reflections and torment, Microsoft has made another move to include hardware as a company product.

Review: Invoicing Software 2012

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 03:13:24 +0100

Although most service businesses are used to generating invoices manually in a word processor, there are many disadvantages to this. First, you have to find all the charges billed to a particular client and project. Next, you have to add everything up correctly and send it out. Finally, you have to manually enter invoice amounts received from the client in your accounting software.

Review: Time & Billing 2012

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:17:38 +0100

There are two ways to bill for client services, and neither is perfect. The first is known as project billing, or billing-by-the-job. Under this method, the client is quoted a full price for the job based on the estimated time and costs anticipated for the job. This usually works to the advantage of the accounting firm, since no firm wants to lose money on a job and thus will quote just a little on the high side.

REVIEW: Fixed Asset Software

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 13:32:15 +0100

You can't fully appreciate the complexity of a concept until you attempt to explain it to someone else. Over the course of the past year, I had just such an opportunity while trying to explain U.S. rules for depreciating fixed assets to a very bright individual from France. When we compared notes regarding every other element of accounting, we were happy to discover more similarities than differences between the two countries.

iPhone 5: Faster, Thinner, Lighter

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:55:46 +0100

Unless you have been living in a cave, you know that Apple recently introduced the iPhone 5. The prior releases from Apple, the iPhone 4 and 4S, have been well crafted, highly popular, and have solidified the feature set of the innovative phone series. We were all waiting to see if, with Steve Jobs no longer at the helm, Apple could continue the innovation that has been the catalyst for its recent success.

Homeplug: Networking through a Powerline

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:33:31 +0100

When it comes to networking the small office or home office, the choices can be very limited. The ideal network would be Ethernet or another wired technology, but it is not always possible to run cable through the walls of rental offices, older office or home offices.

REVIEW: Overdue Upgrade - New QuickBooks Interface

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:04:01 +0100

If you've been involved in accounting technology for a couple of decades, you remember what a pleasure QuickBooks was to use at first. That graphical flowchart on the home page. Those pretty icons. That uniform look and simplicity.

REVIEW: CRM Software 2012

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:30:55 +0100

Customer relationship management software has never been more critical for accounting firms - and never more confusing. Literally dozens of solutions are available in the marketplace, at price points that range from a hundred dollars to many thousands. And yet, most are useless for accounting firms because their focus is less on relationship management than on sales force automation.

REVIEW: Client Write-Up Software

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 02:12:40 +0100

Client Write-Up services and their counterpart, After-The-Fact Payroll, are examples of core services that have resisted many of the changes that have swept through the accounting industry in the past three decades.

REVIEW: Nonprofit Accounting Software

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:49:23 +0100

The market for fund accounting software for not-for-profit organizations is considerably smaller than the market for commercial accounting software, but it is no less varied. Unlike standard commercial accounting, fund accounting lets you identify and separate your financial resources in separate funds. This lets you track the source and the use of the funds.

REVIEW: Payroll Systems 2012

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:12:37 +0100

It is becoming harder to find payroll systems for accountants that are not based either online or in a service bureau. The reasons for this are obvious, in terms of efficiency and costs. Still, there are situations in which it may make more sense for an accounting firm to have a desktop-based payroll solution with which to serve clients.

REVIEW: Document Management Software

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:47:38 +0100

If your firm hasn't moved to a document management system (DMS), it may be time to do so. DMSs are increasingly affordable and practical even for the smallest accounting firms. A DMS lets you go "paperless," or as paperless as anything is. The system stores documents-records, accounting files, tax returns and reports-and then helps manage their access and distribution on a centralized online system. A DMS makes your documents compact and instantly accessible, which saves you time and effort.

REVIEW: Sage 50 and Sage One

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:54:51 +0100

Sage may not have added much functionality to its small business desktop accounting software this year, but it's changed the product names and expanded its line of solutions. All of the company's small business applications now go under the name Sage 50-US (Simply Accounting is Sage 50-Canada). The old lineup stays the same, but it now ranges from Sage 50 First Accounting 2013 through Sage 50 Quantum Accounting 2013.

REVIEW: Online Payroll Software

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:09:24 +0100

A dozen years after the first SaaS versions of payroll software were introduced, it is no longer a question of why you would use them, but rather why any accounting practice would not. Hey: Fast, scalable and designed to meet the needs of accounting professionals and their clients in a mobile world, online payroll has four primary advantages over desktop versions of the same software system:

REVIEW: Workflow Software

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:09:40 +0100

Workflow is one of those terms that means something different to each person depending on his/her background and experience. One of the companies I reviewed defined it as what accountants and CPAs do all day, every day. I would agree.

REVIEW: Scanners and Rules for Picking Them

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:59:55 +0100

At the dawn of office automation some 20 years ago, scanners arose as an essential office business tool to help transition paper files into digital formats. Large, expensive and taking up an inordinate amount of desk space, the scanner was an investment for the office that sometimes exceeded what was spent on a computer and printer. Not so today.

REVIEW: The new iPad is...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:18:30 +0100

What is in a name? Apple decided to cut costs by eliminating one or two characters the branding of their new device. This is unfortunate for all the folks who had lotteries for '3', 'HD', '2S'. Calling the new iPad just the "iPad." is bound to cause confusion, but it will generate saying the name a lot, that is marketing. I am not certain of where the following dialogue originated, it is an interesting discussion about the recent purchase of a new iPad

REVIEW: Website Builder Software 2012

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:00:00 +0100

In this review, we are going to look at the top web building software for CPAs and accountants. If you either do not have a website or are looking to change your website you came to the right place. The products are all very good. All but one product is part of full application suite. If you would like to offer e-commerce through your website, you can do it with each of these products. You do need to make sure your specific merchant services works with the product you choose.

REVIEW: Engagement and Trial Balance Software 2012

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:13:03 +0100

Back in the days of green eye shades and manual accounting, the process known as Engagement and Trial Balance were essential to the practice of both audits and accounting. Trial balance showed a quick snapshot of the validity of the company's transactions during audits and other legations, while Engagement handled to processes of opening, tracking and successfully completing the client work.

REVIEW: Sales and Use Tax Software

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:47:14 +0100

Sales and use taxes could hardly be a more simple matter. Calculate your total sales for the month, multiply by the tax rate for the jurisdiction (usually city, county and state) and remit to amount due. If you somehow forget to do it, or miscalculate the amount, that jurisdiction will happily double-check your work and correct your math.

REVIEW: Budget Software 2012

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:14:55 +0100

Budgeting has long been treated as at best a pointless exercise and at worst a waste of time and resources. Once management has decreed what it deems an acceptable increase for inflation, department managers simply plug that increase into the previous year's budget, add in any capital or expansion funding desired, and send the budget forth.

REVIEW: Invoicing Software

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:12:57 +0100

As Intuit continues to try to move more comprehensively into the cloud with QuickBooks, sites automating a subset of financial management - online invoicing -- continue to launch and, in some cases, flourish. There are dozens of them. Who are they aiming at? Any company that already uses an accounting software desktop product or website already has full accounts receivable functionality. Sole proprietors, microbusinesses and/or companies that don't need to balance debits and credits but who need to bill customers seem the likeliest target audience. And there are millions of them.

REVIEW; NitroPDF Pro 7 PDF Editor

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:43:46 +0100

Since it entered the PDF reading and editing market five years ago, Nitro has consistently won praise among reviewers and users for its enhanced features and streamlined structure. That tradition continued with the release this month of NitroPDF Pro 7, a PDF editor authoring and editing tool that enables users to create, edit, secure, sign, and share PDF files.

REVIEW: Financial Planning Software 2011

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:53:02 +0100

Financial planning has always been a growth industry, and is no less so today in spite of the economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), based on its most recent data, there are 155,300 financial advisors in the United States, with the greatest number residing in New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois and California. This represents a drop in the number of financial planners since 2008, but the survivors of the economic shakeout are doing better financially, with a mean income of $91,200 per year.

Tax Planning Software 2011

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:15:36 +0100

By all rights, this should be a banner year for accounting firms that engage in serious tax planning. After all, with the economy still in the doldrums, clients should be looking for any way they can to increase their personal and business cash. Using an effective tax strategy is one of the key ways to do that, particularly for those who have exhausted most of their other options.

REVIEW; A Trio of Mid-Market Accounting Apps

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:13:44 +0100

Mid-market solutions are right-sized for many businesses. These tools are the middle child of the accounting software space. Not simple enough to be used by many of the smallest businesses and not complex (or expensive) enough to even be considered by many of the Fortune 500, they are designed for that broad chunk of businesses sitting squarely in the middle of the market.

REVIEW: Fixed Assets Software

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:17:44 +0100

Why would a small to medium-sized accounting firm be interested in using a fixed asset program? It is easy to get stuck on the fact that most fixed asset programs cost a lot of money. After all, in a smaller firm that money comes directly out of your pocket.

REVIEW: QuickBooks Premier 2012 - Quiet Changes, Improved Workflow

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:00:05 +0100

As QuickBooks upgrades go, 2012 isn't a barn-burner. It does promise better and faster workflow, enhanced insight into your clients' financial information and the further centralization and accessibility of data. It does so through innovations in reporting tools, calendaring and the addition of new Centers.

REVIEW: Portable Scanners 2011

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:40:40 +0100

Document scanners were an early novelty in the computing market, a technology that melded the old document imaging used by fax machine with the newer, faster ability to transmit data digitally. In fact, the scanner helped to make the fax machine obsolete by taking over its ability to digitize paper documents.

REVIEW: NFP Accounting Software 2011

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:22:46 +0100

The not-for-profit sector is a bellwether of the economy. When consumer confidence is improving and the economy expanding, as it was through the second quarter of this year, donations increase and NFPs fare better. And that seemed to be the case, as Blackbaud and others showed donations tracking 10 percent or more above levels at the same time last year.

REVIEW: A Look at Write-up Software

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:01:01 +0100

If you are like me, you are receiving at least two to three emails a day with information on you how to build or grow your practice. Typically, these emails come from leaders in our industry who are experts on what it takes to have a successful accounting practice. There is a very consistent message in these emails. That message is simple: keep your client satisfaction high by providing outstanding customer service. One of the best ways you can do this is provide your client with write-up services.

REVIEW: Time and Billing Software 2011

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:57:06 +0100

Like sand through the hour glass...... so are the billable hours in an accountant's work day. Just like Susan Lucci during her twenty five years on daytime television, the timesheet has managed to keep a lead role in many accounting firms. In spite of the heroic efforts of Ron Baker and the team at Verasage to the contrary, hours are still inextricably linked to most firm's revenues. So for now, time and billing software remains an essential practice management tool.

REVIEW: Peachtree 2012

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:56:11 +0100

I've stopped looking for blockbuster new features in Sage Peachtree products. The Sage Peachtree line, especially its upper tiers, provides enough accounting tools - in terms of what your clients can do with their financial data -- to please the lion's share of small businesses. It's just about exhausted what it can do with customizability, too, and no one could ever use all of the reports it offers.

REVIEW: Document Management Software

Wed, 18 May 2011 01:32:27 +0100

The quiet little marketplace for document management solutions is about to kick into high gear, driven not by the demands of accounting firms and their clients, but by external forces that will bring new requirements for records retention, a slew of new competitors, and a lot of confusion for companies still striving to build efficient document management into their administrative processes.

REVIEW: Online Payroll Systems

Tue, 10 May 2011 21:17:07 +0100

It is a great time of year! Tax season is over. The weather is getting warm and sunny. Another wonderful thing about tax season being over is that is a great time to take a few moments to really analyze your practice. What processes worked and what processed need change? What services worked and what services need to be eliminated or added? I just downloaded a copy of the E-Myth Accountant to my Ipad. If I may, I would suggest that if you are serious about improving your practice that you read this book.

Review: Now is the Time for Workflow Tools

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:35:31 +0100

Now is the time to consider automated workflow tools. It probably seems odd to be talking about workflow tools right after tax season -hasn't that horse already left the barn? The only flow most of us are thinking about at this time of year has nothing to do with work. It involves an ocean view and a beverage flowing into a chilled glass.

REVIEW: Document Management Scanners

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:13:59 +0100

A few years ago, a good scanner was considered an indispensable piece of hardware for an accounting firm, due to the number of paper documents that needed to be added to electronic file cabinets and document management systems. Today, they are rapidly going the way of the typewriter - a specialized tool that may not be worth the investment given how infrequently it is used.

REVIEW: Website Builder Software

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:20:12 +0100

As technology is evolving at such a rapid pace, it causes challenges for those of us who own our own firms. Every day there are more tools available to make us more productive and increase the ability for our clients to reach us whenever it is convenient for them. The reality is the amount of information and tools available is not only overwhelming but ultimately can decrease our productivity if we are not diligently focusing on what is important to our firm.

REVIEW: Engagement and Trial Balance Software 2011

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:25:54 +0100

Trial Balance and Engagement software solutions represent the first two building blocks in a successful client engagement.The trial balance is at the core of double-entry bookkeeping, providing an assessment of whether the general ledger is in balance by making a tally of the debits and credits. Engagement workpaper and process software has come more recently, combining workflow processing, document management, reporting, collaboration and other underpinnings of the engagement process into a more streamlined package. The two are often used in tandem, and are sometimes even provided in the same software.

REVIEW: Sales and Use Tax Products

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:19:10 +0100

Superheroes are all the rage in Hollywood. We've had Batman, Ironman, and soon the Green Hornet featured in action-packed adventures on the big screen. I like to think of sales tax vendors in a similar vein. Without these vendors, we would be at the mercy of rogue tax authorities, with their unwieldy rate changes, jurisdictional gerrymandering and dastardly dizzying product classifications. We would lead dark and dreary lives filled with daily tax rate lookups, rule validation, and infinite audit adjustments. Thank goodness we can reach for the red phone when we get overly taxed.

REVIEW: Budgeting Software 2011

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:47:28 +0100

Budgeting software, once a distinct category of software in its own right, is quickly being subsumed by a Business Process Management orientation that takes a more holistic approach to management of budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and planning. Having moved away from simple spreadsheets over the past decade, budgeting has taken root online as a web-based application, operating either as an independent module or as an integrated package.

REVIEW: Financial Planning Software

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:22:35 +0100

With stirring signs of a fiscal recovery in the offing for 2011, it may be time for forward-looking accountants to become more aggressive in their pursuit of a financial planning practice.The practice is generally split into three differing parts:

*Financial planning, which identified the client's needs and goals and indicates priorities for wealth accumulation;
*Asset Allocation, which identifies the types of assets best used to maximize returns into order to meet those needs and goals;
*And rebalancing/re-selection tools, which keep the plan current over the number of years necessary.