Why an accounting firm makes a great business partner

 Accounting firms are companies that specialize in providing accountancy services for their clients. These services include handling clients' payroll, taxes, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Some accounting firms also offer advisory or auditing services to clients. Accounting firms provide financial services to help their clients, as business owners, stay financially organized. Business owners often see accounting firms as a business partner and not just as a service provider.

Different businesses need different types of financial services. When a company is looking for an accounting firm to appoint, they must first consider the types of accounting services they need. Accounting services include major accounting services and other accounting services. 

Major accounting services

Major accounting services include:

1. Public accounting: Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) perform public accounting services, including preparing and reviewing financial statements.
2. Management accounting: Management accounting refers to how accountants analyze historical and current data to develop an efficient and effective business model for their clients. Management accounting processes include budgeting, performance evaluation, and cost management. Management account services include advisory services on the improved utilization of a business' resources to meet the business' objectives. 
3. Governmental accounting: There are specific accounting issues for governmental bodies. The purpose of governmental accounting is to help the different government sectors budget and utilize their resources effectively and in line with the national and local legislative framework. 
4. Internal auditing: Internal auditing services help businesses produce reliable and accurate financial statements. Internal auditing services enable companies to identify deviations from accounting standards but do not include preparing the financial statements.

Other accounting services

Other accounting services include the following:

1. Tax planning and preparation: Accounting firms can do tax planning and preparation for businesses, including state and federal tax returns. They can also prepare other documents, such as 1099-Misc and employee W-2 forms. Some accounting firms also handle information requests and audits from the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of their clients. 
2. Bookkeeping and payroll services: Many small business owners are experts at their own business' products and services, but they don't know how to manage their business' financial affairs. Accounting firms can help record a business' cash flow and create profit and loss statements. 
3. Business valuation and development: Accounting firms play a critical role in creating valuation reports or obtaining audits, which are sometimes required by financing firms. Accounting firms also provide advisory services for mergers and acquisitions. Some accounting firms can help new businesses create pro forma financial projections and statements supporting fundraising initiatives.
4. Forensic accounting: The purpose of forensic accounting services is to detect fraud and other financial crimes. 

Investing for Beginners

 If you have never invested money in anything before, it can feel like an extremely scary prospect. Just knowing and understanding some of the basics can go a long way towards making it feel a lot more manageable. While we can’t give you every little detail in this short blog post, we can give you some of the broader themes that will hopefully make investing feel like it is a realistic possibility for you.

Pay Off Debt 

Before you go any further down the path of investing, you should aim to pay off any pre-existing debt. Of course, many people have student loans and mortgages, which are perfectly normal, but it is the high interest credit card debt which can really act as a weight around your ankle. If you leave these debts to accumulate, the money that you make investing will be reduced significantly. So, try to avoid the common trap of buying more than you can afford. Only use credit cards in emergency situations and save money for your major purchases rather than using cash that you don’t have as yet. 

Create an Emergency Fund 

Your next major investment should consist of making an emergency fund that you can dip into should times get tough. Ideally, you should aim to save around three to six months of living expenses. The global coronavirus pandemic is a clear example of the kind of emergency situation that can have a big impact on your livelihood. Even if you don’t need to dip into it, the fund is always there, providing peace of mind and a sense that you have a safety net waiting to catch you should you need it.

Learn the Ropes 

Before you rush to put your money into a specific stock or share, you should learn the basics of investing. Look at the different options available to you. People most commonly turn to the stock market as a starting point, but there are also investments like gold, so check out Nuggets By Grant. There is plenty of free information available online, as well as paid seminars and webinars. You can also get a feel for investing by using ‘play’ money and seeing whether your investments go up or down. 

Create an Investment Plan

You should now feel more comfortable in creating an investment plan. Start by assessing your current financial standing, before defining clearly what you want to accomplish. Your next step is to determine how much risk you can afford to take, before making it clear what type of investment you want to make. You should also have a timeline of how you envisage the situation developing. While you want to be ambitious, you still need to set realistic and achievable goals. Ultimately, these are much better than ‘pie in the sky’ figures which you are unlikely to hit.

While there is plenty more that could be written about investing, this guide gives you a good general overview of how to get started and develop your portfolio.

What To Know Before Getting a Dog

 Having pets is a big responsibility, even more so with an animal like a dog. Pet care is often underestimated, which can lead to animals not receiving the safekeeping they need. Consider the following tips prior to getting a dog. 

Breed

Before you do a Google search for AKC German Shepherd breeders Florida, do your research on what breed will work best for you. Some dogs are more suited for an active lifestyle, and others that may thrive with a more dominant, leader of the pack type owner. Just like people, each dog is different and has needs that need to be met. Your housing situation and your work schedule should all be kept in mind before becoming a pet owner.  

Cost

Not only does it cost a pretty penny to adopt or purchase a dog, but there is also even more financial responsibility when it comes to vet bills, food and accessories. It is always a good idea to get your dog checked out by the vet regardless of his previous situation, and you will need to purchase toys to keep him busy, a crate for training and a leash. Dogs don't stop costing money once you bring them home. So, it may be smart to sit down and go through your budget to ensure this is an expense you can afford.

Adaptability

It can take weeks for your pet to decompress from a change of scenery and ownership. Be sure to give your new pet the grace he needs during this time. You can expect there to be some anxiousness until your dog feels at home.

Dogs offer great companionship and fully live up to their reputation of being man's best friend. But, they do require a lot of care and effort compared to other animals. Use the information above to make sure you are up for the challenge.

How To Make Your World a Better Place

 Surviving a pandemic has taken its toll on people all over the globe. If there's at least one positive thing that can be taken from this experience, it's now understanding what's really important. Maybe you spent more time with family, or helped someone in need, but there's still more you can do. Here are four ways to make your world a better place.

Start Volunteering

If you've ever felt a desire to volunteer, this is the time to act on it. More people than ever are down on their luck and they could use your help. There are many different ways to donate your time, whether it's at a food bank, delivering meals or even building a home in your community.

Spread Kindness

One thing that the world could use more of is kindness, but how do you start? Treating people the way you'd like to be treated is a great way to begin. You can also find more ways to spread goodwill by becoming a kindness butterfly and starting your own path towards making the world better.

Work With Animals

If working with animals is where your heart is at, consider donating your time to a kennel. You can help feed animals, walk them and do assorted jobs such as cleaning and working on fundraisers. You can also foster an animal if you have the room.

Change Your Habits

Changing the world should start right at home. Things like buying local, or fair trade, helps families instead of mega-corporations. Buying products that are cruelty-free and don't harm the environment are small changes that make a huge impact.

Make the World Better

Now is the time to look at what you can do to help by volunteering, spreading kindness and changing your own habits. Although you are just one person, you still have the ability to make your world a much better place.

When do you need Garage Door Repair?

With how often homeowners open and close their garage doors every year, there is sure to be some maintenance that will need to be done every so often. Over time, garage doors (just like anything else) will begin to wear and tear and if they aren't maintained, it can lead to total failure and an expensive replacement. The better avenue to take is that of regular maintenance from Pflugerville garage door repair professionals that will take the time to inspect your door, test the tracks and keep everything ship-shape.

So when do you call professionals like Austin's Greater Garage Doors? Here are a few tell-tale signs to watch out for to know when you need to service your garage door next.

1. Your Garage Door Makes a Lot of Noise

While noise is synonymous with a garage door opening and closing, you'll know when your garage door starts to sound a little bit off. If you hear extra grating or rumbling, there could be something wrong with the springs, where if you hear lots of popping sounds, your door sections may be bending incorrectly. First recognizing the sounds your garage door is making and then calling professionals to explain can help to narrow down what issues might be going on with the door.

2. Your Garage Door Won't Open or Close

One obvious sign you'll need maintenance on your garage door is when it simply won't open or close. While this can be frustrating to experience, the fix might be a little more simple and it's something that many builders of new homes run into. Some possible reasons your garage door won't open are that the door opener isn't working correctly, the cables are broken or some other faulty part. If your garage will open slightly but not all the way, then it could also be something to do with the springs in your garage door. A simple part replacement can usually remedy the issue.

3. The Door Has Come Off the Tracks

Since your garage door runs on rollers, if it comes off the tracks it will no longer be a smooth interaction. Some reasons why the garage door may come off of its track include the lift cables breaking, the vertical rails becoming misaligned or someone (or something) running into the door hard enough to knock it off track. This is a little bit trickier fix and would likely require the help of a professional to do safely.

Why Video is So Important for Online Marketing Strategies in 2020

 Ever since video marketing first came into existence, it has remained an integral part of every successful marketing strategy that can afford and accommodate it. The few reasons we are going to discuss next will remain valid in not just 2020, but also in the future. We will also focus on why video holds particular importance in 2020; a year which deserves special attention.

There’s a Clear and Positive Connection between Video and SEO in B2B

In a report presented by HubSpot this year, a clear connection between SEO and video marketing was established in both the B2B and the B2C segments. It was found that SEO campaigns that directed business owners and high-level executives to video content were the most likely to convert. Over 65% of the surveyed business executives mentioned that they usually visit potential new partner/supplier websites, only after watching some sort of promotional/branding video about them. 92% of marketers across all segments are in agreement that SEO that leads to video content provides a higher ROI.

2020 Deserves Special Attention from Video Marketers

No other year in recent history has seen higher online traffic than 2020. People have been forced to carry out everything from education and work, to arranging for entertainment and maintaining communication, via the internet due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With so many brick and mortar companies now moving online, it’s become clear that all businesses need to up their game when it comes to marketing.  If video is a way to stand out from the crowd, it’s a key thing to begin implementing.

SMEs have the Most to Gain from Video Marketing this Year

A Wing Visuals identifies why hire a videographer to promote your small business, complete with clear examples and specific guidelines regarding how to best use the services of a professional marketing videographer. For example, they point out that online video content is much cheaper to produce than TV ads, while at the same time, brief, strategic videos enjoy a higher success rate than TV ads, especially this year with people spending so much time online.

Success with Video in Marketing: Relevance and Quality Play Critical Roles

Most of the time, people are not willing to watch ad films, branding videos and social media ads. So how can video be so useful if it isn’t even something that people are likely to watch? On the contrary, that is one of the reasons why video is so effective. Although this statement sounds contradicting, it is not and the confusion can be cleared by the following pointers:

• If video content is being skipped too often, it isn’t reaching the target audience

• If the video content is reaching the right target audience and still being skipped, the content itself is not up to standard

The bottom-line is that when the right video marketing campaign meets the right audience, the ROI is almost always very high. Relevance and quality must be delivered simultaneously.

Setting aside the present situation, the appeal of video content in general is universal as long as the videos are relevant to the target audience. After all, video can simultaneously engage our two primary senses of sight and sound. It can deliver information in a more comprehensive manner and at a rate that’s hundreds and thousands of times faster than text or images.

Innovative Ways to Pay Unexpected Bills

 We all have bills to pay – gas, electric, broadband, etc. When we have money, an unexpected bill isn’t a massive problem. We can dip into our savings or make our salary stretch a bit further than usual. But if we don’t have any savings and our wages barely cover the essentials, paying an unexpected bill is a lot more difficult. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to rescue the situation. 

Borrow from Friends and Family

It’s always worth asking family and close friends for a loan if you are caught in a tight spot. Our loved ones are usually more than happy to help us out if they can. Just don’t make a habit of it, or their good will might wear a bit thin. 

Sell Unwanted Items

Take a good look around your home and see if there is anything you can sell to raise some extra money. Covid-19 has led to the closure of gyms, so home fitness equipment is making good money on sites like eBay. You can also raise some cash by selling old clothes, shoes, handbags - especially if they are designer. 

List items on sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Gumtree. One person’s garbage is another person’s treasure!

Take Out a Payday Loan

Short-term loans from Payday lenders are useful if you need money very quickly and your credit rating is sub-prime. Payday lenders don’t check an applicant’s credit history. They assess your income and outgoings to determine whether you can afford the repayments. Decisions are usually given within minutes of an application and the money will be in your bank account within 24-hours. This is a useful way of paying for an unexpected bill to repair a car or buy a new appliance when the old one has broken down.

Car Title Loans

Car title loans are a form of equity loan. The lender lends you money based on the value of your vehicle. The higher the value of your car, the more you can borrow. Like a payday loan, when you apply for money via a car title loan, there is no credit history check and the money is available very quickly. You can check out your car title loans Roseville to find out more. 

Take Out a Zero Percent Credit Card

If your credit score is decent, one way to pay for an unexpected bill is to put the cost on a cheap credit card. Look for a credit card with an introductory zero percentage deal and then you can pay it off over 12-24 months. As long as you don’t go crazy and spend, spend, spend on your new credit card, it’s an excellent way to borrow money.

Finally, one last thing worth considering is requesting an overdraft on your bank account. The interest charges may not be too high if you are able to repay the balance fairly quickly. 

Always add up the cost of borrowing money before you pull the trigger on a loan. You may be able to come to a repayment agreement with your creditor that’s cheaper than taking out a loan.