"Find my iPhone" App Saves the Day

On Holiday vacation, my iPhone was stolen. I used iCloud "Find My iPhone" app to locate it. It was in a city where I have a friend. I locked the phone, and sent an alert to call my friend for a reward. I set the reward at the street value of the phone. My friend was an angel to drive to a dangerous neighborhood in the middle of the night to retrieve it, and mail it back the next day. Happy Holidays!

New Year; New Database?

It's time to think about if you're going to want a new database for Jan? Also, it's time for you to get setup if you're moving to QuickBooks for the first time for 2014.
 
There are many advantages to a new database for the new year, including:

• Faster data retrieval. A huge database can become unbearably slow. One client has a database hit the wall in August. Trust me, you don't want to start a new database midyear if you run payroll or pay taxes by the calendar year.
• The ability to start fresh. A new database gives you the opportunity to clean up your chart of accounts, customer, vendor, and other lists, and especially payroll problems. Only lists transfer; no transactions. Modify that last sentence. I can transfer transactions with special software that I've used for clients before, but you'll have to keep your lists the same in order to move the data. Once data is moved, you can delete any list item that's not included in one of the transactions. 
• The security of having only a single year in a single database; electronic information can become corrupted over time. I've rarely seen a QB database that lasted longer than 7 years electronically.
• The convenience of giving your tax preparer last year's database while continuing to run your day-to-day business without interruption.
• Last year, the IRS purchased QuickBooks. If you get audited, having a single year in a single database enables you to provide the IRS with just the information they demand, and nothing more. If you've just been audited I can get you a single year in a single database but it won't be pretty. The only way to get pretty is to create a new database for the new year. 

While there are many advantages to creating a new database for the new year, there are a few disadvantages.

• You'll need to hire help to setup a new database.
• If you're using Enterprise edition will you be able to print out reports cross databases for comparison. Otherwise, you'll have to do that with print-outs, Excel, and Intuit Statement Writer.

Ultimately, the decision to create a new database for the new year depends on what's best for your business?  If you're must moving lists, I can get you ready for the new database in less than 4 hours, which leaves time to discuss any other QuickBooks questions or business concerns.

QuickBooks Online Looks Different

If you've been using QuickBooks Online edition, you'll notice that Intuit has totally changing the "look & feel". 

The updated design (interface is the techie word for this) is not superior to the existing layout, just different, and confusing at first. Don't let the new screens throw you. All the functionality you are familiar with is there. You just just have to hunt around for the menu options you want. And there is new functionality. I can show you some new features in our next consulting session.