Friday, February 29, 2008

Analysis of Income and Investments

For tax purposes, income can be divided as ordinary income and capital gains. Ordinary income includes compensation for personal services such as wages and salaries, business profit and interest income from invested funds while capital gain generally comes from the sale of investment property.

As with any business enterprise, conducted for profit, ordinary and necessary costs associated with day-to-day operation and management may be deducted from income.

Role of Financial Accountant in tax saving

For all your personal and business returns, tax accountant can deliver timely and accurate assistance. The key part of an accountant is to provide tax preparation services and tax help. Here are some of the ways how a tax accountant can serve you in your business decisions:

• Assist you in analyzing your financial statements
• Prepare tax returns and assist with tax planning
• Prepare tax returns and assist with tax planning
• Act as your advisor and sounding board in financial and administrative matters

A tax accountant can help you in identifying ways that can minimize your tax liabilities and other basic needs for tax preparation services as: timeliness; accuracy; customized tax strategy; and managing a complex tax situation.

For your taxation purposes, you should seek out the advice of a licensed tax professional, such as a Certified Public Accountant or an Enrolled Agent. These are highly-trained tax professionals who specialize in helping their clients pay the least tax possible.

What You Need

Following are the documents that you need to provide to your tax accountant, depending on how complicated your tax return is:

• All your tax documents
• Photo identification
• Social Security Cards for yourself and your dependents
• Checkbook for direct deposit of your refund
• Copy of last year's tax return

How to Hire an Accountant

Ask for Referrals: Ask everyone you can think of; family, friends, business owners, financial advisors and attorneys. It will help to ask someone who has a similar tax situation to yours.

Local, independent tax firms are specialized in the tax needs of individuals and small businesses. Call around to at least three tax offices to ask about their prices and how quickly you can schedule an appointment. Ask if the firm has the expertise to handle your taxes. Be sure to ask for a senior-level tax accountant.
Accountants have various ways for the billing depending on the type of service performed. Ask your tax accountant will charge for the services that you are requesting assistance with. An hourly rate is commonly used, but for specific services they can also charge on a regular basis.
Talk to your tax accountant before making any major decision so you will know the tax implications ahead of time; it will save your time later if all of the documents are in proper order. Accountants get paid by the hour, so the harder you make their job, the more it will cost you.

Write down the questions that you want to ask; it helps you to keep your visit organized. Take notes when you are talking with the accountant so you will not have to ask the same question again. This exercise can help you to save money and time.

Ask for a detailed bill for each type of service that you receive, including time and billing rate. This will help to give some clues about what you can do to help save money.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Financial Planning:

A properly structured financial plan enables you to face any inevitable financial challenge. Along with traditional tax and accounting services, professional accountants can help you in overall business valuations and planning, budgeting, estate and gift tax planning and other complex finance related decisions. Financial accountant can help in planning, analyzing, implementing and monitoring all the finance related plans.

As personal financial adviser, he can assist you in any situation that can significantly impact your financial situations. It can be devising estate plans, plans for retirement, insurance planning, risk management and all other financial and legal decisions.

An accountant can evaluate and estimate the financial requirements and can track cash flow sources. Meaningful, well-organized financial records ensure that your business operations will run efficiently on a regular basis.

For everyone who is starting or operating a business should be driven by planning and strategy. If you have an accountant who can efficiently focus on optimizing the profits, plan and implement fruitful strategies then your business can reach to its potential.

In a nutshell, an accountant can assist you to optimize your profitability, by:

• Budget and Planning
• Preparation of Financial Statements
• Cash Flow, Financial Projections and Risk Analysis
• Business and Ownership Structures
• Trusts, Asset Protection and estate Planning
• Family Business Advice
• Succession Planning

You can browse through a list of accounting companies and tax accountants of your area to assist in your tax planning at RESPOND.com

Role of an Accountant in Tax preparation

Every business is required to file with both state and federal government. The filing includes tax estimates, individual and business tax returns, and without proper record maintenance you can be held liable for files and penalties during an audit.

For all your personal and business returns, an accountant can deliver timely and accurate assistance. The primary role of a financial accountant is to prepare and monitor financial statements, reports and sales of the company. The key part of an accountant is to provide tax preparation services and tax help. Following is an overview of how a tax accountant can serve you in your business decisions:

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

How to find an Accounting Service


Accountants help your business run smoothly by increasing your profits and reducing your taxes. Accounting firms and accountants help in recording and interpreting financial data that facilitates better business decisions.

Accountants and accounting firms help in various tasks such as auditing, tax, and all other consultations related to the financial services. Small business organizations generally prefer to work with some experts from outside to deal with their financial and legal documentation.

Organizations find it very beneficial to use the accounting services provided by the accounting firms or accountant rather than hiring a professional for the job. An outside accountant generally proves to be a trusted business adviser and can act as a facilitator for the success and growth of your business.

To select the perfect accountant or the firm is a very important decision. The accounting service should have the basic integrity and expertise in handling your entire accounts related task. The accounting service or firm that you hire for your business should be able to monitor your finances periodically. It should be able to provide you the authentic and useful information regarding your specific business requirements.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Accounting & Bookkeeping

I decided to blog these as I am going to appear for my second semester of my CPA exam, well I am really very tensed about the paper it is one of the toughest that I am going to face. I also could not do much study as I was busy with Vishnu and having a fun time.
My exam for Certified Public Accountants is nearing..and I have to go to the carnival. My Conscience says NO NO...oh god help me....I am no longer a teenager playing pranks...
Anyway I will let you all know about the details of my Accountant course, Financial Accounting and Bookkeeping Services.
I am doing my certification from American Institute of Certified financial Accountants.
It is a 2 years course and I am doing my second semester and completion I will become an accountant.
I always dream about being a Financial Ad visor to a multinational firm, where my work will not only be confined to tax calculations and balance sheets. I would take greater steps in tapping in financial resources for the company, making the yearly budget for expenses and in true sense can become a financial consultant by tracking business financing and setting an optimum output level.