Amy Bean, Bookkeeper

Early Retirement

2006-11-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

This is IT, folks!
You can catch me zoomin' off into the sunset leaving the World of Bookkeeping for Others behind in a golden cloud of dust and denial. My final words include:

1. If you don't really want to take 100% responsibility for your business, then you best get an Employer to do it for you.

2. If you assume your bookkeeper double agents as a personal
assistant, then you need a more expensive accountant to explain how it all works.

3. Don't forget to let your bookkeeper talk to your accountant. If you don't have an accountant, get one. The accountant helps you make some decisions about how to run your business and the bookkeeper can then keep your records according to those choices you've made. If you think the bookkeeper is going to make the decisions for you, you are out of your mind.

4. Have Fun!

Don't forget to vote

2006-11-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

No, really, Don't forget to vote:

Find out where you need to go if you don't yet know:

smartvoter.org
or
1-800-MY-VOTE-1

Election tampering, vote suppression, or other dirty tricks can be reported to the non-partisan National Campaign for Fair Elections at:

nationalcampaignforfairelections.org
or
1-886-OUR-VOTE

Post Apocalyptic Post

2006-08-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Ya know, every time I quit my job to run off with the circus, my world gets a whole lot better.

http://srl.org/shows/sanjose/

Many new bookkeeping opportunities have come out of the recent get-together in the form of collaborative projects that I'm designing/fabricating and tracking income/expenses for reality-based creative + technical fun. Does it get any cooler than that? No. No it doesn't.

Progress

2006-07-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

Slightly over a year into this bookkeeping adventure, I have just walked away from clients #3 and #6. I've seen about as much resistance to organizational sanity as I can handle. I have seen how much people spend on pens, popcorn and propane, and I've seen how often and I've seen the anxieties related to processing the data. I have weeded my client roster to one small service business, my own small service business, my own household records and my new creative venture- the baby t shirts.

Putting accurate data into an accounting program and then compiling reports is a rewarding and satisfying process for those who actually want to know what is going on with their efforts to make a profit at what they do. I certainly do, and the one remaining client from my first year of client seeking does as well. She listened to my advice and suggestions about how to collect and input the agonizingly mundane details, and now it takes me half the time to process her paper trail. She knows what the hell is actually going on in her accounts. She knows that it's possible to expand into new areas of interest for herself and her clients. We have a winner, folks!!

No Sooner Were the Words...

2006-06-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

out of my mouth and onto the page...After extolling the virtues of autopay and consolidating routine payments, I lost my wallet. It was just before I made a master list of everything in it, and what is linked to what. DOH!!

I had to pull out all records and scramble around on a Saturday night (instead of going to the movies) to find all my autopayments and which card it was on to cancel and reinstate with the new credit card number. SO- putting everything you can onto autopay is still a grand thing, just do yourself a favor and make a cheat sheet with what lives where in the event of a sudden change.

AutoPay Everything

2006-05-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

It aint no huge thang, but actually it is...put as many routine bills as possible onto autopay from either a credit card or bank account. It's the way of the future. The time saved by not having to remember to pay a bill, let alone, the gathering of the papers and missing envelope and do I have a stamp and did I get it into the mail soon enough to avoid a late fee is enough of a good argument to render NOT doing it "ridiculous".

Mastering Correction of Accounting Errors

2006-05-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Posting incorrectly is an accounting fact of life, and it's a party how to figure out what happened, and what to do when you find the error. How to handle an error is completely dependent on when it is discovered. Many errors are caught during the end of year adjustments.

Here's an alphabetized list of nine (9!!) common accounting errors:

Accrual or Deferral: incorrectly tracking A/R and A/P, or paid in advance.
Arithmetic: your math stinks!
Categorization: posting to the wrong account, i.e. Rent Expense instead of Picnic Supplies Expense.
Improper Doubtful % Estimates: you guessed 4% when it's really 6%.
Incorrect Accounting Principle: you expensed when you ought to have capitalized.
Omission: ooops! forgot to post.
Posting: you said deb-it when you meant cred-it.
Slide: decimal in the wrong place. 100 instead of 1000. Whoah!
Transposition: switching 2 numbers a la $82.34 instead of $82.43...I was surpised to see how often I did this in the beginning.

AIPB & QB

2006-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

I am really impressed with the material in the books I bought from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. After reading many other textbooks and how-to guides, I feel satisfied with the quality of the explanations and quiz formatting. It's not easy stuff to explain or absorb because things are happening on a number of simultaneous conceptual levels over a time factor. Also, the revolution in accounting software has made the process more accessible to those who haven't got a clue about what's going on behind the interface...but it's not like the accounting principles have been simplified in any way. These books cover what's actually happening behind the scenes, with an occasional shout out to the more modern ways.

Anniversary Coming Up

2006-05-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

The 15th of July will be the first year anniversary of AB,B. The training wheels come off and I'm gonna raise my rates. w00t!
I'm also celebrating my first year wedding anniversary this weekend. Go Team!

Fun Factor 5

2006-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

OK, I solved my loneliness problem. Solitude is a double edge sword for me- I need a balance of it and not it.

I had a killer weekend including zooming around with my awesome husband on my new (to me) Honda CB250 Night Hawk. But now it's time to get back to the books, papers, pens, correction tape, calculator, printer, print outs, file cards, highlighter, scotch tape, statements, folders, and snax.

Night Vision

2006-05-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

There aren't enough hours in the day, so I'll take one out of the night. I got my highly anticipated books from the AIPB and spent the week haggling with my life over an all new plan for World Domination. I quickly hit a wall of unanticipated frustration. No stranger to introspection, I quickly discovered important things about the effects of putting myself into this rigorous dimension: It is difficult material and the study path I have chosen is freakin' lonely. I simply don't have time for my usual social butterflyisms and more traditional methods of keeping in touch- namely showing up. On the upside, however, if it's true that this old dog can learn new tricks and add long life wrinkles to the gray matter, I can take comfort in knowing that the wrinkles are gonna be deep and I'm gonna live for ev-ar.

Neat Receipts(tm) kinda SuXXors

2006-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Some people like it, but after messing around with this tool for a few months, I have decided it's a waste of 200 bucks. The interface is too complicated to be useful- you need to tell it too much per scan, and the scans are kinda slow from my perspective. It offers too few options for easy sorting and retrieval- which is what I would think it's good for, since the info is already, presumably, entered into QuickBooks. I'm going to sort my receipts by each credit or debit or cash account, and then file them in envelopes with the name of the month on it. NeatReceipts would be useful if you had no other software for tracking the to whom, when and how much.

Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2006

2006-03-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

Matt Whatley, aka The Tax Ninja, turned me on to the Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2006 and it has proven to be of great help. Imagine-tax legalese in readable format peppered with tax savers, tax planners and tax alerts.

Online Assistance

2006-03-29T23:27:00.000-08:00

We just found this great site by Michael Gray, CPA and here, and here, too.

Plenty of free help on the endlessly confusing tax minutiae (that's plural for minutia), and not to be confused with the points of interest in a fingerprint, such as bifurcations (a ridge splitting into two) and ridge endings.

Financial Calculators 4 U

2006-03-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

financial calculators

Tax Buddha

2006-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

I took a great class last week at the SBA- it was about filling out a Schedule C- Profit or Loss- and taught by a knowledgeable and enthusiatic Andrew S. Rogers, E.A. aka the Tax Buddha.

The magic world of your receipts

2006-03-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

Yup, I sort receipts these days. I look around your office and pull them out of the abyss they've slipped in to. I recontextualize them as objects and as raw information which, I believe, would love to interact with you...ignore your receipts long enough, and they will physically fade and their message will be less clear.

Your receipts will most likely be there for you when you come about, but the opportunity to interact with that data in a way that is meaningful simply because it is current, will have been lost. You will have an entirely different conversation with your data, and from my experience, it's one that's more stressful, since it's competing with the new current data.

It's distracting to run a business and learn about how to run a business at the same time, though that's what happens- you learn how to run a business, if you're lucky, and how not to run a business if you are less so. Your paper trail is a great place to find out how your business is doing.

Bookkeeping Fun

2006-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Lee Riley is the reason I take classes at the SBA. We have a similar sense of humor about accounting, so his lectures definitely cover relevant features for me. I totally agree with him about recordkeeping needing to be fun, or you won't do it.

Bookkeeping Fun for me means: handy, visually and intellectually interesting, and having finite tasks within the hugeness. I have recently upgraded my mobile bookkeeping fu and feng shui with portable compartments for all the little office crap so I can have my favorite products within arms reach while at any jobsite. Still working out the details of the ultimate fashion carry-all, but guaranteed it will have ultimate capacity for a laptop, all the fiddley bits, NeatReceipts scanner, girly bits, and lunch.

Physical and Fiscal Fitness

2006-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

I'm adding the imagery of physical fitness to my driving analogies of bookkeeping because it's become clear that the process of getting it together financially takes time, a commitment to the well-being of one's financial state, and acquired skills.

It certainly has taken me a long time in my life to break a sweat and reconcile my statements on a regular basis, although they never happen at the same time.

Get Help

2006-02-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Keeping accurate records is the route to knowing how your business is, in fact, doing, as well as having an enhanced driving experience.

If recordkeeping is not your thing, or there isn't enough time, don't worry. But in not worrying, don't forget to get it done. Figure out what you can realistically do yourself, and hire someone to do the rest.

Actually, hiring someone to help you figure out what you can realistically do yourself is more affordable than you might think. The sensation of recordkeeping will shift from feeling like your business is driving you, to handling the turns like an Indy500 pro.

You, Your CPA and Driving Your Business

2006-02-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

Does your CPA fill out your tax forms, find killer refunds, and clean up your uncategorized wad of receipts at year's end? They probably don't provide you with an instruction manual on how to own, operate and maintain your business for success, let alone more awesome adventures. Why is this? It's because you need to tell them what you want to do, and where you want to go with your business. The more you know about your business, the better you'll be at deciding where you want to go. The more you can tell your CPA about what you where you want to go, the better they can advise you on how to get there.

Confidence for Sale

2006-02-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

I like to find ways to complain less about mundane things. Chronic complaining fosters a fearful outlook, which undermines the spirit. The fearmongering that's currently happening in this country is unacceptable to me, and the way I choose to fight back is to build confidence in my self and my work, and to share that with others who want it, too. Call now for fees and availablity.

Tool Fetish

2006-02-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

People routinely ask me how I made the switch from full time design and fabrication artist to full time business nerd and computer tech home schooler.

Here's the story in a nutshell: In the excitement of learning hand tools, power tools and machine tools, I overlooked the toolness of the business itself.

In shifting my focus to the uncharted realms, I discovered a continuing fascination with how things work at a whole new level. It's this fascination for tools, and how to use them, that guides my studies, practices and documentation. I find myelf using the imagery of driving to express what I am learning about owning and operating a small business. If you understand the vehicle you've created, can handle the maintainence and enjoy adventuring, you've already eliminated a great deal of the inevitable stress that accompanies ownership responsibilities.

Back in Action

2006-02-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

Dang! Laid low by that demonic cold going around, I missed a free payroll class through the SBA. I just signed up for one covering tax record maintainence. The SBA classes can be a waste of time, due to being vague, broad in scope or too generic, but even one good one can offset a handful of crappy ones.

SRL in LA

2006-01-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

Saturday, Jan 21: "The Fish Boy's Dream".

Yelp! ad

2006-01-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

new ad on yelp.com.

TimeSharing

2006-01-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm dividing my day time between 3 of my current unrelated obsessions: Cryptozoology, Tax Prep for Small Businesses, and the Joys of Home Ownership. Reworked images of legendary, elusive and supernatural beings swirl around my mind amidst Schedule C concepts and categories while I rip up carpet sleuthing unwelcome water marks. What does your brain look like?

World of MacWorld

2006-01-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Brian and I went to MacWorld to check out the fine folks at Beezwax. I was also curious what the general hubub was all about, since I am relatively new to using a Mac. We immediately ran into our pal Tim Childs, who made the chocolates for our wedding last spring. Well, it was a trade show all right- Crowded, Noisy and loaded with Reverence.

Need Help with your Paper Trail?

2006-01-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

The new year brings up all sorts of ideas about getting organized for
personal power and well being. Taxes come to mind, don't they?

Contact me for discrete and reliable organizational assistance with your most intimate data. I will come to your site and work with you for maximum focus and fun.
I can also provide contacts for both accounting and computer networking free-lance professionals. (check out Tax Ninja)

Isn't it time for your world to become simpler?

Fair Market Values

2006-01-07T00:44:00.000-08:00

I just finished my first round of

KOL

and then stumbled across this article:

legal affairs

Hahahaha!

Neat Receipts(tm)

2006-01-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

NeatReceipts is a cool little scanner that the IRS approves of. You scan your receipts, invoices and business cards, muck around with the details and save, print or email reports to yourself or clients or friends. It costs about 200 bucks, and requires some time to customize the entries. It works with Excel and QuickBooks and others. I'm not convinced it's a time saver, yet, but maybe once I get the hang of using it and have my report templates dialed in, it'll show it's true colors. Speaking of which- I got a little distracted putting together a logo-like graphic for the expense report.

Neat Receipts

AMT

2006-01-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Alternative Minimum Tax - "a separate tax system with its own allowable deductions and exclusions, many of which are different from those allowed for regular income tax purposes." Quoted from Ernst & Young 2006 tax guide. As if doing your taxes wasn't hairy enough- if you make around 75K or more, you'll want to investigate this computation more closely....but you probably already knew that.

Here's some more info:
http://www.smartmoney.com/tax/filing/index.cfm?story=amt

AssClowns for ENeighbors

2006-01-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

There are people with time on their hands and a strange sense of public, private, familiar and unknown. Oh well. Some mysteries are more compelling than others.

SubConscious Bookkeeping

2006-01-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

I relax with tax
forms so my subconscious mind
can comprehend them.