Best Accountants: Which Qualifications are Important for an Accountant?

Goodaccountants.com has the best accountants Finding a good accountant is an important aspect of running a small business, but it can be a challenge to find the best accountants for the needs of your company. There are many accountants available to choose from, but certain firms stand out from the rest because they can offer specialized experience relating directly  to your industry.

Hiring someone who is trained and certified in accounting is more effective than finding a cheaper employee and trying to train them yourself. A low-cost employee may be able to do basic tasks to help with bookkeeping and other administrative tasks. The problem is that these low cost employees don’t have the experience or understanding to work through complicated problems that may arise when managing financial records for a company, and the lack of understanding can cause even more problems later on.

So, if you want the best results for your company, then it is important that you research the best accountants in order to find a qualified person who can bring experience and knowledge to the job. One option is to work with a company who can connect you with experienced accountants who have a good reputation. GoodAccountants.com offers a service to help small business owners get in contact with accountants who can help with their business needs. The advantage of working with a service such as GoodAccountants.com is the fact that as a business owner, you don’t have to spend time worrying about hiring the right person… because Good Accountants will do the heavy lifting to sort through qualified candidates for you.

Once you have looked through the best accountants to find a good match for your company, the bottom line of the company can be greatly impacted because the accountant will be able to help you identify how the cash is flowing through the business. It’s too much work for the business owner to worry about running the business and handling the accounting at the same time, which is why it is so important to work with a good accountant. Understanding a clear financial picture of your company is one of the best ways to ensure that you are making good decisions based on the current financial picture.

The Best Accountants Can be Trusted with Sensitive Information

On August 26th, rapper Fat Joe will head to prison after a tax evasion conviction in December of 2012. He will serve four months for failing to pay taxes on over $1 million in income during 2007 and 2008. Failing to pay income taxes is a very serious violation of the law, and Fat Joe might be lucky to only be serving four months.

Where the story interesting, however, is in the fact that Fat Joe is claiming his failure to pay taxes is the fault of a suspect accountant. You would imagine that a millionaire rapper would only employ the best accountantsfat joe could have used the help of the best accountants to avoid jail time, but apparently that is not the case. Either he is not telling the truth regarding the unpaid taxes, or Joe needs a little help interviewing his employees and choosing the best in the field. Surely, he could have afforded an accountant who would ensure that his taxes were paid and that he remained a free man.

This story is relevant to every business owner or manager because almost every business entity has an accountant or a group of accountants working on their behalf. You would hope that you only have the best accountants on your team, but how do you know? If your accountant can’t be trusted with highly sensitive and important information, you could find yourself unwittingly in the middle of a serious problem. Assuming Fat Joe is telling the truth regarding his case,  that is exactly what has happened to him.

Vetting any accountant before they are trusted with your information and tax responsibilities is an important process. You should take the time to check references and work history thoroughly, especially considering how much trust you will be placing in their hands. Using GoodAccountants.com to locate a list of qualified accountants within your area will make finding the best accountants simple and straightforward. Once you have an accountant that you know can be trusted with even the most sensitive of materials, you will feel as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Get started choosing your accountant today to ensure that you don’t suffer the same fate as poor Fat Joe.

How The Best Accountants Control Soaring Interest Rates

the best accountants can help you finance your homeIf we learned one thing from the 2007-08 financial meltdown, it’s that the days of easy money have become footnotes in American history textbooks. The Federal Reserve, Fannie Mae, and scores of banks gushed money from their vaults as a geyser gushes oil after it strikes pay dirt. The result was the introduction of restrictive mortgage rates that choke the life out of the housing market. Just when it appeared mortgage rates were set to fall, albeit slowly, recent news buttresses the argument that mortgage rates may have not reached the ceiling.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported on July 3 that rates on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached 4.58 percent, which is the highest 30-year rate in nearly two years. Because of the high rate, mortgage applications fell by over 12 percent in just one week. The number of mortgages that homeowners have refinanced has declined all over the United States. With Ben Bernanke issuing his recent Darth Vader like proclamation that the days of quantitative easing are over, do not expect the housing market to return to the free money days any time soon.

Mortgage brokers have traditionally played the role of intermediaries between banks and individuals who seek mortgage loans. The steady climb of mortgage rates has rendered mortgage brokers mostly ineffective, as the sources they have sought financing from in the past have dried up as a waterhole dries up in the desert. Because of the mortgage rate squeeze, you may decide to opt out of the housing market. However, by combining the best accountants with your mortgage broker, you may be able to find the home of your dreams.

GoodAccountants.com brings together the cream of the best accountants. Your goal in hiring an accountant from the list of qualified professionals who list on GoodAccountants.com is to get your personal financial statements in order. The free service is akin to dating sites that match people of similar interests. In this case, the matchmaker connects accountants with people who need their specialized services. You may need help with simple bookeeping entries to improve your earning power. The more money that you demonstrate you earn, the more likely a mortgage broker can swing a deal with a bank for a home loan. Consult with one of the best accountants on taxation issues to enhance your liquidity.

GoodAccountants.com provides you with an easy to access database of over 50,000 accounting firms. Many of the firms employ specialists who work exclusively with potential homeowners to improve equity and lower liabilities. Rising interest rates may put a damper on The American Dream, but you can block the rain from falling on your new home when you combine the expertise of your mortgage broker and one of the accounting professionals listed on GoodAccountants.com.

IRS Scandal Brings Up Financial Concerns for Many: How the Best Accountants Can Help Avoid Those Tax Worries

best accountantsThe recent IRS Scandal  has many people, including business owners, thinking about their own finances and tax concerns. The news came to light in early May when it was disclosed that the agency had been improperly targeting some conservative groups such as tea party groups who had applied for tax-exempt status.

If you hope to avoid a run in with the IRS, having the best accountants on your side can decrease those odds of being targeted or facing one of many tax issues that can occur.

For a small business as well as an individual, this can make the difference financial success and financial disaster.

A professional, experienced accountant such as those you’ll find with GoodAccountants.com can act as your trusted advisor, helping the business owner to manage cash flow, implement strategies and plan for growth, assess risk and make sure your all of you records are in order. Not only can an expert help save you money by managing your finances and taxes wisely, but a professional can save you hours and hours or precious time and the stress that comes with it.

The best accountants for a small business will understand the dynamics and complex accounting requirements and also have experience and knowledge in your specific industry. Many accountants even specialize in particular industries such as construction or real estate, making them an even more valuable part of your business.

An accounting expert can provide important long-term strategic advice that can help you manage business finances the right way and provide services such as budgeting and forecasting, risk assessment or even advice for starting up a small business.

The expert business consultants at GoodAccountants.com can match your particular requirements with the very best accountants in the nation that will provide the best fit for your business at no cost to you.

With businesses relying on accurate and insightful financial information in order to maintain and increase profitability, capitalize on new opportunities, save money, headaches, plenty of stress – and avoid that dreaded visit from the tax man, a trusted accountant is a must.

How to Find the Best Accountants

AccountantMarketing is a must for any business, and that includes accountants. Hiring a marketing firm to grow an accounting practice can result in long-term, residual income, skyrocketing annual revenues. In the past, many accountants have ignored internet marketing for growing their business, but with online searches becoming the top method for locating an accountant as well as most other services, today it’s a must.

If potential clients don’t know you’re out there, how can you help them?

This is where GoodAccountants.com can help. The best accountants know that turning to the nation’s fastest growing online accounting service will help link them with the very best clients.

In turn, businesses of all sizes and types benefit from contacting the consultants as GoodAccountants.com to find those highly qualified accountants that will perfectly meet their needs.

Why should you hire an accountant for your business?

The best accountants can save you time, in essence money, as well as clear up the headaches and confusion when it comes to managing the finances and taxes of the business. They can act as a trusted advisor to your business, help manage cash flow, plan for growth and assess risk as well as keep the books in order.

Of course, finding the best accountants can take a lot of time, and that is probably time you don’t have to spare. In addition to coming up with a list of candidates through referrals from other businesses or your local chamber of commerce, you’ll have to schedule a consultation with each to determine who fits your needs best.

Ideally, the right accountant will have knowledge of your industry and specific industry experience. Sometimes finding this person is like locating a needle in a haystack. Screening each candidate thoroughly by verifying experience and qualifications is also a must and quite time consuming.

Fortunately, by calling the experts at GoodAccountants.com, all of this work has already been done for you. This valuable service doesn’t cost a thing. You’ll be matched with the very best accountants that are perfect for the needs of your specific business, in just seconds, saving you the time, money and frustration it can take to do so on your own.

How to Make Sure Your Company’s Finances are in the Hands of the Best Accountants

goodaccountants.com can help you find the best accountants in the businessIf you want to set your business up for a successful future, ensuring that the financial aspects are handled by the best accountants is imperative. Your accountants serve as valued advisors and receiving the wrong advice by a poorly qualified accountant or trying to handle the business finances on your own can lead to financial disaster.

The best accountants will make sure your company is in compliance with complex government legislation, including taxes, offer valuable tax planning and reporting services, maintain the business’ financial records, generate financial documents, and much more.

With so many accountants out there to choose from, how do you know that your firm’s finances will be handled by the best?

Ask questions

There is no such thing as a bad question, and that certainly applies to finding the best accountants. Ask lots of questions to potential candidates including:

  • Why should I use you?
  • Do you have industry experience?
  • Who are some of your other clients? Can I call them for a reference?
  • What type of advice do you typically offer?
  • What are your credentials?
  • What is the scope of services offered?
  • How can you save or make my business money?
  • When are you available? (Days, hours, or even season as some tax preparers are only available during the first four months of the year)

Come up with your own list of questions based on the needs of your business, the more the better. You’ll also want to be sure the accountant is a good fit personally in addition to professionally with a high level of access to privileged information.

The accountant should also ask you lots of questions about your business to determine if he or she is a good fit. If the accountant seems uninterested, look elsewhere.

References

Once you believe the accountant has the potential as the right one for your business, ask for references from a variety of clients, and if possible include one who owns a business that is similar to yours. Call each and ask them to convince you that he or she is one of the best accountants for the job.

Using a referral service

One of the easiest and most effective ways to find the right accountant is to contact GoodAccountants.com. With a nationwide registry that includes thousands of the most qualified – and the best accountants in the business, their expert business consultants can assist you in finding the one that is perfect for your business or personal needs at absolutely no cost to you

How to Find an Accountant

when it comes time to find an accountant think of goodaccountants.comIf you need to find an accountant for your business, searching the internet is a good place to start. After searching for a few minutes, you should have a general idea of the services offered and prices charged for accounting services. An internet search is also useful if you are not sure what specific services you need. With the many listings of accountants and services offered, you can decide your specific needs and then choose an accountant who can provide those services for your business. If you use a search engine to look for an accountant, you will find on the first search page many established firms that provide accounting services. Keep in mind that just because they are first in the search, they might not be best for your needs .Search thoroughly to see the full range of accountants available to you.

Specific Websites

Another way to find an accountant is to use a quotation website. These allow you to enter the services needed, and accountants registered through the site send you a quote. Of course you won’t want to just pick the lowest quote; you will need to inquire further before making a choice. You can also find accountants through your search, and view their websites. You can view the list of services they provide to see if they offer what your company needs. They often have references from former and current customers available for you to read. Many offer an option for submitting information about your needs, and then they will send you a quote for their rates on the requested services.

Online Registries

Another way to locate an accountant for your company is to go to an online registry of professional accountants. An accountant registry, such as Goodaccountants.com, can provide you with information on registered accountants that are available for full time, part time, long term and short term hiring. You tell them what you need, and they match you with accountants, accounting firms, and auditors. Their matching services are free. You can then narrow down the choices by contacting the ones you are most interested in. You should, by then, have established the criteria you are looking for so that you are able to ask questions as needed in order to make your final choice.

Sources Besides The Net

If you have exhausted your online search, but haven’t been able to make a final determination, there are several other ways to find an accountant. One way is to check the yellow pages of your local phone directory. Many accountants and accountant firms have ads posted in the yellow pages that provide a list of their services, as well as contact information. Many have websites that you may not have come across in your search. You can browse the websites of local accountants listed in the yellow pages. You can also contact colleagues and acquaintances to see which accounting firms they use. Although every business has different accounting needs, if a colleague is happy with the services of an accounting firm, the firm could be a good match for you as well.

The Duties Of An Accountant And Auditor – Infographic

Here is an infographic that shows the duties of an accountant and an auditor. Many people are unsure about the specific job duties of these positions, so we wanted to clear it up for a final time! Please let us know what you think about the infographic, and comment on the post if you want to add anything that we didn’t include in our infographic!
Learn about the duties and responsibilities of an accountant and auditor

Hiring CFO Services for Small Businesses

Just about every type of business can benefit from tcfo serviceshe expertise a chief financial officer has to offer.  These professionals are highly skilled in the financial world and can provide a number of CFO services to keep your business’s books and financial records up to date and accurate.   They can also provide a great deal of advice to help plan for the future, to help with tax services, and keep your business running efficiently.

Unfortunately, many small businesses cannot afford to hire an internal CFO as the salary is far too high for businesses of this size to spend yearly.  This does not mean that you have to entirely give up on being able to make use of these skilled professionals.  You can outsource this position and take advantage of part time CFO services.  This makes it easy for all businesses to have access to the skills of a financial expert, with the convenience of paying as the services are needed.

A chief financial officer will work with your financial staff and supervise them to make sure all of your internal accounting operations are working as well as they should be and that all issues are in compliance.  These professionals will be a major factor in the direction and planning of your business and will help a great deal with efficiency.

Some of the most common CFO services include the following:

Developing and executing existing and new financial strategies;

Creating contingency plans to assist with complications and issues with customers and markets before they become a problem;

Completing an analysis to detect issues that may need to be repaired in order to get margins back in alignment;

Creating business plans to help establish or meet short and long term goals, as well as establishing forecasts to assist with the business plans;

Providing ideas to challenge the way your business currently operates in effort to promote growth;

Providing in depth knowledge that will cause the business operators to ask certain questions in order to implement proven growth strategies.

CFO services used on a part time basis will give you all of the above mentioned benefits on an as needed basis, as you see fit.  Whether you decide to make use of these professionals for months, weeks, or even hours, you will find they help to increase profitability, and will keep your business operating smoothly.  You will notice a great improvement in your financial operations, yet you will be paying a fraction of the cost of hiring a full time CFO for your business.

Large Business Accountants

With tax season looming and numerous last minute changes to the tax codes, many business owners are finding themselves with an increased need for qualified accounting experts.  Choosing an accountant for large business management has always been a bit of a tricky task, and knowing where to turn is not as simple as opening the phone book or asking a friend which professional they use.  Let’s take a look at some things to consider when hiring large business accountants.

Consider Hiring an Accounting Team

For small businesses, the biggest dilemma is often whether to hire an individual to work in-house or to hire a firm to work on an as-needed basis.  When you manage a large business or corporation, however, this need changes a bit.  Instead, it may prove prudent to hire a team of accountants for large businesses.  The simple fact is that your numbers will need to be monitored and balanced daily, and the need for auditing to help you manage expenses and eliminate financial waste is absolutely critical.  Without the right team of experts helping you to manage things regularly, you can create a tax nightmare for your accounting experts.

Selecting Experienced Accountants

No matter how excellent someone’s education might be, experience is always going to be the biggest indicator of success.  While it might not be a bad thing to allow an intern to work alongside experienced accountants, you will definitely find that your business finances are best managed in the hands of professionals who have handled large businesses like yours before.  A great accountant for large business needs will have experience in your industry and with a business of your size, whether you choose to hire a firm or to hand select each accountant individually.

Determine Your Goals In Advance

At the end of the day, the best way to select the right accountants for large businesses is to perform a bit of auditing of your own.  Sit down and look at each aspect of your company from a financial standpoint to determine what duties you will expect of your accountant.  Do you expect financial auditing, planning, and advice or are you just looking for someone to manage invoices, financial statements, and tax records?  Make sure that your needs are clear to you and then make them clear to firms and individuals you are considering for hire.  It will make the process much simpler and will help you find the accounting experts who are truly best suited for the job.