Ecommerce Bookkeeping Services for Amazon & Shopify Sellers

Contents: Get QuickBooks Next Steps, After Your Ecommerce Bookkeeper Importance of Bookkeeping for Shopify Ecommerce Store How do you manage your eCommerce business books? The best bookkeeping software for small business Making good use of the many programs and their features can enhance your ability to manage your financials and communicate with your bookkeeper. Are you passionate about your products but not always confident in your skills around the financial systems and reports? When you talk with your prospective bookkeeper, ask questions about your financials to determine if their communication style will mesh with yours. They can help you learn more about your financial requirements and your financial reports. But more importantly, cash flow shows your gross revenue and net profit. It’s also ideal for brand-new businesses because FinancePal can help with entity formation. The underlying bookkeeping principles remain constant regardless of the type of eCommerce business you run. Two primary accounting methods include cash basis and accrual basis. You can even set up alerts to let you know when a certain type of inventory is getting low, so you will know when to restock. Accounting and bookkeeping duties involve tracking purchases and inventory every step of the way. You need to know how much inventory you sell and what’s left in stock. This way, you know your sales are accounted for and also know when it’s time to order more products. The way you organize your chart of accounts will depend on your business and sections you include. Also, your accounting and bookkeeping software might include the necessary categories for you. Get QuickBooks Proper ecommerce accounting tells you...

How to Create a “Living” Budget For Your Business

Content Facilities Costs How to Create a Business Budget for Your Small Business Create your profit and loss statement Best Startup Business Loan Options for Entrepreneurs What should be included in a startup budget? Set up your budgeting system Plan your budget from A-Z Everything always costs more and takes longer than you think it will, and it will take longer to get sales going than you think it will. Different from assets, materials and supplies include office supplies and any advertising and promotion materials. What are the fixed assets such as furniture, equipment, and vehicles needed to set up your location and start your business? Fixed assets also include computers and machinery, furniture, and anything for your office, store, or warehouse that is needed to set up your business. Facilities costs include all the costs of setting up a leased or purchased location for your store, office, warehouse, or other building. These costs may be called leasehold improvements or tenant improvements. Your business might experience a slump after the holidays, for example, or during the hot summer months. Knowing about these seasonal changes will ensure that you can prepare in advance for the leaner months, and give yourself a financial cushion. If you’ve had a few bad months and predict you’re looking at another slow one, you can prepare to minimize expenses where possible. Facilities Costs Your business budget can help you take advantage and capitalise on the busy seasons, and teach you how to cut down during the tougher months of the year. It will show you what’s working and what isn’t, and what you can do...

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM

Contents: Additional Resources Calculating the Direct Materials a Company Uses Actual Costing Why is COGM Important for Companies? Beyond this, it allows the management to scrutinize costs and implement changes that might help reduce COGM, thereby improving profits. Madis is an experienced content writer and translator with a deep interest in manufacturing and inventory management. Combining scientific literature with his easily digestible writing style, he shares his industry-findings by creating educational articles for manufacturing novices and experts alike. Collaborating with manufacturers to write process improvement case studies, Madis keeps himself up to date with all the latest developments and challenges that the industry faces in their everyday operations. The formula of COGM includes the Total Manufacturing Cost along with the beginning and ending WIP inventory; the Cost of Goods Sold, however, incorporates the COGM along with the beginning and ending inventory. Next step is to add the beginning work-in-progress inventory to the sum. As a result, it gives an idea about managing expenses related to production. With these values, an organization can make adjustments to maximize profits. That is because it helps see whether the company is making profits or not. Thus, the total cost of goods manufactured for the period would be $265,000 ($100,000 + $50,000 + $125,000 + $65,000 – $75,000). This means that Steelcase was able to finish $265,000 worth of furniture during the period and move this merchandise from the work in process account to the finished goods account by the end of the period. Defects refer to when a product requires changes either as finished goods or in the manufacturing stage that leads to...

Contributions & Distributions: The Basics of LLC Ownership

In the process of setting up a company, I’m routinely asked whether the capital account is a separate or extra bank account for the business; this is a fair question, but the answer is no. You might also contribute other assets, like a computer, some equipment, or a vehicle that will be owned by the business. These assets must be valued at the time of the contribution, so everyone knows how much they add to your capital account. In this case, the capital account may not be simply a one-person account. This subject is complicated, so check with tax and financial professionals. Each member should prepare Form D-401, Capital Account Adjustment, on a yearly basis. When an LLC member makes a non-cash contribution, such as property, buildings or equipment, the value of that donation is added to the books in that owner’s capital account. In addition, an owner may directly make an additional monetary contribution; this is also added to their capital account. The process for transferring ownership of an LLC depends on the type of transfer as well as the provisions of your operating agreement. Capital Contributions and Ownership Details The LLC Operating Agreement should also address any distributions of operating cash flow and capital transactions separately, with different distribution priorities. Initial capital contributions often play a significant role in determining a Member’s ownership percentage in an LLC. Members can split LLC ownership proportionately based on each member’s contribution, but this isn’t a requirement. In some businesses, one Member contributes more capital while another concentrates on operating the business, a concept called “sweat equity.”. The amount paid by...

What Is Perpetual Inventory System? Definition, Journal Entries, Example

Content How to Do an Inventory Reconciliation Record supplier purchase discount Definition of Periodic Inventory System What is periodic inventory? The Ins and Outs of Perpetual Inventory Under the perpetual system, the accounts manager updates the account after each purchase or sale. Similarly, inventory subsidiary ledger and inventory quantities are also updated continuously. The primary issue that companies face under the periodic inventory system is the fact that inventory information is not up to date, and may be unreliable. Which is better LIFO or FIFO? FIFO (first in, first out) inventory management seeks to value inventory so the business is less likely to lose money when products expire or become obsolete. LIFO (last in, first out) inventory management is better for nonperishable goods and uses current prices to calculate the cost of goods sold. Next, the accountant adjusts the inventory account to match the cost of the ending inventory. perpetual accounting definition This number is critical since the company does not track unique transactions. How to Do an Inventory Reconciliation These expenses are, therefore, also debited to inventory account under this system. The general examples of such expenses include freight-in and insurances expense etc. Each time the merchandise is sold, the related cost is transferred from inventory account to cost of goods sold account by debiting cost of goods sold and crediting inventory account. The periodic and perpetual inventory https://business-accounting.net/ systems are different methods used to track the quantity of goods on hand. The more sophisticated of the two is the perpetual system, but it requires much more record keeping to maintain. A perpetual inventory does not need to...

Accounting and Bookkeeping for Solicitors and Law Firms

Content Maintain Compliance for Client Funds Law Firm Accounting 101 Keep thorough records Accounting and Bookkeeping Best Practices for Law Firms Bookkeeping vs. accounting for law firms Differentiating income and revenue incorrectly If you’re the owner of a small law firm, you need to know the essentials of bookkeeping and accounting for law firms. This way, your firm can stay compliant with ethics rules—and you can ensure you aren’t leaving money on the table. Each month, a team of professional bookkeepers with experience in legal accounting gathers your data for you and turns it into accurate financial statements. You also get smart law firm bookkeeping software to help you monitor your finances and stay in control of cash flow. To offset this risk, it’s important to carefully monitor cash flow with accounts receivable and accounts payable , which appear on your balance sheets. But taking the time to properly set up your finances won’t just make it easier to file your taxes each year. It’ll save you time, money, stress, and potentially legal headaches. These are also due throughout the year, usually bi-weekly or monthly. Not only will you incur fines, but you could also lose your license or face legal repercussions. Anyone wanting to run a legit business should never combine personal and business expenses. Bookkeepers record the financial transactions and balance the financial accounts for your firm. Committing to accounting for law firms will allow you to be better equipped to identify growth opportunities. The most powerful solution to this problem is taking the time to update your books frequently . Next, you’ll withdraw money from the...

Fractal Finance Gets its Big Test Next Week

Content Asian-Pacific Financial Forecast Service Resources for Active Traders Elliott Wave Update ~ 21 Nov 2022 & End Times Prophetic Jewish Inevitability Daneric Sentiment Speaks: Most Money Managers Gamble With Your Money Category: elliott waves I need premium forecasts for European markets from the European Financial Forecast Service. I need premium forecasts for U.S. markets from the Financial Forecast Service. Our just-published December Elliott Wave Financial Forecast is chock full of key insights, price targets & forecasts you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a must-read for investors keen on making informed, research-based decisions. So far, the SPX is holding above the recently gained 3900 supports. The count allows for another push to a new Minor 2 high. Man, some of you guys post as if you were long-only mutual fund managers or something. But I can’t put my finger on it at the moment. Dan at Daneric’s Elliott Waves sent me the same, but far more detailed, count a few days ago . Wave 2s usually retrace great part of wave 1, in a shallow and sharp manner. Inversely correlated with the S&P 500 as well as commodities. The stock of Tesla Motor Company seems to be undergoing some interesting price action. Bernanke seems to have done some things better, including rapid Fed-ization of interbank loans in Sep 2008. Of course, you have to deal with “alternate counts”. Small business sentiment is ominous this time. Scott Sumner of Bentley University and blogger at The Money Illusion talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the basics of money, monetary policy, and the Fed. After a discussion of some of the...

The New Lease Standard

Content Lease Accounting: An Overview Chapter 1: New Lease Standard Implementation Timeline Financial Policy Office Lease Liability Impact Of The New Lease Accounting Standards See Why Costar Is The Smart Choice For Your Organization Su­per­seded Standards Identify and inventory lease agreements, beginning with the most significant. Companies should proactively evaluate the effects of this standard well in advance of the effective date to ensure they and their stakeholders are well-prepared. The ROU is to be evaluated for impairment in accordance with professional standards. This change is an important one that could significantly impact loan covenants, bonus plans and other agreements, and could surprise unprepared investors, lenders and other stakeholders. While the new standards might seem relatively straightforward, they can be challenging to implement. Education Physical resource management software tailored toward educational institutions. Finally, consideration will be drawn to how the new standard might affect entities engaged in leasing, and how they might prepare for the transition. “I think it will allow us to evaluate our real property footprint and get a real understanding. Having it all in one place is very powerful.” Designed as an open information system, the calculated values can be interfaced through to corporate accounting systems to avoid manual journal creation. Operating leases were only disclosed in the footnotes at the organization’s financial statements. The accounting and reporting of a lease differ from the perspective of a lessor and a lessee. However, if the lessee knows the implicit rate used by the lessor and the rate is less than the lessee’s rate, the lessee should use the lessor’s rate to discount the minimum lease payment. It...

Using Early Payment Discounts To Get Invoices Paid Faster

Content What is the journal entry to record an early pay discount? Early Payment Discounts Purchase Order Management: a Key to Efficient Business The advantages of early payment discounts for your business If they don’t pay by that date, they will need to pay the entire amount of the invoice, which is $2,848.50. Using double-entry accounting, create an initial journal entry when the customer purchases something before they pay. Then, create a second journal entry when the customer pays. Find your profit margin without the early payment discount. Then, you can try out different discount options to determine if you will earn a high enough profit margin. By contrast, using dynamic discounting, the customer can put their unutilized cash towards securing a discount by making an early payment directly to the supplier. Most businesses that are large and successful do not even think about this. With sliding scale discounts, the discount is adjusted based on the customer’s actual pay date — the sooner they pay, the bigger the discount. They offer 14% in exchange for receiving 100K on a net 30. For example, early payment discounts can decrease your DSO — the average number of days that it takes you to collect revenue after the sales date. Early payment discounts are far more cost-effective than invoice factoring. However, using discounts instead of factoring is only possible if your customers already support an early payment program. What is the journal entry to record an early pay discount? On the other hand, your cost of financing invoices increases the longer clients take to pay. Companies use financing to replace early payment...

Manage Your Business Budget

Content Set Spending Goals More About Running Your Business More Resources Budgets Put You In Control Brianstorm All Your Projected Expenses Calculate Your Revenue Smart Budgeting Tips For Small Business Owners These include the cost of raw materials you need to make products, inventory, and freight. The real advantage of setting a budget is that it helps you make strategic business decisions. Try a variety of different scenarios and see what numbers emerge. A budget will also give you a much better idea of what your cash flow will look like. This will help you avoid running out of money and getting into a tight spot with creditors. Your budget will also show you where you can make savings. A trial balance is another very useful accounting concept. The state and stability of an individual’s personal finances is called financial health. You’ve just purchased or opened a small business and you know your trade. But when it comes to bookkeeping—and more specifically, budgeting—your skill set is lacking. Set Spending Goals Statement of cash flowsis generated as part of your financial statements, but a cash roll-forward is more useful for budgeting purposes. The budgeted balance sheet includes assumptions that address each of the line items in the report. There are plenty of great accounting tools online that do the bookkeeping for you. Worst case scenario, in which you show your least optimistic scenario, with very little sales during the first six months to a year. If your revenue increases or decreases , you will likely change how money is spent and allocated across business units. This will take into account...

Freight On Board Understanding How FOB Works in Shipping

Content Financial and Managerial Accounting Costs of transport Resources for Your Growing Business Explain fob shipping point freight collect, Accounting Basics Financial Performance FOB destination on buyer’s side Upon delivery of the goods to the destination, ownership of the goods passes from the supplier to the buyer. In the event of any problem with the goods during any leg of the journey to the Buyer, the supplier shall be fully responsible. Sold” after they’ve transferred title and responsibility to the buyer, this is an important distinction. Unloading and transporting the goods from the port of origin to the final destination. The fitness equipment manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the goods are delivered to the point of origin. Conversely, the seller records the point of sale at the time of shipment and records the sale within their accounts receivable, as an added payment, whether the payment has been made or is waiting to be made. Every purchase should be supported by business documents that provide written evidence of the transaction. The seller will be responsible for the shipping costs, which will be an expense in January when the sale is reported. One more difference between the FOB shipping point and FOB destination lies in the costs of transport. For example, “FOB Vancouver” indicates that the seller will pay for transportation of the goods to the port of Vancouver, and the cost of loading the goods on to the cargo ship . Responsibility for the goods is with the seller until the goods are loaded on board the ship. FOB refers to “free on board” or “freight on board”is a shipping...

Small Business Tax Services: Tax Prep, Bookkeeping, Payroll

Content Launch your own tax business in weeks – No franchise fees or royalties Small Business Virtual Tax Workshop Tax and accounting regions Does My Business Get a Tax Break for Buying a Car? Starting A Business Doesn’t Have to Be ScaryThe Roberts Tax Group Business Start Up Package Business investing Fast ramp-up time Whether you need delinquent returns filed or erroneous returns corrected, we can help. Besides filing the returns, we will work with the tax agency to reduce penalties in order to help save you money. There are several business tax credits that are available. The IRS website lists various credits that apply to particular industries, such as for biodiesel use or for offering certain services to employees, e.g., childcare. Maybe you’re the second one—the person whose least favorite thing in the world is filing your small business tax return. If that’s the case, you need a small Business Tax Preparation checklist. Merchant account will allow you to be able to process customer credit card payments through a safe online payment gateway. If you want extra help and have questions about your taxes along the way, TurboTax Live is an add-on that includes access to a CPA or other tax expert on-demand, including evening and weekend hours. The TurboTax Live Self-Employed edition costs $199 plus $54 per state. This includes tax support along the way and a final review of your taxes before filing. All TurboTax options include regular access to product and technical support. There isn’t a standard form that all small business owners use—your form depends on your business entity. Note that the IRS says...