7 Things to Look Out for in Accounting in 2017

Accounting plays a pivotal part in the operation of any business. If an accounting system is not up to the standard, you may start facing money crunch. For an organization to work smoothly, you must understand the essentials like the required costs, how much time is put in for making a product and what more should be invested in the business. If you fail to plan meticulously on these points, it is very unlikely that your business will expand. Conversely, if you have kept a track of the way, things are carried out and have a fair idea about its financial scenario, you will be able to stay ahead in the competition. There have been multiple changes over the years in accounting. Accountants have started adopting new trends that have given a boost to their income and also made their work easy to a great extent. Following list demonstrates the most-recent trends that have taken accounting industry by storm.

Shift to cloud accounting will increase

As more businesses are shifting to clouding technology to store data and cut down costs, cloud accounting is gaining importance. An emerging shift, this has set the path for enhanced cooperation among team members and given a better understanding of financial condition. This involves the use of software, which operates on server and can be accessed from anywhere through the Internet. This way, the data is available to employees and the accountant for use whenever required. It gives the accountant more transparency in work and also lets him/her keep checking on possible discrepancies.

Decentralization of accounting software

Earlier tasks such as generation of bills, reports, management of inventory and setting up a payroll system were all carried out at one place. However, more businesses are now opting for distribution of these tasks. The accounting field is making use of various applications for solving business issues with ease. These applications facilitate easy sharing of information. Decentralization has doubled the revenue for accountants as they integrate into multiple partnerships.

Automation will be an integral part of work

It eliminates manual data entry and thus reduces the burden of maintaining huge book records of years. It also reduces the chances of records being misplaced or tampered due to human negligence. This can be beneficial for small-business owners and entrepreneurs to a large extent. These tools promote effective communication between accountants and their clients and also help them deal with real time accounting problems.

Rise in social media strategy

Many businesses today prefer social media marketing of their products to increase their target audience. In the same way, use of social media strategy for accounting is also rapidly gaining attention as business owners are found more active on this platform. This trend has not only been picked up by major accounting firms but also has given entrepreneurs a better clarity to choose their accounting firm by getting an insight into the services offered. The accountants can market themselves by communicating to various people. It also enhances their exposure to new things and increases their visibility in the industry.

Increase in collaborative accounting

Although this is not which has been introduced recently, it is certainly giving new direction to business and opening up new vistas for sale. Collaborative accounting makes use of the Internet and latest technology to function irrespective of the location. For instance, the accountants can access client transactions and modify them if necessary by making use of cloud software. They can then inform about it to their clients by using different available chat platforms. This is being termed as the future of this field.

Accountants will turn into consultants

The working module is going to witness a huge change. Instead of paying your accountant on an hourly basis, flexible options will come into the picture. Apart from advice on tax deduction, accountants will be able to give you an outlook and suggestions on how to cut down your tax bill for the next financial year. They will become your trusted consultants who help you make your business grow exponentially.

Firms outsourcing their accounts

Many organizations are catching up with the latest trend of outsourcing their accounts department. This helps the owners to focus on their business and think of ways to boost it. It also helps in cutting expenses and guarantees that the accountant will scrutinize the reports for frauds.

Managing accounts form an important part of an organization. It keeps a check on the inflow of cash and enhances scalability of business. With new ways available to manage accounting of your firm, it has greatly reduced monotonous methods of handling records and increased lucidity in the working of an organization.

How to Make Your Business Match Financially

Steve is a successful business owner who takes his business very seriously. He focuses on growing his business and has several employees. People love his products and services and are sharing them with others. What Steve is struggling with is making his business financially fit. It seems like his business is always tight, and he is barely making it each month. Sound familiar?

This is what we hear from many business owners. They want to grow and be successful, but they are missing some tools to assist them in staying profitable. Here are four tools you can implement into your business to be financially fit.

1. Know Your Overhead Cost - It is easy to know what the cost is of each product or service you sell, but many business owners fail to include their overhead cost when figuring their numbers.

Profitable businesses know what their profit is on each product or service after their overhead cost is included. Overhead costs often include, administrative expenses like office supplies. Other expenses may also include marketing and advertising, employee related, facilities and equipment, vehicle related expenses, insurance, and tax related expenses.

Companies should know the percentage of breakdown related to each product sold, each procedure or job performed, or each service that is provided.

This allows the business owner to price their products and services at the right price. If the overhead cost is not included, it can cause the business to lose money on each sale that they are making.

2. Manage Your Cash Flow Regularly - Cash flow is so important for a financially fit business. If a company does not have a good eye on their cash flow, it can cause them to struggle every month.

Knowing what money you have coming in, and what money you have going out each week and each month will help you to know what you need to bring in each week to manage the bills that are going out.

It will also assist you with meeting goals like buying that piece of equipment that will make you more profitable or investing the money to increase overall profitability. Look at a statement of cash flows; a statement of cash flows will show you what money is coming in and what money is going out each month.

3. Pay Attention to Your Numbers Each Month -Waiting until the end of the year to get your bookkeeping in place for your tax accountant can be a very costly mistake. A financially fit business pays very close attention to how the business is doing on a weekly and monthly basis.

They know how much they need to make each week in order to be a profitable business. They also look at their financials each month to see what they need to do in order to improve the next month overall performance.

If a company fails to do this, they have no way of making important business decisions because they don't know where they are at. Not know where your business is at will cause your business to fail. If a business isn't growing, they are dying.

4. Know Your Financial Ratios - Many business owners don't know what business ratios they need to track in order to be profitable. Knowing the right ratios can help a business owner know what decisions they need to make to move their business in the right direction.

As an example, one of the ratios that a business needs to track is the current ratio. This ratio will help them track how healthy their business is. A healthy business will have at least a 2 to 1 ratio, so $2 in assets for every $1 in liabilities. If the business is carrying inventory, it is important to have a 4 to 1 ratio.

To determine the current ratio, take the current assets and divide them by current liabilities (Current Assets/Current Liabilities.) Once you have the current ratio, it can be tracked each month to determine if your company is moving in a good direction or if you need to make some changes in your business to move it in the right direction.

Implementing these tools into a business can make a huge difference on how profitable a business is. A small hinge on a gate can help a large gate swing back and forth, just as a small step in the right direction can make a huge impact on a business.

If you are not sure where to start, contact Professional Accounting Services at 801-756-8886 and we can assist you with making your business profitable.

Trump Budget No Happy In Washington DC 2017-2018

Not long ago, I was talking with a fellow think tank type, a real intellectual, who seemed to be worried about the proposed Federal Budget. We had both recently listened to a National Public Radio (NPR) segment on what exactly was in the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Trump Administration Budget. There were some good things and some not-so-good-things depending on your preferences and political leanings and ideology. Let's talk shall we?

You see, personally, I believe we should immediately defund NPR, as their anti-American, anti-Trump, pro-Global Socialist Agenda is all wrong for this country - they do not deserve the US Taxpayer to offset their budget, not one dollar. I think we ought to also consider cutting funding to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) as I see it is also akin to the NPR leftist slant in commentary, chosen interviewees and ideology of staff and reporters on air. Still, I wouldn't go so far as to call it "Fake News" like CNN, but rather one-sided and always putting the Democrat Perspectives in the most positive light - and often crossing the line in my view.

I believe we should limit government spending - as anytime you limit government, you help growth in the private sector as you reduce the bureaucracy, which slows down the flows of money, capital, jobs, investment, so in that regard it will help jobs. The foreign wars have been quite wasteful, agreed, but we still need the best and strongest military in the solar system. Increasing military budget is necessary for readiness, we need to bring everything back up to readiness and reliability - otherwise all our 'redlines' will ring hollow and we invite challenges.

First things first, our government must protect the American People, that's the first job, without that all is for not. Government must first prove it can do that right, before doing ANYTHING ELSE. A 6-month Federal Government shutdown would be great, people would immediately see how little we need the Federal Government in our lives.

The Trump Budget also cuts out a lot of foreign aid. You know, we spend endless dollars in foreign aid bribing countries to serve our will and then these supposed client nations spit into our faces, fine, they have the right to serve their own interests, go for it then, they can do that without our assistance, without MY Tax Dollars. I like to recommend "Bureaucracy" by Ludwig van Misses to those who call for bigger government, sure we need a government, but not much of one, and no bigger than we can drown in the bathtub if it gets out-of-line, or someone once said. Please consider all this and think on it - until then; Don't Hesitate - Be Great.