Accounting News and Notes

Duluth CPA on Christian Financial Business and Money Management

Taking your faith to the streets means that you lay it all on the line and not just your Sunday church attendance. Being like Jesus requires Faith in Action, Belief in Motion and Being the Hands and Feet of Jesus Christ. I have found that when I put my whole heart, mind and body into action that indeed my life is easier rather than harder. Recently I had the opportunity to meet an Atlanta Christian Money/Financial Planner, who wrote of his concerns. I share this to challenge you to lay it all on the line for Christ! 

Thanks for all the information about your business. I enjoyed reading it. I believe you are a person of vision who would like to lead like Jesus in making significant changes in this world and for our future Kingdom. I have believed and worked for many years in ministry and in support of the education that advocates my belief in a strong financial educational background that impacts us today and for our future. However, many people I have known regrettably can be deceiving both in their desires and in their beliefs, especially some in the professional financial arena. And so I am cautious as I’m sure you have met some of them as well.

Bookkeeping for Your Atlanta Small Business
Learn the ABC’s of accounting for the business and financial operations of your business. Visit http://www.hiscpa.com/keeping-books.html

Preparing and Reviewing Financial Statements for Atlanta Business Owners
Financial results of your business are like a doctors chart of their patient, this will help enable you to understand financials and their use. See http://www.hiscpa.com/financial-statements.htm l
 
Monitoring & Preparing Your Financial For Your Atlanta Business
Month-end control procedures are critical, as any variance to these will negatively impact the reliability of your internal financial. These are just a few of the tips we give clients each and every day. http://www.hiscpa.com/monthend.html

Contact HIS CPA PC (A Christian Atlanta CPA Firm) today.

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html There you will also discover a wide host of resources for American Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and an Atlanta CPA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/  and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/  or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it! 

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Bookkeeping.

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The Power of your Financial Personality

We all know how important an engine is for a winning race car. A successful racing team understands what’s under the hood of their car and how to make it perform to the highest level.  In the same way, it is important we understand our own ‘financial’ engine and how it performs.  We call this engine our financial personality. Discovering our financial personality and understanding how it affects our decisions is critical to financial success.  

Many organizations will tell you that you need to behave in a certain way if you are going to be successful financially.  Attempting to change who you are is not only frustrating, but is not in line with God’s will for your life.  Learning to work within your personality is the key to financial success. 

Romans 12:4-8 tells us that we were each created with different gifts and talents that make us unique. You should not try to change who God made you, or attempt to change others.  Rather, you should use the talents God gave you to become the person He designed.   

In counseling singles and couples over the years, we have seen four universal traits that drive financial decisions and behaviors. The first two contrasting traits drive how we think about money.  Most people are either spontaneous or analytical.  Spontaneous people are more emotionally driven in their thought process.  Analytical people like to think and ponder before making a decision.   

The second two contrasting traits tell how we behave towards money.  Cooperative people like to make sure all sides are heard before making a decision.  Assertive people have no problem telling individuals what they want regardless of conflicting opinions.  By combining these traits, we have found people generally fall into one of four financial personalities.   

Read through the four personality types below and see which one you identify with the most.  Remember, there is no right or wrong personality and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. 

Statesmen are a combination of cooperative and analytical traits. They are generally tactful with people and tend to be comfortable with their finances. They like to set goals but may be too passive when it comes to executing those goals. They easily adapt to other points of view.  Statesmen are conservative savers and investors.  They plan for tomorrow but not at the sacrifice of today.   

Cruise Directors are both spontaneous and cooperative. They generally have a charitable heart toward others and are givers. They also tend to be somewhat impulsive and get pleasure out of spending money. They generally have no desire to get wrapped up in financial planning and are not driven by specific financial goals. Cruise Directors think about today and don’t worry much about tomorrow.  

Litigators are assertive and analytical. They are calculated risk-takers and disciplined savers. They tend to set goals and plan for their financial future. Given their assertive style, they tend to take charge of their money.  Family members may see them as overbearing or rigid.  Litigators plan for tomorrow, sometimes at the sacrifice of today. 

Race Car Drivers combine assertiveness and spontaneity. This allows them to multi-task with the ability to make ends meet. They tend to have an entrepreneurial spirit but can be emotionally drained by the challenge of juggling their personal finances.  Race car drivers are generally risk takers.  While very financially active, race car drivers tend to struggle with consistent financial progress.  They tend to think about tomorrow but may not be able to get past the issues of today. 

When you understand your financial personality and that of your spouse, if married, communicating about finances is easier and more effective.  Better communication leads to a more solid financial plan that works long term and you will begin to make financial decisions that work for you! To learn more you can contact Mike Haswell at 770.995.7593 or visiting www.storingtreasures.com

Preserving the Family Vacation. Top Tips to Keep Spending in Check

As the economy continues its climb out of recession, many families might be thinking twice about what they spend on the annual summer vacation. But there are ways to preserve the tradition by being smart about spending. Some ideas:

Get on the mailing list: For any possible destination you can think of, go to their Web sites early and get on their mailing list. You might get plenty of endless chatter from the hotels, amusement parks and other destinations you.re interested in, but you might also find coupons to those locations and other linked businesses that could save you money. Also go to travel magazines to see whether signing up might deliver similar money-saving offers. Most important, go to the tourism Web sites of the states you.re planning to visit to take advantage of coupons and specials. You might also find events and activities to attend that aren’t publicized anywhere else.

Weigh the value of driving vs. flying: Even though energy prices might not approach the stratospheric levels of 2008 this summer, you might find that driving vacations aren’t necessarily the cheapest alternative. If you haven’t measured the gas mileage lately on your car, do so after your next fill-up and see what it would really cost you to drive to your desired destination and don’t forget wear and tear on the car (roughly 10 to 20 cents a mile), meals or hotels on the road. If you plan significantly ahead of time, traveling by air might not only get you there faster, but cheaper. At the same time, if you fly and need a rental car, don’t forget to figure in that cost. Go to the Web sites of the airlines you fly the most and sign up to get advance notice of cheap fares.

Make your reservations online: Tourism businesses save money when you reserve online, that’s one less human they have to pay to handle your call. So chances are good you might get a slight discount for using that option. If you.re not a regular user of the Internet, you should know that airlines and hotels particularly have migrated more of their deals for rooms and meals to their websites because visitors can complete the whole reservation process themselves. That saves airlines, hotels and rental car companies considerable labor cost.

Go for the package deal: Online travel sites make it easy to combine hotel, airfare and rental car at a cheaper rate. And remember the days and times that are typically cheaper to fly, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays if you.re willing to fly early in the morning or late in the evening.

Know when to use travel agents: A good travel agent can be a great money saver, particularly for lengthy or complex trips. It’s OK to compare prices yourself, but consult a travel agent if you are going to remote destinations, they’ll know the territory, and if you have to make changes, they might be able to help you do so without paying a lot of extra money. Don’t be afraid to consult the company travel agent since their status may make them a destination for deals that non-affiliated travelers wouldn’t get.

If you’re going abroad: Do a review of currency rates before you go to see how much money you’ll really have to spend on the trip. Also, see if there are specific ways you can save money for dining, lodging and shopping in that country. Also, check in with your credit card company before you go, some might charge high currency conversion fees, and you can either negotiate them downward or apply for a card with a lower conversion rate that you’ll use only for this kind of travel.

Make sure phoning home is affordable: Make sure you can use your cell phone affordably wherever you go. Check with your wireless provider to make sure your destination has adequate network strength for your phone, and  particularly check what it will cost to call home or other destinations abroad if you.re overseas. There’s nothing like the shock of a wireless bill with unchecked charges. You might also check with your arriving airport to see if local stores rent or sell disposable cell phones at a significant savings.

Check on car insurance: We.ve all heard how buying rental car insurance is a bad deal, but not so fast. For domestic trips, double check whether your own car insurance policy is likely to pick up the bill if you crash your rental car. For overseas trips, check with your rental agencies, as well as your credit card company to see what insurance options you have. Don’t think only in terms of accidents. Think about blown transmissions in small towns with only one mechanic who doesn’t speak English. Also, if you’re driving to Canada or Latin America in your own car, be very sure you have adequate coverage required in every country. You might have to buy supplemental coverage.

Consider travel insurance: There is insurance coverage available for travelers who face sudden cancellations as well as medical needs. Trip cancellation can reimburse you for non-refundable costs in the event of things like an illness for you or a family member that causes you to cancel your trip. Look into what your current health insurance covers at your destination, so that you can understand your risk exposure and weigh it against the cost of supplemental insurance. It’s important to realize that health insurance issues crop up on domestic trips as well as those overseas. For instance, your health insurer may not cover claims in other parts of the country. Always check. Also, if you’re on a business trip, make sure your company health plan will cover you in an emergency, and if your work takes you to a dangerous country, ask if your employer carries kidnapping and ransom insurance. Don’t laugh. According to the Insurance Information Institute, kidnapping is on the rise internationally.

Prevent theft at home and abroad: Photocopy your driver’s license and passports and keep the originals with your valuables in the hotel safe. Also, don’t forget to hold your mail and pay all your bills before leaving town so identity thieves aren’t attracted. 

This column is produced by the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization for the financial planning community, and is provided by Tim Madison, CFP, ChFC, CASL, who can be reached at 770-777-8979