Posted by admin on Sep 15, 2008 in
Software 
If you have a virus checker, when was the last time you updated it? You’d be surprised at how many people say, “Huh?” You can update these for free and should at least once a week. Newer versions even do it for you. Be wary of opening e-mails with attachments, even from those you know. Scan every one with your virus software first. Keep backups of your hard drive that are three or four days old and constantly rotate them so you will have a virus-free version at all times. Viruses seem to love to attack on Monday, though there is no real pattern. Always update your virus program on Monday, at the very least.
Tags: Software, viruses
Posted by admin on Aug 24, 2008 in
Financial Quicken, Quickbooks, and Money have automatic reminders to tell you when to pay bills. If your income is regular, have your bills deducted directly from your bank account. Writing checks through your financial program will force you to record all entries. Do not use programs like Versacheck, My Check Writer, etc. that print checks from blank stock unless you buy a MICR cartridge for your printer. Also, make absolutely sure that they will print all those squiggly lines in exactly the right place. I used to make my own business checks until I got some of them returned as unreadable. When this happens, whomever you wrote the check to marks it down as “NSF,” even though that’s not the case. Many stores now refuse to accept computer-printed checks.
Most banks offer you the capacity to download your statements directly into your check-writing program. Do it every day. It is almost painless, even for the mathematically-challenged of us. Backup your financial data daily, on a separate disk or CD.
According to the IRS, one-third of small businesses incur penalties for incorrect bookkeeping of more than $1,300 annually. Consider an online payroll system like www.paycylce.com to relieve you of the burden. Le expensive, and powerful is Simply HR by Elibrium Software (www.elibrium.com). While this doesn’t do the payroll for you, it alerts you of potential errors and is available online. It can help you keep on track and is easy to use.
Tags: Financial, Software, technology