Intuit is introducing all of their new 2005 Versions. There's a brand new version called Simple Start that's a real stripped version of QuickBooks Basic. If all you want is a checkbook with invoices this one might be for you. Not really a lot of changes in Basic, Pro, Premier or Enterprise. Some of the new features are:

• New Learning Center
• Improved Customer Payments
• "NEW" ability to QuickZoom on Retained Earnings
• Improved Reports
• Improved downloading on bank transactions
• "New" Voided/Deleted transactions (this is wonderful!)
• Improved Audit Train
• Enhanced Payroll - Calculates Workers Compensation
• Print UPS & FedEx shipping labels

Do You Need to Upgrade? Is there anything listed above that "turns you on"? If not, the answer is NO. The only people who will be required to upgrade are those of you currently using payroll in QuickBooks 2002 . There will NOT be a 2005 payroll update for the 2002 versions. With that said, if you're not using payroll you will not need to upgrade.

NOTE: If you have recently purchased any version of QuickBooks 2004 (since 9/15). Intuit will upgrade you to 2005 for the cost of shipping & handling. Give us a call for the fax number.

In an attempt to beat the year end rush of new payroll clients, Intuit's Assisted Payroll is being offered 'FREE' until the end of the year. So, if you are currently using an outsourced payroll company and are considering using Intuit's assisted payroll in 2005, now is the time to sign up.

If you sign up and start BEFORE December 17th, 2004 you will received:

• Free payroll processing thru 12/31/04
• Free year end processing -- W-2's & 1099's
• Free Check delivery
• Double Guarantee - "No Penalties" & 100% Satisfaction
• Free Activation (must be a Certified QuickBooks Professional referral)

How does it work? Simple. Call us and we'll get you signed up. Intuit's payroll service takes care of all the tax payments, quarterly & year-end reports. The advantage? Everything to do with payroll is already in your QuickBooks. No more trying to figure out how to enter in the numbers from the payroll service. Allows for complete job-costing of labor hours, ease of billing for labor hours and no worry about whether the taxes were made correctly or not.

Depending on the number of employees it, usually takes 2-3 hours to set up payroll, enter in the Y-T-D balances and get ready to transmit your first one. Intuit also offers direct deposit to up to two (2) bank accounts per employee for only $0.99 per check.

For a weekly payroll for 10 employees, the cost is only $42.00/payroll. With direct deposit for all 10 employees it would be $49.50/payroll. Intuit takes full responsiblity for all taxes and quarterly reports. Call us today to learn more!

As in the past, we are starting to schedule year-end appointments now. My calendar gets really crazy in January, so if you think you might want an appointment in January CALL NOW and get your time on the books.

Why wait until January? Other than printing W-2's and 4th quarter payroll reports, everything else can probably be done now. In fact, I recommend it. There's nothing worse than waiting until January to take a close look at your financials only to find out you should have done something different in December.

There are some things you can do to get ready for year-end. Here are a few of them.

• Look over your Accounts Receivable and verify that your clients all owe you the amount shown.
• Look over your Accounts Payable and verify you owe everything that's listed
• Make sure all bank accounts have been reconciled.
• Review the balances of all Liabilities (these should match any statements you receive)
• Write off any uncollectible Accounts Receiveable
• Do you have any outstanding checks that are over 6 months old? Should they be voided?
• Take a close look at a Year-To-Date Profit & Loss

YEAR END CLASS Not feeling comfortable about year end? Join us for this 4 hour session on "What I Need to Know for Year End". It doesn't matter what accounting software you're using, the process is the same. We'll review what needs to be done in each area of your accounting. You'll receive step-by-step instructions on what and how to do it. The cost is only $49.00/person. Call now to register Tuesday Dec. 7th, 2004 1:00-5:00PM

Is there a computer program you've been wanting to learn? Take a class! We have a full range of comuter classes available. Every student has their own computer to work on, class size is limited to 10 so that every student can get their questions answered. We're also available to work one-on-one with students and can customize training for your staff & business. We're just completing the Jan-Mar schedule. Call for a schedule or visit our web page to see a list of classes and times.