Accounting Tips Guides

Book Keeping and Accounting is something foreign to many, maybe because they never cared to learn it thinking it is just a dull game of recording transactions using unnecessarily complicated terms and methods. Far from it, book keeping and accounting is a logical way of recording transactions in a professional manner so that the information could be used in the ascertainment of many other vital business criteria such as the profits or losses made, who owes you and how much; how much you owe others, or are you carrying enough cash in the business for meeting immediate commitments etc., just to name a few.

Accounting is something that is useful in your personal as well as professional lives, and it would be worth your while to shed your prejudices and listen! Accounting is nothing complex as you have mistakenly imagined. It is based on one of the most fundamental concepts that if one receives something, then obviously another has to give; and therefore every transaction has a two-fold aspect called debit and credit in accounting terms. Maybe this reminds you of one of Newton’s Laws that action and reaction are always equal and opposite.

Fundamentally, the study of accounting is built on (i) The Accounting Equation, and (ii) Double Entry Book Keeping.

(i) The Typical Accounting Equation:
Assets = Liabilities + Equity

(ii) Double Entry aspect of Book Keeping:
The perfect balancing of the accounting equation is guaranteed by this system.

I think it pertinent now to define Accounting as a system of summarizing financial transactions and recoding in such a manner as to facilitate using such records for later analysis, preparation of further financial statements, interpretation of accounts and communication as required.

Now let’s go a little further with the Accounting Equation enunciated above, and move on to its practical implications:

Assets are your possessions (including what others owe you) while liabilities are what you owe others. The difference between the two is called Equity, which includes capital introduced by you (if it is a sole proprietorship) or by shareholders (in the case of a limited liability company) plus or minus any retained profits or accumulated losses respectively. May I also just state in passing that capital introduced is not refundable to anybody and as such it is not a liability. Hence it is called Equity.

Say, you buy a Motor Vehicle for $40,000 for which you pay $25,000 out of your retained profits (or personal savings) and for the balance you take a loan of $ 15,000 from an outsider.

Substituting these values in the Accounting Equation, we have:

Assets (Possessions) = Liabilities (what you owe others) + Equity (Capital/Personal Savings)
$ 40,000 = $15,000 + $25,000

You see one debit of $40,000 is equal to two credits added together ($15,000 + $25,000) = totaling to $40,000.

There could be more complex transactions requiring distribution to more ledger accounts as well as transactions involving only two ledger accounts. Every equation comprises of the double entry with one or a series of debits on one side of the equation equaling one or a series of credits on the other side.

In the two examples given below you will see how the two concepts of Accounting Equation and Double Entry are synchronized:

(i) Settlement of a liability by paying cash $50.
The liability represented by a creditor receives while your cash account gives.
Creditor (debited with) $50 = cash account (credited with) $50

(ii) Receipt of a debt from a debtor who owed you $75.
Your cash account receives while the debt represented by a debtor gives
Cash (debited with) $75 = Debtor (credited with) $75

Earlier we sited one of Newton’s laws to illustrate the concept of double entry in book keeping. At this point we would like to take you back to your algebra lessons way back in grade 8 or so where you were told that if you add something on one side of an equation, that you have to do the same to the other side of the equation too? It’s fair enough, is’t it? That is exactly what we ask you to do in book keeping too making the double entry equal and balancing.

Double entry book keeping is nothing so complex or weird as to defy fair and reasonable common sense. You can easily grasp the concept of double entry by training yourself to think logically as to who or what gives, and who or what receives in each transaction; and by framing the entries accordingly, while ensuring that the two sides of the equation are in agreement (balancing) and are consistent with common sense.

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Many people believe that just because a person owns a medical practice they have a lot of money. In some instances this can be true however, many times a physician can own a medical practice and still have very little money to show for it. This is not because he or she is not a good physician, most often it is because he or she lacks the skills to run the business end of their practice efficiently.

More and more physicians are finding that using a medical billing service actually helps them to run a more efficient office.

A medical billing company has trained professionals that will handle all of the billing needs from coding to submission to the insurance companies.

Many insurance companies today have reputations of being notorious for denying claims that have been submitted for the most ridiculous reasons.

A busy medical practice that submits their claims on their own is more likely to have those claims denied than if a medical billing service was used.

If a medical practice sees fifty patients a day, then fifty medical claim forms must be filled out and submitted. This means that the person who fills out the claims manually must go through the entire process fifty times a day manually and mail it to the insurance company where it will sit in stacks of thousands of other claims waiting to be entered into the insurance company computers. If there is one mistake, the claim will be rejected and sent back to the medical practice to be filled out properly.

This means that the person who fills out the medical claims will have more work than he or she can handle. It can be very frustrating.

Even if the claims are filled out correctly, it can take several weeks to several months to receive a check from the insurance company. For a small medical practice, it can be devastating if several claims are denied at the same time.

A medical billing service takes all of the headaches and frustration away because they handle every aspect of medical billing. Trained professionals code the claims and submit them to the insurance companies electronically, eliminating the process of manually entering them at the insurance company.

Another benefit is that a medical billing company offers is that they will follow the claim from beginning to end, making sure that there are no problems. They also have an excellent acceptance rate of over ninety percent.

When a claim is submitted electronically, it is either accepted or rejected immediately. When it is accepted, a reimbursement check is sent out within days and not weeks or months.

For small medical practices that rely on the insurance reimbursement checks to operate their business, a medical billing company is a godsend. Many think that the cost of a medical billing company is more than they can pay; however when you look at what you could lose, the cost is really quite reasonable.

Medical billing companies are available to everyone in the medical industry no matter what their specialty is.

Peter Geisheker is CEO of The Geisheker Group marketing firm. One of the types of clients that Peter helps are medical billing services

Accounting is the study of measuring, analyzing and interpreting financial activity by providing assurance of financial information, as well as compiling and preparing financial records. Managers, tax authorities and investors within organizations, companies and public agencies, such as the government, use this information to allocate resources.

Accounting electives are typically taken as directed studies, that is, taken by an individual student under the tutelage of an Accounting Area faculty member. Such electives focus on a specialized area of interest to the student and the faculty member, and can be helpful in filling in gaps in your knowledge in preparation for doctoral research. Accounting refers to the tracking of the consumption of NAS resources by users.

This information may be used for management, planning, billing, or other purposes. Accounting seeks to measure the results of an organization’s economic activities and convey this information to management, investors, creditors, regulatory agencies, consumers, and employees.

Under this broad definition, the field includes such distinct areas as auditing, management accounting, financial accounting, international accounting, tax accounting, and public-sector accounting.

Accounting topics of current concern to faculty and students. Offered only when faculty are available and sufficient student interest exists. Accounting activities may occur within or outside the organization.

Although accounting is usually identified with privately owned, profit-seeking entities, its services also are provided to not-for-profit organizations such as universities or hospitals, to governmental organizations, and to other types of units. Accounting majors have gone on to become business owners, investment bankers, loan officers, actuaries, economists, tax specialsists, and so much more.

Accounting reform measures of some kind have been taken in each generation to attempt to keep bookkeeping relevant to capital assets or production capacity. However, these have not changed the basic principles, which are supposed to be independent of economics as such.

Accounting majors need only to complete the application for scholarships available through the Department or the Deans office in order to be considered for all scholarships available in any given year. Accounting is the language of business, encompassing all phases of business operations as well as specialized accounting knowledge. Accounting is oriented to both preparers and users of financial information.

Accounting faculty members at a school of business are actively engaged in various research projects related to economic and risk management aspects of information assurance.

From the teaching perspective, information assurance is now an integral part of most accounting courses at the Smith School, including such courses as: auditing, managerial accounting, ethics and professionalism in accounting, business ethics, accounting systems, financial statement analysis, taxes, international accounting, and financial planning and control systems for managers and consultants.

Accounting Clerk positions require applicants to have basic accounting knowledge and typically some computer training. The courses offered at West Valley College include a computer component designed to give the students working knowledge of the way accounting is done in today’s technological environment. Accounting clerks post transactions in journals and on computer files and update the files when needed. Senior clerks also review computer printouts against regularly maintained journals and make necessary corrections.

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Throughout the country, busy medical practices are turning more and more toward medical billing companies because of the level of service they provide.

Any type of medical practice can use medical billing. It is a cost effective way to run the business end of your medical practice.

Small medical practices often take on the task of medical billing in order to cut corners and to save money. This can be devastating to the financial stability of the medical practice especially if it relies on the repayment from insurance companies to meet its financial obligations.

When medical personnel manually fill out the paperwork for billing, it can take long tedious hours just to make sure it is done correctly.

It is mailed to the insurance company where it is sorted in the mail room and then makes it way to the desk of the claims department where it sits in stack of medical claims waiting to be processed.

You are not guaranteed a speedy turnaround time and often it can take several months to see your return. If by chance there is a mistake on your claim, it is rejected and you have to start the process all over again.

It can be quite maddening to have to wait for a return that is not coming, and tracking a payment can be as frustrating as the rejection itself.

This is why medical billing is so critical to any medical practice. It takes all of the frustration out of the billing process because the highly trained professionals do all of the work for you.

As with any business, medical billing companies charge a fee for each claim that they process. Many people feel that the fee is not worth paying, however, when you stop and think about the service that you are paying for, you may find that it is worth the cost.

Medical billing companies provide a level of service that is second to none. The medical billing specialist code and send your medical claims electronically to insurance companies.

What this means is that the claim is sent directly to the insurance company computers where it is accepted or reject immediately and the billing service is notified within minutes. Once the claim is accepted, your payment is sent within days instead of weeks or months.

Medical billing companies also track each claim from the time it is submitted to the time you receive your check. This means that you have more time to spend with your patients without having to worry about anything else, and your office staff can devote more time to the duties of running your office.

This is what medical billing services offer their clients. An added benefit to using a medical billing company is that their acceptance rate of claims is over ninety percent meaning that the rejection rate is less than ten percent.

It just makes sense to use a medical billing company because of the advantages. The fast turnaround time is well worth the cost of the service.

Peter Geisheker is CEO of The Geisheker Group marketing firm. One of the types of
clients that Peter helps are medical billing service

This is a short list of ways you can save money and begin to acquire wealth. It’s really not about how much money you make, it’s about how much you save.

1) Sock some money away. Okay this one seems obvious, and it is. But if it is so obvious, why do most people ignore it?

Well, the truth is that life is expensive and problems or emergency situations arise that drain our bank accounts.

It doesn’t matter how little you decide to put away for the future. For young people, the biggest factor on your side is time.

Small amounts of money add up over time, and if you factor in compound interest, the twenty bucks a paycheck you put away can turn into a nice chunk of money.

A smart and easy thing to do, if you have direct deposit through your work, is to have some money automatically diverted from your paycheck into a savings account.

2) Pay off your credit card debt. The interest rate on credit cards can be up to 22%. That means if you carry $100.00 on a bill over into the next month, you will now owe the credit card company $122.00. In that situation, you would have lost yourself $22.00.

No matter how much those credit card commercials claim they can improve your life and make it more enjoyable, the credit card company is not your friend. They want your money. So pay down your debt as soon as you can and before you put money in savings.

If you are paying 15 percent interest on a bill to a credit card company and at the same time are only earning a 3 percent return on money in your savings account, it makes sense to pay off your debt first. The amount you owe will easily eclipse what you are earning.

If whatever interest you earn is less than the 15 percent I use as an example, then whatever you are earning is not really earnings. Your net profit will still be negative. Get rid of credit card debt so you can start really saving money.

3) Use your credit card wisely. A credit card is essentially a card that allows you to take a loan out of a fixed amount of money, your credit limit. Credit cards are also a good way to build up your credit. If you have a record of paying off your credit card bill in full and on time every month, then your credit score should get better.

Another advantage of paying off the bill in full and on time is that you will be able to avoid paying any interest on the money you borrowed. If you pay attention and are careful with how you use your credit card, then it can be a good tool to help improve your credit.

Try putting one purchase a month on a credit card and paying the bill on time consistently. Some credit card companies even offer incentive programs like airline miles or cash back on certain purchases.

The credit card I use credits me a certain percent of all the money I spend at certain gas stations each month. Getting money back is even better than saving money.

4) Okay, here’s another obvious one. Control your spending. Live below your means. Do not spend more than you make. Smaller expenses like going out to eat or to the movies can add up quickly when put on a credit card.

Try making your own coffee in the morning instead of going to Starbucks to get your buzz. Or make your own coffee several days a week and reward yourself with that Latte on Friday. Maybe carpool to work a couple days a week to save money on gas.

I am not claiming that eliminating these minor costs will make you rich, but it is important to understand how all the smaller expenses add up. And they do add up. It is important to think about what you do with your money and make choices on how you spend it.

People often feel burdened by their lack of money and feel that they spend it before they have it. Most of us spend everything we have. Just when we’ve managed to save a little bit of money, we want to buy new clothes, or take a trip somewhere.

It is not easy to save money, but is well worth it. Thinking about where your money is going and making a few minor adjustments can help you save.

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“Just when you thought Sarbanes Oxley concerns had been sufficiently addressed so that non-public companies could take the issue off their dashboard, things have changed, ” says Gary W. Patterson, Enterprise Risk Management expert and speaker. He forewarns that Enterprise Risk Management (also referred to as ERM) will soon become a business issue for almost every business on the planet, including family-owned businesses, private companies, and nonprofits. This is a strategy shift for many of these organizations, which up until this point thought Sarbanes Oxley (sometimes affectionately known as Sarbox) applied only to public companies, and big ones at that.

One major reason for this sea change in philosophy is that both Standard & Poor and Moody are soliciting comments on their approach to ERM analysis and how they plan to factor it into their ratings. Their discussions will accelerate activity under way where bankers, governmental organizations, and regulators, in particular, have been considering the need for stronger corporate governance. For them Sarbox is an easily obtainable platform to use for drafting programs they believe should exist in corporations directly or indirectly under their jurisdiction. Lest you have any doubts, note how user friendly definitions from Wikipedia describe this trend.

“In business, enterprise risk management (ERM) includes the methods and processes used by organizations to manage risks (or seize opportunities) related to the achievement of their objectives. ERM provides a framework for risk management, which typically involves identifying particular events or circumstances relevant to the organization’s objectives (risks and opportunities), assessing them in terms of likelihood and magnitude of impact, determining a response strategy, and monitoring progress. ERM can also be described as a risk-based approach to managing an enterprise, integrating concepts of strategic planning, operations management, and internal control. ERM is evolving to address the needs of various stakeholders, who want to understand the broad spectrum of risks facing complex organizations to ensure they are appropriately managed. Regulators and debt rating agencies have increased their scrutiny on the risk management processes of companies.” per wikipedia.

Exactly when ERM programs will be implemented is a tougher question. Understandably, non-public companies have a range of reasons for preferring to delay the time when ERM factors will apply to them. However, the question is WHEN - not IF - some form of Enterprise Risk Management requirements will be applied. Family-owned business, other forms of private companies, and non-profits have been forewarned in a number of publications, speeches, and white papers over the last two years.

Some will say that we are drowning in white papers on ERM, corporate governance, Board of Directors, and risk analysis available and dismiss the issue. But those who are proactive, not reactive, will find the time well spent if they begin some level of enterprise risk management dialogue before something critical happens and your company is being second guessed by the ratings agencies, your auditors, or worse yet, a trial attorney.

The topic most companies neglect at their peril is the impact of a fast-approaching clean-energy-influenced economy. Here, we must reassess how much sooner we need to think about a renewable energy world as it relates to areas of your business that will be impacted both positively and negatively, and how that will change your company’s current and long range business plans, including the magnitude of those changes. After all, most C-level executives and their top management teams that I know do not like being second guessed and blind sided.

Gary W. Patterson has helped companies improve their profitability, reengineer their business models, and strengthen or gain competitive advantage in the marketplace. You can reach Gary at www.FiscalDoctor.com or take the free Fiscal Test at http://fiscaldoctor.com/fiscaltest.html.