Review: Outright Online Accounting Software

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When you start a business, you don’t often think about the accounting aspects. You just want to see the money start rolling in.

However, you need to be on top of your accounting if you want to keep up with your taxes (or at least not make them difficult).

One of the ways that you can stay on top of things is to use some sort of accounting software or application.  As I started looking, I considered a number of options. While I eventually just settled on using Quicken (although now I’m using MoneyDance) to keep track of my business income and expenses, I did look into other options.

One of these was Outright.com small business accounting.

What is Outright?

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How to Negotiate to Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rates

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According to CreditCards.com, the average credit card debt (per household with credit card debt) is $15,956, and the average APR paid on that debt is 12.78%.

Annually, the average household is paying over $2,000 a year just in credit card interest.

If you do not want to or are unable to transfer your balance to a credit card with a lower interest rate, your next best line of defense is to negotiate with the credit card company to get a lower interest rate.

Before you call to negotiate, remember that you will need to be calm and polite the entire time. 

Do not let your emotions enter into the negotiations.  Also, keep in mind that credit card negotiations are effective about 50% of the time.  Don’t use this knowledge as an excuse to give up, but also recognize that you may not always be able to get the credit card company to budge.

Follow these tips when calling to negotiate to lower credit card  interest rates:

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Romney Chooses Paul Ryan to Be His Vice Presidential Candidate and Links

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Mitt Romney announced Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential candidate in the run for the White House this year.

The move is a savvy one — Paul is popular with the tea party, Romney is more mainline Republican.  It is sizing up to be quite the race and as always, quite the nasty one with Super PACs spending millions of dollars on misleading advertising.

There is one guaranteed winner this fall: media outlets like radio stations and TV networks.  They’ll bring in a ton of revenue this year thanks to the election.

Not running a media outlet but still want to get ahead financially this fall?  Here are some articles to help you on your way:

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Getting Health Insurance for a Small Business Owner

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Health insurance is one of the biggest challenges for small business owners.

It’s a problem for anyone who isn’t in a government or employer sponsored plan, but small businesses have special concerns.

For small businesses, health insurance is complicated by the fact that there may be employees.  Do you just get coverage for yourself, or do you extend that coverage to your employees?

The answer is different for different businesses, but there are ways to work through the process to get the best plan to cover your specific needs.

Use an independent insurance broker

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USAA Free Checking Review – No Fees and Lots of Convenience

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Looking for a new checking account with low fees and great customer service?

Take a serious look at USAA Free Checking.

USAA stands for United Services Automobile Association.  The firm was started in 1922 by 25 service members that came together to insure each other’s vehicles.  It is a financial services company with our nation’s military and military families at its core.  The firm has grown to serve more than 8 million members and offers a wide variety of banking and insurance products.

Being able to use USAA’s financial services is only available to the select few who have either served in the military or their family members.  This keeps the company focused on its mission and enables them to offer unique products.

If you qualify, you should definitely consider using them for your banking and insurance needs.

That said, certain products, like checking and savings, are available to everyone.  And that’s great news for you!

Why USAA Free Checking?

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Drought: Are You Ready for Higher Prices?- Tips to Fight Food Price Inflation

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Chances are, you are aware that this summer has been hot.

It’s been much hotter than normal where I live, in the intermountain west.

The result of all this hot weather is likely to be failing crops.

Indeed, I notice that, thanks to a strange winter, and hot weather, our garden isn’t doing as well as it did last year.  We don’t have the same number of tomatoes and peppers.  Even our berries are failing.  (Our herbs, on the other hand, are thriving.  Apparently, the basil, oregano, and thyme are all fond of this weather.)

Across the nation’s farmland, a similar situation is playing out on a larger scale.

Drought is causing crops of corn and soybeans to begin failing, and that will likely mean a squeeze in supply — and a rise in food prices.  But it’s not just a direct rise in prices, such as a rise in corn prices.  This type of issue is likely to spread throughout the food supply chain.

What we often forget is that we aren’t the only living things that need grown food.
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Making the Most of Your Wedding Registry

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If you are engaged, one important task on your wedding to do list is to create a wedding registry.

You may spend a few hours with your fiance choosing a store to register for your wedding gifts and actually picking the items to appear on the list.  Some people find the process so overwhelming that they continue registering over the course of a few days.

If you are recently engaged and planning to create a wedding registry, here are a few tips to make the most of your registry:

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US Olympians Pay Tax on Winning Medals and Links

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There’s been a bit of an uproar in the financial media about US Olympians being taxed for winning medals in their competitions.

The tax kicks in because the US Olympic Committee pays $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze.  This money is considered income and is then taxed by the US government regardless of where the income is earned.  Other countries do not tax their medalists and in some cases pay them even more.

Do you think it is fair to charge tax on Olympic earnings?

If you know an Olympian that needs some financial advice, here are some tips:

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What is FDIC and How it Makes Our Lives Better

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The FDIC has been in the news a lot in recent years, but during quieter times the agency and what it does are invisible to most Americans.

The closest we get to it is the sign in the bank window that says, “Member FDIC”.

The FDIC is sort of like a giant insurance company for the entire US banking industry (in fact it stands for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).  The fact that we usually don’t know what it does is an indication that it’s doing the job it was meant to do.

The History of the FDIC

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5 Keys to a Frugal Retirement

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When we think about frugality, many of us consider the here and now.

However, it doesn’t hurt to consider that you might need to be frugal during retirement as well.

While many of us hope to be able to forget about frugality during our golden years, the truth is that you never know what will happen in the future to create uncertainty in your finances.

It makes sense to be prepared to live frugally in retirement, if the need should arise.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you prepare your retirement finances:

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