QuickBooks in the cloud
Intuit’s popular
program
goes online
FOR DECADES, Intuit QuickBooks has been
an essential tool for people running a small
business. This handy accounting software
handles all of a company’s daily bookwork,
from creating invoices to tracking inventory.
Now there’s a new version, QuickBooks
Online, that takes advantage of the Internet to
allow business owners to run their companies
from anywhere they have online access.
Offered through Costco, QuickBooks Online
has all the standard tools of the desktop version, but now they’re accessible from a smartphone or laptop.
The new version has made a big differ-
ence at the European Collision Center in
San Francisco. Owner and Costco member
Dennis Kirkpatrick says QuickBooks Online
makes it quick and easy to access
all essential records, which saves
his business time and money.
“QuickBooks Online has eased our business dramatically by simply easing up the
paper flow,” says Kirkpatrick. “We’re able to
track everything we do from our payments
and receivables. All employees are able to
access these numbers at clicks of a button
rather than … going through file cabinets and
looking for past invoices.”
MEDIA BAKERY
Learning the new program was no prob-
lem. “We were intimidated in the beginning
because we’re car guys, we’re technicians and
this isn’t our area of expertise,” he says. “After
switching over to QuickBooks Online we
realized we had much more flexibility by
using our multiple computers and using the
program remotely to access our files any-
where we were. It immediately improved the
communication between our bookkeeping
and accounting departments and allowed us
to have more time to take care of our clients
and their vehicles.”
The program enables business owners to
have all their finances in one central location
and to track sales and expenses online or from
a mobile phone, anytime and anywhere.
Also, the data is protected with auto-
matic daily backups—no more worries
about in-house servers crashing.
Add it all up, says Kirkpatrick, and
it makes good business sense: “Without
a doubt, QuickBooks Online is going to
save us a ton of money in the long run.”
To get more information, go online to
Costco.com and search “QBO4.” Costco
members receive up to a 25 percent discount,
depending on membership level and product
selected.—Tim Talevich
Connecting QuickBooks Online and the Intuit 401(k) programs are two f several small-business services offered
through Costco. To find out more about
these services and how they can benefit
your business, go to Costco.com and select
“Services” at the top of the page.
Retirement plans made affordable
employees. mployees. In fact, retirement plans are among the top three benefits typically requested by employees. Affordable prices. Intuit and Costco have teamed up to offer Intuit 401(k), which offers savings compared to other 401(k) providers. For example, a recent market comparison showed that the total cost of a 401(k) plan for Costco members using the Intuit program was up to 60 percent lower compared with programs offered by other providers. (The prices were based on a com- pany with five employees.) All in all, offering a retirement plan to your employees gives your com- pany additional benefits that make the time and money expenditures worthwhile. To get more information, visit Costco.com and search “401kc.” Or call toll-free 1-855-807-7253 and get a free 401(k) guide and price quote.—TT
MANY SMALL-BUSINESS owners would
love to offer their employees a retirement
benefit through a 401(k) plan, but feel they
can’t afford it. Here are three good reasons to
consider adding a 401(k) plan to your company’s benefit package.
Tax savings. There are several tax advantages to offering a 401(k) plan, depending on
the size of your business, salary levels, tax
rates and other factors. For example, in certain cases special business tax credits can offset your plan’s cost. Also, plan expenses and
matching employer contributions are tax
deductible. In addition, plan participants (employees) can save on federal
income taxes.
Attract and retain talented
employees. Making a retirement
plan part of your benefits package can
set your business apart from others by helping you attract and retain the most talented
