Costco Connection - January 2011

YOU MIGHT HAVE thought it couldn’t get easier for a small business to manage payroll than with Intuit Online Payroll, but it just did. Costco’s payroll services provider has just launched Intuit Online Payroll Mobile, adding the convenience of an iPhone mobile application to an already efficient payroll service.

With this free app, you can enter employee hours, review, approve and instantly pay employees, all from your iPhone. All of your paycheck details are automatically reflected in your Intuit Online Payroll account.

• View reports of the last payroll run.

• Automatically synchronize data with your Intuit Online Payroll account.

• Get free phone support Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6: 30 p.m., PST.

Intuit launches new payroll app
Features of the Intuit Online
Payroll Mobile app

• Create and approve employee paychecks and pay stubs.

• Pay employees with direct deposit or manual checks.

• E-mail your employees a confirmation upon successful creation of paychecks.

Intuit uses the same encryption technology used by banks. That means your information is protected from any unauthorized access when data is being transmitted.

Intuit Online Payroll Mobile is free to Costco members who use Intuit Online Payroll. If you don’t have an account, you can get a free three-month trial of the service, then pay as little as $23.99 per month for Executive Members, or $25.99 per month for Business Members.

For more information or to enroll, visit Costco.com and search for “payroll,” or call toll-free 1-866-636-2228.—David Wight

ShareBuilder app

COSTCO’S ONLINE INVESTING provider, ShareBuilder from ING DIRECT, is pleased by the response to the free mobile application— ShareBuilder Mobile—they launched last June. The Connection recently asked Brandon Potter, vice president of product management and customer service for ShareBuilder, about how this app was developed.

losses, check your watch list, get market news, trade and transfer money to or from ShareBuilder. It’s a comprehensive application now and over the next couple of months we’re rolling out new functionality. It’s pretty exciting stuff.

Brandon Potter: Mobile is an evolving medium that allows our customers to stay informed and access their accounts on the go. The adoption level has been huge. Just over 15 percent of our customers have downloaded one of the apps. That’s pretty amazing in such a short period of time.

Costco Connection: Which smartphones do you support?

BP: We support the Apple, BlackBerry and Android smartphones. This is just the beginning of what we will support in the mobile space. We have a dedicated development team now that is constantly updating, improving and building in new functionality.

CC: Should people have any concern about security or identity theft when they’re con- ducting transactions through this app? BP: They should not. We are one of the few brokerage firms to require the use of MFA— multi-factor authentication. It goes beyond a simple username and password; it requires you to confirm an image that you selected and a phrase that you typed in. That means we have an extra layer of security embedded in the mobile device.

CC: Do you plan many changes for the app? BP: You can do a ton with it now, [such as] check your balance, review your gains and

CC: Who will get the most out of this mobile app? BP: Both customers and prospective customers will find value in the app. Our primary objective is to provide a seamless, consistent experience between the website and mobile interface so customers don’t have to learn a whole new navigation structure. Keeping things clean and simple is the key.

To learn more about the mobile app, visit sharebuilder.com/mobile. To open an account,

nd

go to Costco.com, click on “Services” and select “Online Investing.”—DW

ShareBuilder is a registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/ SIPC, and is not affiliated with Costco. Costco is not a broker/ dealer. ShareBuilder is a subsidiary of ING Bank, fsb. Securities products are not FDIC insured, not bank guaranteed and may lose value. iPhone® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. BlackBerry® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google permissions. Images are for illustrative purposes only. Any displayed symbols, quotes or charts are not recommendations or advice.