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Welcome to the Articles portion of our website. All of these informative QuickBooks support articles were written by Diane C.O. Gilson (QuickBooks Advanced Certified ProAdvisor & QuickBooks Enterprise Certified Pro Advisor).
Diane is enthused about sharing, through this series of articles, some of the design, implementation, trouble-shooting, security, and training aspects of the knowledge base she has developed over her years (since 1994) of training and working with thousands of construction clients (and other clients with job-costing needs) who use QuickBooks as their primary in-house accounting software.
We trust that you will find the articles informative and effective in helping you maximize the value of your QuickBooks software.
Note 1:Our QuickBooks support articles are featured in our e-mail newsletter. If you’d like to sign up to receive our newsletter CLICK HERE to be taken to our store landing page. Once there, just enter your email address in the E-Letter Signup box to receive your free QuickBooks tips.
Note 2:If you’d like to test yourself on your QuickBooks® expertise, please CLICK HERE to visit our Quick QuickBooks® Quizzes page.
Labor Burden & Profits - Part I:
What Do Your Employees Really Cost?
Whether you’re a contractor, supplier, remodeler, builder, service provider, consultant, or other business professional, if you have employees, you owe it to yourself to understand exactly what each person on your payroll really costs, and how he or she can make an appropriate contribution to your bottom line.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Labor Burden & Profits - Part II:
Exactly What Should Your Employees Contribute to the Bottom Line?
What do your employees really cost per production hour and how much should you charge for employee labor? Are each of your employees making a positive difference in your bottom line? Whether you have 1, 40, or 80 employees, it pays to know your labor burden numbers inside and out, so that you can use that data to increase your bottom line. Here are some ideas about how to use that critical information to make a positive impact in your take-home pay!
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Labor Burden & Profits - Part III:
To Overtime or Not to Overtime? That is the Calculation...
Is it ever a smart move to utilize overtime, and if so, when? And for which workers? Here are more creative ways to use fully burdened labor cost information to make a positive impact in your take-home pay!
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Labor Burden & Profits - Part IV:
Using Burdened Costs & Variance Reports to Improve Your Operations
Using burdened cost information in tandem with internal management reports can help you bring job costs under immediate control and will, additionally, provide you with ongoing insights into ways to improve your company’s overall performance and productivity!
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Surviving a Slow Economy: 4 Ways to Use Downtime
Is business slow? Think it’s a good time to slack off and take a vacation? Better think again! This is the time to roll up your sleeves and really go to work on the economic side of your business!
To view the PDF article CLICK HERE
Turning Your Company Budget into a Money Game
One of the most popular board games of all times is Monopoly – a game of money. But in this case, as the head of your company, you are the one who defines the rules of your company's "money game". Your goal should be to become as skillful a player in this real-life sport as possible. Rather than just reacting to what other players are doing, you can add new levels of enjoyment and reward to the game by developing detailed money plans, strategies, and contingency positions.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
1099s: Out of the Holding Tank
If you ever feel like “Judge Amy” when you have to determine who gets 1099s and who doesn’t, just think of it this way: you’re upholding your part in the legal system to be sure that everyone else pays their “fair share” of the tax burden.
And that’s what creating 1099s in QuickBooks is all about; tracking payments to people who don’t receive W-2s but who are, typically, subject to self-employment and/or income taxes.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Add Some Flair to Your QuickBooks Columns!
Ever wished you could see more, less, or different information when you’re viewing your QuickBooks Lists? In the 2005 (and subsequent) versions of QuickBooks there is a feature which allows you to customize exactly what you see in your Lists.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
The Beast of Burden
This article was published in the July 2006 issue of Remodeling Magazine.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Color Your World with QuickBooks
Who says that just because you are an accountant or bookkeeper that you have to live in a black and white world? QuickBooks® offers you a variety of ways to use color for more fun, greater efficiency, and enhanced productivity!
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Construction Accounting: "Morphing" the Marketplace
This article was published in Michigan Builder Magazine in April 05.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Construction Contracts + Percentage of Completion (POC) Adjustments - Nuisance or Necessity?
This accounting technique provides you with a stable, reliable way of matching each job's life-to-date revenue against its life-to-date expenses so that you can know how this month's or quarter's profit "lines up" against last month's, last quarter's or last year's numbers.
Percentage of Completion entries act much like the bubble in a common level. Learn why and how these entries provide a way to "level" your financial results across accounting periods and more accurately view and understand your true profitability.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
CPA Invents Labor Burden Software
This write up was published in the August 2006 issue of the Ann Arbor Business Review.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Construction Tip: Tracking Multiple Vendors using QuickBooks
Article published on Intuit Professional Accounting Solutions Website.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Dept Tricks with QuickBooks
Do you ever wonder how much credit is left (or available from) your credit cards, your construction, land or development loans, or from your Line of Credit? For example:
- “Where are we on our construction draws?”
- “How much is still available on that credit card?”
- “Which loan should I pay off first?”
Do you regularly see and/or review your current interest rates, so that you can more effectively manage debt or pay loans off more quickly? Here’s a tip that I regularly share with my clients...
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Desperately Seeking... Information?
One of the primary benefits of an accounting system is that you can store and categorize LOTS of information. On the other hand - one of the primary problems with an accounting system is that you can store and categorize LOTS of information! But where did it go?
Anyone who’s gone searching for a precise piece of data, or a specific transaction (or series of transactions) in QuickBooks® knows that the two opening sentences are not contradictory. If you’ve had any difficulty in finding what you were looking for, I believe that I have some extremely helpful information for you!
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
How Heavy Is Your Labor Burden?
article published in Quick Tips + Business Bytes Feb 06.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
How to Control (and Collect) Your Change Orders with QuickBooks
On more than one occasion, I’ve heard of builders who fell behind on documenting the change order documentation process. Then, if and when they finally got all of their paperwork under control at the end of the job, the client either wouldn’t or couldn’t pay.
The result? A direct hit to the bottom line! You can just see a picture of the builder opening up their wallet and paying for those major customizations and upgrades on behalf of their client. And that’s not counting the loss of time, energy, profits and customer goodwill...
Here’s how to use your QuickBooks® to track every single change order for every job as it progresses. Use a variety of reports to stay on top of these potentially profitable modifications. Learn how to keep your client up to speed and informed. Then, accelerate your cash flow and increase your profits by starting to get paid on a timely basis for all of those major and minor add-ons, change orders, and extra work and cost that many builders are currently financing out their own pockets!
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Month-End Closing Procedures: A Series of Controls in Action!
Are you using specific processes to finalize your accounting each month? If not, you’re in the “BAD DATA” danger zone!
This article explores the important elements of month-end closing procedures and the types of problems you can avoid by implementing the right kinds of month-end wrap up controls…
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Slim and Trim Part A: Fitness for Your QuickBooks File
When I begin working with new QuickBooks clients, one of the first things I check is the size of their current data file (to check your file size, press CTRL and the number 1 at the same time: your results will be displayed on the screen).
Even though I have seen clients working in files exceeding 100 megabytes, if their company file is approaching (or exceeding) 30 megabytes (30,000 bytes) I know that they are at a higher risk for: - Data loss and/or corruption
- Slower transaction entry and report processing
- Faulty backups (especially if they are backing up to diskettes)
As with most things in life, preventing (or postponing) the problem is much easier and less costly than handling it after it has occurred, so here are four “preventive health care” concepts regarding your file size.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Slim and Trim Part B: Big or Slow QuickBooks File? Consider Liposuction!
There are a variety of reasons that your QuickBooks file may be too large, and you should thoroughly explore the situation before proceeding further. Once you have obtained an understanding of how you arrived in your current condition, here are five “surgical-style” alternatives to dealing with an overgrown QuickBooks file.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
The Mini-Audit: Self-Defense for Your Assets
As more and more companies bring their accounting systems in house, the opportunities for errors and/or fraud increase correspondingly. Here are some fairly simple steps you can take in the comfort of your office to help protect your company’s QuickBooks® accounting system from both of these unpleasant and regrettable circumstances…
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Unique QuickBooks Feature: Credit Card Entries
When working with new QuickBooks clients, I often find that many are not using the Credit Card feature. This is a unique, valuable, no-additional-cost feature included with your QuickBooks accounting software.
If you use credit cards for your business expenditures and want accurate, up-to-date records regarding purchases, deductible interest, late fees, or outstanding balances, here’s how to enter those transactions using the Credit Card feature. It’s fast, it’s easy, and utilizing this tool will provide you with valuable and useful information.
To view the PDF Article CLICK HERE
Protect Yourself From Fraud Series
This series of twelve articles help small business owners better understand the causes of fraud and how they can protect themselves from it.
To view all the titles in this series CLICK HERE
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