Virtual Bookkeeping Services

We will review your 2009 QuickBooks file for errors, discrepancies, and missing information.  We will present you with a report outlining our recommendations for corrections you need to make before your tax return can be prepared.

Benefits
- Save money on tax preparation
- File your taxes on time because your file is ready for your tax preparer (get your tax refund faster)
- More accurate tax return
- Accurate financials for the first three quarters of the year (you will have time to make changes and adjustments to your business to improve your profitability before Dec. 31, 2009

Limited time offer $100 
 
Offer expires October 31, 2009

Most QuickBooks^® Merchant Services customers will pay more to accept credit card payments as of October 1, 2009, it was announced today by agent relations for Intuit-owned Innovative Merchant Solutions.

According to the release, fee increases to take effect October 1, 2009 are as follows:

Existing IMS accounts and QuickBooks Merchant Service for PC accounts:

• Transaction fee Increased by $.04

New Intuit QuickBooks Merchant Service for PC Transaction Fee:

• Qualified and Mid Qualified: $0.27
• Non Qualified: $0.34

Written by Matthew S. Lewis

In Indiana, there are two (2) main ways a person can be legally given the authority to act on behalf of someone else.  They are a Guardianship proceeding or a Power of Attorney.

A Guardianship is a court proceeding in which an individual asks the court to appoint someone to be responsible for the physical and/or financial care of another (the ward).  Anyone with an interest in the matter must be notified (including the ward), and if people disagree during the proceeding, it can get ugly.  It is easy to imagine the fight a ward could give should he feel he did not need a guardian.  Of course, this is often why the proceeding is necessary.  A Guardian can be needed even when the ward does not think it necessary.  The downside of the proceeding is the ward's lack of choice as the guardian is appointed by a third party (the Court).  What if the ward wanted a different guardian?  Would the guardian know how to handle the wards finances or health care decisions?  The Court appoints the guardian and may or may not take the ward's opinions into account.

Unlike a Guardianship, a POA is a way to assist with decision making without depriving that person of his ability to choose.  In Indiana, the POA statute lists roughly twenty (20) broad powers an individual (the principal) can assign to someone else (the attorney-in-fact) to act on their behalf.  Powers included are the right to deal with banks and insurance companies, conduct business transactions, buy and sell real estate, make gifts, buy and sell stocks, and make health care decisions.  While these are the same types of powers a guardian has at his disposal, the difference is control.  In the POA, the principal chooses the attorney-in-fact, which gives the principal the ability to prospectively discuss his wishes with the attorney-in-fact.  Before writing a POA, a person should speak with his lawyer about possible consequences because the broad powers granted under the statute open the door to the possibility of abuse by the attorney-in-fact.  It is important for the principal to understand when the POA comes into affect, and the powers he is giving the attorney-in-fact. 

Obviously, these issues are far more complex than as presented in this article.  This was not written to provide specific legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship, so if you have questions about your situation, you should retain a licensed attorney of your choosing.

Matthew S. Lewis, attorney with J.D. Walls and Associates, P.C. in Carmel, Indiana
mslewis@jdwalls.com
http://www.jdwalls.com

• Many elderly do not retrieve their mail from their mail boxes on a daily basis.  Some reasons include: Illness, bad weather, lack of mobility, hospitalizations.
• They wait on a caregiver or neighbor to pick up their mail.
• Mail theft from home mailboxes is a common problem.
• Lost mail and the trouble/cost of following-up on check replacement is stressful and time-consuming.

• "Only 52 percent of caregivers receiving Social Security payments on behalf of the person they care for say they use direct deposit."
• "Last year alone, more than 480,000 Social Security checks were reported lost or stolen and had to be reissued, while $64 million in Treasury-issued checks were fraudulently endorsed."

• Sign up for direct deposit of Social Security, SSI or VA Compensation and Pension payments.  You can sign up online, by phone or though mail.
• If you have no checking account, you can choose to sign up for a  prepaid debit card to which your  Social Security and SSI payments will be credited.