Alright SND fans, we need your input. With the April 15th Tax deadline looming, we want to know how YOU file your taxes. There are plenty of different ways to get the job done, as outlined in our tax filing guide. But what has your experience been?

Do you prefer one of the boxed software solutions, like the heavily advertised TurboTax by Intuit or the H&R Block At Home series (formerly Tax Cut)? Or do you like the ease of an online-based program such as TaxACT? There are other options, too. OnePriceTaxes is delivered electronically to your email. You could visit a professional tax preparer. Or there’s always the old fashioned paper & pen method.

Do you have a preference? Have you had any bad encounters with a filing method? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think, and be entered to win a $25 SoftwareMedia.com Gift Card.

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It’s tax season! And TurboTax has teamed up with NBC to bring a full on cross-platform ad campaign. Before the Olympics started, I seem to recall an ad with Community stars Ken Jeong and Jim Rash. In addition to the NBC network, TurboTax also teams up with Burn Notice on the USA Network, The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo, Ghost Hunter’s International on Syfy and American’s Next Top Model on Oxygen.

According to AdWeek, the ads will be running throughout the month of February. If you watched NBC’s Olympic coverage of the men’s figure skating last night, Kristi Yamaguchi was trying to deduct her costumes on TurboTax rather than provide commentary on the skating. Okay, okay, it was a commercial. But, it’s obvious Intuit is feeding off NBC’s domination of the Vancouver Games to promote their TurboTax software — even though that wasn’t the first time Kristi’s ad aired.

They probably haven’t convinced me to do my taxes just yet, but the commercials are a riot (and I do like the GPS-like navigation feature they’ve been hyping). It was difficult to find any of the above mentioned spots, but here’s (an equally funny) one of Days of Our Lives star Alison Sweeney…

If you’re all ready to do your taxes, SoftwareMedia.com has a handy dandy Tax Filing Guide and all sorts of TurboTax and Intuit products. Make sure to also put those deductions from the “free” business software you acquired.

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The research has been done. The experts have been consulted. The policies have been written. And it comes with directions and maps at a significant savings in the OfficeWork Ultimate Human Resource Pack!

Did you know that over 50% of businesses are sued by former employees, with an average penalty settlement of $250,000? A clear, concise employee handbook with well-defined employee policies can settle disputes before they start. It protects you and your employees from any confusion and potential litigation. A complete employee handbook also brings new hires up to speed more quickly, increases professionalism and boosts overall efficiency.

What does this software bundle have to do with it, you ask? The OfficeWork Ultimate Human Resource Pack provides comprehensive directions and know-how to easily create your own employee handbook. It also allows you to map it all out, visually.

THE DIRECTIONS (Office Policy Manual 2009 and “How to Write a Policy Manual” ebook )
Take the stress out of research and take the worry out of writing with 75 pre-written job descriptions, a complete set of human resources forms, a library of printable federal regulation postersand ready-to-use templates. With 140+ up-to-date policies and procedures pre-written by a experts with over 10 years of hands-on experience in human resources, law, law, finance, accounting, information technology, and even psychology, it’s as simple as copy and paste in Office Policy Manual 2009. Like to do it yourself? No worries! Get a better grasp on the information and services provided in Office Policy Manual 2009 by reading the “How to Write a Policy Manual” ebook.

THE MAP (OrgChart Standard)
After your employee handbook has been sent to the printers, create an interactive visual map to organize your players. Track assets, perform succession planning, analyze the team for strategic fit and more with extended data management capabilities in OrgChart Standard. Then let OrgChart continue the work by simply linking your data source.

Get the directions and maps to your new work life, while it’s hot.

The newest versions of QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Premier, the world’s most popular accounting software, are set to be released Oct 7 for the PC, with QuickBooks for Mac soon to follow on Oct 19.

Last year Intuit awed the software world with an all-new QuickBooks. With a dramatic cosmetic overhaul and a quiver-full of added and improved features, the result was a warm reception of the most popular accounting application on the market.

And after the recent preview of Quickbooks 2010, it is clear Inuit didn’t let 2009’s success go to its head. This year’s new release focuses on a personalized QuickBooks, with a new GuideMe feature to walk users through the most common tasks, multi-options for widgets and apps, and Read the rest of this entry »

Sage just released new versions of its popular accounting software with Peachtree 2010. Peachtree comes in many different flavors geared towards everyone from first-time small business owners, to corporate solutions for many simultaneous users.

For 2010, Peachtree accounting software has additional tools and more personalized features than ever before. There are also improvements in analytical data reporting as well as better security features. This business analytics feature allows you to easily compare performance trends to help you make important financial decisions. Also new for 2010 is an improved password control system that makes changing your password easier, and prevents unauthorized entry by locking the software after multiple unsuccessful password attempts. There are also new automatic backup scheduling features to ensure your data will never be lost.

The entry-level version of Peachtree is First Accounting 2010. The low price of this version combined with user friendly features makes it perfect for first time business owners and those that are switching from manual bookkeeping. Its limited, but powerful features allow a business owner to create invoices, record payments, track customers, generate financial statements and more; basically everything you need to for a start-up or small business.

Peachtree Pro 2010 is great for more experienced accounting software users looking for more features and more report options. With over 100 available financial reports and the ability to track employee payroll, Peachtree Pro Accounting 2010 is great for established small businesses.

Peachtree Complete Accounting 2010 includes all of the features of Peachtree Pro, plus support for multiple users, in-depth inventory capabilities, and deeper analysis tools. Peachtree Premium 2010 takes this even further by providing advanced budgeting features, multi-company consolidation, and Crystal Reports 2008. Both of these solutions could work for mid-sized companies with multiple accountants.

The most robust and complete Peachtree solution is Peachtree Quantum 2010. If you have 10,000+ customers or a very large inventory database, Peachtree Quantum is the perfect, cost-effective accounting solution for your business. Available with 10 to 40 named user licenses, Peachtree Quantum supports many simultaneous users with personalized dashboards and advanced mult-user management tools.

For complete pricing information on the new Peachtree 2010 versions, see the Peachtree Software page on SoftwareMedia. You can also check out the Peachtree website for complete specifications and comparison charts. For a review of Peachtree software in general, check out our previous Peachtree article by Ashley, an accountant at SoftwareMedia.

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Intuit, the maker of popular software like QuickBooks and TurboTax, offers many free tools that will help you start and grow your small business. Their small business website offers everything from free downloads of QuickBooks to valuable articles on marketing and hiring employees.

Intuit is clearly dedicated to helping small business owners get on their feet and plan for success. One of their most valuable small business tools is a free download of QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software. Simple Start is a “light” edition of QuickBooks Pro, and it includes many of the basic accounting features you need to run a small business.

It has limitations (like a limit of up to 20 customers), but Simple Start is a great way to try out QuickBooks before you spend money on a professional accounting solution. I personally used QuickBooks Simple Start for about 6 months with my business, before I felt the need to switch to QuickBooks Pro. Simple Start allowed me to learn basic accounting techniques and track my invoices effectively. However, I eventually needed more advanced features like importing online bank statements, so I switched to QuickBooks Pro. The switch was seamless and the software took care of importing my data automatically.

Intuit also offers a 6-month free trial of Intuit Online Payroll and a 1-year free trial of Intuit Websites. Online Payroll is an easy way to manage employee payroll and taxes, right in your web browser. Intuit Websites is a fast and easy way to create your business website from hundreds of customizable templates. It also features easy website hosting and domain registration.

In addition to these free software tools, Intuit also offers help to small businesses in the form of articles and online resources. One of my favorites is a their free Word-of-Mouth Marketing Toolkit. This 23-page document outlines successful business strategies for marketing through a blog, Twitter, and other social networks. It’s written by Robin Stavisky, a Managing Partner at New Venture Marketing, and includes some great marketing strategies. Check it out if you are interested in learning about the world of Web 2.0 marketing.

Another great, and completely free resource Intuit offers is their Guide to Hiring and Paying Employees. This guide includes everything you need to navigate the tricky world of hiring employees for the first time. It also includes information on taxes and dealing with the government regarding your employees.

For even more information for small business owners, check out the Intuit Small Business website. You will find many additional tools and information there, along with Intuit Community, where business owners interact with each other through Q&A sessions and forums.

When you are ready to step up to the full versions of Intuit software for your business, check out our complete selection of QuickBooks accounting software at incredible prices.

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As an accountant at SoftwareMedia, I rely on Peachtree software for all of my daily tasks. Without it, I’m sure my work load would at least double. Easy importing tools allow me to record and post sales amounts quickly and painlessly. Both accounts receivable and accounts payable are made easy by obtaining customer and vendor ledgers at just a click away. I can print easily to pdf format in Adobe Acrobat, and send digital copies of invoices to our customers. All necessary reports are available in just a couple of mouse clicks, including balance sheets, income statements, aged payables/receivables, and inventory printouts.

Additionally, Peachtree can be used not only by your accountants, but by your sales representatives, marketing department, shipping department, and everyone else in your company. You can set your accounting options to hide the general ledger account numbers (so that you accountants can keep everyone from messing up your sacred balances).

Peachtree is easy to use, quick to learn, and makes my 9 to 5 grind a breeze. I hope you will love it, too!

Ashley
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SoftwareMedia.com

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