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What's This Site About ? If you're anything like me and consider your time precious, when I do a search for a topic and go to a site I want to quickly determine if the site has any useful information, products, tools, etc. that will benefit me and be worth my time to browse. The following site summary is presented to aid you in determining if my site is worth your time to explore. For those of you that don't know, the term bean counter is slang for a bookkeeper. Let's also define accounting and bookkeeping. Accounting is the art of analyzing, recording, summarizing, reporting, reviewing, and interpreting financial information. Bookkeeping is one of the components of accounting. Think of accounting as the mom and bookkeeping as one of her children. Bookkeeping is the process of recording and classifying business financial transactions (activities). In simple language-maintaining the records of a businesses or an individual's financial activities. Bookkeeping's objective is simply to record and summarize financial transactions into a usable form that provides financial information about a business. Why would you want to learn bookkeeping and keep up to date financial records anyway ? Can't you hire an accountant to come after the end of the year and get your check book and shoe box and do your taxes ? Sure you can ! And yes you will have adequately fulfilled your taxpayer obligations. But in order to run a business and know what, where, and when to take corrective actions requires business information. How do you get and where do you find this information ? You don't if you don't keep accurate and current records about your business financial activities (bookkeeping). Most, if not all of us, hate keeping records, but the days of operating a business by the seat of our pants have long gone. While the featured topic of this site is bookkeeping and accounting that's not the only small business topic or subject covered. My intent is to provide a site with a little humor blended in where real, helpful, and mostly free small business accounting and bookkeeping information, tools, tutorials/courses, and products can be found, acquired, and used by small businesses and individuals. Surfing the Web and actually finding what you're looking for without being bombarded by ads and promotions and what seems like an endless choice of links and sign ups for newsletters is quite a challenge. It reminds me of the old saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince or princess. The goal of my site is to be a prince. In a nutshell, my site Bean Counter is primarily an educational and information site that offers free accounting and bookkeeping tutorials/courses, tests, and quizzes. Guidance and recommendations are also provided for finding additional, mostly free, useful sources of small business information such as more accounting and bookkeeping tutorials/courses and information, other small business topic tutorials/courses and information, business simulations, business software, tools, and much more. In addition, useful sources of information are also provided for individuals such as learning about computers and the internet, scams, income taxes, and personal finances. If you need small business help and information, want to learn a little about bookkeeping and accounting or actually learn how to do bookkeeping, need bookkeeping and accounting or other business software, small business guides and information, business tutorials/courses or other useful products, information, or services for small business and individuals you have found the right site. In a hurry or pressed for time ? My site provides a bunch of useful small business information and tutorials about accounting and bookkeeping, even if I do say so myself. Don't believe me ? See what others have to say. Too much to digest in one sitting. I realize you're a busy person so why not Add Us To Your Favorites and browse my site as your time permits. What Information is Presented and How's My Site Organized ? My Main Menu located at the top of each page is comprised of the following selections: Tutorial Center The Tutorial Selection recommends sites providing free tutorials and courses about various small business subjects. Links are included to my own tutorial site dedicated to bookkeeping and accounting tutorials and topics, to other sites providing accounting tutorials and bookkeeping and accounting information and topics as well as to recommended tutorials and topics about marketing, statistics, economics, project management, excel and word, and building websites. The Selections Available Include: My Bookkeeping and Accounting Tutorial Site My own free online tutorials cover a range of accounting topics - with just a dose of humor. Additional information regarding my tutorials is presented in the section titled My Featured Accounting and Bookkeeping Tutorials. Recommended Sites Providing Bookkeeping and Accounting Tutorials Need some additional help understanding bookkeeping and accounting ? Check out these free tutorials. Recommended Sites Providing Word and Excel Tutorials Both Excel and Word are excellent business tools, but like any tool only if you know how to use them. Get educated ! Check out some of the following tutorials. Recommended Sites Providing Business Statistics Tutorials and Information These courses and tutorials provide information and tools that help businesses deal with uncertainty when analyzing business situations. Recommended Sites Providing Economics Tutorials and Information Our economy can have a major impact on your business. Some tutorials to prepare you for the unexpected. Recommended Sites Providing Marketing Tutorials and Information One of the tougher tasks to running a business is how to get your message out to your customers. We sometimes give salesmen a bad rap - somebody has to do it. No sales equates to no profits. Recommended Sites Providing Project Management Tutorials and Information Managing a project or job can be quite a task. Tutorials to help your business come in under budget and within the allowed time. My Own Building A Website Tutorial Learn how to make your own web site. It's not as difficult as you might think. Library Center The Library Center Selection is divided into two categories. A library link to business topics related to small business and a library link for individuals. Library Center for Businesses Recommended sites providing all sorts of financial and business information, statistics, guides, and tools. Library Center for Individuals Life presents us with many and varied types of decisions that we have to make. Just like a business, in order to make the right decision we need good tools, information, and the knowledge of where to go to find it and how to use it. Recommended sites that provide you information, advice, and tools to help you with the difficult financial and other decisions you face. Tax Center The Tax Center Selection is divided into two categories. A tax link to business tax topics and a tax link to topics about individual (personal) taxes. Business Taxes Recommended sites providing business tax help. Unfortunately, as a small business manager you do need to at least be familiar with federal and state taxes that affect your business. These sites will at least point you in the right direction. Personal (Individual) Taxes Recommended sites that provide useful information and guidance about personal taxes. Software Center The Software Center Selection is divided into two categories. A software link to business software and a software link to software for individuals. Business Software Believe it or not, there is some good free business software available - it's just hard to find ! Recommended sites that provide you with mostly free business software to aid you in the day to day operation of your business. Personal (Individual) Software Looking for some good home software or some free games ? I've listed some of my top picks for free software, information, tips, games, and fun stuff for all computer users. Take a moment and see if any of my recommended sites might fill some of your needs. Other Resources Website Products and Services Mostly free tutorials, e-books, software, graphics, tools, search engine and directory listings, services, and information used to develop, host, and promote web sites. Learn how to make and promote your own web site. Excel Templates Looking for some good free Excel Spreadsheet Business Templates ? Unfortunately, most of the good templates I've run across are not free. Most of the free templates offered are simple spreadsheets without any complex calculations used and can easily be created on your own. I did however find a few sites offering free templates that are worth a visit. Calculators Having the proper tool(s) to analyze business and personal decisions and perform business analysis and calculations makes the task a lot simpler. These sites provide you with the calculators you need to make your job a little easier. Newbie Center Site devoted to educating new computer users. Free tutorials and e-books help new users understand and use computers, software, and the internet. Remember at one time we were all newbies ! Oh, bye the way experienced computer users can also benefit from these sites. Scam Center Don't Get Injured From Scams. Please don't get conned by the GET RICH SCHEMES ! Beware of Work at Home businesses and Network Marketing companies that do not offer a "real" product. Before you part with your hard earned money check out these sites. My Dirt Cheap Website Hosting My hosting site provides reasonably priced web hosting services for individuals and small businesses. My Link Buddies Have a good business or accounting related site ? Add your site to Bean Counter's My Link Buddies or check out My Link Buddies for useful accounting and business related products and services. Be forewarned, only sites with useful small business accounting or business related information are accepted. Lighter Side Take a moment to get a few chuckles at the expense of accountants. Contacts and References Contact Us Information on how to get in touch with me. Kind Notes See what others have to say about my site. Privacy Policy Protecting your privacy is important to us. See our policies and how Bean Counter collects, uses and safeguards the personal information you provide to us on our site. Bookmark My Site Put us in your list of favorites and check back as new information is continually being developed and added to my site. Refer A Friend Like what you saw ? Tell a friend ! Newsletter Sign up for my newsletter and stay informed when new bookkeeping and accounting tutorials, recommended accounting related sites, software, products, tools, and small business bookkeeping and accounting information are added to my site. My Featured Accounting and Bookkeeping Tutorials, E-Books and CD Versions, and Tips Bean Counter's Free Bookkeeping Tutorial   So, you want to learn Bookkeeping! This bookkeeping tutorial is geared to owners, managers, and individuals who have not had any formal bookkeeping training or on the job experience and need or want to learn the basics of bookkeeping and accounting. This free online bookkeeping course is composed of sequential online bookkeeping lessons, covering the bookkeeping language, terminology and definitions; bookkeeping systems; debits and credits; double entry bookkeeping; financial statements; how transactions are properly analyzed, recorded, and summarized; property and property rights; the accounting equation; the cash and accrual basis of accounting; the general ledger and journals; types of business activities; types of organizations; and more. In other words, this online bookkeeping course is for beginners (newbies) and is only an introduction into the world of accounting. They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Well my goal is to make you dangerous. So, if you want to or need to learn the basics of bookkeeping give it a try.    Free On Line Version of So, you want to learn Bookkeeping! Tutorial Your Next Step More Free Accounting Tutorials ! My free So, you want to learn Bookkeeping! introductory bookkeeping course introduces you to basic bookkeeping and my style of presenting information. In addition to my Introductory Bookkeeping Tutorial, I've "cooked up" some additional courses (Bean Counter Series Of Bookkeeping Tutorials) for those of you wanting or needing some additional bookkeeping and accounting education. If you've acquired a taste and have an appetite for more of my kind of cooking you need to check out these additional free accounting tutorials. Bean Counter's   So, you want to learn Bookkeeping!     Chart Of Accounts Bean Counter's   So, you want to learn Bookkeeping!     Merchandise Inventory Bean Counter's   So, you want to learn Bookkeeping!     Special Journals Bean Counter's   So, you want to learn Bookkeeping!     Cash Bean Counter's   So, you want to learn Bookkeeping!     Payroll These free bookkeeping and accounting courses are presented on my Bookkeeping Tutorial Site which I've set up and is dedicated to providing my own series of bookkeeping and accounting tutorials aimed at the small business man or woman or anyone needing a little help and wanting to learn a little about bookkeeping and accounting or actually learn how to do bookkeeping. So exactly who can benefit from my courses ? Ebook and CD Versions available! E-Book or CD Version Of Bookkeeping Tutorials Study offline, print out a hardcopy, and also acquire a handy accounting reference book. My bookkeeping and accounting tutorial site also provides free bookkeeping and accounting tests and quizzes. Check it out and see what you know. Interested and wanting to check out the tutorials or quizzes ? Bean Counter's Bookkeeping and Accounting Tutorials Are the tutorials any good ? Of course I'm going to say yes cause I wrote them. Why not see what others have said about my bookkeeping lessons. See What Others Say Other Excellent Bookkeeping and Accounting Educational Resources Since I offer my own bookkeeping and accounting courses, why would I recommend someone elses ? My answer is made up of three reasons. Different teachers or instructors use different methods and techniques for presenting accounting learning materials. What a student might not grasp or understand from one teacher, they might easily grasp from another. There are other excellent accounting and bookkeeping training tutorials besides my own. Lastly, repetition. The more times you're exposed to something, the more likely it's going to sink in. More free bookkeeping and accounting tutorials, courses, and information and tools ......... Bean Counter Education Featured Small Business Resources Bean Counter's Tips For Small Business   The Steps In The Ladder To A Successful Business I'm no Dave Letterman, but I've prepared a list of some things that I've picked up from my experiences that you as an owner or manager should do to monitor and get a pulse of how well (hopefully) or how badly (unfortunately) your business is performing. I've also included some tips to aid in the smooth running of your company and to ensure that employees in a position of trust are doing their job and some "food for thought". Most people are honest but why tempt them ? Even Eve got Adam-no offense intended ladies. No special skills or accounting knowledge (just some good ole common sense) are necessary in order to perform most of these tasks. See if any of my free tips on running and managing a business might benefit you. Bean Counter's Small Business Tips-The Steps In The Ladder To A Successful Business    On Line Version of Small Business Tips    PDF E-Book Download Version of Small Business Tips Starting Your Business So, you want to start your own company ! It sounds great to be the owner of your own company, but don't be fooled ! Nothing in life is easy and running a successful business requires dedication, perseverance, and unfortunately, more often than not, in the beginning some long hours. A little luck wouldn't hurt, but don't count on it. See what it takes. Check out Bean Counter's To Do List for useful information and tools to aid you in starting your company and getting up and running. Bean Counter's Starting a Business To Do List Budgeting, Cash Forecasts, & Business Plans All you need to know and were afraid to ask about Budgeting, Cash Forecasts, and Business Plans. Excellent links to articles, tutorials, and tools to aid your company in budgeting, cash flow management, and planning. Budgeting, Cash Forecasts, & Business Plans About Me Personal Information Site Owner and Creator: David W. Marshall Born: November 27, 1946 Unfortunately if you do the calculation I'm in my 60's. The good news is that I've got some life experiences behind me. The bad news is I can't dance all night. Located: Knoxville, Tennessee Experience Working For Myself: I have been providing small business consulting and bookkeeping in the Knoxville area for over 20 years. I cater to small businesses that are unable to afford the luxury and cost of a full-time professional staff member or need some additional outside help. Working For Others: Internal Auditor- 10 years Controller- 5 years U.S. Army Payroll Clerk- 2 years Business College Teacher- 2 years Education, Honors & References Graduated in 1968 With Honors from the University Of Tennessee with a B.S. in Accounting. Go Vols Member Alpha Kappa Psi Member Beta Alpha Psi Testimonials Although it's sometimes necessary to toot your own horn, it's 100% better when others toot it for you. Testimonials Contact Us/Stay in Touch If you found the small business and other information on this site useful personally or for your organization, Add Us To Your Favorites! Need to contact us ? Contact Information Like what you saw ? Tell a Friend ! Co-Brand With Me Looking for some Good Content for your site visitors ? If you have a business related site and liked my tutorials, "co-brand" with me and provide your visitors with a useful free business resource by providing a link from your site to my free tutorial site. How To Link To My Free Bookkeeping and Accounting Tutorials Keep Informed About New Stuff Stay informed when new bookkeeping and accounting tutorials, recommended accounting related sites, software, products, tools, and small business bookkeeping and accounting information are added to my site. Sign up for Bean Counter's News Letter . We respect your right to privacy. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given to others. See our complete Privacy Policy I value your precious time and want to thank you for visiting and exploring my site. I sincerely hope that you found some useful information. As my way of saying thanks, get my So, you want to learn Bookkeeping - Chart Of Accounts tutorial Interactive and PDF versions for free by signing up for my newsletter. After signing up, an email to confirm that you want to be added will be sent. After confirming, you will be directed to your free ebooks. Bean Counter Newsletter Your Email:   First Name:   Last Name:   Sign up today to receive our occasional newsletter. Tips, tricks, new stuff, and whatever else crosses our minds. Cartoons on this site provided by Ron Leishman. All Toon images are copyright © 1997 - 2008. No images may be resold or redistributed without prior written permission from Ron Leishman. If you enjoyed them, get some of your own Toon-A-Day. Free samples available ! Copyright © 2003-2008 Bean Counter Disclaimer The information provided on this site is not intended to provide or be a substitute for specific individualized accounting, tax, legal, business, or investment planning advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, Bean Counter recommends consultation with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, Financial Planner or Investment Manager. The information provided herein is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation, personalized investment advice or an endorsement by Bean Counter. The information presented is obtained from what are considered reliable sources; however, its accuracy, completeness or reliability cannot be guaranteed and therefore should not be relied upon as such. Bean Counter accepts no liability for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information.