Software Tools

[erchess]

yes

My college-age offspring has the MS Word 07, but prefers the 03 for its ease of use. I know you can save docs in the "03" format while using the "07" version, so that problem is fixable. I think you even have the option of making the newer program operate in the same way as the older version, at least to the user's eye.

FE

The new versions can relatively easily save in the old formats but it is not quite as easy as saving in new formats that I do not think the older versions can read. There may very well be a way to change the defaults in the new programs. By the way I find it much easier to figure out how to do things in the newer versions of this software.

[FEDUKE404]

Word '07 can be tweaked

I use Microsoft Word and Excel and this year I upgraded from 03 to 07 and I can't say enough good about them. My one criticism is that while they can read files from the older version of Office they by default save files in a format older versions cannot read. I also miss the little help characters but program design is great

My college-age offspring has the MS Word 07, but prefers the 03 for its ease of use. I know you can save docs in the "03" format while using the "07" version, so that problem is fixable. I think you even have the option of making the newer program operate in the same way as the older version, at least to the user's eye.

FE

[veritas]

Good question

It really starts with the client's data. Since most small business use Quickbooks everything we use is predicated upon that.

Our payroll software exports to Quickbooks, Quickbooks exports to our Client writeup which in turn exports to our tax software. Or directly from Quickbooks to the tax software.

Exporting from our general ledger to Lacerte is the one link we have not accomplished yet.

[erchess]

Veritas

I presume that your choices for Payroll and Writeup talk to each other and to Lacerte as well as you find necessary. How well is that and how well would they talk to other tax programs?

[thomtax]

Geez - I hope that you have a monster business.:-) All this stuff together must cost a bundle. I have never even heard of some of it.

However, as I always say, "If it works for you, go for it."

LT

[veritas]

Other than Lacerte

which I believe is the best software I have ever used. I use FCAS from Dillner's accounting for Writeup-very good.

I use Cyberpay from Adaptasoft for payroll-pretty good

Quickbooks for our company books and billing, which I can export to Lacerte at year end to do a Corporate return in about 5 minutes.

DMS which is Lacerte's electronic file storage-Awesome.

TV4 for amortization-Excellent.

Microsoft Office which is ok I guess-a necessary evil.

We use for our file server-Microsoft Small Business-Had to, I prefer Novell.

Also Have a Terminal server to make software written with Access work at a decent speed. I don't like Access I think it's a joke.

I use Kleinrock's for tax research-I like the online version.

Taxbook cd Version-Excellent

[erchess]

Other than your tax preparation and filing software, what other tools have people tried and liked or disliked?

I use Microsoft Word and Excel and this year I upgraded from 03 to 07 and I can't say enough good about them. My one criticism is that while they can read files from the older version of Office they by default save files in a format older versions cannot read. I also miss the little help characters but program design is great

I use MyPDFMaker to well you know what I use it for. I love the way it works. Any program that prints can be told to use this program as a printer and the result will be a PDF on the desktop. You can also put a file on the desktop and from there make it into a PDF. Unlike the real version of Adobe if you want to edit a PDF you first have to change it into a Word Document or some other format that you have the software and knowledge to use.

I have Tax Slayer Books and I did manage to crank out the Forms 1099 one client needed done I definitely will not renew this product.

I have CFS Online Research, CFS Tax Tools, CFS Small Business Tools CFS W4 Utility, and CFS Tax Corrresponder. I can't make Online Research work for me. I expected something where only the most recent sources would come up because I don't care what the rules used to be I need to know what they are now. The others work really well but I have not needed them very much. I am in the process of writing a business plan for a client with one of the small business templates, however. I may renew these tools for one more year.