Certum Solutions Resource Library
Your go-to hub for free expert resources on accounting, business software, business tips, technology tips, and more. Browse our library of free downloadable templates, video tutorials, how-to blog articles, accounting software comparisons, CFO insights, & more.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE BUSINESS RESOURCES
QuickBooks Online Sprinkles in April Updates
Instead of April showers, we’re getting a sprinkling of updates to QuickBooks Online Advanced and QuickBooks Payroll. No matter how small, we’re always happy to see changes that make running business easier.
This month, there are new simple options for creating comparison visualizations, an easier way to run payroll when you employ union members, and a compelling reason to switch to QuickBooks Online Advanced and Shopify’s point of sale.
Boost Your SEO Rankings: Tips You Can Use Right Away
SEO (search engine optimization) matters because users matter, and users start – almost unequivocally – with search. While larger enterprises may hire a company whose sole focus is SEO, most businesses can manage their SEO in-house, making it a cost-effective way to indicate credibility, authority, value and build organic traffic, opening your business to a world of customers. And most businesses can implement a few simple tips today around keywords, content, visibility and linking to boost your search result ranking in the future.
How to Apply the De Minimis Safe Harbor Rule for Fixed Assets (2025 Guide)
When you purchase lower-cost assets for your business, you might be able to write off the amount on your tax return to simplify your bookkeeping and taxes. A fun shortcut to help you with tax deductions for fixed assets is called the de minimis safe harbor election. The IRS has guidance in place that determines whether the amount you pay for tangible assets would be considered a amount too small in the eyes of the law. If it is, you may take that amount as a tax deduction, also known as a tax write-off.
We’ll discuss fixed assets, so you know what purchases are acceptable under the de minimis rule; capitalization, so you know how the de minimis rule bypasses it; and the maximum amounts you can spend to stay within the de minimis safe harbor.
QuickBooks Online Advanced Gets Powerful Reporting Updates in March 2023
March comes in like a lion, roaring into action with a flurry of updates for QuickBooks Online Advanced®, QuickBooks Online®, and QuickBooks Payments.
I’m especially excited about the fleet of changes that make QuickBooks Online Advanced even better for creating, comparing, and sharing custom reports. If you’re planning to grow your business, these tools can help you make decisions by keeping the right data at your team’s fingertips.
Katie’s Desk: Silicon Valley Bank Collapse
Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) collapse late last week was the biggest news most businesses didn’t get to process before the weekend.
Personally, I saw the headlines, moved on, and then only was able to read more and research over the weekend. However, as I dug deeper into the details of the SVB failure, I realized it was more far-reaching that I thought. The good news was that I finished my research feeling confident that our economic policy and the Fed are already at work making customers whole and at the end of the day it is an exciting study of economics in action.
How long should you keep your tax records?
Keeping records for the right amount of time is confusing for many of our clients; after all, we know you would rather spend your time in your business than on your business.
Are you a pack rat or have you gone digital? How about a mix of both? Either way, very few records need to be kept forever. What’s important is to know where to find something and know the government’s requirements. You’ll want to hold on to your receipts, statements, and other documents based on tax year and, in some cases, for other reasons.
5 Proven Ways to Get Shoppers Back to Your eCommerce Store
As a business owner, you may have taken the opportunity to build out your e-commerce storefront. As the worst of the pandemic subsided in 2022, shoppers returned to physical stores and cut back on big-ticket discretionary spending online, CNN reported.
Many of our clients run e-commerce businesses, and sell goods or services online. These are the top five ways I’m encouraging our business owners to entice shoppers back to their online stores.
February’s Updates are a Real Sweet Deal in QuickBooks Online
Celebrating Valentine’s Day often brings to mind sweeping, dramatic love scenes. Think: John Cusack’s boombox serenade. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s rendezvous atop the Empire State Building. Anna’s self-sacrifice for Elsa on the frozen fjord. In real life, we know that love is often found not in grand gestures, but in the little things.
This February, the team at QuickBooks Online is showing its love through small updates that mean a lot. More customization in QuickBooks Online Advanced and two changes affecting QuickBooks Payroll reduce friction for users.
QuickBooks Team Sprinkles 4 Niche Updates into QBO
Happy new year! If the product updates from Intuit QuickBooks are any indication, we may all still be recovering from the holiday season and easing into 2023. No judgment from me!
The QuickBooks team released four useful updates to QuickBooks Online (QBO) in January. These changes are targeted at specific subsets of QBO users. Let’s take a look at who benefits from the software changes.
Certum Solutions Named Intuit’s 2022 Trailblazer of the Year
Katherine Bunschoten, President of Certum Solutions, and team accept the awards for Trailblazer of the Year, as well as distinctions in four sales categories, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Advanced, QuickBooks Payroll, and QuickBooks Payments, for the Executive tier.
New QuickBooks Online B2B Feature and 3 Other QBO Updates
As 2022 winds down, the team at Intuit QuickBooks® has gifted us a new feature and a handful of updates to make our lives a little easier in the new year.
The first several features are available to all QuickBooks Online (QBO) users, but the last ones are only for QBO Advanced customers.
Travel Tips for New Business Travelers
Our economy has had quite the journey the last few years, and for many professionals that may have entered the workforce during Covid-19 shutdowns, travel might be a newer part of the job description. Even airports seem like they can’t quite get the hang of it (ask me sometime about my trip to Orlando and the missing checked bag that was waiting on my step when I got home a week later).
That being said, I have worked on hacking the airport travel experience lately (no more missing bags for me!) and wanted to provide my tips for a smooth journey, whether you are new to business travel, or you are, like me, learning to travel in a world full of oopsies as we get used to semi-normalcy again.
6 QuickBooks Online Updates to Help you Through the Holidays
For so many small business owners, the holiday season brings in more orders, sales and service requests – which means you’re busy. Especially at this time of year, your accounting software should bring more joy and less stress as you manage your business.
In that spirit, Intuit® has released six feature updates that can bring calm vibes to the busy season. The first two features are only available to customers with QuickBooks® Online (QBO) Advanced; the rest are available to all of our QuickBooks Online customers.
A Veteran’s Day Tribute from Certum Solutions
We’ve been a proud employer of veterans since the early days of our business, and we love to take this opportunity to thank our two current employed veterans, Patricia Burchfield and Tatyana Kelly, for their service and make them feel appreciated.
Alternate Vendors in QuickBooks Enterprise - MUST have Advanced Inventory
OK, so I will be the first to admit that in running this business, and in trying to stay sane the last few years that occasionally I have missed things.
Well, apparently I missed something huge.
Alternate vendors was enhanced a few years ago in QuickBooks Enterprise, and I totally, completely, did not know until this week.
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