TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 13:50:03 -0600, Michele Davis <michele -at- krautgrrl -dot- com> wrote:
> [Y]ou should really speak to an accountant. We can't tell you what to
> do---we don't know your goals, expenses, if you work onsite, or off,
> what your deductions are, etc.
>
> Get thee to a knowledgeable CPA.
Can't reinforce Michele's point strongly enough. A good CPA who works
with small businesses/independent contractors is worth his or her
weight in gold, and even if you pay a few hundred dollars for his or
her time you will in all likelihood come out way ahead. Especially
during your first year, you'll want someone to call for advice when
you're planning for and paying quarterly estimated taxes, etc. Plus,
a good local CPA is going to know about a lot of issues that we on the
list simply don't... it was my CPA, for instance, who introduced me to
New York City's utterly delightful Unincorporated Business Tax and
then to the wonders of incorporation. (sigh)
Also ask your CPA for advice about good software to use to track
expenses, produce invoices, etc. When I was working as a contractor,
I used (and was quite happy with) a high-end version of Quicken, but
I'm sure there are many other worthy contenders.
Anyway, use *something*. Tracking your business-related bills and
expenses is key, and if you do it intelligently it makes tax time a
total snap (print out records, gather receipts, take everything to
accountant.)
ROBOHELP X5 - SEE THE ALL NEW ROBOHELP X5 IN ACTION!
RoboHelp X5 is a giant leap forward in Help authoring technology, featuring all new Word 2003 support, Content Management, Multi-Author support, PDF and XML support and much more! View an online demo: http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrldemo
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
