We're Sponsoring a Giveaway on TheOfficeStylist.com: "Bookkeeping & Bling"

The month of March is Women's History Month, a time for us to take a moment to recognize not only the achievements of the remarkable women who have come before us, but an opportunity to acknowledge and say "Thank You" to present-day women.

We also find ourselves inching that much closer to the April 15th tax filing deadline which, for most taxpayers, often involves a last-minute sprint to sort through receipts, statements, and other documents in the hope of maximizing deductions.

As an homage to women everywhere in celebration of Women's History Month AND in an effort to lend a helping hand to those who need it trying to get organized for the tax season, we've teamed up with the L.A.-based "Office Stylist" to sponsor this month's giveaway: "Bookkeeping & Bling."

Click here to go to the Office Stylist's blog page to learn more about how you can enter a chance to win. Good Luck!

Donate to Haiti before March 1st 2010-Get a Deduction on 2009 Taxes

Following a similar move by the U.S. House of Representatives, earlier today the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation which allows American taxpayers to claim deductions on their 2009 tax returns for charitable contributions made (before March 1st 2010) for the benefit of Haiti's earthquake victims.

Given the large-scale devastation caused by the earthquake to a nation which was already ravaged by extremely high poverty, the flow of aid and invariably the rebuilding effort will likely have to continue into the foreseeable future. Therefore, any incentive which will encourage people to donate to the victims of the earthquake will be beneficial for all parties involved.

Please pass this information on to your family members, friends and colleagues, etc., in order to encourage the continuous flow of donations to the people of Haiti.

Maximize Your Fun While Maximizing Deductions This Tax Season!

(Staple Remover, Sortingwithstyle.com)

It's hard to believe that the month of January is quickly drawing to a close and before you know it, the tax filing deadline will soon be upon us. For many individuals and small businesses, the mere thought of taxes and the organization effort involved in preparing for meetings with bookkeeping and accounting professionals can be very overwhelming. Especially during this time of year, our individual and small business clients rely upon us to help them organize their paper and electronic records in time for the tax filing season.

For those who plan to go it alone this tax filing season, we'd like to provide some helpful suggestions to take some of the stress and drudgery out of the document organization aspect of the process. After all, the outcome of your tax filing to a large degree depends upon how well-organized you are. Instead of dreading the whole process related to taxes, we suggest that you ease into it by injecting a bit of flair into getting your documents organized. I know...flair and fun are words rarely seen associated with tax season!

One of our favorite resources is Sorting with Style, a really fun site founded by serial entrepreneur, Sayeh Pezeshki. Here you can find so many fun tools for dressing up and enhancing your workspace by bringing out more of your personality through your choice of everyday items and office supplies.

For example, instead of using plain old boring manila folders for organizing your W-2's &1099's try some of these super cute file folders - a set of six folders for $9.95 adds a lot of visual punch:

Keeping all of your receipts categorized and stored in one place is easier with this very stylish file tote-use the interior pockets to separate receipts into broad categories such as home improvement expenses, medical expenses, automobile expenses, tuition expenses, etc. - retail price $21.95:

If you're a few months behind on your credit card and bank statement reconciliation and you happen to notice a charge that you don't immediately recognize, flag it with a notation, research it and come back to it later with these adorable sticky notes - 4 pads with 25 sheets each for $9.95:

These paper clips not only serve a practical purpose, but they can also be an expression of your love for your pooch - a pack of 24 clips for $7.95:

Tax time can be and often is an incredibly stressful experience. Although you may not be able to control every single aspect of the outcome to the degree you would like, it's important to realize that you are in full control of your attitude and outlook in terms of how you prepare for it. By using some of the suggested tools in this post and others like them, you are at least guaranteed to have a bit more fun and hopefully as a result, you will find yourself feeling less stressed.

If just the thought of organizing your receipts raises your blood pressure, here's a great solution...

As much as I like to rely upon logic and my reasoning skills to think analytically about various situations in business as well as in everyday life, I have to admit that there is also a place for things that we just can't explain...things that are not easily understood by the analytical brain but just feel right somewhere deep in the solar plexus, or in other words, in our gut.

One of the lessons I've learned in life is that if the same idea comes to you independently from various trusted sources, it's worth a closer look and even if nothing comes out of it, doing some due diligence is never a bad thing.

In the past few weeks, through some colleagues and friends of mine, all of whom I hold in the highest regard and whose judgment/advice I value and trust, I've been introduced to a company by the name of Shoeboxed.com. Effectively what this company has done is to turn a nasty little chore (i.e., the organizing of receipts and business cards too) into a seemingly thriving business. The North Carolina-based company has various pricing models (free to $49.95/month) catering to individuals and small business alike. You just send them your receipts without the need to take them out of the shoebox :) They scan them, categorize them and then they shred the originals (after backing them up and all of this is done in a secure technological environment according to their website).

Especially as we approach the extension tax filing deadline (September for California corps and October for individuals) not to mention the year-end tax strategy preparations, a service such as this seems to make perfect sense for all of the busy individuals and small business owners who have already have so much to do that the mere thought of organizing their receipts can give them the hives, raise their blood pressure, etc.

I haven't used the service, so I can't vouch for it personally however it has come highly recommended by several trusted individuals who are very close to me and based on that endorsement alone, I think it would be worth a try. Also, it seems to be the brainchild of a few scrappy, young entrepreneurs out of the NC area and I'm a firm believer in innovative young minds coming up with ways to make all of our lives better....if you try it and have some feedback, please feel free to share.