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Iowa | I've used a few accounting programs in the past, but have found a spreadsheet to be the best for my purposes. Spreadsheets have gained more capabilities over the years, but it needs to be something you understand and like to work with. You can make it do almost anything other software does if you don't mind working with it. It was slow for me at first, but it got to the point to where I could build simple spreadsheets to do a task about as fast as I could install and figure out how to use purchased accounting software.
I started with a cash based general ledger set up to track some inventories that was very simple. I made it one night when I was having trouble falling asleep. Within a year I added accrual based financial statements, crop & enterprise analysis, livestock closeouts, cash flow budget and tracking, and crop budget & final analysis on a field basis. Later, I added bank reconciliation, crop marketing, historical farm production & financial data with finpack like analysis, contact address list, check & deposit printing, invoices, letterhead and standard envelope printing, year end tax planning, crop hybrid placement planning.
Most any tool I want gets added as another sheet to my accounting spreadsheet workbook. That way there is only one file I have to find and backup. Everything is in there. Some of the sheets automatically update with each other as accounting entries are made. Some things are formatted to easily copy and paste from one sheet to another as needed. The last sheet I added to the workbook keeps a detailed list of individual investment account activity that updates from the general ledger. It's all crude and simple, but it works. I've got it set up to keep the things in balance that need to be, or it will flash up a warning if something is our of wack. Ledger totals and transaction details can easily be printed out for my CPA to look at. Financial statements would also be easy to share with a banker. Payroll would also be another easy thing to add, but I don't hire enough to make it worth while & let my CPA deal with it at the end of the year.
Anyway, I think you'd like a simple general ledger to start with, something cheap and easy to learn if not building your own spreadsheet. I scoffed at check and deposit printing at first, but it really is nice to have it all done with a few key strokes and have it all automatically recorded and accounts updated at the same time. It eliminates mistakes made when transposing numbers, and time wasted looking for those mistakes when balancing with the bank.
Like said above, it all still takes time. Your accountant can help you set up a good chart of accounts and make software suggestions.
Edited by tigger 6/12/2019 18:20
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Quickbooks or other book keeping software?
