Oldaker Consulting Blog

Thunderbird vs Outlook 1 -

2011-06-09T21:04:00.000-04:00

So I'm in Outlook 2010 and I had an email to send out to three different groups. I send the first one and promptly receive a reply pointing out a typo. I go to my sent mail to edit before sending the the other two groups and bam, it hits me, no "edit as new" function like they have in Thunderbird. Can they do this? Apparently they can......

Score TB 1 - OL 0

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

Free Software du Jour - TrueCrypt encryption software

2011-04-06T21:05:00.001-04:00

This is a product I have been using for several months now. I originally downloaded it to address the concern of "OMG what happens if I lose my USB?" factor. Actually, what finally got me to address this concern was the purchase of a new network hard drive for the house. The network hard drive concept is totally cool - the security is ridiculous. One leetle paper clip in the reset button and that nasty problem of forgetting your passwork is handily trumped without in any way impacting on your files. Isn't that neat? So if somebody steals my hard drive, they can access a truckload of my confidential data with a paperclip. Wonder how much the credit card numbers are worth to the identity theft people? Enter TrueCrypt.

The benefit here is the ability to encrypt files on drives at low/no cost. Particularly useful for any one routinely carrying confidential information on a flash drive or portable hard drive.

TrueCrypt is encryption software, available for free, that has some slick, sophisticated capabilities that are sadly over my head (such as creating a hidden partition and encrypting an entire separate operating system). However, it also has useful, nuts and bolts features that most people with only a mild streak of techno-geekishness would be able to use. I put it this way because if you're not willing to read through the documentation - at least the beginner tutorial portion of it, or are intimidated by doing so, this is probably not a good adventure for you.

The basic functionality I am referring to will allow you to create an encrypted, password-protected "container" which TrueCrypt can then mount on a drive letter for you. Once mounted, your files are accessible by Windows and by programs just as if they were on any old drive letter. Anything you write to the drive is encrypted, anything you copy off the drive is not. This is on-the-fly encryption and decryption. One can also designate favourites and set them up to auto load. I'm using this product both on my network hard drive and on my USB key. It took a little getting used to, but has smoothed out nicely and I'm finding it's greatly increased my comfort zone about the data I keep in both places.

A cautionary note: Don't lose or forget your passwords! The road to hell is paved with forgotten passwords.

Here is a link to True Crypt's Website:

TrueCrypt

Here is a link to the Beginner's Tutorial I mentioned:

TrueCrypt Beginner's Tutorial

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

Open Source software - useful free stuff

2011-03-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

Free stuff is always cool and more importantly can represent cost savings for businesses. In addition to which, I'm generally intrigued by the open source concept. I use a fair amount of open source software currently and am always on the lookout for something new and interesting to try.

Open source software has a huge umbrella embracing everything from operating systems (Linux, Ubuntu), to database software to web browsers and email/calendar clients (Firefox, Thunderbird), to office productivity programs, website and ecommerce software. In fact, you name it there is probably an open source application for it.

Open source intrigues me. It is the result of a massive organized effort by individuals around the world who write code because of a combination of idealistic beliefs and because they find it fun. Some open source applications are the de facto standard for the purpose they fulfill.

I currently use a number of applications that I think are useful options for smaller businesses and plan to cover these off in upcoming blogs. If you use any you think are really great, let me know - I might just write about it. If you have any software needs - I might be able to suggest a solution.

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

Adobe Reader X - it's worth the upgrade

2011-02-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

The kid's computer recently returned from a warranty service complete with brand new hard drive and bakery fresh operating system installation. The process of restoring it to its former state of usefulness occasioned a new download of Adobe and therefore the acquaintanceship with the latest version of the Acrobat Reader - Adobe X.

I must confess, I am a sucker for a slick new look and this version of Adobe certainly has that. There is a notional learning curve required to figure out where all the old stuff was now stashed - but not difficult to accomplish or set up.

The most significant new feature is that you can now highlight and create sticky notes in PDF files directly in Adobe Reader (rather than needing a PDF editing software) and without having to change into an editing mode. This will make it darn handy to put some quick and dirty annotations on something and pass it around. Comments can be printed if you like, but only by partially obscuring the document itself. Honestly I like the PDF editor's typewriter better because annotations can be added to the face of the document and printed if required, but I appreciate the increased functionality in the Adobe Reader and suspect that folks who have never ventured beyond its viewing capabilities will be inspired to play with the new toys Adobe X offers. They may even see the opportunity to not print something.

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

G&T for breakfast indeed.......

2010-08-14T00:42:00.001-04:00

You'd think I could come up with my own stuff. I'm a creative, literate, educated, and to those who know me personally, enviably hip (IMO) beancounter.

Go ahead, imbibe of the intoxicating lexiconical of my old buddiola, bizmarketer http://bizmarketer.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/gin-tonic-for-breakfast-on-monday/ in which my favourite cocktail becomes a metaphor for the workweek and work itself. With her customary poesie bizmarketer has captured that which I did not know I was thinking. The gin she did not prescribe, Bizmarketer is nothing if not tactful - in my vision that would be 1. Bombay Sapphire, the cleanest, crispest gin on the planet (wafted, not boiled, please consult the label) or 2. Tanquery - I recall an there was EMG reader employed there and this product was a longtime favourite of mine or possibly 3. Gordons or 4. Beefeater or 5. Gin, it was gin damn it.

What is my small business point? Set priorities that will aid your business in achieving it's most important objectives (be profitable without selling your soul, provide employment for your offspring even if they don't know they want it, be enjoyable.....you tell me, if it involves little kids and ponies, I'll prolly try real hard to publish it.) In the meantime, if you're interested in amusing marketing advice I think you can apply to your small business with a little imagination, a Rolling Stones CD and, last ditch, my advice on how to.... (just ping me an email, I love this stuff) have a go at bizmarketer's blog. She's a really successful gal who works for a rully big company.....

If you need the services of a good accountant, call me.....www.oldakerconsulting.ca

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

Bedamned if they aren't throwing in the Microsoft for free now!

2010-07-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

I had occasion to look at new computers recently and discovered that in addition to making Office applications available online, Microsoft is putting a free, stripped-down, ad-supported version of Excel and Word 2010 on new computers. I was amazed because I have wondered for quite some time now if Microsoft would feel enough pressure from open source productivity suites such as Open Office and its many variations (Star Office, Google Docs etc.) to respond. The open source offerings are full-fledged, whereas the Microsoft freebies, do not have full functionality. However, they are more than adequate for many personal users, including in many businesses applications such as Word and Excel are commonly used for relatively simple tasks such as simple spreadsheets and uncomplicated business correspondence. This is not to say that there is no value in the boughten versions. I, for one, could not survive without pivot table functionality and the last time I checked, Excel was the only program powerful enough to do what I wanted to do. Tell all your friends, there is a lot of value to be captured here, gratis.

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

More on Hay from EMG

2010-06-23T14:59:00.000-04:00

A follow up to breaking out the hay on the bill for board for horses.

I was asked if it would raise any red flags if all the horses in the barn were being charged the same amount each month for hay. The answer is yes, most probably. The transaction has to be credible. I can think of limited circumstances in which a horse would eat 1650 lbs of hay in a month - please feel free to comment and correct me if you disagree. Examples would include draft horses, horses on limited turnout, also perhaps broodmares, race horses etc. In many cases, it would not be possible to bill the hay monthly, it would be necessary to invoice the hay every two or even three months in order to meet the quantity threshold. I would suggest that barn owners who wish to adopt this approach be prepared to support the rationale behind the billing should CRA come to call. In a barn where the horses are all of a uniform size and type, it would make sense if they were paying the same amount at the same frequency. But if your clients board ponies to thoroughbreds to draft horses with you, it's not going to look right (and it isn't going to be right) and I would expect you to have problems.

This poster's other question was whether or not CRA could say that the barn owner was not really selling the hay, but trying to dodge the HST. Well, diamonds are forever, but not tax legislation. However, the way the memorandum reads currently ties the GST-about-to-be HST re: hay to the quantity sold. I would argue that one: the barn owner is already selling the hay, and two: is selling the hay in zero-rated quantities over time.

Here is the link to the relevant memorandum: GST Memoranda 4.4 - Agriculture and Fishing. See paragraphs 9 and 14.1.

I would be very interested in feedback on how folks are handling the HST in the horse business. Are you tacking it on, will you roll it into a tax included price? Are customers complaining? Will it interfere with a price increase you wanted to put through? Any other thoughts? Please feel free to comment or email me.

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

Breaking out the hay

2010-06-20T07:05:00.000-04:00

Another EMG HST question:

Can a barn break out the hay on the board bill and not charge HST on it? (Question paraphrased for clarity)

The original inquiry mentioned that hay is zero-rated. Well, to be precise, hay is zero-rated part of the time. It depends on the quantity sold and this is where the catch is. Hay is zero-rated when the quantity sold is greater than one large round bale or its equivalent. A large round bale is defined by CRA as one that weighs at least 1650 lbs. The bales, as defined by CRA, do not reflect any real hay bales that I have encountered. Notwithstanding this, it should be possible to invoice hay separately in zero-rated quantities, either on as a separate line item or on a separate invoice altogether. The quantity is equivalent to 33 fifty-pound square bales so it may well be necessary to bill more than one month's hay at a time to make up the zero-rated quantity.

Here is a link to GST memoranda 4.4 dealing with zero-rated supplies. Paragraphs 9 and 14.1 deal with hay and feed.

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

HST - follow up to EMG

2010-06-02T21:45:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everybody who responded to my post on EMG offering to respond to GST inquiries. There were several responses and I have responded to them below:

So far it seems like my board will be going up, but will my farrier and other misc. horse item prices increase as well?

If you are paying either GST or PST on goods or services now, you can expect to be paying HST as of July 1.

I'm also paying off a vet bill, and because I can't pay it all at the moment, I have to do it over time, so there's a little bit of interest. Will my bill price be affected?

It shouldn't be, the HST is not retroactive.

Requirement to register:

You have to register once you are no longer a "small supplier" according to CRA. You are no longer a small supplier once your sales before GST/HST of boarding, training, riding lessons, horses etc.exceed $30k from all your businesses either in a single quarter or in four consecutive calendar quarters. Note that this is not the same as a calendar year. So if your sales for 2009 are $10k, all in December, and your sales in the first two months of 2010 are more than $20k, you must register for the GST/HST. Also, the term "small supplier" refers to all your businesses, so a business cannot subdivide itself into smaller units, each operating under the 30k threshold in order to avoid registering for the GST/HST.

Here is a link to the Canada Revenue Agency Website covering who is required to register: Mandatory Registration

My sales are under 30K - should I register?

Generally businesses with sales under the 30k threshhold will be better off registering for the GST/HST as it will then be possible to recover the GST/HST on their expenses. It is possible to register on a voluntary basis. Here is a link to CRA's webpage dealing with voluntary registration: CRA - Voluntary Registration. If you are currently absorbing some or all of the tax, don't forget that you will now be paying 13% on all of your inputs, whereas previously services were GST only. Either you register, or put through a price increase to cover the expense increase. In both cases, the customer will be paying more, but in many areas of the horse business, most notably boarding, profit margins are already slim and the damage caused by absorbing additional expense may well be ruinous.

What will happen to the PST exemption on farm supplies?

This will disappear as the PST & GST are replaced by HST. Those who register for the GST/HST will be able to recoup any HST they pay on inputs such as feed and other supplies, but must charge GST/HST on sales including boarding fees. If you have any capital expenditure planned such as a new tractor or a even set of jumps, this can be substantial.

If you were absorbing the GST and paid little or no PST, it might be possible for you to put through a price increase to your customers that is less than 13% and include the GST in the price. Your gross after sales tax will be less than before, so you are now looking to the recouped sales tax to make up the difference. The trick here is to estimate the additional outlay you are going to experience.

The information provided is intended to be general in nature. It is suggested that readers seek the advice of a CGA or other qualified professional for advice specific to their particular situation.

HST - will it or won't it??

2010-05-28T10:39:00.002-04:00

Will the HST result in lower prices for consumers?

Prices can only go down to the extent that existing PST expense is eliminated. Any new "PST" outlay (that is the additional sales tax amount on items and services that formerly attracted GST only) will be "expense neutral" as the increased sales tax outlay now results in an input tax credit (ITC). A business will be able to recover the HST that it pays in the same way that it used to recover GST.

An HST seminar I attended suggested that it will take about 2 years for price decreases to be fully realized by consumers. My prediction is that, as the existing PST expense translates into an ITC translates into an increase in profit, the savings are unlikely to be passed on to consumers unless competitive forces demand it. If Business A lowers its prices, Business B is forced to follow. However, only time will tell.

A definite benefit of the HST for businesses is simplification. HST will simplify sales tax administration for businesses, obviously by replacing two taxes with one. One tax to charge at the till instead of two, one tax filing instead of two.

HST will be administered by Canada Revenue Agency. If you are already registered for the GST, your GST account number will be used for your HST account and the filings will look and feel pretty much the same.

For farmers, anything currently zero-rated for GST will remain zero-rated for HST. As for other businesses, any existing PST expense (that relates to the farm operation) will now be recoverable.

Here is a link to the Ministry of Finance Website HST information:

Ministry of Finance - HST

Here is a link to CRA's webite HST information:

Canada Revenue Agency - HST

If Oldaker Consulting can help your business with the HST transition, please contact me at joldaker@oldakerconsulting.ca.

Income Tax Survey Results

2010-05-22T07:07:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everybody who responded to my tax software survey. While it wasn't Ispos-Reid, those who responded indicated that they are indeed using software to prepare their tax returns and are filing tem electronically.

A number of different software products are in use among my respondents, including Profile, Quicktax and Future Tax, but no one that responded indicated that they used a web-based product (so these will remain a mystery to me for now), nor did anyone who responded indicate that they still used paper.

So while my survey sample size was small (but very high quality, thank you again), I think it's reasonable to conclude that CRA has managed to convince people of the benefits of filing online, that it's easier and results in speedier processing, which is particularly attractive if you are expecting a refund.

So now that you've left it to the last minute....

2010-04-30T10:07:00.001-04:00

....assuming you have left it to the last minute, I assume you are looking at a DIY job. Not too great a problem if your tax return is reasonably simple. Here is a link to a list of programs certified for Netfile by Canada Revenue Agency: CRA certified Netfile programs. By the way, Netfile is the CRA service you use to electronically file your own tax return. Efile is the CRA service tax preparers use to electronically file your tax return on your behalf.

If you are down to the wire, you may want to try one of the many web-based applications that have appeared on the market in the last few years. It will save download and install times. I am not familiar with these programs so am not recommending any one in particular. But a quick peek:

Quicktax Online Comes in three versions (I am tempted to say flavours) ranging in price from $19.99 - $44.99 depending on the complexity of the return. An upgraded support option (Ask a Tax Expert) is available for an additional $15.00. An additional upgrade, Audit Defence, is available for $39.99. Free versions are available for simple returns.

UFile $15.95 for an individual. $24.95 for the family (defined as spouses and dependent children). Free version available for those with income of 20k or less.

For both the above products payment is not required until the return is complete and you are ready to print or file. This means you don't have to pay if you are not satisfied with the product.

Both the above products are capable of importing several types of prior year returns - Quick Tax, H & R Block

5dollartax I have to admit, I don't understand this one. Judging by the name, you would expect to pay $5.00. But I was not able to confirm this via a quick surf of the site. The product is sponsored by Empire Auctions and is stumping for donations. If anybody tries it, I would love to get an email about it.

Don't forget, you can get an access code online if you need one including new access codes and replacements for the one you spilled coffee on. If you are filing your income tax for the first time, however, you will not be able to get an access code. You will have to file on paper. Information about CRA's online access code service is here. You can actually access the service here.

There you have it - a rapid look at three last minute possibilities if you are down to the wire. Remember I'm not actually recommending any of these products, but if you use one, I'd love to hear from you.

Good Luck.

It's Income Tax Season - do you know where your Access Code is?

2010-04-16T11:54:00.000-04:00

The countdown to April 30th is officially on. Two weeks left as of today. What's your game plan? Is it DIY or are you getting a pro to handle it? Hey, did you respond to my survey yet? Three leetle radio boxes, no personal info involved. Just click here. Ta very much.

Please file online, please, please, please, file online....please take my survey

2010-03-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

April 30th is coming - but there's still time yet. I'm curious how many people are going to file electronically and what software package they are going to use to do it. To try and gather some truly scientific data on the subject, I have prepared a 3 question survey. Please click here to complete it.

I've been using tax software since the Cool Tax days back in 1999 and net-filing since they would let you if you farmed. Now they're begging you to file electronically.

Along the way Cool Tax was transformed into Tax Whiz - then Tax Whiz got vacuumed up by Intuit, so I went along with that for a while. Can't remember when I first started having to pay for it (tax software I mean). Then a couple of years ago, Intuit made a change to Quick Tax. They "repriced" it, sent me a disk with a bunch of fancy new product options, and somehow turned the task of determining whether or not this year's version was adequate for the 4 or 5 returns I needed to do into a Herculean undertaking for one engaged in the CGA program and working full time.

I couldn't make heads or tales of Intuit's website, I thought they were trying to tell me that it was now going to cost me eighty bucks for a product that would produce two tax returns and didn't have all the forms I needed. I spent an hour (or so it seemed) trying to figure this out, all the while repeating mantra-like I'm not stupid, I'm not stupid. So that was going to be up $40, couldn't tell whether or not it had what I needed, frustration-induced psychological trauma gratis. So I surfed over to CRA's website and discovered that there were now a bunch of inexpensive netfile offerings to choose from. I chose one and haven't looked back.

I note that there are a number of similar offerings for tax preparers also

So, back to the reason for my survey, I'm quite curious as to what inroads recent competitors have made in the income tax software marketplace - if you would indulge me by responding to my survey, I'd be most obliged. Just click here.

I'll get back to you and let you know what I find out.

What do all those things do and where can I get this PDF miracle?

2010-03-22T20:47:00.001-04:00

The PDF Reader:

The Adobe Reader is the software that allows you to open and read documents in PDF format. It is free software, available from Adobe.com. There are numerous other PDF readers available, also free, but Adobe remains the de facto standard. If you have Adobe installed, all you have to do is double click on the PDF document to open and view it. PDF readers come with navigation tools. Adobe comes with menu options to navigate instantly to the beginning or end of a document, page by page, or by entering a page number. It also has a find function which is particularly helpful when looking for information in lengthy documents. Type your search parameter in and it will generate a list of links in the document making short work of finding stuff. Try it on the Income Tax Guide or your favourite appliance manual. Mind you, this function will not work if the document was scanned to PDF. When a document is scanned to PDF it becomes an image document, therefore, tools that depend on text recognition do not work.

Get Adobe Reader

The PDF Writer:

CutePDF Writer is software that allows you to create PDFs from any program installed on your computer. Once installed it appears on your printer menu as if it were a printer. To create a PDF you "print" your document selecting CutePDF as your printer. The software will prompt you to select a location to which to save your file. You need to install a second piece of software in order for the Cute PDF Writer to work, it is the Post Script converter Ghostscript. There is a link to it on CutePDF's site.

The next time you find yourself printing something off to take to the fax machine, try printing it to PDF and emailing it instead.

Cute PDF Writer & Ghostscript Conveter

The PDF Editor:

CutePDF Professional is PDF editing software that allows you to markup and/or annotate PDF documents. It also allows you to add bookmarks, delete or reorder pages, merge documents, crop pages, add stamps, comments, set document security etc. It does not allow you to alter the original file - each time you make an edit, it offers you a new file name on save. There is a free evaluation version that banners your documents. Or it can be purchased for USD $49.95. This is a handy tool that I use a lot. For example, I get all my household bills online and I use the typewriter function in this software to make notes of payment details, then file them all on my computer.

CutePDF Professional

PDF What is it good for? PDF ideas for businesses and others.

2010-03-14T12:01:00.003-04:00

PDF can be used in small business for example, or in not for profits, or local service organizations or clubs to distribute flyers or newsletters or other communications by making them available for download on a website, or by distributing via email or both.

It provides a common format for information sharing. For example, it doesn't matter if the original document is in Word or Excel or any other software, it can be "printed" to PDF and distributed. All that is needed by the recipients is a PDF reader such as Adobe.

This saves the costs of printing, paper and the costs of handling, mailing or faxing. Your contacts will appreciate being able to save themselves the trouble of dealing with your paper also, as they can get your message and the information they need by viewing your PDF on their computer screen instead of printing it or print only what they really need or want.

Businesses can also use PDF to send invoices to customers, which reduces handling costs as well (the time required to collate, staple and stuff envelopes). PDF is also a good format for reports, making them instantly available to email. Lengthy documents are easy to navigate in PDF simply by using Adobe's built-in search functions or can be bookmarked and annotated using a PDF editor.

In addition to being cost effective and efficient, reducing paper use by using PDF makes environmental sense as well.

Next time I will explain the functions of the PDF reader, creator & editor as well as where to get them and how to install them.

PDF - What's so great about it?

2010-02-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

PDF is Portable Document Format. Documents rendered in this format look the same as they do in the software they were created in. PDF documents are viewable in PDF readers like Adobe - so if you print your Word document to PDF and send it to someone else, they will be able to read it as long as they have a PDF reader.

I'm a big fan of PDF. It saves me time, effort and real estate. Plus the tools are free. For example, I get all my household bills and bank statements online. I print or save them to PDF and store them on my hard drive. I pay all my bills online and save the transaction records to PDF. PDF editing software lets me make the notations on them that I used to make with a pen. The benefits I see are that everything is put away at the same time I finished dealing with it, it's in one place, I don't have to open and sort a bunch of envelopes or futz with the paper and paper filing. I use a simple filing system to stow all this stuff on my hard drive - it's the same as the one I had in my filing cabinet, only I like it better because it's easier to use and takes up less space. And if I misfile it, the Windows search function will find it for me.

I should mention that my office systems are not paperless, but they do use less paper.

I'm always surprised that PDF isn't used more by businesses and folk in general. As I mentioned, the tools are free and there are big gains to be had in terms of efficiency and cost savings. A complete overhaul of existing processes is not required to realize benefits - there are always one or two key places PDF can be incorporated into a business systems, or into your household where it will make immediate improvements. After that, other applications for it seem to suggest themselves. In my next post, I'll discuss some ideas on how PDF can be used in businesses for the same benefits and considerable cost savings as well.