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Karlee Ferry

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Accountancy might seem like a straightforward job – merely ‘crunching the numbers’, while it is true that working with financial information is a big part of the job, accounting is also a critical part of any business.

Accountants conwy are really important for all businesses both great and small, as such they play a pivotal role in all aspects of our professional lives.

What does an accountant do on a daily basis you ask? Where we will discuss the roles and responsibilities and important skills and career outlook for accountants. We will also go through the current trends that are having an effect on the field.

What is an accountant?

An accountant is a professional who is responsible for keeping as well as interpreting financial records. The majority of accountants are responsible for a large variety of finance related tasks. This is true for individual clients or larger businesses and organisations that employ them. Other terms are used in conjunction with this, including accountant, bookkeeper and others. However, there are many differences between these.

Bookkeepers will have an associate degree and focus on recording financial transactions. Accountants on the other hand will have earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, these are tasked with interpreting financial information rather than gathering it together.

Accountants can be bookkeepers, but not all bookkeepers can be accountants.

The roles and responsibilities of accountants vary depending on your position. Some of the most common tasks and responsibilities of accountants includes the likes of the following.

  • Ensuring the accuracy of financial documents and that they comply with laws and rules of the time.
  • Preparing and maintaining important financial reports
  • Preparing tax returns, and ensuring that taxes are paid not only properly, but also on time.
  • Evaluating financial operations to recommend the best practices.
  • Identify issues and come up with practical solutions.
  • Help organisations run efficiently.
  • Offer guidance on cost reduction, revenue enhancement, profit maximisation and more.

Conduct forecasting and risk analysis.

Accountants also have a legal obligation to act honestly and not be negligent in their practice. They are also responsible for ensuring that clients’ financial records comply with laws and regulations.

Important skills

There are a few important skills that all accountants need in order to be successful in their roles. Some of the most important skills needed includes:

  • Attention to detail
  • Analytical skills
  • Business know-how
  • IT skills
  • Communication
  • Mathematical aptitude

Accountancy is in demand and boasts impressive salaries as well as great job growth to match. As such, accountancy is a fantastic career with scope to operate in a wide variety of settings as well as earn a great salary. It also serves an important purpose to businesses the world over.

If you are looking for an accountant, we recommend that you look at testimonials online, on a good business directory or ask people around you who a reliable and decent accountant would be to have on-side.

Irrespective of your finance requirements, it is definitely a sound and fair idea to identify a professional and knowledgeable finance broker who would be able to solve your issues related to any sort of finance.   What exactly is his role? He acts as a middleman when it comes to loan application processing and aids in making the entire activity simpler and less of a hassle.  He will offer us the right lender and definitely smart lending solutions.  The broker does the job of evaluation of the client condition and requirement.  The broker firstly understands the reason why a client is taking the loan and accordingly processes the same.

Get to know more and do your complete research about finance broker perth and accordingly take a call with regards to the type of loan you intend taking.  The broker will present you a plethora of products from varied lenders and a professional broker would be able to provide you the best deals based on your criteria.

Personal finance is required by many individuals and if you get in touch with a good and experienced finance broker, he would be able to guide you and get the possible deal.  They help identify your borrowing abilities and needs and will do the groundwork for you and help identify the loan that is best suited to your requirements and circumstances.  It basically implies following the finance processes and managing the entire activity till you are given the loan.

The greater the number of lenders and lending companies he does his research on, the greater are your chances of getting a good lending finance company.  The broker will create a larger umbrella of lending companies and organize the loan in such a manner that you get it at the right time and also at a relatively low rate of interest.   Since they have the requisite knowhow and knowledge and of course the experience when it comes to loans and finance companies, you can be rest assured of getting a good deal. The only negative of going directly to the lending institution is that you may not have had the time and the inquisitiveness to do a thorough research about the lending companies and may end up paying a high rate of interest.  Since the finance brokers are into this line of business, they have a better perspective of the finance company and you would definitely be at a profitable position.

Introduction

Retirement planning is a long-term and tedious process. It needs meticulous planning and discipline to achieve the retirement corpus. Most people defer retirement planning thinking their retirement is far away. However, you may not have enough time left to accumulate a sizeable retirement corpus. The following are some salient tips for successful retirement planning:

Calculate the Retirement Income

The first step in retirement planning is to assess how much you need to save for it. You should calculate your current monthly expenses and adjust them for inflation in your retirement age. If you plan to retire at 60 years and expect a life expectancy of 80 years, then your retirement savings should last for 20 years. Once you have worked out the retirement corpus needed, you should invest regularly towards achieving it. It is also important to decide on an annual withdrawal rate to ensure your savings last till your life expectancy. In our example, the savings should last for at least 20 years, meaning you can withdraw 5% from the corpus annually.

Start Investing

Now that you know your retirement corpus, it is time to act.  You should decide the return on investments you want and the number of years you have to build the corpus. This will help you identify appropriate investment instruments for building the corpus. You can also consult a financial advisor if you need more help and clarity on it. It is better to decide on the investment modes based on your risk-taking abilities. If you are a risk-averse investor, then do not risk your capital by investing it in volatile investments. You must be a disciplined investor and not be fazed by market volatility. You must remain invested for the course to achieve your desired retirement corpus.

A very important aspect of retirement planning is to start investing early. The earlier you start investing, the more time you will have to achieve your retirement corpus. This means you will have to invest lesser to reach your corpus amount.

Reduce Your Debt

It is important to reduce or completely pay off your debt before retirement. You should take stock of your outstanding debt and plan to pay off the costliest one first. Outstanding debt can escalate quickly and eat into your retirement corpus, which is not desirable. You do not want a sizeable chunk of your retirement corpus into servicing debt. You can also consider meeting your expenses from cash to avoid new credit card debt.

Improve Your Financial Condition

You should improve your financial condition as much as possible before retirement. Upgrade your skills to increase your earnings. You may also consider working overtime to get more money to invest in retirement planning. You can also use the additional income to repay debt. Another approach to have more disposable income is to reduce non-essential expenses. Cutting on such expenditure can allow you the flexibility to put the savings for retirement planning. If you have debt, then search for options to refinance it with lenders willing to charge a lower rate. If you wish to learn more about Accounting and Finances visit our site at accounting services near me!

Almost 20% of all Canadians currently earning an income in the country are self-employed, yet it remains notoriously difficult for them to obtain a mortgage; why should this be? As a growing demographic, and one that is set to increase, shouldn’t it be easier for them to find a mortgage?

Below, we take a closer look at the reasons behind the problems self-employed people face when seeking a loan to buy a property, and offer some important guidance and support:

Income – how easy is it to prove if you’re self-employed?

For the self-employed, proving their income isn’t always easy, and many owners of businesses record multiple expenses to try and minimize their tax requirements; this is something that the majority of lenders don’t (or refuse) to recognize.

If, as a self-employed person, you’re able to provide personal tax Notices of Assessment going back at least 3 years, and include them with your mortgage application, then generally speaking, you’ll be able to access the same mortgage deals as a traditional borrower. However, should you be unable to include these with your application, then you’ll have to rely on a solid credit history, and be able to stump up a minimum 10% down payment.

What other supporting documents must self-employed people produce?

To obtain a mortgage as a self-employed individual, along with your Notices of Assessment, you may also be required to include the following documentation with your mortgage application:

  • Statements of finance for your business
  • Evidence that your HST and/or GST has been fully paid
  • Contracts showing your predicted future revenue
  • Both your personal and business credit scores
  • Evidence that you are the principal owner of the business
  • A copy of your borrowers’ business or GST license or Article of Incorporation proving that you’re licensed
  • Evidence that your down payment was not a gift to you

 

Mortgage default insurance rates for self-employed mortgages:

If, as a self-employed person, you can provide evidence of your income through your personal tax Notices of Assessment, then your mortgage default insurance policy will be the same as if you were applying for a traditional mortgage. That is to say that if you’re only making a down payment of between 5 and 19.99%, you’ll be required to pay a premium, but you don’t need to pay it once you’ve put down at least 20%. Paid off over the duration of your loan, the premium is then added to your mortgage.

How a mortgage broker can help if you’re self-employed:

Knowing which lenders are offering the best rates for your circumstances – especially when you’re self-employed – can be tricky, tiresome and downright tedious at times, and that’s why working with a mortgage broker is such a good idea. Able to make sense of the mortgage market and translate it for you in layman’s terms, they also have access to many deals that you may not be offered if searching for a loan independently, and hiring one is always a sound investment.

For more detailed advice and guidance on securing a mortgage as a self-employed person, contact a mortgage agent, specialist or broker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great investors competently control their emotions and committedly stick to their planned strategy. These predetermined strategies define the stock types to buy, time to enter a position, and even when to exit even if the price movement is in your favor. 

Beginners can read the weekly magazine, ‘The Public Investor’ to learn about the long-term investment strategies influenced by book author Prof. Dr. Otte. There are multiple strategies, which can intimidate beginners but here are some best ones to consider.

Timings of cyclical & non-cyclical investments

Cyclical stocks are strongly correlated to the economy. Therefore, when the economy rises, the cyclical stock price increases and vice versa. Non-cyclical stocks follow a stable growth pattern and are a safe investment option in a tough economic environment.

Pros

  • During a positive economic situation, investors can earn good profit investing in cyclical stocks. 
  • During economic unrest sell the cyclical stocks and buy non-cyclical investments.
  • You can read the buying and selling signals with ease as the strategy is concentrated on economic conditions. 

Cons

  • Timing the stock market carries potential risk even if the strategy is focused on the economy and correlation with cyclical & non-cyclical stocks.
  • Economic analysis is a challenging task.
  • Cyclical stocks pay less or no dividend, so income investors will not find this a good option. 

Combining growth & dividend

Growth stocks generate more value in a short time, whereas dividend stock displays slow and steady growth. To find high growth stocks check the annual return rates. For high dividend stocks check dividend payers and the percentage they pay. 

Pros 

  • Stocks paying high dividends are safe investments. 
  • Dividends are income.
  • Dividend stocks generate consistent growth. For example, Utility and consumer staple industry is always in demand, so they never hesitate during economic unrest. 

Cons

  • Diversification is hard.
  • Balancing your portfolio consistently is essential.
  • Growth is consistent but steady, so you cannot anticipate short-term big gains. 

Remember, the strategies have increased risk levels. A move in opposite direction can turn into a costly error. Therefore, understand the market and investing process in detail.