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Richard Edge - Winner of Outstanding Services to Business in the Waipa

We are excited and honoured to announce that Accounted4 Consultant, Richard Edge, received the award for Outstanding Services to Business at the Waipa Networks Business Awards last Friday evening Richard (Ritchie) Edge, born and bred in Cambridge, is highly deserving of this award as he has dedicated more than 50 years to supporting businesses in the Waipa with high level accountancy and business advice. In 2014 Ritchie was recognised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants NZ for reaching 5...

Learning the Art of Referral Business

Much like cold calling, asking for referrals can seem daunting. However unlike cold calling, referral business usually comes off the back of having done a good job for someone, so you're already on the front foot. The first step is asking for the referral. Before that you need the confidence to ask and, of course, to know how to ask for it and who to ask. Your best customers are your current ones. Assess your client database. Have you had a recent success with a client? Most people don't think ...

Get to Know: Ben Langton-Burnell

Ben began throwing a javelin 7 years ago and from the very beginning has wanted to compete at the Olympics and represent New Zealand on the world stage. Ben is coached by Debbie Strange – Stuart Farquhar's coach and long term coach of Beatrice Faumuina. To date 2016 has been the most challenging year with a back injury and an appendix removal meaning that Ben did not qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. His 2020 sport campaign has begun and all efforts are moving towards qualifying for th...

In the Office

We are pleased to announce another new member to our team; Marko Molnar. Marko joins us as an Accounts Analyst – he has a Bachelor of Management Studies Degree and is aiming to become a Chartered Accountant. ...

2016 Seminar programme

Education, training and growth is important to the team at Accounted4. From our Client Feedback Survey and from last years seminars, we found that our clients are interested in a wide range of topics. We have devised a seminar programme for 2016 which provides clients the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge. •Wednesday 31st August – Banklink Training - with Martyn Steffert as presenter •Tuesday 27th September – Social Media in your business •Thursday 27th October – ...

Featured Partner

Still using 'old school desktop – non internet based payroll? iPayroll makes it easy to change Some small businesses are still using desktop software (i.e. not internet based) or manual systems. Whilst these may work for you, as you have always done payroll that way, it's important to embrace technology, move from old school ways and make your life easier. Accounted4 are pleased to be a Bronze Partner with iPayroll. iPayroll is New Zealand's premier online payroll provider that allows you to ...

Business Advisory Update

Scams are any schemes that are designed to con you out of your money or steal your personal data. Scammers can use your personal data to commit identity fraud. While most people can spot the obvious scams, scammers are trying more and more sophisticated ways of getting your money or personal details. Be alert and protect yourself by watching out for the signs and not trusting appearances. Online scams include email, internet and social media sites. The number of phishing or fake email scams i...

For Your Office - Payroll Team Update

From 1 July 2016 the maximum rate of paid parental leave for eligible employees and self-employed parents increased from $516 to $527 gross per week. The parental leave payment is a weekly payment for one continuous period of up to 18 weeks. It is important that employers are aware of this increase so you can correctly advise your employees as to their parental leave entitlements. The Government has decided against extending paid parental leave to 26 weeks. For further information, go to: htt...

Accounts Team Update

Inland Revenue have signalled they will be looking at businesses' record keeping systems. Key targets will be that all jobs and all income are being recorded and that GST is being handled properly. Recent prosecutions indicate that PAYE records are another hot topic, along with the corresponding employment records. If sketchy records are a quick way to set off the IRD alarm bells, this could be a great time to do a sense check on your records and systems. As a business owner you're required by...

In the Industry

Recently there has been an IRD scam going around where scammers claiming to be from IRD are cold calling people to say that they are being investigated for tax fraud. The scammer requests personal information including the person's IRD number, before threatening them with legal action. In some cases people are told they must pay a debt urgently or face jail. Some people have also reported scammers leaving voicemails stating the recipient is subject to criminal action for tax fraud, leaving a ...

Rental Properties Seminar

On the 27th July we held our Rental Properties Seminar, which was presented by Grant Calvert. This was a very popular seminar with 45 attendees. We would like to thank Cambridge Resthaven for allowing us to use their fabulous new community centre. The centre is available for the community to use in return for a donation. ...

In the Community

Keystone Partner of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce We are proud to announce that we have renewed our Keystone sponsorship of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. Waipa Networks Business Awards We are also proud to announce that we are a partner for the 2016 Waipa Networks Business Awards. We would like to thank everyone who voted for us in the Customer Choice Category for the Business Awards. We are excited and honoured to announce that we are a finalist! Congratulations – Alpino Restaur...

Focus on Sustainability – Tax Notices/Invoices

Here at Accounted4 we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and, with your help, becoming more paper-less is one of the easiest ways. With this in mind, we would like our clients to consider opting in to receive their tax notices electronically. If you would like to OPT IN please click HERE. if you have any problems with this link please email tax@accounted4.co.nz with the names of the tax payers that you wish to be included. We are also transitioning to sending our accoun...

Thank You!

Thank you to all of our clients who participated in our annual client survey. We had 138 survey responses and some great feedback. This feedback allows us to further grow and meet, and then exceed your expectations! Congratulations to Raymond Walker, our lucky survey winner who received a $100 Countdown voucher. ...

Leading The Charge

There is a saying that your biggest market is the one you currently have - most of your sales are likely to be repeat business from existing clients. The reason these clients keep coming back may be partly about what you sell, but chances are that customer service plays a big part. The people you employ can greatly affect the business you do. You can guide your team to greatness. Here are a few simple steps: Teach adaptability Every client is different and this means being flexible. Insti...

Stop the Knowledge Drain

Depth of knowledge provides stability in a business. If you don't document internal processes, you run the risk of losing critical 'tribal knowledge' when an employee leaves. Quite simply, the knowledge will exit the building. It's important that daily business isn't disrupted or compromised when a team member is absent. Audit your knowledge assets. Work with your team to define what each of you does, how you do it and whether it can be done better. Collaborate, record, optimise and implement...

Take A Breath

One of the pitfalls many business owners face is getting caught up in doing everything IN the business and not spending any time ON it. It falls further and further down the list, so tasks pile up which could - if tackled - help the business grow. This, in turn, creates a great deal of stress. As a business owner, you may believe that by doing everything yourself you'll get things done the way you like, but in truth, you can be flat out working and not doing much else in the way...

Creating A Passionate Work Culture

Company culture is a term for the way an organisation behaves collectively. A culture is based on the shared attitudes, customs, visions, beliefs, habits, written and unwritten rules, and the values that affect team interaction. Company culture can change as the company grows and business increases. Check in regularly on your company culture and ensure it remains positive. Display your values in a prominent area where all staff can see them and allow them to contribute th...

STRESS - beating it to the punch

Stress is a sneaky wee thing. It can creep up on you completely unaware, knocking you down when you least expect it. If you're busy it's easy to forget to look after yourself. It is all too easy to let things get on top of you. However, looking after number one doesn't have to be difficult. The idea is to prevent stress, before it presents itself. Get Moving. We're not saying you have to take up boot camp or run a marathon, but simply get your body moving. Take a long walk in...

Client Survey Winner

Congratulations Raymond Walker the winner of our 2016 Client Survey draw prize Raymond's name was drawn at random from the on-line survey responses and a $100 Countdown voucher is coming his way! Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our survey. Your feedback is appreciated and invaluable for us moving forward ....

IRD Phishing Scam

IRD Phishing Scam - don't get caught out! Over the past two weeks Inland Revenue has received reports of a telephone phishing scam from several hundred customers around New Zealand. The scam calls have been made to landlines and mobile phones, with messages being left on voicemail if the calls haven't been answered. The callers state that they are from the Inland Revenue Department and the following scenarios have been reported, that the customer: is wanted for historic tax evasion or...

Stay Fresh In The Net

We live in a world in which more people are connected than ever before. Smartphones, tablets and laptops are now integral to our everyday lives. How is your business faring in the digital universe? Make sure that your business' digital footprint is still stepping out even when you've closed up and gone home for the day. Be where they'll look for you. First, how wide is your business reach? Are you strictly seeking local business, wanting to convert drop-by and pas...

The Busy-Person's Guide To Effective Multitasking In The Office

Multitasking. The great 2000's buzz-word. All women know the skill of talking on the phone whilst doing pretty much anything, and men perfected the art of listening to sport and reading the newspaper way back in 1926. It is a common misconception that multitasking is this art of doing more than one task simultaneously. Of course, in reality, multitasking at work is not doing multiple things at the same time, but sharing bursts of time between two or more tasks in an age where we are constantl...

Four ways to quickly boost your mood.

By Louise Thompson A great day has much more to do with what you think than what goes on in it. If you can feel the day unravelling, here are four quick ways to switch up your mood and get back on track. These tips will act as a circuit-breaker to a day that is going off the rails, and spread some sunshine whatever the weather. 1: Surprise and delight someone Marketers call them "surprise and delight campaigns" - strategically going the extra mile for the client, or rewarding the custome...

Underpaid Income Tax?

Underpaid provisional tax can cause a few headaches. Maybe you did not keep up with your provisional tax payments throughout the year? (oops) Perhaps you did not end up paying enough because you had a better-than-expected financial year (yay! but damn, an increased tax liability). It could be that seasonality or volatility make it difficult to forecast your provisional tax payments. Whatever the case, owing the taxman additional income tax can put pressure on your business' cashflow. With In...