Hiring and HR Fraud can create unwarranted costs, harm, and a ruined reputation for an organization. Morally challenged candidates can become creative writers, padding their resumes with claims of experience and exaggerated education.   What can leaders do?  This article identifies 4 critical steps that leaders can use to protect their organizations.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), expense reimbursement frauds result in a median loss of $26,000 per incident and represent 14.5% of all employee fraud.  A 2011 KPMG analysis of fraud suggests that the typical employee committing expense reimbursement fraud is male, aged 36 to 45, has been with his company for more than 10 years, and holds a senior job in finance.

There's no denying that maintaining inventory is essential to operating a retail business. Many owners start their businesses because they are personally attached to the products they sell and have a passion for their merchandise. Every retailer needs products for customers to buy, and business owners often consider inventory their most valuable asset. Mismanaging that asset can be detrimental. Here is a look at some of the ways poorly managed inventory affects your business's bottom line.

It is never too early to start planning for next year. As millions of Americans breath a sigh of relief over finishing their taxes, many small retail business owners are considering changes to make the process smoother for next year. Here is a look at a few areas that will make business taxes for 2013 easier on your bottom line.

The present economy has created an unfortunate time when it’s easier for companies to fall into cash flow problems and run the risk of going out of business. Cash flow can be an issue for most businesses, but with the unpredictability of the economy, there is less room for error because it is difficult to predict what the future holds. Let’s look at three different scenarios in which cash flow needs to be analyzed.

There is a growing debate today between two different camps within capitalism: the shareholder capitalists and the stakeholder capitalists. Shareholder capitalists emphasize the need to generate value for investors and others who financially benefit from the company’s success. Stakeholder capitalists balance creating financial value with creating value for other company stakeholders, including employees, customers, and communities. Under the leadership of a man who sought to bring together both schools of thought, one successful company has joined a growing movement of businesses that create value for shareholders and stakeholders alike.

Based on a 2012 study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the median loss for fraud committed by the Purchasing department in organizations was $200,000. Can your organization afford this type of loss?  Most can’t. This article discusses purchasing fraud and reveals three areas of focus that will reduce your organization’s risk.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Purchasing fraud is one of the top areas of fraud according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).  This type of fraud has a huge impact on victimized organizations, with typical losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This article identifies the red flags and most typical purchasing fraud schemes.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Tax season is always a stressful time of year for small businesses. Here are five tax tips that will help you make sure Uncle Sam does not get more than he is due. From writing off deductions, estimating quarterly taxes, sales taxes, charitable contributions, and deducting loans; these tips will help make this tax season easier to navigate.

It's tax time again.  If you are like most business owners signing that tax payment check is one of the least enjoyable things you do.  Want to reduce your tax burden?  Think about the way your business is structured and determine if you may want to change.
By Mark Peters, Sr., Peters Law PLLC

Embezzlement and theft perpetrated against a place of worship is not as uncommon as you might think. Churches, because of the high level of trust they give to their employees and volunteers, are frequently unaware how often funds intended for the Church and its benefactors are stolen, sometimes right out of the collection plate.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Cougar Mountain Software is constantly striving for new ways to better serve our customers and bring them the best software to properly run their business.  Our recent adoption of the SCRUM methodology for the product development team is our way of accomplishing that.  We recently sat down with Angel Smith, our SCRUM Master, to learn more about the opportunities this presents for Cougar Mountain Software and our customers.

Stealing cash receipts is a popular embezzlement scheme accounting for 1 in 5 cases and second only to forging checks. Stealing cash receipts accounted for 42.6% of the cases, making non-profits more than twice as likely to be victimized by this type of theft.  A non-profits Board of Directors are responsible for making sure the proper internal controls are in place and functioning appropriately to prevent this behavior. 
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, 154-page document that came out of Congress on January 1, 2013, partially averts the "fiscal cliff” that hung over Congress’ heads.  This Act makes many Bush-era tax rate provisions permanent while increasing taxes on upper-bracket individuals.

The IRS has not yet released withholding tables for 2013.  We understand this can be a stressful situation when trying to prepare your payroll in the new year.  We plan to release a Payroll Tax Update immediately after the information is made available to us.  In the meantime, the American Payroll Association has released a statement suggesting companies continue to use the 2012 withholding tables.

The end of the year signals the end of the accounting cycle.  For small businesses this event creates the opportunity to generate meaningful information, reset critical metrics, establish tax and payroll periods, and plan for the New Year.  Without the information generated from these end of year procedures, business and their owners would not be able to make informed decisions and gauge the company’s performance. The company’s books must be closed before these can happen.

The end of the year signals the end of the accounting cycle.  For small businesses this event creates the opportunity to generate meaningful information, reset critical metrics, establish tax and payroll periods, and plan for the New Year.  Without the information generated from these end of year procedures, business and their owners would not be able to make informed decisions and gauge the company’s performance. The company’s books must be closed before these can happen.

Payroll fraud occurs nearly twice as often in small organizations (14.2%) than in large ones (7.6%). This is likely due to poor or non-existent internal controls in small organizations. Board Members have the responsibility to protect the organizations assets – including its reputation - by developing accountable and transparent financial processes. Sound internal controls speed the discovery of honest errors and dishonest acts, and reduce the financial impact of fraud.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

The end of the year signals the end of the accounting cycle.  For small businesses this event creates the opportunity to generate meaningful information, reset critical metrics, establish tax and payroll periods, and plan for the New Year.  Without the information generated from these end of year procedures, business and their owners would not be able to make informed decisions and gauge the company’s performance. The company’s books must be closed before these can happen.

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) payroll fraud is one of the most common types of embezzlement accounting for 11.6% of workplace fraud in the United States. The risk of payroll fraud can be dramatically reduced with proper internal controls. Because small organizations have only one or two people involved in the accounting process, they must rely on review and oversight, rather than separating duties, as the primary risk reduction strategy. This article provides a checklist that can be used to reduce the occurrence of payroll fraud or to detect internal control areas that require immediate attention.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

All businesses must have a tax year for accounting purposes, but that tax year does not need to align with the calendar year.  It is important to know whether choosing a fiscal year for one's business is an option, and if so, what are the crucial considerations?

As an innovative leader in financial software solutions, Cougar Mountain offers Software Assurance to help you safeguard and maintain your business accounting system and critical information. Software Assurance provides you with software stability and fewer business interruptions because it ensures access to the latest version of Cougar Mountain software.

Organizations of all sizes are vulnerable to disbursement fraud, which is one of the most common forms of embezzlement.  This type of fraud is preventable and detectable with the appropriate internal controls and processes.  This article provides a checklist that can be used to reduce the occurrence of disbursement fraud or to detect internal control areas that require immediate attention.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Disbursement fraud is one of the most common acts of embezzlement. It’s also easily preventable and detectable with the appropriate internal controls and on going Board oversight procedures.  This article covers key high-level controls related to disbursements and the role of executives and board members in the implementation and management of these controls.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Beginning the financial close with a sound account reconciliation process can lead to efficient, accurate and timely reporting.  Here are 5 best practices that will set you on your way to error-free account reconciliations and a more efficient financial close.

The best tools for building accountability and transparency within an organization are (1) providing oversight, and (2) segregating duties so no one controls a transaction from beginning to end. In organizations, where a few people control financial processes, board members and Executive Directors must rely more on oversight than on separating duties.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Board Members have a fiduciary responsibility for safeguarding the organization's assets.  Accountability and transparency in financial processes are essential to fulfill this responsibility.  A recent, and highly publicized, report from former FBI Director Louis Freeh on the series of failures at Penn State, which led to the cover-up of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse, provides a great case in point.  Here are a few tips and strategies for reducing this type of risk in your organization.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Here are five key points on how you can tap the vein of gold that is your board Treasurer.  In general, the Treasurer is responsible for reporting financial results to the board and assuring that the board has the financial information necessary to make sound decisions. Here are a few key points on how you can think outside the by-laws on how you can proactively develop a stronger, more meaningful relationship with your Treasurer.  You might discover a partner with a wealth of experience and knowledge who will help you and your organization stake your claim and strike it rich.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Streamlining the accounts receivable report to skip customers with a zero balance is one of the new features of CMS Professional 2013.  This decreases the number of records that appear saving you time and printing costs.

Cougar Mountain knows the importance of listening to their clients and based on your requests we have added the ability to query additional module data with the custom Data Query utility into the new CMS Professional 2013 features.

Cougar Mountain is pleased to offer its customers more options when it comes to Federal efiling.  You can now file automatically through Aatrix or with the new CMS Professional 2013 features you generate files for manual Federal-only eFiling.

For years CMS Pro provided a way to sort information by salesperson but not a way to show customer history for only one or two.  Well now you can with the new CMS Professional 2013 features it provides businesses with individualized accounts receivable reports for each individual salesperson.   

Cougar Mountain Software recently had the chance to speak with Bob Holder of DonorExpress, a software system designed to increase the effectiveness and success of donor management for non-profit organizations. 

How many times have additional numbers accidently jumped onto our reporting screen?  Well not anymore with the new CMS Professional 2013 features there is enhanced readability of details in the entry grid for Order Entry and Point of Sale.  There is now a more visually friendly entry screen to help avoid any errors. 

Non-profits and religious organizations combined account for approximately 16.5 percent of all embezzlement incidents – an increase compared to our prior years, according to The 2011 Marquet Report on Embezzlement. The report also states that Non-profits ranked #2 in the amount of embezzlement losses, behind the financial services sector, which means non-profits beat out healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, government and all the other industry categories.
By Denise McClure, CPA, CFE, Averti Fraud Solutions, LLC

Want a quick and easy way to save time and money within your business?  With the CMS Professional 2013 new features you can email payroll check and direct deposit stubs automatically to your employees inbox. This cuts down on printing costs and saves time printing, stuffing and distributing stubs. 

A recent burglary of an accountant office in Boise, Idaho has united some downtown businesses and sparked the question, what would happen if your computer equipment were stolen?  If you didn't have good backups or those backups were located on equipment within your office, this might result in serious business disruption and harm.  This post outlines some of the services Cougar Mountain offers that can prevent any disruption or loss of information. 

To continue the Cougar Mountain Software's 30th Anniversary celebration we have highlighted Noah's Restaurant.  For the past 32 years Noah's Restaurant has built a successful business perfecting the art of "scratch cooking".   Located in the quiet town of Stonington, Connecticut their dishes are famously homespun, and include recipes such as the Kentucky Butter Cake and the Brown Derby. 

The analysis of financial information and making decisions from that information are at the core of sound financial management.  Technology, in the form of software applications like Cougar Mountain Software, allow small businesses to execute the closing process with greater speed and accuracy which provides more time for in-depth analysis and decision making.

CMS Professional 2013 will have a number of new features and we will highlight each of the most significant ones in the coming weeks.  The first feature we will highlight is updates to the comparative balance sheet.

What are the signs that fraud may be committed at your business? 
By Denis McClure

This year Cougar Mountain Software celebrates our 30 Year Anniversary. We’re also celebrating the success of our customers, including some that have been with us for many of these first 30 years.   From time to time this year we will highlight these customers by sharing their story with you.

There are many accounting systems available today that provide numerous options for cost, implementation, and features.  Here are 3 mistakes you should avoid to ensure you select the right product for your organization. 

An audit trail is a chronological record of all your transactions.   It is vital that you maintain this record for a number of reasons; three of which are the ability to monitor all activity for fraud, find and enter lost transactions again, and supply documentation for internal and external audits, especially government audits.  The last reason is especially important for a non-profit organization because you are much more open to scrutiny from outside agencies.

This is a break down of SaaS (Software as a Service) so that you can make an informed decision about if it is the right solution for your business accounting needs.

You most likely work in an environment that is comprised of a mix of generations. How do you think this affects the communication that takes place in your workplace? You probably realize there is a difference between the way your generation communicates and the way other generations communicate around the office. Much of this has to do with the way each generation was raised and the circumstances surrounding their experiences.

Most people donate to charities around the holiday season which is at the end of the year. The economy has been tight for the past few years which has impacted charitable donations as people are watching their wallets more closely, and being more choosy who they are donating to. So how do you know who to donate to this year?

When you take on any kind of fundraising, it’s important to have a concrete plan. Without a plan, it can be hard to keep track of goals and objectives, which tasks are complete, and who is responsible for tasks that need to be done.

The primary purpose of a physical inventory is to verify that the on-hand quantity of each item in a distributor’s computer system reflects what is actually on the shelf. This in turn contributes to a smoother ordering system that will help salespeople be more confident when they sell items and keeps happy customers coming back. Now, the key to successful physical inventory is planning, even before the actual physical inventory count takes place.

In June 2011 the IRS announced that 275,000 nonprofits lost their tax-exempt status because they failed to file an annual information return or notice with the IRS for three consecutive years. Read this article to find out if you are on the list, how to file, and how to get retroactively reinstated.

Have you come across the situation where you sold a company; or a branch of the company; or otherwise needed to dispose of several assets at one time?

We believe the true value of your accounting software purchase comes when you have successfully implemented the solution and your employees are happy and efficient using our software. Our price is competitive, and we contend that our commitment to your success is the best on the market.

Story telling has been a part of our culture since the dawn of man. In France, twenty thousand year old cave drawings tell us stories of daily life for the people of that time. Many of the ancient religious texts are written as to teach through a collection stories or parables.

It is the start of your organization's fourth quarter and the dreaded budget question arises – What are we going to do next year? Sound familiar. With many organizations, budget time can be a daunting task that involves multiple individuals and days, maybe weeks, of compiling and crunching numbers just to get the base set. Then comes the approval process and the back and forth of numbers – you can have the indicated amount for office supplies, but not the one for travel and meals, and your administrative expenses can't be nearly this high. Of course, we cannot forget the biggest question for most nonprofits: From where is our funding going to come. The remainder of this article presents some ideas to help you answer these dreaded questions.

A solid inventory system should help you grow your business. What follows is a must have list of features that will help lower your costs, increase your productivity, and make your business more competitive.

Here are three basic things every computer user can do to make sure their computer is running as well as it can. These include running an updated anti-virus program, maintaining regular back ups, and paying attention to computer messages.

Have you thought about whether your business has outgrown your accounting solution? If your accounting package isn't meeting your needs, decreasing workloads, and providing beneficial tracking and monitoring options – it's time to change.

Tobacco Stores and Smoke Shops have their own unique set of requirements in a Point of Sale System and POS Software. Cougar Mountain Software has successfully implemented many Tobacco POS Systems and is familiar with the particular needs of the industry. Cougar Mountain Point of Sale with Back Office along with Specialty Shop offers Cigarette Store Software that successfully accommodates the requirements.

If you are an accountant, bookkeeper or software vendor, you probably get the question, "What accounting software should I buy.” If you recommend Cougar Mountain Software and they buy, we’ll give you 20% of the net software sale. It’s that easy.

Many people have a difficult time reconciling what they really need in their POS software and want to know the key benefits of adding software before they plunge into a purchase.  This White Paper is going to look into and answer some of those questions for POS users who want to upgrade to touchscreen technology; why should I go through the hassle of setting up new hardware just to add touchscreen ability?

Nonprofit organizations have a special power to create miracles in the lives of those they serve, but the first step in the act of creation is having a clear mental picture of the end results you want.  The vision is seeing the future in what you are doing today.

As a member of Microsoft’s Partner Program there are many benefits for partners of all levels. Imagine being able to have all your Microsoft software licenses provided at no charge, as one benefit. For some organizations, the savings can be as much as $13,000.00.

Can new technologies such as mobile devices impact a company’s bottom line and ability to compete?

There is huge growth in mobile everywhere. Every day we see this by the proliferation of fancy mobile devices like iPhone, Android, and iPad, but what we might not consider as strongly is how we all shift more and more of our internet activities over to mobile devices.

Gratitude is the cornerstone of the nonprofit community and is often taken far too casually.The nature of nonprofit work is built on the generosity of people who want to make a difference in the World. < Donors see their gift as an investment in special organizations that they believe can have an impact and will use their gift wisely. Most gifts come in the form of financial gifts, volunteer time or through passionate employees who work in understaffed organizations for low pay.

Read how Cougar Mountain Software supports its customers from the perspective of our Systems Administrator. Software support is not just about the systems. It's about the people who have to use them.

One statement I consistently hear new business owners say is "I don’t need a point of sale system, I’m just going to use a digital cash register.” This may seem like a savvy business decision, after all a PC based point of sale (POS) system including hardware and software will typically cost $1,500 - $4,000 while a basic digital cash register can cost as little as $200.  So the question is: what benefit does a business, especially a brand new- cash strapped business, receive that would justify spending all that money? 

"If your business hasn't been paying attention to your documentation, you're ignoring a sales tool and a revenue generator and you need to rethink your priorities.”

Fraud perpetrators have one thing in common they are morally flexible. Some are serial embezzlers, leeching what they can from a victim organization before moving on. Most are otherwise honest people who see the opportunity for easy money, and take it.

Should I process payroll in-house or should I outsource? This is an important question with cost and liability considerations. You may be suprised to find that in-house payroll processing is not only less expensive, but with the right payroll processing software can be secure and hassle free.

BarTender 9.4 adds several exciting new features. Seagull Scientific has been a trend-setting innovator of label software and bar code technology since 1985. Their industry-leading BarTender design and print software for labels, barcodes and RFID tags is an essential tool for hundreds of thousands of users in more than 150 countries.

Cougar Mountain Software is always integrating new tools to help CPAs fulfill their client’s needs efficiently and effectively.

Training yourself and/or your employees to use your business accounting software is one of the most cost effecitve decisions you can make.

Start 2011 off right by saving yourself time and money by eFiling your W-2s, state and federal taxes by using our CMS Professional 2011 Payroll software that links directly to Aatrix eFile Center. EFiling has never been easier, and it’s simple and secure.

Here is how you do Year-End steps to close out your CMS software for the year. These steps cover six modules; AR, IN, OE, PR, AP, and GL ¨C close the GL module last. Before starting, it is important to do a CMS backup of your data (in the Main Menu, click Options > Back Up Company > Backup, check the Data checkbox, then click OK).