Learn to: Manage assets and liabilities Track business transactions accurately with ledgers and journals Prepare balance sheets, income statements, tax forms, payroll, and more The easy way to boost your bookkeeping skills Accurate and complete bookkeeping is crucial, but jumping in headfirst without knowing your accounts from your balance sheets can confuse even the most astute businessperson. That’s where this friendly guide helps! Brimming with easy-to-follow, plain-English instruction, it gets you up and running on the latest bookkeeping techniques in no time. So, you want to do the books? — delve into bookkeeping basics, manage daily finances, and run tests for ensuring accuracy The proof is in the pudding — keep a precise and well-organized paper trail with ledgers, journals, and the latest bookkeeping software options A day in the life of a bookkeeper — get familiar with the day-to-day operations that will keep your books afloat, from tracking your purchases and counting your sales to reporting employer-paid taxes Days gone by — prepare the books for year’s (or month’s) end, pay and collect interest, close the journals, check your accuracy, and adjust the books It’s not over ‘til it’s over — produce an income statement, complete year-end payroll and reports, satisfy the tax man, and prep the books for a new accounting cycle Open the book and find: The lowdown on basic accounting methods Bookkeeping tools that manage daily finances Steps to set up your Chart of Accounts How to customize accounting software to match your needs Ways to manage your business cash with your books Tips for developing a financial statement worksheet The ten most important accounts for any bookkeeper.