Smart Stops on the Web

Advice for the Little Guy
www.realsmallbusiness.com
CPA small firm owners will want to drop by this Web site for advice on building and marketing a business and managing staff, for example. Recently posted articles include “10 Ways to Help Increase Your Cash Flow.” Other resources offer users guidance on preparing a business plan and recordkeeping basics.

A Resource for Loans
www.smallbusinessloans.com
For CPAs starting their own small businesses, or advising clients doing the same, this Web stop supplies information on government grant applications and Small Business Administration loans, as well as articles such as “How to Use Other People’s Money for Your Business.” The Small Business Center offers detailed expert advice on building, promoting and managing a business.

Free Start-Up Information
www.madeforsuccess.com
This Web site gives entrepreneurs and other small business owners much food for thought about, for instance, communication, leadership, marketing, networking and time-management topics. Visitors can register for free reports such as “Ensure Your Financial Future” and a gratis newsletter.

A Capital Site
www.bizplanit.com
Need ways to advise your clients how to grow their businesses into investor-worthy enterprises? Visit the free resources section at this site and peruse the virtual business plan, subscribe to a free newsletter and read articles including “How to Prepare a Business Loan Request for Your Bank.” Find links to Web sites for franchising, funding, government programs and legal and minority resources, and lists of business planning books or software for purchase.

Research Hiring Out
www.outsourcing-center.com
In addition to its general outsourcing information—for example, articles on best practices, legal and offshore outsourcing trends—this Web site offers registered users free access to white papers and all visitors online publications such as Outsourcing Journal on the topic.

Search and Submit, Too
www.accountingpage.com
CPAs looking for resources online will want to sign up for free at this Web portal and browse categories on accounting associations, auditing, bookkeeping, consulting and financial services, to name a handful. Users can find the top 100 accounting Web sites—voted on by members—and read site reviews, as well as list their firms’ Web sites at this e-stop for an annual charge of $20.

Worth a Peek
www.financialstep.com
Accountants can register for free at this Web stop and follow links—not only to financial planning sites but to allied ones such as e-stops for accounting services, B2B, banking, commercial lending, economics, insurance and taxes. Visitors can list their own sites for a fee and vote for the portal’s top 100 Web sites.

A Forecast for the Future
www.financialwonder.com
CPAs will want to check out this Web site to find free tools for corporate budgeting and forecasting. Users can build forecasts using the formulas found here for free. They then can use the results on their individual balance sheets or income statements and copy the results directly to their spreadsheets or word processors.

Nix Pop-Up Ads
toolbar.google.com
Web users tired of disruptive automatic ads can get rid of most of them by downloading this Google toolbar to their browsers. In addition to blocking pop-ups, it features an Autofill button, which eliminates the need to retype personal information into e-forms such as those in e-commerce checkouts.

Terms Explained
www.legal-definitions.com
CPAs who need help deciphering “lawyerspeak” can find concise definitions of legal terminology at this e-stop as well as the meaning of general business terms such as bankruptcy .

www.commerce-database.com
Need to know the difference between an act of God and an act of nature ? The legal terms section of this online business dictionary defines them as one and the same. The Commerce Database categorizes words into separate business and legal dictionaries: The business one offers categories such as accounting.

www.computer-acronyms.com
This Web site offers visitors short definitions for technical terminology such as, for example, cable modem . Also users can find brief explanations of acronyms for high-speed Internet concepts such as DSL—digital subscriber line.

www.legal-database.com
CPAs interested in legal topics such as bankruptcy, civil rights, employment, labor and tax laws can find various terms explained in the articles section for each category at this Web stop. In addition visitors can register for free monthly newsletters on bankruptcy, employment, family and tax law.