Part I: Basic Bookkeeping: Why You Need It 7

Chapter 1: So You Want to Do the Books 9

Chapter 2: Getting Down to Bookkeeping Basics 17

Chapter 3: Outlining Your Financial Road Map with a Chart of Accounts 39

Part II: Keeping a Paper Trail 55

Chapter 4: The General Ledger: A One-Stop Summary of Your Business Transactions 57

Chapter 5: Keeping Journals 81

Chapter 6: Computer Options for Your Bookkeeping 111

Chapter 7: Controlling Your Books, Your Records, and Your Money 121

Part III: Tracking Day-to-Day Business Operations with Your Books 139

Chapter 8: Buying and Tracking Your Purchases 141

Chapter 9: Counting Your Sales 159

Chapter 10: Employee Payroll and Benefits 191

Chapter 11: Employer-Paid Taxes and Government Payroll Reporting 213

Part IV: Preparing the Books for Year's (Or Month's) End 227

Chapter 12: Depreciating Your Assets 229

Chapter 13: Paying and Collecting Interest 243

Chapter 14: Proving Out the Cash 261

Chapter 15: Closing the Journals 277

Chapter 16: Checking Your Accuracy by Trial and (Hopefully No) Error 289

Chapter 17: Adjusting the Books 301

Part V: Reporting Results and Starting Over 317

Chapter 18: Developing a Balance Sheet 319

Chapter 19: Producing an Income Statement 337

Chapter 20: Completing Year-End Payroll and Reports 355

Chapter 21: Satisfying the Tax Man 365

Chapter 22: Prepping the Books for a New Accounting Cycle 373

Part VI: The Part of Tens 379

Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Manage Your Business Cash with Your Books...............381

Chapter 24: The Ten (Plus One) Most Important Accounts for Any Bookkeeper 385

Part VII: Appendixes 389

Appendix A: Glossary 391

Appendix B: About the CD 395

Index 403