QuickBooks 2012 All-in-One For Dummies
by Stephen L. Nelson, MBA, CPA
QuickBooks 2012 All-in-One For Dummies
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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011943913
ISBN 978-1-118-09119-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-19927-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-19928-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-19933-6 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Author
Stephen L. Nelson is a CPA in Redmond, Washington. He provides accounting, business advisory, and tax planning and preparation services to small businesses such as manufacturers, retailers, professional service firms, and startup technology companies. He also teaches CPAs how to help their clients use QuickBooks more effectively.
Curiously enough, Nelson is also the most prolific computer book writer of all time, according to a recent feature in The Wall Street Journal. Hes also the bestselling author of books about how to use computers to manage personal and business finances. In fact, Nelsons 100-plus books have sold more than 5,000,000 copies in English and have been translated into more than a dozen other languages.
Steve holds a BS in accounting, an MBA in finance, and a Master of Science in Taxation. Hes been a CPA for 30 years. He used to work as a senior consultant with Arthur Andersen & Co. and was an Adjunct Professor of Tax at Golden Gate University, where he taught S corporation and LLC tax law. He also has been the controller and treasurer of a 50-person manufacturing firm and has run his own manufacturing firm. Steve is also the bestselling author of Quicken 2011 For Dummies and QuickBooks 2011 For Dummies (from Wiley).
Dedication
To the entrepreneurs and small-business people of the world. You folks create most of the new jobs.
Authors Acknowledgments
Okay, Im not going to make this an Academy Awardsstyle speech, but let me thank just a few people. First, I want to thank my business school and tax professors at Central Washington University, the University of Washington, and Golden Gate University. Next, thanks to the business clients whove given me the honor of working with them and teaching me about their businesses and industries. Finally, I want to thank all my friends and colleagues at John Wiley & Sons, who gave me the distinct honor of writing not only this book but also Quicken For Dummies (15 editions) and QuickBooks For Dummies (10 editions). I also want to say a specific thanks to Bob Woerner, my acquisitions editor; Linda Morris, my project and copy editor; and David Ringstrom, who performed the technical edit.
Publishers Acknowledgments
Were proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites
Project Editor: Linda Morris
Executive Editor: Bob Woerner
Copy Editor: Linda Morris
Technical Editor: David Ringstrom
Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen
Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham
Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case
Cover Photos: JUNIPERIMAGES CORP/Fancy/Veer/Corbis
Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)
Composition Services
Project Coordinator: Nikki Gee
Layout and Graphics: Corrie Socolovitch
Proofreader: Christine Sabooni
Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services
Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies
Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher
Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director
Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director
Publishing for Consumer Dummies
Kathy Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
F ew people read introductions to reference books, so Ill make this very brief. I just want to tell you which versions of QuickBooks this book works for, whats in the reference, what it assumes about your existing skills, and what conventions I use.