Home Accountz For Dummies E-Book

Quentin Pain

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 324

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Take control of your home accounting! Accounting from home can be a difficult task--but not an impossible one with the right tools. Home Accountz For Dummies shows you exactly how to use the UK's number one home finance software to look after household expenditures and effectively budget for a positive future. Author Quentin Pain shows you the ins and outs of managing your money with Home Accountz and this easy-to-understand book provides you with the tools you need to predict future financial capabilities. * Explains installation, setup, creating accounts, and connecting to banks * Teaches you how to effectively understand accounts, import data from other software, and set up budgets * Explores importing data from software such as Microsoft Money, Quicken, or spreadsheets * Covers dealing with transactions in foreign currencies * Addresses setting up automatic transactions * Shows how to watch where your money goes with customizable reports Home Accountz For Dummies is a fun, easy to use guide that takes the chore out of home accounting and puts you in control of your money.

Leseprobe

Home Accountz® For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/homeaccountz to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

What You Need Not Read

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: The Big Picture

Part II: Setting Up Your Accounts

Part III: Exploring Transactions

Part IV: Managing Your Money

Part V: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go From Here

Part I: The Big Picture

Chapter 1: Accounting for Your Finances

Why Account for Your Money?

Managing Your Accounts

Understanding the Principles of Home Accounting

Finding Accounting Help Online

Accountz.com Limited

Accounting for Everyone

Home Accountz User Forums

YouTube

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Home Accountz

Understanding the System Requirements for Home Accountz

Discovering your Mac’s specifications

Digging into your PC’s specifications

Installing Home Accountz

Installing on a Mac

Installing on a Windows PC

Using the Installation Wizard

Running Home Accountz for the First Time

Using the Home Accountz Setup Wizard

Activating your copy of Home Accountz

Chapter 3: Simplifying Your Accounts with the eaZy Button

Looking into the Transactions Panel

Entering single transactions

Recurring transactions

Dealing with the Bank/Credit Card Panel

Entering transactions

Adding recurring transactions

Adding accounts

Working with accounts

Using the Set Up/Report Panel

New File

Continuation File

Add an Income Source

Add an Expenditure Source

Add a Payee

Delete a Payee

Chapter 4: Backing Up and Filing

Storing Your Data in Home Accountz

Creating Backups

Setting up the automatic backup

Performing a manual backup

Working with Multiple Accounts

Creating multiple Home Accountz files

Switching between accounts files

Restoring Files

Chapter 5: Using Tools to Keep Track of Your Finances

Writing in the Desk Diary

The Diary Entries tab

The Update Diary tab

The Future Entries tab

The ToDo List tab

Using Home Accountz’s Calculator

Adding, editing, and deleting calculations

Calculating directly in tables

Chapter 6: Configuring Home Accountz

Navigating the Home Accountz Configuration Panel

Payees

Documents

Data Validation

Status Information

Accounts, Balances & Budgeting

Formats

Tables

Desk Diary

Application Components

Adjusting Document Display Settings

Document History Size

Document Date Format

Specifying How to Validate Your Data

Personalizing Your Status Information

Status Levels

Toolbar Notifications

Formatting Dates and Numbers

Formatting dates and times

Specifying how numbers appear

Setting Your Tables

Working with table keyboard shortcuts

Customizing table colors

Configuring the Desk Diary

Changing Application Components

Components in Toolbar

Components Key Shortcuts Definitions

Main Toolbar

Part II: Setting Up Your Accounts

Chapter 7: Coming to Grips with Home Accountz

Understanding Transactions

Recording Your Transactions

Keeping track of purchases

Keeping track of income

Tallying Up Account Balances

Dealing with Income and Expenses

Keeping Your Eye on the Balance Sheet

Chapter 8: Changing Your Accounts Structure

Moving Accounts

Moving accounts from one group to another

Knowing the restrictions of moving accounts between groups

Reordering accounts within a group

Hiding (Deleting) Accounts

Recovering a Deleted Account

Closing Accounts

Chapter 9: Importing from Other Programs

Working with Home Accountz’s Import Wizards

Importing Bank, Credit Card, and Foreign Currency Statements

Importing a Custom Transaction Data File

Importing Existing Data

Using the Mapping Tools and Table

Mapping tools

Mapping table

Part III: Exploring Transactions

Chapter 10: Recording Transactions with Templates

Creating Transaction Templates for Buying

Creating a template

Testing a template

Editing Templates

Deleting Templates

Undeleting Templates

Displaying deleted templates

Undeleting templates

Hiding deleted templates

Reusing Templates

Chapter 11: Going International with Foreign Currencies

Setting Up a Foreign-Currency Account

Creating a foreign-currency account

Setting up a foreign-currency view

Entering Foreign-Currency Transactions

Transferring between Foreign-Currency Accounts

Chapter 12: Working with Your Data

Looking at Your Data

Organizing your data

Creating accounts groups

Viewing Your Transactions

Using the View Editor

Customizing views

Using the Chart tab

Evaluating Your Current Finances

Viewing account balances

Using the Overview tab

Seeing Where You’re Headed

Chapter 13: Working with Automated Transactions

Navigating the Automated Transactions Window

Visible columns

Hidden columns

Setting Up Automated Transactions

Editing Automated Transactions

Deleting Automated Transactions

Undeleting Automated Transactions

Holiday Rules Configuration

Part IV: Managing Your Money

Chapter 14: Using Views and Tables

Figuring Out the Table Basics

Selecting a view

Creating a view

Working with transactions

Chapter 15: Visualizing Your Information with Graphs and Charts

Switching to Charts View

Working with Charts

Selecting a chart type

Adding data to your chart

Combining matching values

Plotting the horizontal axis to scale

Customizing your chart

Saving a chart

Chapter 16: Exporting and Printing Reports and Charts

Exporting Your Data

Accessing Your Reports

Bank Report

Credit Card Report

Income Report

Expenses Report

Look Ahead Bank and Credit Card Report

Look Ahead Income and Expenses Report

Net Worth Chart

Running a Report

Chapter 17: Creating Report Designs with the Documents Component

Using the Templates Builder Wizard

Editing Individual Templates

Canvasing Your Template

Editing Elements with the Left Toolbar

Text

Line

Square and Ellipse

Image

Looking at the Properties Panel

Page Elements

Position

Table

Image

Column Visibility

Text

Line

Fill

Formats

Looking Up to the Top Toolbar

Digging Down to the Bottom Toolbar

Using Your New Templates

Previewing a document

Switching templates

Editing templates

Resetting templates

Chapter 18: Keeping Track of Your Finances

Comparing Actual Balances to Budgets

Using the Overview tab

Comparing budgets with actual balances

Forecasting

Applying forecasting to an account

Setting the forecast time period

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Most Confusing Home Accounting Terms

Accounts

Transaction

Assets

Liability

Equity

Revenue

Expense

Depreciation and Appreciation

Interest

Debit and Credit

Chapter 20: Ten Solutions to Home Accountz Problems

How Do I Use a USB Backup of My Home Accountz Data?

How Do I Restore the Home Accountz Work File from the BAK Folder?

How Do I Open Work Files?

How Do I View All Account Transactions?

How Do I View Individual Account Transactions?

How Do I Create a Budget in Home Accountz?

How Do I View Account Balances in Home Accountz?

How Do I Move Home Accountz from One Computer to Another?

How Do I Back Up My License?

How Do I Archive Data?

Chapter 21: Ten (or So) Ways to Use Rapid Data Entry Effectively

Entering Dates

Working with Calculations

Selecting Items in Lookup Lists

Using Templates

Sorting Tables

Hiding or Showing Columns in Tables

Swapping Columns in Tables

Adjusting Column Width in Tables

Altering Your Table Views

Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Setting Up Your Budgets and Sticking to Them

Get Your Finances Organized

Save for a Rainy Day

Plan for the Big Bills

Create a Budget

Shop Around

Join the supermarket wars

Reduce interest payments

Talk to the Retentions department

Cut Back

Sell Things You Don’t Need

Reward Yourself

Be Realistic

Keep Your Budget Up to Date

Appendix: Glossary of Accounting Terms

Cheat Sheet

Home Accountz® For Dummies®

by Quentin Pain, David Bradforth, and John Taylor

Home Accountz® For Dummies®

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex PO19 8SQ England

Email (for orders and customer service enquires): [email protected]

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Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England

Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-119-96892-4 (pbk); ISBN: 978-1-119-94055-5 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-119-94057-9 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-119-94056-2 (ebk)

About the Authors

Quentin Pain is the founder of Accountz.com Limited, developers and publishers of Home Accountz and the Business Accountz range of software. He started his first company at the age of 23 when it dawned on him that he was practically unemployable after a series of failed jobs.

Having started his adult life determined to be a rock star, it quickly turned to stone as his interest in another kind of rock (the Jurassic type) took over. His interest in accounting was born out of a simple need to ease the burden of bookkeeping for his first business. How accounting, palaeontology, and music fit together is still a complete mystery to him.

David Bradforth has been a writer for longer than he can remember. He was first published at the age of 15 in a magazine called Acorn Computing. He describes that first experience of being published as exhilarating and as the main reason why he looked to get published further.

In his time, he’s written for various magazines; has edited eBay Advisor, Essential Website Creator, Essential OpenOffice.org, and Essential PC First Aid; and has published a magazine that lost so much money he decided never to do it again.

John Taylor has assumed many roles in publishing over the years. With a background largely in computer magazines, he’s been responsible for the launch of the award-winning Made Easy brand and has edited magazines such as Windows Made Easy, PC Home, PC Basics, and Essential Website Creator.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to all those who have ever struggled to make ends meet. Quentin.

To Michelle — you’ve changed my world in a way I never before believed possible. I love you. David.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

We’re deeply grateful to everyone at John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., without whom this book would not have been published.

This began for David with a call from Accountz.com, asking if he’d be interested in writing a book about Home Accountz. He thought about it for a short while, then said yes, as the experience would prove to be second to none.

We’d like to thank Laura Miller, our project editor. Her experience with the For Dummies style has helped us to produce this end product.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re 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 [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial

Project Editor: Laura K. Miller

Acquisitions Editor: Chris Webb

Assistant Editor: Ellie Scott

Copy Editor: Grace Fairley and Laura K. Miller

Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen

Senior Project Editor: Sara Shlaer

Editorial Assistant: Leslie Saxman

Senior Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cover Photo: © DNY59 / iStock

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Marketing

Associate Marketing Director: Louise Breinholt

Marketing Manager: Lorna Mein

Senior Marketing Executive: Kate Parrett

Composition Services

Senior Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees

Layout and Graphics: Carrie Cesavice

Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer, Linda Seifert

Indexer: Ty Koontz

UK Tech Publishing

Michelle Leete, VP Consumer and Technology Publishing Director

Martin Tribe, Associate Director–Book Content Management

Chris Webb, Associate Publisher

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

Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

You can choose from many ways to manage your home finances. One way is to take a sheet of paper, write down all your income, take note of your expenditure, and then compare the difference between the two to see whether you’re down or up at the end of the month. The other option is to buy a personal accounting package that’s dedicated to the task.

Unlike Quicken or Microsoft Money, Home Accountz (published by Accountz.com Limited) is developed within the U.K. and is supported by PCs running Windows or Linux, or Mac OS X computers. If you have a technical query, the company has a lively forum available at , where you’ll quickly get assistance to resolve all major issues; and if you have a query about whether it will meet your needs, you can always telephone and ask. You’ll get an honest answer, too.