Perhaps it is your first time to consider replacing your existing credit card, and you find the sheer number of choices available quite daunting.

Maybe you regularly travel for work or play, and you would like to switch to a credit card that offers better rewards.

A change in your professional or personal circumstances (a promotion, the birth of a new child) might also be prompting you to look into other options that could benefit you more.

Comparing credit cards

Whatever your reason may be for switching to another credit card, it is essential to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

Here, you will need to put a few critical factors into consideration.

How you plan to pay your bill

Should you prefer to pay your bills in full, opt for a card from a bank that waives annual fees as well as provides longer grace periods.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you are someone who prefers to pay only the minimum amount, consider credit cards that have low interest rates.

If you are planning to use your new credit card as your primary mode of payment for frequent transactions, choose one that has an excellent rewards program as well as a high credit limit.

Finally, if you intend to use the credit card for emergencies only, select one that offers a combination of low fees and interest rate.

Types of interest rates

Broadly speaking, credit card interest rates can be categorized into two: fixed and variable.

With a fixed interest rate, credit card users pay essentially the same interest rate. However, such a rate may change depending on the terms laid down by the bank, like late payments or going over the prescribed card limit.

With a variable interest rate, the interest rate you may have to pay can change from month to month. The interest rate here is usually tied to other financial indicators.

Credit limits

The amount that banks may be willing to let you borrow will depend heavily on your credit history. This can range from hundreds to thousands. But whatever the credit limits are on the card you are going to get, it is a good idea to spend within those limits to retain a good credit score.

Charges

Check the fine print, especially those that relate to penalties and other charges. Some cards may levy a hefty fee for transactions like balance transfers or spending beyond your credit limit.

Make sure to compare these fees before settling for a final choice.

Rewards

Choose a card that offers rewards that make the most sense for you. For example, if you frequently travel, select a card that offers a program geared towards travelers, allowing you to earn more points faster.

Do not forget to check the conditions set by the bank regarding the rewards program, including expiry policies and ways to earn the most points.

An easier way to compare credit cards

With numerous choices available for people looking for a new credit card, making the switch to a new one may seem like a difficult task.

Fortunately, if you are planning on getting a new card, you no longer have to hop from one bank’s website to another or leaf through pages and pages of brochures to pinpoint the best card for your needs.

By leveraging the power of the Internet, you can compare different credit cards in just one place through a credit card comparison website. Such a site can help you better understand the benefits of each credit card in your shortlist as well as enable you to maximize your savings.

This kind of website takes into account numerous important factors, including your spending patterns and the features you are looking for into a card.

All you have to do is to identify the features that work best for you and input them into the website. From there, a selection of cards will be listed. You can whittle down this list further by highlighting the top cards that you are interested in and compare these among each other.

Once you have found a card that works best for you, you can even apply online.

Credit card comparison made easy

With several credit cards vying for your attention, deciding on which one to get is no easy task. In the UAE alone, residents have over 200 options available to them.

Fortunately, a credit card comparison website can streamline the whole process for you.

AUTHOR BIO

Deepak Kumar is a Co-Founder of SoulWallet, a neutral comparison portal for consumer financial services. With a team of “out of the box” thinkers and a deep understanding of the UAE consumer banking industry, the company helps customers make the best choices while shopping for financial products such as credit cards and loans.

Working in an accounting firm might sound like a boring job to others, but an accountant has a very important profession. They keep the firm organized and in order. Not anyone can be good at math. Some people just don’t want to go through that trouble of continually taking care of money for others, because that’s what accountants do. It’s not an easy job, but if you love working with numbers, then you’ll just fit right in. The coming and going of cash is something that defines the job, among other things as well.  Find out more from here.

Moreover, accountants prepare and examine financial documents. Some of the most common things that they do in the company are to analyze data, healthcare benefits, tax returns, compensation and many other duties. It all depends on the type of business because there are different branches in accounting; the word itself is like an umbrella term for various departments. At the end of the day, they help organizations or individuals to create their financial goal. Once the goal is set then the accountant’s job is to help you fulfill it. If you’re interested in this type of career then here are some of the best firms to apply in:

CBIZ

This type of firm engages its accountants to provide customers and organizations with financial benefits and insurance services. People usually hate bureaucracy. Those that don’t can end up working in an accounting firm. Working in a business such as that requires a lot of responsibilities because a lot of people depend on you. Offering people insurance is one of the most essential duties that an accountant can have. If you’re interested in financial accounting, then this type of firm is the best option for a career.

The Gagnon Group

This type of company focuses more on tax preparation as opposed to financial accounting. Taxes are what keep the country moving forward. Everyone pays taxes nowadays because the law says so. The accountants are professionals that know what they’re doing. This might sound like a tedious job to someone that doesn’t want anything to do with numbers and cash, but that doesn’t make it less critical. In fact, accounting firms are one of the most organizing and integral workplaces in the world. The salaries are high and the people that work there are professionals. This would be the perfect type of business for those that are interested in tax preparation.

DGC (DiCicco, Gulman & Company)

Luckily for you, a lot of accounting firms are available for job opportunities in Boston. DGC is also one of those firms. They aim to please their customers by providing consulting services about tax audit. Some of these services offer litigation support, transaction advisory services, forensic accounting, etc. A firm like this provides the perfect opportunity for young individuals to meet exciting new people as well as to build a successful career in the future.  They aim to please their customers and offer the best service they can.

Tristan CPA

As the number of firms mentioned above, this type of firm doesn’t lack efficiency, professionalism and dedication as well. It is composed of a team of accountants that will simply make your life much more comfortable. Let’s say that you’ve started a new business. Everyone knows that starting from scratch is difficult. Forming a company is a huge responsibility. That’s why accounting firms help business owners with their bookkeeping and taxes to minimize that responsibility. Why waste time doing something, when a professional can do it even better? For more information check https://tristancpa.com.

Gray, Gray & Gray

This type of firm is also more focused on financial accounting. They offer accounting software, bill paying, grant compliance, etc. It is the perfect workplace for fresh and new beginnings. If you’re a fan of math and paperwork, then this is the ideal place for you. You would be able to help millions of people. All you have to do is have excellent organizational skills and the love of numbers. The rest will go smoothly. So don’t waste any time and apply for a job position as soon as possible.

Accounting and personal tax services are not one of the “cool” neighborhood offices. Everyone knows and loves the diners, the movies, the stores and malls but not everyone knows the accountant’s office in the neighborhood.

Be that as it may, the most important folks in every neighborhood will most like know exactly where the best neighborhood accounting service is. The reason for this is very simple – they offer a really important service to folks who want to take their finances seriously.

To help us understand this topic better, we will try to look at what an accounting service offers.

What is an Accounting Service?

An accounting service is a company of accounting professionals that offers a wide range of services that covers all accounting processes like bookkeeping, payroll processing and management and other such processes aimed at ensuring a client’s financial transactions and records are kept in a highly organized manner.

You can read more about it here.

What is a Personal Tax Service?

So what about personal tax services? As an individual’s income begins to increase, it is important to understand how best to navigate issues that have to do with tax. Failure to do this can result in a number of things including over paying on your taxes or under paying and incurring the wrath of your government should they eventually find out.

A personal tax service will guide you through the entire process, helping you work with relevant tax laws to ensure you never run afoul of these laws while also making certain you never pay more tax than you should.

Who Needs These Services?

From all we have looked at above, you should already have an idea of the class of folks that will require the services of personal tax and accounting services. These can be classified into two groups – businesses and certain individuals.

Businesses

One accounting school in its bid to coin a witty slogan said “Just as French is considered the language of love, accounting is considered the language of business.” Whether anyone likes it or not, no business can do without proper accounting.

A business needs proper accounting to know if it is making profit or recording loses. It needs accounting to get the data it needs to understand what areas of the business needs improvement. This is the same for every business, whether big or small. The only difference is that the bigger the business gets, the more complex and demanding its accounting needs get.

While larger companies can afford to have in-house accounting departments, smaller businesses will find the services of an accounting firm both cheaper and more effective. They can keep their books in the best possible shape without going through the stress of hiring their own accountant and paying the attendant cost.

With proper accounting services, bookkeeping, payroll management, tax preparation etc. will be fully taken care of.

Individuals

First off, not all individuals may require either an accounting or personal tax service. However, as your income increases or becomes highly diversified, you may find that handling your taxes can become very confusing. Having a personal tax advisor to help you through the process can either save you cost by ensuring that you do not pay more than you should, make sure you do not default on any tax laws or both.

The higher your net worth, the more important it will be for you to get not just a personal tax service, but also an accountant or an accounting service. This is why you will never find a rich person who does not have a lawyer and an accountant.

Using the Right Accounting Service

When choosing an accounting service, it is important that you choose the right one or else you may not enjoy the full benefits you are supposed to get from such a service. To ensure you choose the right service, we will provide a few tips that will help you through the selection process.

How to Choose the Right Company

To ensure the company you finally settle for is the right one or has the relevant experience or knowledge to deliver the quality of service you desire, note the following tips.

Ask for Referrals

One of the best ways find the best service is to ask for referrals from friends or family members. You can even ask from anyone or business you think has their accounting well sorted out. People will usually only refer you to people who did a good job for them. In the same vein, people will also warn you off anyone or company that did not deliver quality service to them. This can save you a lot of stress.

Check for Reviews

Just in case you didn’t get any referrals or you got a lot and therefore need to do some sifting, simply go online and look for reviews regarding the company in question. Since we are focusing on the Abbotsford area, a near me search will show you personal tax and accounting services within the area.

When you check these, you should also see reviews from their previous clients. Their reviews should be able to give you an idea of how well a service they provide.

Keep it Local

This should be pretty obvious to all. There’s no point in you looking for companies outside of the Abbotsford area. There are a number of them like https://numbersunlimited.ca. Choose from these for increased convenience.

Compare Quotes and Services

After you are done shortlisting some companies, you can then finalize by comparing their cost and services offered to make a final decision.

In the beginning, most entrepreneurs have no idea how (or if) their company is going to grow. They merely have an idea, a motivation to see their plan come to fruition, and an inkling that it can turn into something more.

As there are so many moving parts when it comes to starting a business — and generally only one or two people to manage those moving parts — there are some elements that get overlooked and pushed to the bottom of the mighty “to-do” list. This can be problematic when it relates to something as crucial as keeping your firm protected.

To help out all the entrepreneurs, even if you are just starting, here are three crucial steps to ensure you are protecting your company on all fronts.

1. Hire corporate lawyers.

First things first: From the get-go, you need to have some kind of legal representation. Too many entrepreneurs and small business owners overlook the fact that there are so many parts of their company that could potentially lead to legal trouble. Obviously, you don’t want this to happen, but it is still best to ensure that you are covered in case it does. Should you find yourself in legal hot water, you will thank yourself for having this foresight.

Even when setting up your company, there are common scenarios in which it is best to have professional legal advice. These scenarios include when you are choosing a designated legal entity, writing up an agreement among founders, signing contracts and leases, and raising capital.

Generally, when it comes to hiring legal help, prevention is better than cure. This means that it is highly recommended that you reach out to top law firms in Dubai (or wherever you reside) as soon as possible so that you can get accustomed to them, and vice-versa.

2. Protect your intellectual property.

Another aspect of your business that you want to protect from the get-go is your intellectual property; otherwise, you won’t have anything that differentiates your company from your competitors. After all, your intellectual property is what makes you unique and is at the very core of what makes your products or services innovative and different. So why would you not do everything in your power to ensure it remained your own?

Generally, there are three types of intellectual property protection (trademarks, copyrights, patents) which are each applied to different aspects of your intellectual property.

Trademarks cover logos, company names, phrases, and symbols. Copyrights safeguard original works. Patents protect manufacturing or design processes.

Whether your company requires one of these protections or all three, the critical matter is that you take the steps necessary to protect them. As these protections don’t necessarily extend around the globe, when you are going through the process, make sure to think about which areas of the world you plan on selling your goods and services to, so that you can be proactive in filing for those locales, as well as with a GCC patent or something similar.

3. Guard your data.

In 2019, you need to be on high alert when it comes to protecting your firm’s data. Cybercrime is a significant threat to all kinds of businesses, and it is up to you to make your data as secure as possible.

Start by using an email encryption and security solution that ensures the intended recipients can only read your messages.

Additionally, work on crafting and establishing a security policy so that everyone involved in the company (even if it is just a couple of people) is clear on how to correctly handle company data.

Furthermore, within this policy, do regular due diligence with the firms that store your data. Ask them about their security standards and procedures and ensure that they line up with yours.

Finally, make sure you are continually updating your systems and software so that they are running the most up-to-date versions. Also, regularly back-up crucial information and data so that you will still have access to it should your computers or emails become compromised.

What steps are you taking this year to protect your business? Is there anything you wish you had done sooner? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

AUTHOR BIO

Sharon Danso-Missah is the Head of Marketing at Al Tamimi & Company, the largest law firm in the Middle East, with 17 offices across nine countries. Established in 1989, they are a full service commercial firm combining knowledge, experience and expertise to ensure all clients have access to the best legal solutions that are commercially sound and cost effective.

April 15th is now behind us! Your taxes are complete, and you can finally relax. You can sit back and decide what you want to do with that tax refund! In 2019 the average tax return was $1,947. Will you spend it all on a vacation, put it into your savings account, or invest it? Let’s discuss some of the best uses for the money you receive from your tax refund.

The first great use of your tax return would be to pay off high interest debt that you may have. This could include student loans, credit card debt, or other personal loans. According to simple dollar, if you have a $3,050 credit card balance at 18% APR and you have the opportunity to pay it off in one fell swoop. If you used your tax refund to repay this debt, you would save yourself almost four years of monthly minimum payments, and a whopping $1,210 in interest payments alone. The savings can be huge when you knock out some of your high interest debt, so that is why many people will choose this option with their tax return!

Another fantastic use of your tax return is to create an emergency fund. Having a rainy day fund is essential for when life hits you with the unexpected. It is a very good idea to  set aside some money in case of a health incident, car problems, or loss of job. It is recommended that you have at least three months worth of income in your emergency fund. Using your tax refund is a perfect way to get this fund started. There are also banks that offer round up savings, and allow you to easily contribute to your existing fund.

Lastly, and probably everyone’s favorite, is to treat yourself! You have worked hard all year, and you deserve a pat on the back. That could be in the form of a new TV, a fancy night out, or a nice vacation. If you have already set aside a sufficient emergency fund, and do not have any existing debt, then you can certainly spend some money on fun! Even if you plan to spend your tax return on yourself, it is wise to do it in moderation. Perhaps you could allocate 75 percent of your tax return towards a vacation, and then invest the other 25 percent into your retirement fund. Moderation is key!