http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk News, Help and Advice for UK Freelancers, Contractors and the Self-Employed Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000 # hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Copyright © Freelance Advisor 2011 feedback@freelanceadvisor.co.uk (Freelance Advisor) feedback@freelanceadvisor.co.uk (Freelance Advisor) 1440 http://podcast.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/artwork144.jpg http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk 144 144 News, Help and Advice for UK Freelancers, Contractors and the Self-Employed Freelance Advisor Freelance Advisor feedback@freelanceadvisor.co.uk no no http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/getting-a-job/professional-development-for-freelancers-taking-it-to-the-next-level/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/getting-a-job/professional-development-for-freelancers-taking-it-to-the-next-level/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:55:16 +0000 Daryl Close http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=1910 Daryl Close says the old business revenue models are dead and new competencies are needed to effectively compete.]]> http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/getting-a-job/professional-development-for-freelancers-taking-it-to-the-next-level/feed/ 0 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/long-term-term-investing-for-freelancers/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/long-term-term-investing-for-freelancers/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:35:51 +0000 Paul Cleworth http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=3693 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/long-term-term-investing-for-freelancers/feed/ 1 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/have-you-registered-with-hm-revenue-customs-to-do-your-tax-online/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/have-you-registered-with-hm-revenue-customs-to-do-your-tax-online/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:51:50 +0000 Michael Rose http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=4588 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/have-you-registered-with-hm-revenue-customs-to-do-your-tax-online/feed/ 1 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/tax-efficient-death-in-service-benefits-for-contractors-with-a-limited-company/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/tax-efficient-death-in-service-benefits-for-contractors-with-a-limited-company/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:01:45 +0000 Paul Cleworth http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=4442 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/tax-efficient-death-in-service-benefits-for-contractors-with-a-limited-company/feed/ 1 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelance-news-the-end-of-self-certification-mortgages/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelance-news-the-end-of-self-certification-mortgages/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:13:28 +0000 Michael Rose http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=4034 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelance-news-the-end-of-self-certification-mortgages/feed/ 9 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/accountancy-news-crunch-continues-to-cause-ripples/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/accountancy-news-crunch-continues-to-cause-ripples/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:16:07 +0000 Michael Rose http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=3926 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/accountancy-news-crunch-continues-to-cause-ripples/feed/ 0 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelance-finance-are-you-ready-for-retirement/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelance-finance-are-you-ready-for-retirement/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:26:07 +0000 Paul Cleworth http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=3729 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelance-finance-are-you-ready-for-retirement/feed/ 1 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/freelance-technology/freelance-review-receiptfarm-takes-the-hassle-out-of-receipts-and-expenses/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/freelance-technology/freelance-review-receiptfarm-takes-the-hassle-out-of-receipts-and-expenses/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:46:10 +0000 Michael Rose http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=1718 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/freelance-technology/freelance-review-receiptfarm-takes-the-hassle-out-of-receipts-and-expenses/feed/ 24 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/podcast/podcast-16-steps-to-accountancy-heaven/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/podcast/podcast-16-steps-to-accountancy-heaven/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:26:43 +0000 Andy White http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=1481 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/podcast/podcast-16-steps-to-accountancy-heaven/feed/ 4 0:27:49 Darren Fell covers the correct steps to setting up your accounting system. Step 1: Find the good accountant Step 2: Make sure you like their software Transcript: Steps to Accounting Heaven Darren: The freelancers approach is, I believe, that of a [...] Darren Fell covers the correct steps to setting up your accounting system. Step 1: Find the good accountant Step 2: Make sure you like their software Transcript: Steps to Accounting Heaven Darren: The freelancers approach is, I believe, that of a self sufficient person, a person who will try and think, as I will, to try and do it yourself, and where does that come down to, and that comes down to a software route.  So you start looking for a software approach first, and there are some fantastic pieces of software out there, absolutely fantastic, but that necessarily isn’t the right step first.  You may be choosing a fantastically graphically beautifully thing that maps out your P & L, your advanced cash flows, but you might not be following an approach correctly, and in the end, the accountant may not want to use that piece of software, and that’s the key point. We are recommending find the accountant first.  They are not just a person that only know about accountancy, they are a person that clearly has built up a fantastic repertoire of good business advice, so they can put in place good bookkeeping practices, give you all the information on how long you need to keep your receipts for, every facet.  Should you go limited, or are you ok staying sole trader, and at what point should you go limited, what the responsibilities of being limited are, are there endless forms, or will the accountancy firm do that for you.  Lots and lots of key areas that they help you with, and will set your mind at rest. Now other key areas are, these are questions that we’ve seen time and time again, at accountancy health checks that we’ve held with Crunch, should I be VAT registered?  At what point do I definitely need to go VAT registered?  Which scheme should I go for – flat rate or fully registered?  Again these are all key things that the accountant will go through with you.  So my experience is to choose the accountant first, not to pick the piece of software, because as I said at the beginning of this section, so many people have picked beautiful pieces of software, picked the accountant at the last minute, sat with them, and they’ve said I’m really sorry I’m not going to go into that  login and have to work through yet another accountancy bookkeeping system to get your P & L, or invoices, or your expenses out so I can do the year end, I’m just not going to do it.  What you have to do, you have to replicate it all in Excel and you’ve wasted anything between £15.99 and £25.00 a month for the whole year to get to the accountant to say I’m not using it. Andy White: Have you had experience of people who have trodden this path? Darren: I have, and that is exactly why I am communicating it now.  People have been on the phone, telling about the woes, and again I agree with them, they’ve picked a fantastic piece of software, and they’ve left it to the last minute and the accountant point blankly, and I mean point blankly, refuses to use that piece of software, and they really feel quite gutted they’ve wasted all that money. 1: Find the good accountant Key points: accountants can be unqualified.  It can be a mate of a mate, they are good at bookkeeping, but they don’t know all of the rules, they are probably not up to date with the latest legislation.  I would strongly advise not to go down the mate of the mate route, because they may appear to be doing things correctly, but HRMC, once things are filed that isn’t the end of it, they can retrospectively come after you, and I think look back as far as six years.  So don’t think for a second that you’ve got away with anything or done your accounts really cheap.  It is so worthwhile having a fully qualified accountant.  Now the question is how do you find that fully qualified accountant?  Now our idea is the ultimate way, you may as well look for a fully formed chartered accountancy practice, the accountants, or at least one in the practice, will be a charted accountant, they will have[...] Podcast feedback@freelanceadvisor.co.uk no no http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/events/freelance-event-free-business-events-for-brighton-based-freelancers/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/events/freelance-event-free-business-events-for-brighton-based-freelancers/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:13:12 +0000 Kasey Brunt http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=795 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/events/freelance-event-free-business-events-for-brighton-based-freelancers/feed/ 9 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/legal-advice/legal-advice-dealing-with-bad-debts/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/legal-advice/legal-advice-dealing-with-bad-debts/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:09:51 +0000 David Gordon http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/?p=519 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/legal-advice/legal-advice-dealing-with-bad-debts/feed/ 7 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelancer-news-taxing-times/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelancer-news-taxing-times/#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:29:32 +0000 Kasey Brunt http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/2009/01/26/freelancer-news-taxing-times/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/freelancer-news-taxing-times/feed/ 0 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/five-tips-surviving-freelancer-during-recession/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/five-tips-surviving-freelancer-during-recession/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:32:12 +0000 Leif Kendall http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/2008/10/23/five-tips-surviving-freelancer-during-recession/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/five-tips-surviving-freelancer-during-recession/feed/ 16 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/three-reasons-why-freelancing-is-safer-than-fulltime-during-recession/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/three-reasons-why-freelancing-is-safer-than-fulltime-during-recession/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:09:05 +0000 Leif Kendall http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/2008/10/23/three-reasons-why-freelancing-is-safer-than-fulltime-during-recession/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/three-reasons-why-freelancing-is-safer-than-fulltime-during-recession/feed/ 14 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/loss-of-tax-relief-on-freelance-and-contractor-expenses/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/loss-of-tax-relief-on-freelance-and-contractor-expenses/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:37:52 +0000 Michael Rose http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/2008/10/09/loss-of-tax-relief-on-freelance-and-contractor-expenses/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/loss-of-tax-relief-on-freelance-and-contractor-expenses/feed/ 0 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/pension-plans-for-freelancers-and-contractors/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/pension-plans-for-freelancers-and-contractors/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:36:10 +0000 Phil Illingworth http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/2008/09/26/pension-plans-for-freelancers-and-contractors/ http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/money/pension-plans-for-freelancers-and-contractors/feed/ 0