I am constantly being asked which program is better, such as in the following email I received today:

My question is if your remark would apply to my new small business that I am starting. (least expensive basic version is sufficient)? The accountant that I talked to said that Quicken would be enough but I have had some people debate that. I actually an familiar with QuickBooks but not Quicken. Thank you in advance for your reply.

PS: What is the least expensive way to acquire QuickBooks? I can’t believe the prices I am seeing!!

My response:

For a business, there is no contest. QuickBooks is far superior to Quicken for all of the reasons I spelled out here.

The absolute lowest prices I have seen are from eBay sellers. Next best is through the link on my website.

Next best is from the warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam’s). If you buy the Basic version, it will be much less expensive than the fancier ones, and will work just fine for you.

Good luck.

AARP fears competition, not confusion – Keeping the payers straight in the fight for Social Security reform just became more confusing. Battling the big government loving AARP is a new group, called ARP (Alliance for Retirement Prosperity).

Defend the Bush Economy, Stupid! – The gutless wonders in the GOP are so cowed by the liberal opposition that they can’t even speak up for the Bush programs when they working out well.

Shareholder Group Releases Report Detailing John Kerry’s Record on Investor Issues in the Senate – And it isn’t pretty for anyone who believes in capitalism.

We have already started preparing and submitting the first extension requests for 2003 1040s. Every year, as more people learn the benefits of filing their returns after April 15, I seem to do fewer tax returns by the normal April 15 due date. In fact, right now I am working on several 2002, as well as a few 2001, 1040s that have had their due dates extended to April 15, 2004.

You can download the official Federal extension form directly from IRS.

Each state is different in regard to whether or not you need to send in a special form. Most states will simply honor the IRS extension and only require their own form to be sent in if you are including a payment.

Teaming up for higher taxes in Virginia

Critics of Fletcher’s Kentucky tax plan attack its ‘revenue neutrality’

Your own people may be the problem – This report of poor computer security and lack of computer skills at the IRS really shouldn’t surprise anyone. Their computer systems are literally from the Kennedy Administration, as are many of their procedures.

Bill would let Colorado taxpayers share excess state money – While at first blush, this sounds like a good idea, it’s not as practical in reality. I have seen a few times with the PRC, where the State spent millions of dollars sending out tiny refund checks to taxpayers in order to distribute a budget surplus. Then, a few years later, they are running a big deficit and are doing everything they can to raise taxes.

A wiser move would be bank the surplus for the inevitable “rainy day” when black ink turns red. The very legitimate worry that many taxpayers and critics of government have is that the rulers will be unable to resist the urge to spend any excess money if it’s not sent back to taxpayers. It would be more cost effective to pass legislation requiring any surplus to be placed into a special reserve fund.

Tax Tips for Members of Our Armed Forces

States turn to sales tax to compensate for revenue shortfalls – Our rulers can raise sales taxes much quicker than income taxes, as they just did here in Arkansas.