Maybe you have suddenly found yourself without work or maybe you have realized that no matter how many minimum monthly payments you make to your credit cards, you never seem to get anywhere near getting out of debt. No matter what has brought you to this point, you are now in the position where you know that it is time to make a change for the better. Getting involved in a home based business is the best way to do this.There are so many benefits that come from having your own home based business. You can work as little or as much as you want which means that you have the power to earn as much money as you need for your finances and for your family. After all, life is not just about paying bills, you want to have a little fun as well.Before you jump into any home based business, it is important to make sure that you are taking a little time to make sure that you are checking everything out. You want to take a close look at your competitors and you want to get an idea of what the chance is that your business venture will be a success. The more information you collect on the type of home based business you are looking into, the better the chance will be that you will be successful with it.Another thing you want to do is to make sure that you are discussing this with your family. It is not that you need their permission but rather you need their support. When you first start your business, you will be working hard and you need to have the understanding and support of your family so that they are not trying to pull you in too many directions.It is also a good idea to make sure that you are reaching out to as many sources and references as possible. There are many sites that will give you a great place to start. If you simply keep to yourself and never accept the advice, support and wisdom of others, you may very well find yourself in a position of not being as successful as you would want to be.The sooner you get started researching and planning for your home based business, the sooner you will start to see the profits rolling in. You want to make sure that you are giving this one hundred and ten percent; otherwise, you will not end up with your desired results. Remember, there is no one out there who can control your success with your home based business other than you. You are the one who can make it successful and you are the one that can make it go under. Which road are you going to take?

BRIEF HISTORYGenerally, prior to 1900 New Jersey local tax assessors seldom entered a complete list of tax exempt property located within their municipality on their tax rolls. Why should they, nobody would ever think about levying a property tax on governmental, educational, church or other property used for charitable purposes. It made little sense to those early property tax assessors to spend the resources to find, list and value such tax exempt property. Why, taxing government and other tax exempt property owners that served fundamentally public rather than private interests would be just taking publics money from one pocket and putting it in the other pocket, right?Tax exemption cases brought before the New Jersey Courts after 1900 show many questionable property tax exemption claims were filed by not for profit entities. Assessors found that tax exempt property owners organized for charitable and religious purposes leased their tax exempt property rights to other for profit businesses. At the same time other educational institutions went way beyond the charges set forth in their charter’s provisions by including under their tax exemption umbrella such questionable property uses as polo fields for the use of their students and other private polo teams. With increasing complaints about the abuses of tax exempt claims some local tax assessors began to assess certain questionable educational, charitable and church property owners for property that was not being used strictly for their chartered tax exempt purposes.Of course, these tax exempt property owners complained to their legislators in Trenton about the wrongs caused them by the local property tax assessor. Their government representatives in Trenton then started to provide some standards in the property tax law for the tax assessors to follow. So, for different uses of exempt property, presumably based on the worthiness to society of a particular property’s use, the law specified different standards. School buildings for example had to be actually used for their intended purpose, while buildings for the work of churches had to be actually and exclusively used for religious purposes, etc. Then County Boards of Taxation and the State Courts had to begin settling disputes over what those terms meant in actual application.Today, the property tax exemption battle continues. Should your church be able to build a large building to lease to a For Profit Day Care Center and with the rent money pay off the building’s mortgage? Does a private school need a golf course for golfers who are not students when school is out so as to defray the expense of the golf course? These are the questions that local tax assessors, the courts and the government in Trenton struggles with daily.GOLD MINE OR MINE FIELDPrior to the Cahill Tax Policy Commission in 1973 other Tax Commissions created by the Legislature had looked solely into the legal status of tax exempt property in New Jersey and took extensive testimony concerning perceived tax exempt property abuses. Nevertheless, little could be done legislatively at that time because there was no Statewide tabulation of Exempt Property values in New Jersey and therefore the fiscal tax impact locally of changes in the law could not be weighed by the State Government decision makers.To remedy that problem the Division of Taxation in 1971, at the request of the Cahill Tax Policy Commission took on the job of collecting over 100,000 exempt properties listed by Local Tax Assessors on their local Tax Exempt Lists. The submission of Governor Cahill’s Tax Policy Report to the legislature was delayed so that the Exempt Property Study could be completed because it was thought that such a list could contain the pot of gold needed to avert major new tax increases to pay for property tax relief. The study was finished and its results were reported in the ensuing Tax Policy Commission Report with recommendations that in large did not meet the political and social needs of the day for a new source of revenue for property tax relief.However, while no new revenue source for property tax relief was found because of the Exempt Property Study, the large concentrations of exempt property found in certain cities and towns lead to the adoption of a State Aid Program called the PILOT Program which stood for “payments in lieu of taxes.” In essence, the State made payments to municipalities at the effective municipal purpose tax rate for certain properties owned by the State. Those Sate Aid payments over the years were seldom fully funded according to the formula set forth in the law because the program had its pay out level reduced by a fixed percentage for many State Budget years. Then the PILOT program was incorporated into the COMPTRA State aid program which in effect locked up both the property values used to calculate its funding along with the local effective municipal purposes tax rates used in the formula at a static level. That COMPTRA program consolidated more than a dozen State aid programs along with the PILOT program into one State Budget line item.In 1985 the New Jersey Tax Assessment Study Commission looked into the Tax Exempt Property problem and determined that while exempt property owners paid a “ready and available fee” to their local water utility to use water up “on demand” and be billed for its usage those same exempt property owners did not pay their municipal governments for their public work departments or police departments to have those public servants and their equipment “ready and available” to meet the needs of the exempt property owners when required.The Commission made estimates as to the amount of revenue that could be raised Statewide if such taxing authority was given to municipal governments by the Sate and recommended that the Legislature adopt such a law. Of course the Legislature acted swiftly to draft a legislative resolution stating that the Legislature had no knowledge of and in no way supported such a user fee on churches and other not for profit charitable and educational institutions.LESSONS LEARNED AND THE FUTUREEncourage local tax assessors to remain vigilant in granting tax exemptions to only those property owners who meet the letter of the law. Do not attempt to impose user fees on tax exempt property during sunlight hours in Trenton. Partisan Legislative staff should remind their legislators that the clergy can speak from the pulpit on Sunday about the foolish and wrong headed user fee proposals of legislators who suggest imposing user fees on churches and the November elections falls on a Tuesday only two short days from the Sunday sermon.If history is any prediction of the future then New Jersey may see more State owned properties like the Garden State Art Center have its name leased out for a profit. Perhaps one day instead of the Atlantic City Expressway New Jersey will have the Trump Expressway or the Mack Truck Turnpike. It is even possible that one day New Jersey will sell its Sate House to a large corporation to raise needed revenues and then rent it back. Would that require more friendly Sate treatment of the corporate community, else eviction could ensue? Perhaps it really comes down to the public being vigilant watch dogs. Why not require the Division of Taxation to post on its web page a listing of Tax Exempt Property, by municipality, by ownership and by purpose? Property taxation is a battle, and the tax assessors in New Jersey need the support of the public to enforce the letter of the law.A New Jersey Governor one day may sign a law permitting the sale, lease, or granting of naming rights on State Owned Property to raise money for some worthwhile State purpose. Such revenue could be used to pay off State Debt so as to free up cash for property tax relief. The payment streams from such activities could become a new source of annual State revenue. Once the State government adopted this new funding mechanism my guess is that the local municipal and county governments would follow suit soon thereafter. If State and Local governments keep doing the same fiscal things over and over and hoping to find new sources of revenue they will never be able to fully serve their citizens.I also think it would be all right for the State to sell certain State owned property, so long as that sale did not jeopardize the future economic prosperity of the State or threaten the future safety of its people. For example, the sale of the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway would leave the business and people in New Jersey who depend on those vital arteries at the mercy of a profit driven corporation. However, the sale and lease back of a State warehouse would free up cash to pay off State debt that is eating into the State’s ability to provide vital services and provide property tax relief. The State might even sell a State property and use part of the proceeds to invest in other property that holds the potential to increase substantially in value in the future. My point is that State asset and debt management needs a higher viability than it now receives.

Let’s face the facts; one of the hardest things to manage is, of course, your personal finances. However, a lot of people do not know what it means to manage their personal finances. The good thing about this is that you can ask yourself four main questions that will be able to answer this for you. These are questions that can help you see if you have managed your personal finances the right way. Learning to do this is one of the hardest things that you can do. However, if you get to the point where you can do it, then you will live a very happy life.

The first question that you have to ask when looking at how to manage your personal finances is, can you meet your living means without using a credit card? This means, can you get by month after month without having to have a lot of credit card debt? If you can not, then you have not learned how to manage your personal finances the right way yet. This is something that people have to learn how to do. You have to learn to be able to break away from the credit cards and live debt free. Only then are you going to be able to handle your personal finances.

Then next thing that you have to look at is if you have any money saved up? Usually people do not get money saved up until it is late in their life. However, thinking about saving money up is a good way to get your Personal Finance in order. Remember, you need to make sure you can meet your living needs first. As soon as you can do that, then start saving money. After all, you can not start saving money before you meet your living needs. The sooner that you start saving money, the sooner you will get your personal finances in order.

The most important thing that you have to look at when you are trying to manage your personal finances is your job. You need to look at if you have a steady job that has reliable income. Now this is something that can be hard to do. That is because if you work in retail, you never know when you could get let go. So to have a steady job you have to be with a bigger company or your own boss. This can really help you get your personal finances in order. Your personal finances are the main thing that you need to be worried about. Get those in order first before you worry about other things.

If you are looking for the best accounting firm in Pittsburgh for your small business, here are five definitive facts about the city and five sure-fire ways to find the accounting firm there that best meets your small business needs.

Pittsburgh — The Most Livable City In The U.S. Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania’s second largest city, population 311,647. The seven county area surrounding the city boasts a population of 2,354,957. Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, is by far the biggest and most prosperous. In these seven counties, there are over 1,000 accounting firms, 40% of which are in Pittsburgh. Over half of them cater to small businesses.

In 2005 and again in 2009, The Economist ranked Pittsburgh the top most livable city in the United States. In 2007, Pittsburgh claimed the number one spot in Places Rated Almanac. In 2010, both Forbes Magazine and Yahoo! had Pittsburgh at the top of their lists. Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Pittsburgh as one of the best for entrepreneurs.

Pittsburgh –The City Of Bridges. Pittsburgh is the world record holder for bridges with 446 of them contained entirely within the city limits. These bridges cross the Allegheny River from the northeast and the Monongahela River from the southeast to form the Ohio River and the Downtown area of the city known as the Golden Triangle. They link the city to the four areas surrounding it, namely the North Side/North Hills, the South Side/South Hills, the East End and the West End. Four interstates (I-376, I-79, I-279 and I-579), known to Pittsburghers as the Parkway East, the Parkway West, the Parkway North and Crosstown and two major expressways (Route 28 and Route 22) connect 237 boroughs and 202 townships with each other and with Downtown Pittsburgh.

Most of the larger accounting firms serving Pittsburgh’s major corporations are in Downtown Pittsburgh. However, virtually all of the accounting firms serving the city’s ever-growing small business population are located in the areas north, south, east and west of the city. These firms serve small businesses in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and also offer their services to the other six counties that make up the Greater Pittsburgh Area. The small business accounting firms in these areas have deep-seated ties to the community, the people and the businesses residing there.

Pittsburgh — A City Transformed. Thirty years ago, Pittsburgh was a dirty, smoky steel town, known as the Steel City, because of its predominance as a mighty steel-making hub. When that industry collapsed and Pittsburgh lost its manufacturing base, its blue-collar workers and corporate giants like Westinghouse, Gulf Oil, Koppers and Rockwell International, the city faced its first economic crisis in more than a century. To its credit, though, the city transformed like none other in the country and emerged twenty years later as a thriving white-collar metropolis.

Today, Pittsburgh is still a steel city. US Steel, the 10th largest steel company in the world, is headquartered there. Allegheny Technologies, a world-class steel maker, has eight manufacturing plants in the region. The city still employs 7,000 steel workers and another 12,000 in the primary metals sector. Though the area lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 30 years, that sector is still one of the biggest contributors to the region’s economy. What changed is how diversified that sector is now. Cutting-edge companies in life sciences, robotics, information technology and research have joined ranks with eight Fortune 500 companies. Health care, education, research, financial services and entertainment/tourism are the newly emerging industries that are driving revenue and employment for the region.

One of the fastest-growing fields supporting the city’s transformation to a white-collar economy is accounting. This is especially true as the city continues to move away from industry to service and technology. Many of the newly emerging companies across all sectors of the local economy are small businesses. Though there are already over 400 accounting firms in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County alone servicing those businesses, that number increases dramatically as you move into the other seven counties surrounding the city.

Pittsburgh — A City Of Growth. The local economy mirrors the nation’s economy as it continues to battle the recession. However, the region has fared better than most places in the country and is poised for substantive growth in 2011. Economists from the city’s largest financial institutions predict that the Greater Pittsburgh Area will add 13,000 new jobs this year. Unemployment is expected to drop below eight percent as larger corporations begin to hire and newly established businesses begin to grow. Additional hiring will also be evident as new companies locate there.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the city’s largest employer, is currently in a hiring mode. Retail giants like Dick’s Sporting Goods and General Nutrition Center (GNC) are growing. Google now operates a 40,000 square foot office in Pittsburgh and recently announced plans for expansion. Marcellus Shale natural gas will be a major contributor to the local economy. The Cultural Arts, including film production, continues to blossom and dozens of new information technology firms are emerging to support the growing research activity at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University.

Most of the new companies being created in the area are small businesses supporting these major industries. As the area grows, these businesses will grow as well and their need for more specialized accounting services will become increasingly evident. Presently, accountant firms in the Pittsburgh area offer 18 different types of accounting to small businesses, income tax accounting and project accounting to name a few.

Pittsburgh — The City Of Champions. Pittsburgh is home to three major league franchises — the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Two of those teams have graced the city with championships, the Steelers winning six Super Bowl titles and the Penguins winning three Stanley Cups. Thanks to the ingenious idea of a beloved Pittsburgh sportscaster and his Terrible Towel, the Steelers have given Pittsburgh fans reason to proclaim their hometown pride by simply waving their Terrible Towel. This marketing icon singlehandedly created Steeler Nation, a brotherhood of loyal fans across the country that has quietly and selflessly raised millions of dollars for a local charity in Pittsburgh.

This hometown pride, this brotherhood, this spirit of generosity is championed in almost every neighborhood and community in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Pittsburghers are proud, industrious, friendly and generous people. Many of them have lived in their hometown for years and have established hundreds of small businesses to support their families, their communities and the city they call home. Accounting firms throughout the area have their roots in these same neighborhoods and have managed to successfully guide and support these businesses and the local communities and organizations they serve. Because of their efforts, these small businesses continue to prosper.

With a good working knowledge of the city, its economy and its people, you can easily find the accounting firm in Pittsburgh that best meets your small business needs. Here are five sure-fire ways to help you do that.

Pay close attention to your location and the location of the accounting firm with whom you choose to work. Pittsburgh is a large metropolitan city with over 400 neighborhoods and communities as diverse as the people living there. These neighborhoods and communities are what make Pittsburgh unique and it is important that you find an accounting firm who knows these places and the businesses that reside there. Pittsburgh is also a city, like many other big cities in the country, plagued with traffic jams, construction delays and bad weather. These conditions cause havoc on the roads in and out of the city at any time in the course of a regular business day. Don’t waste time driving all the way across town to meet with your accountant. Besides, if your accounting firm is close to you, they should be willing to come to your place of business.

Focus your attention on only those firms in Pittsburgh specializing in small business accounting. Small business accounting firms keep track of salaries and wages, deductions for federal, state and local taxes and Social Security, utility costs, maintenance, depreciation, amortization, interest and rent. They also prepare your tax returns and administer payroll, health insurance and 401K retirement programs. These are the responsibilities you will want your accounting firm to handle for you. If they can also provide sales, marketing and financial services to meet the ever-growing needs of your small business, so much the better.

Think about the things you know you want to receive from your accounting firm on a regular basis. Do you want them to reconcile your business checking account each month so that you know how your business is doing and you can manage your cash more effectively? Do you want an income statement itemizing your revenue and expenses every month or every quarter so that you can determine how effectively your business is performing? Do you want to receive a balance sheet giving you a snapshot of the financial condition of your business at any specific point in time so that you have the proper financial reporting to give to banks, investors and vendors who are considering how much credit to give you? Any accounting firm in Pittsburgh that professes to be a small business accounting firm should be able to provide you with all of these things as a matter of course, including as many consultations as you might need to run your business effectively and efficiently.

Get answers to all of your questions before you commit to any one accounting firm. Here are questions you might consider asking:

• Where exactly is your accounting firm located in Pittsburgh?
• What accounting services do you provide for small business owners? Can you take care of me and my accounting needs?
• What ties do you have to the community? Have you ever been recognized by your Chamber of Commerce or the Small Business Administration for outstanding service to a small business owner?
• What kind of monthly/quarterly/yearly reports can I expect to receive from you? How will these reports help me to better manage my business? Will I be able to understand them without your help?
• How and in what format will you want to receive information from me? How often will you want that information?
• When I have a question or concern, how best can I communicate with you? How quickly will you respond?
• How can you help me to grow my business?

Begin your search with Google, not the Yellow Pages. Start by searching for “Pittsburgh Accountants” or “Pittsburgh Accounting Firms.” Narrow your search, if necessary, by location and type of accounting services provided; for example, search for “Accounting Firms In Kennedy Township” or “Small Business Accounting In Pittsburgh.”

Realize early on that accounting is the foundation upon which your success, in large part, will be determined. And remember, for the small business owner, it is all about saving time and saving money. Using these five sure-fire ways to find the best accounting firm in Pittsburgh for your small business will save you both and your company’s success depends on it.