Frequently Asked Questions

 By outsourcing some or all of your accounting and bookkeeping processes to Plum Financial Services, you as an entrepreneur business owner will save significant time, eliminate tax-season stress, and avoid costly compliance penalties. My expertise ensures accurate monthly financials, optimized cash flow, and clear reporting, allowing you to focus entirely on growing your business. 

Specifically, you will benefit from:

• Time Savings: get hours back each week by offloading tedious data entry and transaction categorization.
• Optimized Cash Flow:  real-time visibility into incoming and outgoing funds, helping you manage overhead and grow without overextending.
• Year-end Tax filing: by maintaining accurate records, you will be prepared for tax time.
• Better Financial Strategy: accurate and timely information gives you a change to plan goals and meet them.
• Lower Overhead: Outsourcing to you is far more affordable than hiring a full-time in-house accountant or paying for employee benefits.

I will not file your Income tax return.  I will however, provide tax ready financial statements and work with your tax preparer or CPA.  I will refer trusted networking Team members to you as you request.  

I will not handle your payroll or your payroll tax deposits (State or Federal) or returns.  I will map all required 3rd party software (adp, paychex, paylocity, etc) to your QBO account if possible and/or ensure that all payroll entries are booked into your general ledger.  

We specialize in catch-up and clean-up bookkeeping. We will review your current status, provide a flat-rate quote to get your books up-to-date, and get you back on track.

Financial Cents is a highly secure platform for accounting and bookkeeping firms. It protects sensitive data using enterprise-grade AES-256 and AES-128 encryption for all data at rest and in transit. Additionally, the platform is SOC 2 Type 1 certified and adheres to rigorous security and privacy compliance standards, including GDPR and HIPAA. 

Key security features include:

• Secure Client Portal: Uses expiring "magic links" and two-factor authentication (6-digit codes) so clients can safely access data without needing a password.
• Client Vault: Provides a highly secure space to store and share sensitive client information, such as passwords and security questions.
• Email Audit Trail: Tracks all communication and files to maintain transparency and prevent unauthorized access.

NEVER send private or confidential information via email.

1. We spend about 30 minutes reviewing the current situation and make a decision on the best path forward.

2. An Engagement letter is signed by both parties to ensure we both have clear visibility on what services and prices are expected.

3. Once the Engagement Letter is signed, we can move on to the Onboarding Process. 

Your Onboarding Journey

Welcome aboard! To make sure your transition is seamless and stress-free, I manage our onboarding process through Financial Cents, my secure practice management platform.

Here is what you can expect during our setup:

Step 1: Client Welcome & Secure Access

You will receive an email invitation to your personalized Financial Cents Client Portal. Through this portal, you can safely share sensitive information without worrying about email security.

• What you do: Complete our secure New Client Questionnaire and upload requested documents (like past tax returns or bank statements) directly into the portal. 

Step 2: QuickBooks Online (QBO) Setup

Once I have your information, I will handle the heavy lifting of getting your QuickBooks Online account perfectly configured.

• If you are new to QBO: I will create your account and set up your Chart of Accounts.
• If you already have QBO: I will send you a prompt to grant me "Accountant Access" so I can securely sync your file to my dashboard. 

Step 3: Bank Feeds & Historical Review

To automate your day-to-day bookkeeping, I will connect your bank and credit card feeds directly to QBO. I’ll then review your opening balances to ensure everything carries over cleanly. 

Step 4: The Kickoff Call & Training

Once the books are connected, we will schedule a brief kickoff call. During this time, I will walk you through your personalized QBO dashboard and explain how you can monitor your business’s financial health.

Then it's business as usual for our standard monthly processes and you can breath a sign of relief.