Well, it seems that Intuit is finally listening to it’s users as I just received an email notifying ProAdvisors of two upcoming updates.  Here’s a summary of what is including in the updates (copied and pasted from the email):

Update 1 (QuickBooks 2009 Release 4) provides the ability to:

• Quick Fill. You will be able to start typing entry information, such as payee and account names, and QuickBooks will recognize what you are typing and complete the information for you.
• Add New. You can quickly add new names, accounts, and classes within Online Banking by selecting Add New from the dropdown list.
• Manual Match. You will have the ability to view and select QuickBooks register entries to manually match the downloaded transaction.

Update 1 becomes available on Thursday, Dec. 11, as a download at www.quickbooks.com/support (click on the Updates & Downloads link along the top navigation bar).

Thursday, Dec. 18 as an auto-update if you and clients have automatic updates enabled.

Update 2 (QuickBooks 2009 Release 5):

By working overtime, our programmers were able to complete this first update and catch up with one more heavily requested change. Update 2 provides the ability to

• Review and Add Multiple Bank Transactions at Once. You will be able to easily review, edit, and save downloaded transactions in a batch.

Update 2 becomes available on Thursday, Dec. 18, both as a download from www.quickbooks.com/support and as an auto-update if you and clients have automatic updates enabled.

Intuit also released a YouTube video demonstrating some of these new features.

I think that these updates and the YouTube video are both a step in the right direction for Intuit.  I congratulate them for listening to their customers and providing updates and improvements.

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Intuit is releasing QuickBooks 2009 tomorrow, September 29.  I should be receiving my ProAdvisor copy tomorrow since it was shipped late last week.  I will have some new videos up soon using the new version.

After reviewing the information available online, here is a brief summary of what’s new in QuickBooks 2009:

Client Data Review
This appears to be a collection of tools that will help you find errors in different accounts. It allows you to clean up A/R and A/P transactions such as when there are unapplied credits sitting in one of those accounts.  It also lets you work in payroll, undeposited funds and bank reconciliations.  This could be a useful feature for accountants who need to review and clean up their client’s QuickBooks files.

Multi-User
A built-in instant messenger is new this year, allowing users to communicate with each other from within the program.  You will be able to perform a back up of the data file while still in multi-user mode, which is a great feature.  In previous versions you had to switch to single-user, back up, then remember to switch back to multi-user mode.

Company Snapshot
This looks like another great new feature.  It gives you one screen packed with information such as an income and expense graph, customer balances and reminders.  Anything that makes it easier for small business owners to get a handle on their finances is a welcome addition.

Miscellaneous
Other improvements have been made in online banking and the downloading of transactions, the ability to handle multiple currencies, time tracker improvements, list management (now you can right-click to delete a list item – yes!), conversion tools to switch from other accounting programs to QuickBooks, better security and more.

All of these new things sound great, but with Intuit I am always a little skeptical about how well these features have been implemented.  Once I finally have QuickBooks 2009 installed and have had a chance to run it through its paces, I will give my honest review of it.

Click here if you want to check out the new features in QuickBooks 2009

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PLEASANTON, Calif., Aug. 7, 2008 — The Sleeter Group has announced that a trial version of QuickBooks software will be included with the publisher’s three QuickBooks textbooks. Students taking courses in QuickBooks are often required to pay hundreds of dollars for a fully functional version of the program. But for the first time, a 140-day student trial version of the world’s most popular small business software will be included free to students using textbooks from The Sleeter Group, a respected publisher of QuickBooks resources.

The special trial version will enable students at technical schools, community colleges and other educational centers to have complete access to all of the features of QuickBooks during a quarter or semester-long class. Instructors generally select the course materials, then either pre-purchase them for the students or require students to obtain them separately.

“When instructors and schools can offer students a free version of QuickBooks that lasts as long as their course does, it helps both students and the schools achieve success in their training missions,” said Doug Sleeter, president of The Sleeter Group. “Students don’t have to worry about purchasing the system, but still are able to learn and engage the program with full functionality, instead of using a version with limited features.”

The Sleeter Group offers textbooks and resources for instructors and students, ranging from the beginner-level Fundamentals textbook, to Intermediate and Complete books. The materials, along with in-class guidance by instructors, help students establish essential skills in small business bookkeeping, making them better prepared for the workforce.

The QuickBooks Fundamentals course textbook ($79.95) is designed for users who may be computer novices, providing an introduction to basic program operations, including file setup, reports, sales, AP, AR and reconciliation functions. The QuickBooks Intermediate textbook ($79.95) covers more detailed tasks, including inventory, payroll, budgeting, forecasting, business planning, sales tax and period-end procedures. The Complete course book ($99.95) includes material from both the Fundamentals and Intermediate textbooks. All include hands-on, step-by-step exercises, review questions and a final summary problem. The 140-day student version of QuickBooks is included free in all 2008 QuickBooks textbooks, available at http://www.Sleeter.com.

The Sleeter Group also includes a variety of resources for instructors, including manuals, PowerPoint presentations and test banks that instructors can access online. Quantity discounts are also offered.

The Sleeter Group (http://www.Sleeter.com) is a community of experts who provide consulting services to small business owners in the accounting software and business process design areas. The group provides QuickBooks training resources to users and consultants, including textbooks, reference books, expert-level webinars, an annual Accounting Software Consulting Conference, a consultant membership network, practice management tools, teaching systems, expert-level technical support and a free online newsletter. Through a network of over 650 independent consultants and small- to medium-sized accounting firms, The Sleeter Group currently serves over 250,000 small businesses each year with QuickBooks and other small business accounting consulting services.

Contact:

Sherrill Sleeter
http://www.sleeter.com
888-484-5484

 http://www.Sleeter.com

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