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Investigates what small business owners can do to obtain good health insurance coverage. Pros and cons of joining a group; What to watch out for; How to shop for insurance. INSET: Two bills pending in Congress may solve small-business health....

Examines several retirement-age entrepreneurs and the businesses they started. What type of problems they have encountered; Their reasons for starting a business at this age; Financial considerations; Psychological adjustments; Their ideas for getting a business started. INSET: A 3-year countdown to entrepreneurship.;Questions to prepare you.

Advises keeping an eye on your taxes all year long which will help you avoid the April anxieties, run a more orderly business and probably save money on your bottom line. Several ways that year-round tax planning can save money; How to compute your own tax picture; Special software to plan taxes.

Examines how several business people, with the help of software, have organized their contact list to make contact management easy. Description of their business; Software used. INSET: Tips for setting up your own contact list.;Software for....

Presents tips from organization experts on how to put your business in order. Office gadgets; Time-management techniques; Computer-organization schemes. INSET: Barbara Hemphill tames the paper tiger.;Culp conquers clutter..

Takes a look at the new IRS Form 8829 for home-office deductions. It simplifies and clarifies home-office rules; Form created for the IRS to clear up errors in claims; The home-office test; How the new form can save you money. INSET: The big two: End-of-the-year tax tips, by M.D. Espindle & S....

Observes how including your kids in your business can help you foster family unity and raise more responsible children. Youngsters can develop a healthy sense of work and business operation while reaping some tax and financial benefits.

Explores a variety of software packages used by authors to handle the many chores associated with a writing business. These packages include everything from generating ideas to tracking submissions. Perfecting prose by using WordFinder; Researching on-line; Organizing the writing. INSET: Software information..

Gives 13 inside tips your banker won't mention on how to get a business loan for a small business. Bankers are not impressed by big deposits; The sentence they hate most is `How much can I borrow?'; Rates may be negotiable.

Offers advice on keeping your business and personal finances separate. Instances when you could use a personal checking account for your business; The benefit of keeping a separate business checking account; The strict separation that must be maintained with a home office; Separation tips.

Gives advice on how to keep track of expenses in a home-based business. Reasons for logging expenses; Paper-tracking system; Software to track expenses.

Offers a basic orientation to some alternative sources of capital for the small business owner. Have your own savings account; Borrow from relatives; Ask your suppliers; Alternative financing programs; Avoid Small Business Investment Companies.

Reveals what services an accountant can offer your small business and how to get the most out of your accountant. Tells you when to buy and when to lease new equipment; Produces the data for getting a new loan; Look for an accountant with knowledge in your field.

Offers methods for the home-based entrepreneur on getting paid faster by clients. Prequalify clients; Invoice instantaneously; Keep records of who owes you what; Offer deals; Become a credit-card merchant.

Discusses how entrepreneurs can keep their emotions and business finances on an even keel through good times and bad. Don't lowball fees; Practice selling; Give and get spousal support.

Takes a look at several useful programs on the market today to use for financial planning. Finances DA; MoneyPlans; WealthStarter. INSET: Software info..

Presents the story of what one entrepreneur went through during a tax audit. Why he was being audited; The ease at which his home office was accepted; What the IRS got him on.

Lists over 20 often-overlooked home-office tax deductions you may want to keep in mind for next time. Office furnishings; Health insurance; Self-employment taxes; Phone service.

Gives advice on how software can help you keep track of your retirement dollars. The importance of keeping detailed records; The four stages computer investors go through as they build their portfolios; How to get started. INSET: Resources for investors..

Reviews different retirement investment alternatives on a continuum from greater security to greater profit. Saving regularly and allocating your assets; Banking money and buying bonds; Mutual funds and other options; Managing money.

Explains Keogh and SEP-IRA retirement plans that will therefore enable you to make intelligent decisions about your financial future. Why Keoghs and SEPs are typically better than IRAs; Two types of Keogh plans; Ways to get at your money; Where to get more information.

Offers 11 ideas for handling irregular income for the small business owner. Find one bread-and-butter client; Pay yourself a regular salary; Set monetary goals for yourself.

Presents ten classic tax-saving tips for home-based businesses to do before the end of the year. Be charitable; Defer income; Pay adequate estimated taxes.

Looks at how one home-based writer not only streamlined her operation and opened new markets with a mailing list but also sold her data to other authors who wanted to expand their client bases.

Reports on how a home-based freelance writer devised a spreadsheet scheme that not only helped with her taxes but was actually useful enough to sell as a commercial software product.

Alerts taxpayers to a change in one of the estimated-tax guidelines by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The change; What has been done in previous years; Who this affects.

Presents a directory of vital technology and business resources for the home business person. The Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs; Business Infoline; The Individual Investor's Guide to Computerized Investing.