Eric Gerard Ruiz, CPA

The best accounts payable software goes beyond basic bill payment. It should combine strong core A/P functionality, such as vendor, purchase order, and payment tracking, with automation that reduces manual data entry and enforces control. Just as importantly, it should give finance leaders clear visibility and structured approval workflows before money leaves the business. Below…

ZipBooks, cloud-based accounting software, helps you balance your books effectively, get paid faster, and make informed business decisions through actionable insights. While it may not pack the punch of some higher-priced competitors, it is straightforward and offers excellent value for small service-based businesses. If your business doesn’t require complex invoicing or bill payments, ZipBooks can…

Melio is a modern payment solution that provides flexibility when paying your bills. It allows you to use a bank transfer, such as automated clearing house (ACH), or your credit card, even when your vendors only accept checks. It also streamlines the A/P process by consolidating all your bills into a single, user-friendly interface. Although…

Sage 50 Accounting (formerly Sage 50cloud) is scalable, on-premise accounting software that automates administrative tasks such as invoicing, payments, and inventory management. Its features include a cash flow manager, bank reconciliation, job costing, payroll, and reporting. Pricing starts at $61.92 per month for a single user. You can sign up for the 30-day test drive…

NCH Express Accounts is a desktop accounting software that works without an internet connection. It can account for invoices and perform bank reconciliations. When I tested the free version of the software, I liked its bank reconciliation feature. The only downside is it doesn’t connect with bank feeds, which means I have to manually upload…

Debits and credits represent the left and right side of the account, respectively. There’s actually no complex definition behind these two pillars of double-entry bookkeeping—and saying that debits are inflows and credits are outflows is a common misconception and misapplication of the debit-credit theory. When I was still studying college accounting, it took some time…

The last-in, first-out (LIFO) method is an inventory cost flow assumption where the most recently purchased items are considered sold first, directly impacting the cost of goods sold (COGS) on the income statement. This means newer inventory costs are used to calculate COGS, while older inventory costs remain on the balance sheet as inventory. In…

Microsoft Excel offers powerful functions that help accountants handle complex calculations that many bookkeeping software packages can’t handle. It isn’t ideal as a primary bookkeeping system, but it works well for filling in gaps, such as reconciliations and specialized computations. This guide outlines practical ways to use Excel to enhance accounting work and includes templates…

Melio and Ramp offer distinct approaches to assist small businesses with achieving financial efficiency. Melio excels in simplifying A/P processes and offers a basic A/R solution, while Ramp focuses on optimizing expense management through corporate cards and expense tracking tools. In my Ramp vs Melio comparison, I will explore the unique features of both platforms….

Quadient Accounts Payable Automation by Beanworks (formerly Beanworks AP) is a cloud-based automated A/P solution that helps accounting teams move swiftly from invoice to payment. It uses automatic data entry to import data to its secure online dashboard and manages the approval process. While upfront pricing is unavailable, you can request a demo of the…

Welcome to Fit Small Business’ free QuickBooks Online tutorials. Each provides an in-depth lesson complete with text, examples, and a comprehensive video demonstration — designed to help you better understand how to use QuickBooks for your business. If you don’t have QuickBooks Online, visit the QuickBooks website to sign up for a 30-day free trial…

Journal entries are the fundamental building blocks of accounting. All accounting transactions start with a journal entry, the only way to record transactions in the books. Accounting journal entries are crucial in establishing a paper trail for transactions. Each journal entry must affect at least two accounts with total debits and credits balanced. In this…