Book excerpt: A soup-to-nuts guide to the leading accounting software for small businesses - QuickBooks 2013! Owners of small businesses will love this complete guide to the newest version of QuickBooks, the premier small-business accounting program. Written by CPA and bestselling financial author Stephen L. Nelson, this all-in-one guide includes 8 self-contained minibooks covering every aspect of QuickBooks and how it is used. Coverage includes accounting basics, getting started with QuickBooks, bookkeeping and accounting chores, a short course in financial management, tips on creating a business plan, how to maintain QuickBooks, and some valuable additional resources. Helps you understand basic accounting practices and concepts, customize QuickBooks for your specific needs, and protect your data Explains how to invoice customers, pay vendors, track inventory, and manage cash and bank accounts with QuickBooks Leads you step-by-step through navigating the payroll process, understanding double-entry bookkeeping, preparing financial statements, building a budget, and tackling your taxes Delves into advanced financial strategies like ratio analysis, Economic Value Added analysis, forecasting, and capital budgeting QuickBooks 2013 All-in-One For Dummies is the key to keeping your business–and budget–on track.