This Podcast Is Episode Number 0224 And It Will Be About Unique High-Profit Contractors Need Value From Their Accounting Software Price Vs. Value A Cheap Price does not always give you the “biggest bang for the buck” as the saying goes (author unknown). One of the reasons that we all like unit pricing in the grocery store is that it helps us determine which is the best value when deciding between sizes and between the store brands. Take for example ice cream. There are several main types: Labeled as Non-Fat, Low Fat, Reduced Fat, Sugar-Free, Creamy, Deluxe, Premium. A quick search on the web shows over 100 flavors is available.  We all have our favorite brands. I am a Creamy, Deluxe, Premium double chocolate fudge or dark chocolate usually costing a zillion dollars per ounce and an equal number of calories. Randal and I have brands and flavors we both like, and some flavors only one of us like. Thankfully our Ice Cream budget increased over the years. A low price was important back when we were “starving students” going to college.          Unit pricing does not take into consideration of the quality of the product.   I can explain why I believe QuickBooks Desktop In The Cloud is the best value with the most features and why every Construction Contractor from Handyman to Trade Contractors to Home Builders should buy it. If you are in the “starving student” phase or your Contracting Company, then everything is too expensive. QuickBooks Desktop comes in (3) sizes. Pro, Premier, and Enterprise.  Each size grows is a little more robust. Think Trucks, S10 Pickup, ½ Ton Pickup, ¾ Ton Pickup, 1 Ton Pickup, 2 Ton Truck, Motor Home or Semi. The size of Boat your S10 Pickup can tow is quite different than what your 2 Ton Truck can tow.   Contractors would be very offended if I said: “What is the big deal?” A truck is a truck, is a truck when in reality I know they are not the same. Each size of Truck has a useful application.  Same thing applies to Accounting Software. There are 1,000’s of Construction Accounting Software Solutions in the market. Price points start out at free and grow to much higher prices for specialty software. Which do you need?  QuickBooks Desktop is a good economically priced software that is proven and easy to use for both the Contractor and their tax accountant to do the annual taxes. Easily available at every office supply store, Costco, Amazon.com and other local merchants. Recommend buying a copy “In The Box” with a CD. Occasionally I have someone who says that the QuickBooks Desktop is “Too Much.” I understand their thinking. Price is King! Unfortunately, If you are more concerned about price than the value of good reports, Annual Insurance Audit, State Sales Tax Reports and State and Federal Tax Returns then you will experience the pain of false savings. What you save on buying QuickBooks Desktop you are likely to spend at least 100X more in fines, penalties and overpaying your taxes. Looking at anything from a cost standpoint instead of the Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO) puts a lot of good Contractors on the road to ruin. The Desktop Version of QuickBooks is updated for a period of (3) years. You own the software, and if you do not use payroll, merchant services or email from the program, you may get additional life out of the program. The data is never lost unless the program has become corrupted, crashed or your computer that it is resting on has died.   Online versions are “Software As A Services” on the cloud is a great feature. The issue is that when you stop paying - your data if it is not backed up by an external source, will expire. In other words, you are RENTING the software. No different than renting a tool from your local rental shop. When you turn the tool back in you no longer have access to the tool. Some companies for a period of time will allow you to access the file, but...