ACCOUNTING

Anyone who uses the Web for a while knows that login information starts to pile up quickly. With online e-mail accounts, login information for online banking, and countless forums, most users start to use the same passwords for everything. It's pretty easy to see how this is a bad security practice.

Fortunately, you can download 1Password, which remembers all your passwords so you don't have to. Simply come up with a secure master password and then train 1Password to log in to sites for you. It integrates seamlessly with Apple's Mac OS X Keychain and generates complex … Read more

In an attempt to make money from more parts of its service, Twitter is rolling out a new form of advertising called "promoted accounts." In short, it will let advertisers buy a spot on Twitter's sidebar with a suggestion of Twitter accounts you should follow--that is, if it's relevant to accounts the user is already following.

Such a feature was first rumored in July, though it had originally been suggested that it was going to be aimed at individuals. This program--at least in its beginnings--is being launched with businesses in mind.

A blog post about the … Read more

Sometimes when troubleshooting problems with a user account, the easiest solution is to create a new account and migrate your data over to it, instead of finding the roots of the problem (of which there might be many) and fixing them. The problem with migrating to a new account is OS X by default is set up to prevent access to documents in other accounts, so when you go to your previous home folder, you are blocked from viewing the files.

Additionally, while you can change the permissions for files and copy them to your new account, there may be … Read more

Aunt Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch is back again on the show today, and admits that she wants to marry CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

So, what does today's show title mean? If you're a news junkie, you probably already know, but to Jill and Wilson's surprise, even in the financial capital of the country, nobody really knows who the heck Elizabeth Warren is. (In case you don't know, she's the Chairman of the TARP Oversight Committee and will likely be appointed as a "Special Adviser to the President" to run and build the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.)

Warren has been a leading advocate for consumer financial protection for decades and was the person who initially came up with the idea for the CFPA. But what's interesting is that it was really the Internet, "The Daily Show", and social media that has made her into the "Money Momma." Unfortunately for Jill, "Money Aunt" doesn't seem to have the same ring to it. We won't get into other M-related alliterations.

As usual, Aunt Jill has some great advice for anyone who needs a little financial guidance in these trying times. For the tech enthusiast, there's Mint.com to manage and track your personal finances, and the best feature is its capability to automatically categorize your spending on your credit and debit cards. But keep in mind that you are giving up your personal financial information, user names, account numbers and passwords to a third party.

Some bullet points also to follow:

Don't buy actual gold; buy gold-based traded funds.  In general, don't buy gold unless you know what you're doing.

Follow Jill at @jillonmoney for daily financial tips.  We're still thinking of a Twitter hashtag for her to use.  Send us your suggestions.

The First Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit has expired.

Only consolidate your student loans (and loans in general) if you're going to get a lower rate.

You're probably "SOL" if you bought a brand new car a few years ago, are still making payments, and want to get a new car.  Jill's advice is to buy used always.  She even did, and she definitely makes more money than any of the guys.

Finally, couples who want to start a joint bank account together should find a bank or network that is close by.  If you're adventurous look into credit unions.  And there are a few banks that don't really have branches but will refund all ATM fees.

If you have any financial questions or just want to send your love to Aunt Jill and The 404, feel free to send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot]. Or call us at 1-866-404-CNET (2638) and leave a message. Jill demands that you follow her on Twitter @jillonmoney, or follow us at @the404, @rhapsodyartist, @malusbrutus and @jeffbakalar.

The latest version of Intuit's small business accounting software, QuickBooks 2011, focuses on the fact that time is money for entrepreneurs. With that in mind, the update offers a host of new features aimed at streamlining important accounting tasks. Namely, QuickBooks 2011 hopes to make invoicing and collecting payments even faster and easier than before.

The main updates for QuickBooks this year are found in the two most popular versions of the software, Pro and Premier. The first thing seasoned users are likely to notice is a vastly simplified start-up process, thanks to the new Quick Start Center feature, … Read more

Sometimes, errors can occur in Mail where the program will periodically hang, crash, or freeze, and will require a force-quit. Several things could cause this, including faulty preferences, corrupt mailboxes that need rebuilding, and errors in individual messages that result in odd behavior whenever the message is displayed. In addition to these possibilities, some shared resources that Mail uses could also contribute to crashes and hangs.

Preferences One of the first things to try when a program crashes or does not work properly is to remove its preferences. In this case, Mail's preferences are called "com.apple.Mail.… Read more

Small businesses need all the breaks they can get, and anything that can reduce costs and increase productivity by automating a tedious process is welcome. HalfPriceSoft's ezPaycheck 2010 is a payroll management tool designed for small-business owners and accountants. It can manage payrolls for several companies, print checks and reports, and even calculate taxes and print tax forms. It includes tax data for all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., as well as Social Security, Medicare, and FICA withholdings.

The ezPaycheck interface is a simple, efficient dialog that opens with a split display, a sample check facsimile … Read more

Fishbowl Inventory 2010 is an inventory control application that integrates with QuickBooks, the popular bookkeeping software. However, it can also be run as a standalone inventory management tool, making it especially suitable for distributors, wholesalers, delivery businesses, and even large operations such as manufacturing that maintain lean inventories for just-in-time operations. Among the features it packs are bar coding, parts tracking, shopping cart and Point-Of-Sale integration, multisite operations, administrative tools, and order management and tracking. Development kits, integrated hardware, and additional services are also available.

Fishbowl Inventory's installer lets you select or exclude the Manufacturing Option, which adds specific … Read more

Sure, Apple has the Magic Trackpad, but Canon looks like it's got a one-up all its own: the calculator-mouse. Coming in November 2010 to U.K./European markets (and hopefully to the U.S. as well), this funky little wireless Bluetooth mouse is an old-fashioned calculator from the waist down. Called the X Mark 1 Mouse, it aims to replicate most of the features from Canon's X Mark 1 business calculator.

Armed with a scroll wheel and 1,200dpi resolution, the Mac/PC compatible device comes in black or white and boasts its own LCD display. It may … Read more