Dustin Wheeler

Dustin Wheeler
Dustin is a technology-driven CPA in Las Vegas, Nevada.

40 Under 40 CPA Honoree

CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 for 2011

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A Simple Time-Saving Summation Excel Macro

One of my first blog posts was about how I use macros with QuickBooks reports exported from Excel.  That post also contains a brief explanation of what a macro is, so please read it first if you are unfamiliar with macros.

In my work, I often find myself combining similar types of expenses provided by a client on a spreadsheet for a more condensed presentation on a financial statement or a tax return.  The repetitive task of selecting cells, adding borders, and …

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Managing What I’ve Read with Google Reader

Have you ever read a good article on the Internet, but when you wanted to go back and read it a few days or months later, you weren’t able to find it?

It used to happen to me quite often, but it has become less of a problem since I began using Google Reader to read RSS feeds.

When I like an article I’ve read in Google Reader, I either “share it” or “star it.”  I typically share an item that I …

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Customizing the Icon Bar in QuickBooks to Work for You

Do you use the icon bar at the top of your QuickBooks screen?  Do the icons represent the tasks you perform most often in QuickBooks?  If you’re using the default icons, the answer is probably no.

I recently began changing the icons to my most frequently used functions.  It makes a big difference in efficiency when the shortcuts are just a click away rather than three or four clicks away navigating the menus.

Before

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How to Create and Publish a Dynamic Chart from Google Docs

Today I was experimenting with Google Docs and discovered something really cool that I want to share. I created the chart below titled “Cash Contributed to Partnership” from a simple spreadsheet. The chart is not a static image. The data in the chart is linked to the spreadsheet stored in my Google Docs account. When I change the numbers on the spreadsheet, the chart in this blog post updates automatically.

(disclaimer – the data in the chart is entirely fictional …

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Why It Took Me Months to Start Blogging

First, let me describe my background in regards to web design so you know where I’m coming from.

I built my first web page in the year 2000 using Yahoo Geocities’ WYSIWYG site builder.  It was simple.  I just typed out some text and dragged it where I wanted it, and put pictures where I wanted them on the page.  It was fun and sparked an interest to learn more about web design.

Shortly after that, I took a web page design …

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Five QuickBooks Preferences That Could Make Your Life Easier

With one click of a mouse button, I’ve been able to help some clients be more efficient in their use of QuickBooks.  It’s worth taking the time to look through the preferences in QuickBooks and adjust them to your liking.  Below are my top five QuickBooks preferences that you should know about!

Turn off pop-up messages for products and services (under General – My Preferences) – This is new in QuickBooks 2010 R5.  If you’re new to QuickBooks and want to …

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Why Reinvent the Spreadsheet? Use a Template!

Need a loan amortization schedule?  There’s a template for that.

Creating a personal monthly budget?  There’s a template for that.

Is one of your kids getting married and you’re planning out the expenses?  There’s a template for that.

Okay, you get the point and you’re not amused with my not-funny “there’s an app for that” parody, so I’ll stop there.

Friends have sometimes asked me to help them create spreadsheets for all of the above purposes, perhaps unaware of the many templates that exist …

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Taking Control of my Inbox with E-mail Rules in Outlook

Do you feel in control of your e-mail, or do you feel your e-mail controls you?

This question was posed by the instructor in a session about Outlook that I attended at the 2009 AICPA Information Technology Conference.  The large volume of e-mail that I have to process every day certainly makes it hard to control, but I learned a few good e-mail management strategies at the conference that have helped.

First, I am starting to use my inbox as a staging area rather …

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Using Excel Macros to Manipulate QuickBooks Reports

Since I began working in accounting, I have observed some fellow accountants exporting data from accounting software programs to Excel and then performing repetitive tasks of reformatting the spreadsheet (moving data to other cells, entering calculated fields, changing fonts, resizing columns, etc).  This has provided me with the opportunity to use and share a valuable skill I learned in one of my classes in college so that these tasks can be completed automatically with the push of a button.

One of …

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RSS has Changed How I Use the Internet

Over the past few months, I’ve been much more efficient in reading news, blogs, and other websites that interest me.  I now read twice the content in half the time!  In this blog post, I’m going to give my secret away.

You might have noticed a little orange button on some websites like the one on the right.  I had seen them for a long time, and always wondered what they were.  It is a logo for RSS (“Really …

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