The importance of updating beneficiary designations Hanks & Company LLC

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August 2015 News Update from www.hankscpa.com

August 2015 Update - Updating Beneficiary Designations & Benefits of Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

The importance of updating beneficiary designations Most of us have more than enough to do. We're on the go from early in the morning until well into the evening — six or seven days a week. Thus, it's no surprise that we may let some important things slide. We know we need to get to them, but it seems like they can just as easily wait until tomorrow, the next day, or whenever. A U.S. Supreme Court decision reminds us that sometimes "whenever" never gets here and the results can be tragic. The case involved a $400,000 employer-sponsored retirement account, owned by William, who had named his wife, Liv, as his beneficiary in 1974 shortly after they married. The couple divorced 20 years later. As part of the divorce decree, Liv waived her rights to benefits under William's employer-sponsored retirement plans. However, William never got around to changing his beneficiary designation form with his employer. When William died, Liv was still listed as his beneficiary. So, the plan paid the $400,000 to Liv. William's estate sued the plan, saying that because of Liv's waiver in the divorce decree, the funds should have been paid to the estate. The Court disagreed, ruling that the plan documents (which called for the beneficiary to be designated and changed in a specific way) trumped the divorce decree. William's designation of Liv as his beneficiary was done in the way the plan required; Liv's waiver was not. Thus, the plan rightfully paid $400,000 to Liv. The tragic outcome of this case was largely controlled by its unique facts. If the facts had been slightly different (such as the plan allowing a beneficiary to be designated on a document other than the plan's beneficiary form), the outcome could have been quite different and much less tragic. However, it still would have taken a lot of effort and expense to get there. This leads us to a couple of important points. If you want to change the beneficiary for a life insurance policy, retirement plan, IRA, or other benefit, use the plan's official beneficiary form rather than depending on an indirect method, such as a will or divorce decree. It's important to keep your beneficiary designations up to date. Whether it is because of divorce or some other life-changing event, beneficiary designations made years ago can easily become outdated. One final thought regarding beneficiary designations: While you're verifying that all of your beneficiary designations are current, make sure you've also designated secondary beneficiaries where appropriate. This is especially important with assets such as IRAs, where naming both a primary and secondary beneficiary can potentially allow payouts from the account to be stretched out over a longer period and maximize the time available for the tax deferral benefits to accrue. The many benefits of a Health Savings Account (HSA) A Health Savings Account (HSA) represents an opportunity for eligible individuals to lower their out-of-pocket health care costs and federal tax bill. Since most of us would like to take advantage of every available tax break, now might be a good time to consider an HSA, if eligible. An HSA operates somewhat like a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) that employers offer to their eligible employees. An FSA permits eligible employees to defer a portion of their pay, on a pretax basis, which is used later to reimburse out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, unlike an FSA, whatever remains in the HSA at year end can be carried over to the next year and beyond. In addition, there are no income phaseout rules, so HSAs are available to high-earners and low-earners alike. Naturally, there are a few requirements for obtaining the benefits of an HSA. The most significant requirement is that an HSA is only available to an individual who carries health insurance coverage with a relatively high annual deductible. For 2015, the individual's health insurance coverage must come with at least a $1,300 deductible for single coverage or $2,600 for family coverage. For many self-employed individuals, small business owners, and employees of small and large companies alike, these thresholds won't be a problem. In addition, it's okay if the insurance plan doesn't impose any deductible for preventive care (such as annual checkups). Other requirements for setting up an HSA are that an individual can't be eligible for Medicare benefits or claimed as a dependent on another person's tax return. Individuals who meet these requirements can make tax-deductible HSA contributions in 2015 of up to $3,350 for single coverage or $6,650 for family coverage. The contribution for a particular tax year can be made as late as April 15 of the following year. The deduction is claimed in arriving at adjusted gross income (the number at the bottom of page 1 on your return). Thus, eligible individuals can benefit whether they itemize or not. Unfortunately, however, the deduction doesn't reduce a self-employed person's self-employment tax bill. When an employer contributes to an employee's HSA, the contributions are exempt from federal income, Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment taxes. An account beneficiary who is age 55 or older by the end of the tax year for which the HSA contribution is made may make a larger deductible (or excludible) contribution. Specifically, the annual tax-deductible contribution limit is increased by $1,000. An HSA can generally be set up at a bank, insurance company, or other institution the IRS deems suitable. The HSA must be established exclusively for the purpose of paying the account beneficiary's qualified medical expenses. These include uninsured medical costs incurred for the account beneficiary, spouse, and dependents. However, for HSA purposes, health insurance premiums don't qualify.

Tax Deductions You Should Know About

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With April right around the corner, tax season is in full swing here in the United States. While some Americans have already put the annual tax task to rest, there are millions of others, like me, who have yet to file in preparation for the April 15 deadline. Before you storm through your taxes at the last minute, take a moment to review this handy quick-list of deductions that you can make as a small business or freelancing consultant.

Deduction: Your Home Office
If you’ve set up a home office or a specific portion of your home that you regularly and exclusively use for working or as a place to meet with clients, you can claim deductions on that space. Deductions include a percentage (based on the percentage of space used in your home or apartment) of your real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rent, insurance, painting, repairs, and depreciation.

Additionally, you can deduct a portion of your utilizes for the amount you use them for work, such as Internet access, cellular phones, electricity, heat, etc. Remember, the area you claim must be exclusively used for business for it to be a deductible. For more information, visit the Form 8829 page at IRS.gov.

Deduction: Elance And Other Fees
If you’re using Elance to earn a portion or all of your income, you can actually write off any of the fees as they are a “cost to do business.” This includes monthly memberships, add-on Connects, and Elance’s service fee (6.75% to 8.75%).  Also, if your business frequently utilizes other services, like Skype or PayPal, you can also deduct those expenses as long as they are primarily used for your business.

Deduction: Travel Expenses
While you are currently unable to deduct the expenses associated with commuting to work, you can deduct costs associated with traveling from your office (or home office) to other work-related locations, like a coffee shop to meet a client, your local office supply store for business supplies, or an airplane ticket across the country for a business conference. One great specific example is that you can claim 55 cents per mile in 2009 as well as parking fees and highway tolls you paid on the way to meet a client or attend a business function.

According to the IRS, deductible travel expenses include (but are not limited to) travel by airplane, train, bus, or car between your home and your business destination, use of your car at your business destination, fares for taxis or other types of transportation to business-related locations, meals and lodging, tips you pay for services related to any of these expenses, and more. For more information, review Topic 511 at IRS.gov.

Deduction: Research And Education
Speaking of conferences, any research-related activity and the costs associated with it are also deductible, so long as they are related to your business or work. Conference entry fees, books, magazine subscriptions, publications or journals can all qualify, as well as educational expenses so long as it “maintains or improves your job performance.” For more information regarding education tax deductions, visit Topic 513 at IRS.gov.

Deduction: Networking And Entertainment
The annual membership fees for certain clubs and organizations, like alumni associations or your local Chamber of Commerce, can be written off as tax deductible if they are places for you to find potential clients and other business opportunities. Additionally, entertainment expenses for a client, customer, or employee can also be written off, but there are several rules that must be met in order for the expense to qualify. You can review these rules at Publication 463 at IRS.gov.

Deduction: Elancers
Whether you’re a newly launched small business looking to find someone to supplement your team or a longtime Elance provider looking for some help on a large-scale project, the fees associated with hiring contractors and subcontractors are tax deductible. Bonus: If you’re using Elance, all of your invoices are stored online, so you won’t have to fuss with finding paper copies of invoices or receipts when tax time rolls around. 

Pet Sitting Services Brownwood Texas

 It's getting to be that time of year when everyone wants to go somewhere! Most pet owners worry about their pets while they're away and worry traditional dog boarding doesn't provide enough exercise or attention to their furbabies! Here's an alternative to traditional pet boarding! 

The alternative to boarding your furbaby in a cage!

Pet Benefits:

·         Your furbaby will be in familiar surroundings

·         Your furbaby will experience the same smells and sounds they are used to like their favorite bed or perfect spot next to stairs

·         Your furbaby will receive individual attention and love from us with unique knowledge of their habits, hiding places and scratching spots

·         Your furbaby will have less disruption to their regular potty schedule so they can go in the same place at the same time

·         Your furbaby will eat the same food and treats, receive their medicine at their regular times, and sleep in the same bed

Parent Benefits:

·         You will not have to transport your pet to and from the kennel

·         You will not have to beg family, friends, or neighbors to care for your pet

·         You will be able to put your worries aside and enjoy your time away from home

·         You will be assured of quality care

                                                                                                                         

In your home:

$7 per day per furbaby – Each visit is approximately 45 minutes to 2 hours of play time or a walk. Will go to your house twice a day to let them out in the yard & feed. Tags & Vaccinations records must be provided for walk. Furbabies must be housebroken!

Your pet sitter can also pick up supplies, bring in your mail, and water indoor and outdoor plants and the lawn for an additional charge of $3 per day

In my home: 

Currant vaccinations (including kennel cough & rabies) required. Furbabies must be housebroken and non-aggressive and able to be with other animals including cats.

$5 per day per furbaby – includes numerous play sessions, a daily walk and constant supervision. You must provide their food, meds, and bedding/blanket/toy for comfort and leash/collar and tags.

$10 per day per furbaby – includes numerous play sessions, daily walk, and constant supervision. Food provided. Must bring meds, bedding/blanket/toy for comfort and leash/collar/tags.

Additional services:

Daily Dog Walks  

Daily dog walks are the perfect solution for families that work all day and can’t get home to take the dog out for a quick walk, potty break and some fresh air. Dogs don’t want to hold it till you get home from a long day of work. Daily dog walks are performed Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm at random and will keep your furry child from “going” in the house and getting bored. Each visit will last from 25-30 minutes. Tags & Vaccinations records must be provided.

Dog walker –

$15 per day 1 walk   - 1 furbaby

$20 per day 1 walk – 2 furbabies

$28 per day 2 walks - - 1 furbaby

$38 per day 2 walks – 2 furbabies

     

Bath- $20 per bath per furbaby

Needs editing Are You Killing Your Productivity? 6 Things to Watch Out For

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Whether the work week is made up of two hours or two hundred, all freelancers, entrepreneurs, business owners, experts have one common goal: squeeze every last ounce of productivity out of time spent working. After all, time is money, and maximizing productivity is something that typically translates directly into bigger profits. But even the most experienced veterans of work can unknowingly fall victim to productivity killers and undermine their earning potential, or worse – willingly and actively participate in killing their productivity. Here are six productivity killers you need to watch out for to ensure that you stay productive, stay on point, and maximize your potential.

1. Weak or Absent Goal Setting: Are your goals well thought out and clearly defined? If not, your productivity will take a hit. Specific projects, job-hunting strategies, bidding practices, and your long-term career plans all need clearly defined goals and milestones to maximize output. Otherwise, you’re spending valuable energy constantly re-evaluating where you stand, how far you’ve come, and where to go next, robbing yourself of not only work time, but also a clear map to success.

Some people prefer the ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ method, but in the long run, this can be self-destructive. Yes, even with clear cut goals, there needs to be room built in for creative brainstorming and trouble shooting; two things that strive on the positive stress of winging it. However, using this model for an entire project, or worse, your entire career, can keep you in a constantly high-stress state causing burnout and health issues that will eventually sap productivity levels to nothing. Speaking of health...

2. Sacrificing Your Health: Health issues aren’t just a concern for providers who don’t set clear goals. Everyone can fall victim to this big productivity killer. Living the dream means setting your own hours and being your own boss, but the dark side translates to late hours, lack of much needed sleep, overworking, and other potential health issues. If you’re not sleeping enough, your productivity most likely will not maintain its optimal level.

And don’t forget diet and exercise. Long hours toiling over projects is hard on the body, so if you don’t make sure to eat well and exercise, it will show in your work. If you take the time out to take care of you, you’ll have more energy and sharper focus, making projects easier to complete in less time. This makes investing in your health very worthwhile for yourself as well as those you work with.

3. Freelance Style Faux Pas: Multi-tasking is a big buzzword and sets up many workers for a huge potential productivity trap. Some people thrive only while juggling a dozen or more projects at once. But what if you don’t?

Many freelancers and business owners feel pressured to juggle multiple projects as part of the lifestyle stereotype, but doing so is by no means a requirement and can actually destroy your productivity. It all depends on how you’re wired.

Multi-taskers need the heightened stimulation achieved by solving many unrelated problems at once. The downside is that motivation suffers when a multi-tasker is forced to concentrate on a single task. On the other hand, focused workers thrive on devoting all of their energy onto one specific task before moving onto the next, and juggling many can cause overload.

Both styles have their ups and downs. The trick to maximizing productivity is to know your style and work with it rather than try to be something you’re not. And for bonus productivity, build your team with a good mix of both styles to ensure everybody is performing at maximum productivity. Or if you’re a sole contractor, pair up with an opposite style freelancer to pick up or offload tasks to maximize both of your styles.

4. Playing the Victim: You lost the perfect deal, job, or contract you were sure was made for you. You’re crushed and can barely bring yourself to turn on the computer, let alone hunt down for more business opportunities. You mope around and do anything and everything you can think of to console yourself, except for the one thing that will actually cure you’re blues – land another deal. If you feed off rejection and let it sap time away from your end goals, you’re robbing yourself of time and money, starving your productivity in the process

Win More Freelance Jobs With These 7 Tips

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Now that you’ve learned the ropes around the Elance Work System, it’s time for you to push the pedal to the metal, crank up the volume, and get awarded more jobs than ever before.

After personally spending quite a bit of time studying the Elance universe, I’ve learned that there are a few ways that you, as a provider, can stand out and shine from the rest. So before you jump the gun and send off your next proposal, familiarize yourself with the following tips.

1. Keep Your Profile Up To Date: Your Profile page is one of the most important assets for any provider on Elance to maintain. Having a well-written, fully-completed, typo-free page shows your potential client that you will take meticulous care of their work, similar to your profile page. Additionally, take the time to fill out the Summary and Keywords sections in detail as these are two key areas that attract the eyes of many employers. DongoDevTeam andYourtravelgirl are examples of great profiles.

2. Write Awesome Proposals: Making a great first impression is key. Proposals are a lot of times the very first communication your potential client will see from you, so be sure to spend some time preparing your proposal. Aside from replying with just, “I can do this in one week,” ask thoughtful, poignant, and relevant questions, prepare a detailed timeline, establish a standard communication channel and frequency, and spec out your milestones. This will clearly state to your potential client that you mean business. You’ll show that you have put serious consideration and thought into the job as well as understand the requirements and have foresight into the project. For more on proposals, check out our this blog post: Make Every Proposal Count.

3. Take Skill Tests: If you’re debating on investing the time in Skill Tests, consider this: A recent Elance survey identifies that 77 percent of prospective clients found that Skill Tests and Verified Credentials to be important factors when making the hiring decisions on Elance. That’s nearly four out of every five employers on Elance! If you’re still debating on taking Skill Tests, remember, you aren’t playing the odds, my friend.

4. Join Groups: By joining an Elance Group, you are showcasing your talent and professional skill that is officially recognized by a sponsoring company – for example, Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Excel. Talk about real street cred. Your Group affiliation is prominently displayed on your profile page as well, which helps employers quickly identify the cream of the crop of a specific skill and expertise in no time.

5. Act Fast: Once you see a job that fits your skills perfectly, be sure to prepare your proposal as quickly as possible without contradicting point 2. By responding quickly to a job posting, your proposal will be closer to the top of the list, thus being one of the first proposals that the client sees. Of course, you also have the option of submitting a “sponsored” proposal to ensure the top spot if you wish. Are you on Twitter? Follow our jobs feeds, located at @elance_jobs, @elance_web, @elance_design, and @elance_writing, and you’ll be notified via Twitter of the latest job postings in your discipline.

6. Take Care Of Your Rep: Feedback is one of the most important elements when a client is perusing through a provider’s profile, according to our last survey. How can you build a shining reputation? First, obviously, by completing your jobs on time, treating your client respectfully, and by having stellar communication. Secondly, you can consider bringing your existing clients on to the Elance Work System to instantly build up your feedback while taking advantage of Elance features like Escrow and the Workroom.

7. Be Connected: One thing that all clients can appreciate is fast turnaround with everything, especially with any lingering questions, so staying connected as much as possible is critical to keeping your employer feeling good. Here’s a tip: If you have a mobile device with email capabilities, be sure to have it sync up with your email account associated with Elance. We’ve just recently added BlackBerry support, so answering questions directly into the Workroom or other areas in Elance is a cinch.

So, now, I must ask you, the real Elance experts: What strategies or tips do you have when winning jobs on Elance? Fill us in and leave us a note in the comments below. 

Going Green in Your Workspace

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If you’re dreading the inconvenient truth of going green in your workspace, don’t worry - an environmentally friendly office doesn’t have to mean major sacrifices or major expenses. There are several ways to design or makeover your workspace to meet the new standard of the office - green, budget friendly and best of all, efficient for your work.

Go Paperless
The biggest inefficiency in the office in terms of not only the environment but also space is the paper trail. Overflowing file cabinets, ceiling-high stacks of paper and boxes of office supplies are out, and high tech, digital media is in. With today’s technology, there’s no longer the need to have a paper copy of emails, client files and every bill received since the Carter administration. Most can be found in your online utility accounts, computer files, or be stored on digital media. (Don’t forget to have a backup!) PDAs and smartphones can easily take the place of files and reports on the road, and as a bonus, they’re becoming less expensive with more user-friendly and connectivity features.

Not only do computer-stored records take up less space, but they save paper and time, not to mention a few hundred trees. Make sure to use an offsite file storage service to protect your business from the loss of files from computer crashes. Companies such as Carbonite offer backup services for nominal monthly fees, and the cost is offset by using much less paper at $4 per ream, not to mention costly and space-gobbling filing systems.

While it’s best for the environment to go completely paperless, it may not be best for the IRS when tax time rolls around. Make sure you check the IRS website  to determine exactly which hard copies need to be kept and filed for backup with your taxes.

Save Energy
Saving energy takes front and center stage in the green workspace. Heat producing lighting and energy hogging office machines can be replaced with more efficient and modern pieces that bring down electrical bills while maximizing space and reducing your carbon footprint. Making the most of natural lighting in the workspace not only lightens the burden on the environment but is easier on the eyes as well. Windows that are placed on South-facing walls offer the most natural lighting throughout the year. While that’s the best placement in most environments, those in hot climates, such as South Florida, need to weigh the pros and cons, as the increased heat from the windows will also mean increased air conditioning usage.

Go Wireless, Cordless and Strip
The high tech office space used to be a jumble of cords, surge protectors and cables that not only drained electricity but were unsightly and a tripping hazard to boot. Take advantage of wireless technology with printers, modems and telephones and cable routing/management accessories to simplify, increase safety and save space in the office.

Using power surge strips not only protect your office equipment but can be a convenient way to make sure all office equipment and lamps are turned off at night. Computers in standby mode still draw electricity, as does that cell phone charger “harmlessly” left plugged in the wall and other equipment left in standby mode (Game consoles, audio amplifiers, televisions, etc).

Recycle Wisely
Recycling is the norm in today’s home and office, but make sure the pros of any recycling program outweigh the cons. While you may feel good about recycling a small container with two soda cans, if you’re driving your SUV to a recycling center 10 miles away, it doesn’t make sense for time, efficiency or the environment to do so. On the other hand, if you have curbside recycling in your area, take advantage of it. Just make sure to shred documents before placing them in the recycle bin.

Environmentally Friendly Décor
Using furnishings and flooring that are made of natural and sustainable materials is a big part of the going green process. Bamboo flooring in particular has become extremely popular, as it is durable and attractive. Bamboo is also more eco-friendly than hardwood as it has a five year harvest time compared to the 20+ year harvest time of typical hardwoods.

While your office furniture is not going to be made of 100% natural materials, you can choose furniture that is Greenguard certified. The Greenguard certification process involves testing products to ensure that chemical and particle emissions meet acceptable standards.

And speaking of those emissions, consider paints and carpets that have low VOC’s – Volatile Organic Compounds, which are elements in paint, carpets and adhesives that can be harmful to your health, particularly in freshly painted and carpeted rooms. VOC’s are the primary cause of ‘sick’ buildings, which in turn causes health problems for the workers. If you’re considering new flooring for an office, or in the process of decorating a home office, bamboo flooring with a natural fiber rug is a great choice and looks sleek and modern to boot.

Choosing Eco-Friendly Products
Going green in the office can mean wading through tons of information and differing opinions as to what qualifies as being environmentally friendly. It does vary for different products and situations, but some of the questions you can ask yourself are:

Is a product recyclable?
Does the product come from renewable materials?
How long is the life cycle for the product?
Will it impact indoor air quality?

Buy Local
What’s one of the biggest impact on the environment? Transportation! Buying locally made products cuts back on the carbon footprint of the methods of transport to get that product to your office. An added benefit, buying locally can also lead to valuable networking opportunities.

The Bottom Line
Going green in the office doesn’t necessarily mean dramatic changes to your workspace, décor or lifestyle – it’s about making conscious decisions for your situation that will be best for you and everyone else in the long run.

Technology for Every Occasion: Tools to Keep Freelancers Organized

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As an online worker, how would you evaluate your organizational skills? Are you a well-oiled machine or do you find yourself scrambling to manage your calendar, expenses, and maybe even your sanity? Chances are that, as an online worker, you work from your home office or on the go and untethered. You’re managing several different projects at any given time, communicating with several clients, and flying around trying to manage what is essentially your own business. Instead of letting the demands of the job pile up, try utilizing some of the fantastic new programs and applications designed to make your work a whole lot more manageable.

Of course you could use a cloud-based enterprise suite from Google or Zoho, but now you can opt for something more individually tailored to your needs. Are you always getting new ideas and having to scribble them down on napkins or random pieces of paper? Maybe all your loose papers are receipts that accumulate in a tray on your work desk? Or is your computer desktop the one that needs to be de-cluttered?

We’re here to share with you some very useful apps and software, most of which are very affordable (or free), that can keep you and each aspect of your freelance work humming smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

Evernote | Notes
www.evernote.com
Evernote is a really exciting web-based note and clipping organization program that you can access on your home desktop, smartphone, or traveling web access connection. In a nutshell, Evernote is set up to compile all of your text notes, website clippings (text and images), photos and screenshots and index them so that they are searchable by keywords, titles and tags. The software can even detect keywords from your scanned handwriting. There are limitless possibilities to the sort of tasks to which you can use Evernote, but the key thing is that it makes being organized fun, visual, and most importantly—something you won’t have a problem maintaining.

There are different pricing tiers depending on how much information you sync monthly, but most users won’t need to have anything more than the basic free account. Evernote is increasingly popular among the freelance community as its accessibility is perfect for workers who are often on the move who use different workstations in different places. Here Freelance Weekly offers some great tips for maximizing your usage.

Also see: Springpad

Tungle.me | Meetings/Scheduling
www.tungle.me
How tedious and frustrating can it be to coordinate meetings, especially between multiple parties? Too often there’s a back and forth of email exchange proposing (and rejecting) different times, mismanagement of time zone differences, and heaven forbid an accidental double-booking. Tungle Corp.’s Tungle.me eliminates those headaches by providing a simple, web-based solution that synchronizes with leading online calendar systems including Outlook, Google Calendar, and Apple iCal, and even better—doesn’t require vistors to sign up or register with the service in order to schedule meetings.

Also see: Doodle

Trillian | IM Clients
www.trillian.com
We know that in these times, communication isn’t limited to phone and email anymore. We all use a bevy of instant messaging applications and belong to even more social networks, but we hate having to open multiple programs and sign into multiple accounts. Enter Trillian, which can connect to IM chat programs like AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and IRC services at once using a single interface. Additionally, Trillian gives you integrated access to your social networks like Facebook and Twitter, where you can watch your timelines and news feed and post universal status updates. Like most new apps, Trillian is designed to go wherever you go, so it’s available as a download for your desktop, access from the web, and even as a handy mobile app for your iPhone, Android device or (soon) Blackberry. Check out all 450+ Trillian features on their website.

Also see: Digsby, Adium (for Mac) 

Xmarks | Bookmarks and Tabs
www.xmarks.com
If you’re like me, odds are you use different browsers, maybe even on different computers, and you could stand to do a better job keeping all your favorite bookmarks in one place. Well, what started as a bookmark sync add-on made popular for the Firefox web browser has now grown into a very useful organizational tool across the major browser platforms. You simply need to install Xmarks on each computer you use, and then watch as it seamlessly integrates with any of the four leading web browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari) and keeps your bookmarks, open tabs and (optionally) passwords backed up and totally in sync. Want to keep your private bookmarks separated from your work bookmarks? The profile function in Xmarks lets you do that. Even when you don’t have access to your personal computer, you can log onto the Xmarks website, log into your free account, and access all your saved bookmarks from wherever you are.

Also see: Sync2It, Google Bookmarks

Shoeboxed | Expense Tracking
www.shoeboxed.com
Do you find yourself constantly pulling out receipts from your pockets or purse, and then tossing them in a pile thinking you’re going to go through them one day? How many of us actually follow through on a consistent basis? If you find yourself struggling with the time to stay on top of your expenses (especially if you travel frequently), let us introduce you to Shoebox.

With Shoebox you can take all of your loose receipts, invoices, and even business cards, send them to Shoebox’s headquarters in a secure, prepaid envelope and they’ll scan them all and add them to your online account. There, you’ll have access to all your data in multiple formats (PDF, Excel, etc.) and then have the option of having your hard copies returned to you. Don’t like having to snail mail your documents? Snap a photo on your mobile phone or if you’re an iPhone user, fire up their mobile app.

Also see: OfficeDrop

Box.net | File Storage/Backup
www.box.net
If you’ve ever been a victim of having your computer completely fail on you, you’re thankful that you always back up your important documents and files. Now for those of us who live in the real world, we need a file backup and management solution like Box.net. Not only can it back up your important data, it can synchronize files between any number of computers so, if one croaks, you can have access to your files by accessing your Box.net account on another system. Additionally, you can install Box.net on your mobile phone, giving you access to your files even on the go—how about that for mobile freelancing? Best of all you get to try it out for free (up to 5 GB of data) and upgrade if and when you need more storage.

Also see: Dropbox, SugarSync

DocScanner | Mobile Document Scanning
www.docscannerapp.com
A very handy device for smartphone users out there, DocScanner turns your iPhone, Android or Symbian phone into a mobile document scanner that does more than just email photos. It enhances our photos by applying additional functions, like automatically sharpening the image, removing shadows, and fixing the color balance. Once your photo is edited to your liking, you can perform OCR (optical character recognition) , send as a .pdf or .jpg file and even send directly to the aforementioned Evernote as part of its integration.