I am not sure whether you mean outsourcing the writing of newletters or just the management of issuing them/sending to clients.
If the former then the problem with using 'automated'/purchased newsletters is that if you load onto your website you will find that the same source comes up on Google for all other purchasers.
The problem with doing it yourself is... time.. it takes a long time to write an article and if you dont keep up the issue on a regular basis then it doesnt look good.
Saying that there are some good ones around the writers and publishers of which appreciate that not all clients want to see an article on property tax in the same newsletter as an article on company tax for example.
Suggest you have a look at the Tax Insider Newsletters - they do ones for practitioners as well as their clients.
Otherwise look for a writer that you like and make contact - they can only say 'no'!
But if you want to outsource the actual issuing of an article/newsletter or loading a blog onto your website then I suggest you go to a Virtual Assistant such as CC Professional
Any writer whether writing for Tolleys, CCH, Tax Insider even Accweb is only permitted a set number of words. However hard you try you cannot cover all the different scenarios you might come across on any tax subject in about 600 words.
From the Tax Insider articles and guides that I have seen the publisher appreciates this and puts a disclaimer along the lines that Justin states.
I have found that the benefit of TI is that they cover subjects that you might not have come across before on a day to basis or poss need to be reminded of and not written in 'solicitors speak'.
I like their newsletters - I dont send them all automatically to clients but where I come across something that I think a client would appreciate reading//needs a bit of info then I send with a comment such as 'I came across this which is relevant to your situation. If we could talk etc etc'
The authors are respected writers if you look at who they are. Mark McLaughlin, Lee Sharpe for example.
Dont touch with a bargepole. Pushy salesmen trying to get you to sign up for years. Product search engine not that good and most of it you can get online (e.g HMRC manuals)
Sorry... not a fan.
I too have agonised over this question and came to same conclusion as most here. I'm not a charity and I've done the work at a fair fee.
As Tim says we shouldnt undervalue ourselves. You wont get a plumber or solicitor reducing their fees. They do know that you've done the work.
Unfortunately I have a number of clients who are invoiced on an annual basis (for historical reasons.) I've issued invoices for past years work (some even last week) and on the ones I think might not pay due to the circumstance (or have already rung up crying down the phone) I've already offered payment by instalments.
Call me hard but I have also issued interim statements to those who I can see will go under. Doing so will get me on the creditors list on liquidation.
I'm going to take this opportunity to get as many as possible on monthly DD and tighten up my procedures so my plan of action is going to be:
1. I will wait 6 weeks from issue and then if they have not paid and I didnt offer payment by instalments on the current outstanding bill originally then I will do plus 10% discount on next years if they go monthly DD on future bills. Say unless I do extra work I'll charge the same as last year (or give an estimate). If they have paid by those 6 weeks then I'll again offer 10% discount on the next invoice if they go on DD monthly with same offer of keeping bill same etc etc
3. Review all past clients who have been invoiced before this virus hit and offer 10% discount if go on DD (its only fair.. its not their fault I invoiced pre virus and and they paid) - again same offer of keeping bill the same etc
3. Send emails to all CIS clients next week telling to get their stuff to me asap after 6 April to get their refunds (I get their refunds into my client account so I can take my fees).
Also remind all POA clients clients that in Dec the tax payment amount will be higher this year and although the govt are being kind with the July deferment many will spent it forgetting that its a deferment rather than a cancellation of payment.
Next year is the year that its going to hit us. I already have clients deregistering for VAT which means reduced fees for me next year (if they havent gone to the wall anyway by then)
I also predict that the software companies (Quickbooks etc) will do a hard sell and push that 'you can do it yourself' - again I've had a couple of clients already saying that as they were deregistering they wont me as it will be easy and they will do it themselves.
I came across this discussion again and having read Croner-i's comment and showed this to my friend again.
He was extremely upset about it as this was not the experience he had encountered. Asking further I found:
1. that the sales talk was extremely forceful
2. He was initially only ever offered 5 years and then after a bit of 'how many years?' got that reduced to 4 years.
3. Following this post he got that down to 18 months. He was never offered a trial run and never offered a year for example.
5. He initially hadnt heard of the product until they rang him.
6. going through the headings of info with him the comment about 'finding out their needs' is a joke as much of the product my small one man band friend wont need.
You might think he is a bit 'green' and yes... he is of the latter years rather than younger but that should be no excuse.
I took a trial and you can get most of it elsewhere for free.
I'm not going to say whether the product is worth the £180 per month subscription as each to ones own as they say.
But I would just warn you that the subscription is for 5 years .
and be very careful what you sign (its done by docusign).
Remember as you are a business you wont have the 14 days to change your mind.
A friend of mine was caught out this way. He wasnt given time to test the product himself and signed thinking that he could always change his mind and now he cant get out of the contract which, as I say is for 5 years.
My answers
I am not sure whether you mean outsourcing the writing of newletters or just the management of issuing them/sending to clients.
If the former then the problem with using 'automated'/purchased newsletters is that if you load onto your website you will find that the same source comes up on Google for all other purchasers.
The problem with doing it yourself is... time.. it takes a long time to write an article and if you dont keep up the issue on a regular basis then it doesnt look good.
Saying that there are some good ones around the writers and publishers of which appreciate that not all clients want to see an article on property tax in the same newsletter as an article on company tax for example.
Suggest you have a look at the Tax Insider Newsletters - they do ones for practitioners as well as their clients.
Otherwise look for a writer that you like and make contact - they can only say 'no'!
But if you want to outsource the actual issuing of an article/newsletter or loading a blog onto your website then I suggest you go to a Virtual Assistant such as CC Professional
https://www.ccprofessional.net/
They do exactly what you are looking for.
Any writer whether writing for Tolleys, CCH, Tax Insider even Accweb is only permitted a set number of words. However hard you try you cannot cover all the different scenarios you might come across on any tax subject in about 600 words.
From the Tax Insider articles and guides that I have seen the publisher appreciates this and puts a disclaimer along the lines that Justin states.
I have found that the benefit of TI is that they cover subjects that you might not have come across before on a day to basis or poss need to be reminded of and not written in 'solicitors speak'.
I like their newsletters - I dont send them all automatically to clients but where I come across something that I think a client would appreciate reading//needs a bit of info then I send with a comment such as 'I came across this which is relevant to your situation. If we could talk etc etc'
The authors are respected writers if you look at who they are. Mark McLaughlin, Lee Sharpe for example.
Yes thx you're right... it just that the Spanish tax was paid before the UK - hence my confusion.
Thx again
Dont touch with a bargepole. Pushy salesmen trying to get you to sign up for years. Product search engine not that good and most of it you can get online (e.g HMRC manuals)
Sorry... not a fan.
Have a look at this one
https://rossmartin.co.uk/
I have a bookkeeper who lives 45 mins drive from me and whenever I have paper accounts to send I send via UPS. Costs £5
I too have agonised over this question and came to same conclusion as most here. I'm not a charity and I've done the work at a fair fee.
As Tim says we shouldnt undervalue ourselves. You wont get a plumber or solicitor reducing their fees. They do know that you've done the work.
Unfortunately I have a number of clients who are invoiced on an annual basis (for historical reasons.) I've issued invoices for past years work (some even last week) and on the ones I think might not pay due to the circumstance (or have already rung up crying down the phone) I've already offered payment by instalments.
Call me hard but I have also issued interim statements to those who I can see will go under. Doing so will get me on the creditors list on liquidation.
I'm going to take this opportunity to get as many as possible on monthly DD and tighten up my procedures so my plan of action is going to be:
1. I will wait 6 weeks from issue and then if they have not paid and I didnt offer payment by instalments on the current outstanding bill originally then I will do plus 10% discount on next years if they go monthly DD on future bills. Say unless I do extra work I'll charge the same as last year (or give an estimate). If they have paid by those 6 weeks then I'll again offer 10% discount on the next invoice if they go on DD monthly with same offer of keeping bill same etc etc
3. Review all past clients who have been invoiced before this virus hit and offer 10% discount if go on DD (its only fair.. its not their fault I invoiced pre virus and and they paid) - again same offer of keeping bill the same etc
3. Send emails to all CIS clients next week telling to get their stuff to me asap after 6 April to get their refunds (I get their refunds into my client account so I can take my fees).
Also remind all POA clients clients that in Dec the tax payment amount will be higher this year and although the govt are being kind with the July deferment many will spent it forgetting that its a deferment rather than a cancellation of payment.
Next year is the year that its going to hit us. I already have clients deregistering for VAT which means reduced fees for me next year (if they havent gone to the wall anyway by then)
I also predict that the software companies (Quickbooks etc) will do a hard sell and push that 'you can do it yourself' - again I've had a couple of clients already saying that as they were deregistering they wont me as it will be easy and they will do it themselves.
I came across this discussion again and having read Croner-i's comment and showed this to my friend again.
He was extremely upset about it as this was not the experience he had encountered. Asking further I found:
1. that the sales talk was extremely forceful
2. He was initially only ever offered 5 years and then after a bit of 'how many years?' got that reduced to 4 years.
3. Following this post he got that down to 18 months. He was never offered a trial run and never offered a year for example.
5. He initially hadnt heard of the product until they rang him.
6. going through the headings of info with him the comment about 'finding out their needs' is a joke as much of the product my small one man band friend wont need.
You might think he is a bit 'green' and yes... he is of the latter years rather than younger but that should be no excuse.
I took a trial and you can get most of it elsewhere for free.
rental income less expenses is a straight 1/3rd each share - paid and agreed.
I'm not going to say whether the product is worth the £180 per month subscription as each to ones own as they say.
But I would just warn you that the subscription is for 5 years .
and be very careful what you sign (its done by docusign).
Remember as you are a business you wont have the 14 days to change your mind.
A friend of mine was caught out this way. He wasnt given time to test the product himself and signed thinking that he could always change his mind and now he cant get out of the contract which, as I say is for 5 years.
>>> sorry I meant that the bank account increases every month so income exceeds expenses and the bank account is increasing.
He's been going for 6 years