Every company has an accountant. They are often seen as gray men, with round glasses and little social skills. Many think that their existence is justified by bookkeeping, which, in turn, is a law enforced requirement, right?

Wrong.

They can do a lot for your business, even preventing critical failures that could potentially put you out of business.

They periodically produce three sheets of paper, the balance sheet, the income statement (or Profit & Loss statement, P&L) and the cash flow statement.

The balance sheet is a summary document which gives a very aggregated view of assets and liabilities, that is, of strengths and weaknesses of the company.

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Are you familiar with anonymous prepaid credit cards? Have you even heard of them? It’s not a huge surprise if you haven’t — they’re not overwhelmingly popular in the industry. But they do have their uses.

First of all, what are anonymous prepaid credit cards? Basically, they’re exactly what they sound like: you put down money to charge up a card which then functions like a gift card you can use anywhere they accept credit cards. Now, the big question: where, why, and how would you use these things?

Use #1: As a gift

Anonymous prepaid credit cards make fantastic presents, whether you choose to give them in place of gift cards or completely anonymously.

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On Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a much-anticipated presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco: He announced the birth of the iPhone 4, which will become available to consumers June 24, according to CNET.

The original iPhone was released in 2007, but the new fourth generation puts that model to shame. It’ll be be 24 percent thinner, have a longer battery life and have a camera lens on the front to enable video conferencing. The 5 megapixel camera will also be able to shoot HD video, which can be edited directly on the phone. You’ll also be able to run more than one application at a time. According to Jobs at the conference, this version is the “biggest leap since the original iPhone.”

Why am I telling you this?

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A Reader Asks:

I went to Harbor Freight today to get a refund or store credit for a welder I purchased in 2007 using a MC.  The store manager had no problem issuing the credit, but said that she could only credit back to the original MC, which I no longer have, nor do I even know what one is was.  The manager said it is the credit card law, and that I would need to contact the MC carrier, get the account number, the store would refund to the account, and then the MC carrier would send me a refund. WHAT????

We are not talking about a lot of money here, just $215.  I even asked just for a store credit, and she said she could not do that.  P

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With the country sunk in recession and the value of the dollar in a sorry state, it’s more important than ever to budget your money wisely. You work hard and you want to play hard, too, but there’s a time for frivolity and a time for fiscal responsibility, and an economy rife with cutbacks, layoffs, and unemployment is surely the latter. But being sensible can be difficult, especially for a jet-setter such as you. So how can you cut back painlessly (without feeling deprived)? Here are a few foolproof ways to spend like an adult when you want to indulge like a kid.

1. Clip coupons. Don’t be put off by the fact that this is an activity also practiced by your mother and grandmother. They’re smart ladies! You can still have all the foods you want at a discounted price. It’s li

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