Anne's Big News

Our founder, creator, chief strategist, early adopter, and resident hair colour guru, Anne Stephenson is set to hang up the tools at the end of the month.  Mostly! 
Anne will remain involved in a part-time capacity (one day per week), working alongside the team on key strategic projects. 
In her words “I’m not disappearing off the face of the earth, but will be helping the team with advisory work, and helping NZ businesses continue to thrive - the fun stuff”.  








Trust Tax Rate Webinar

In this webinar we cover a timeline of Trust Law in NZ, the key changes included in the Trust Act 2019, what you need to know is changing, and what you may need to be doing.  








Trust Tax Rate Increase

Back in May 2023, the Labour government announced that the tax rate for Trusts would increase to 39% from 1 April 2024. At the time the top personal tax rate was increased to 39% back in 2021, the government signalled that if they found signs that Trusts were being used to avoid the higher tax rate, then they would take action. The new government has said they will continue with this tax increase and are unlikely to reduce trust tax rates within their first term. 








Cyber Security

We’ve all heard the buzz words “AI” and “Chat GPT” floating around the last year with regards to new advances in technology. It’s the rise of artificial intelligence which serves as a reminder the importance of have good cybersecurity habits in your business. But what does it all mean? And what impact can a cyberattack have on your business?








2023 Economic Trends: SME Insights

As we enter into the new year, it's important for small business owners to be aware of the economic trends that may impact their operations. Despite inflation likely past it's peak in 2022, we expect it to hang around in 2023 with several implications for small business owners








Departing words from Devoe

After 5 years with Connected Accountants, Devoe is taking the next step in his career overseas in London. Read through his reflection on what has made a difference in his five year journey with Connected Accountants. 








It's been 12 months and I've achieved... what?


Doing something over and over even when it fails is insanity. Read through three simple questions that will help you reflect on the past, find areas of improvement, and innovate into next year.








Keep Your Finger on the Pulse with Smart Reporting Tools

We're diving into the smart reporting tools we use to mitigate problems small businesses face in this tough economy. These discussed are great resources for small business owners to lean on. Check out the blog to discover how we can help you keep your finger on the pulse of your business.








Connected Accountants 20 Years On

Founder Anne Stephenson's illustrates the many trials and tribulations experienced in the foundational years, the lessons learnt over two decades in business, and the resilience and fortitude of Connected Accountants today. 








NZ Government Budget 2022 - Key Outcomes for SMEs

We’ve delved into the 2022 budget and identified several of the key areas of interest for SMEs to help you understand exactly how this year’s expenditure will affect businesses like yours.








E-invoicing – simple, secure and fast. Are you ready to reap the benefits?

E-invoicing (electronic invoicing) is a government-backed initiative in New Zealand and Australia that reduces processing time and saves on costs. Find out how to reap the rewards of e-invoicing to improve accuracy, security and processing time.








Residential Rule Changes – An indication of things to come

In March 2021, the government announced a number of changes to residential rental tax rules aimed at disincentivising investors from buying existing residential rental properties and making investment into new builds more attractive. Here's what we know








Art Show from Surviving to Thriving

We are long-time supporters of the NZ Art Show and 2020’s show taught us to do things differently. This year we also worked differently to keep within budgets, planning for the worst – but hoping for the best. In fact, we even managed to beat our previous sales figures – with $2mil raised in support of artists!








Sustainable Business is Better Business

A sustainable business focus is no longer the domain of good intentions. More and more future focused SMEs are looking to sustainable business practices to create long-term financial success, brand differentiation and improved social, environmental, and cultural outcomes. Wondering how to make your business more sustainable? Read more here 








A Graduate's Perspective

Our graduate accountant Rachel Dickie has written a great blog about life as a graduate accountant that touches on how she coped with covid as a new starter. Rachel talks about how being paperless and in the cloud allowed her to head home for lockdown while still engaging with the team and clients. It’s been wonderful to see Rachel grow in her role here and we are delighted to read that she values her time with us too! 








The Four Day Work Week - Final comments from our Directors

We first started our trial of the 4DWW in February 2020.  After close to 12 months on trial, we have decided that it works sufficiently well for us to implement it permanently.  We’ve had a lot of interest from others about our experiment, so we thought we’d pass on some of our learnings.








The Four Day Work Week - Comments from our Team

Here is were we will be adding our own comments and observations about the four-day work week. Feel free to get in touch if you want to discuss any of these comments.








A trap that causes many businesses to go broke, while they’re making a profit

There’s a saying in business, “You can go broke making a profit.” In this blog post Anne Stephenson talks through common cash problems in business, how you can sleep better at night and what a cashflow forecast will mean for you. We also created a document outlining the top 10 ways you can improve cashflow within your business.