Trusted Tips and Resources

Trusted Tips & Resources

Your Ultimate Tax Checklist From Trusted Saskatoon Bookkeeping & Tax Services Books & Billing

Books ’N’ Billing offers full-service, cloud-based, bookkeeping services to sole proprietors, limited liability partnerships, and small corporations within Saskatchewan. Are you a small business owner? Save yourself the stress and let Shelby Prescesky the owner of Books 'N' Billing help you get your business's books in orderBooks N Billing is a Trusted Saskatoon Bookkeeping & Tax Services Specialist. In this article, she shares an ultimate tax checklist.



Your Ultimate Tax Checklist 

It is that time of year again… tax season! If you are like most people, doing taxes is something you view as a dreaded task or you procrastinate doing. Do not fear, we have a helpful Tax Season Checklist to make doing your taxes easier to organize. This list will outline all the things we could need from you in order to prepare your income tax return. 

Tax Slips

  • T4 slips (Employment income)
  • T4e Employment Insurance benefits
  • T4A (other pensions, annuities, and certain scholarships)
  • T4AP (CPP benefits)
  • T4 RSP (RRSP income)
  • T4 RIF (RRIF income)
  • T4 A-OAS (old age security)
  • T3 (Mutual Funds, REITs, ETFs) 
  • T5 (investment income – interest, dividends, certain capital gains)
  • RC62 (Universal Child Care benefits)
  • T5007 (Social assistance payments/Worker’s compensation benefits)
  • T2202A (Tuition/education receipts)
  • T5031 (partnership income)
  • T2200 (Condition of employment/allowable employment expenses)
  • All other information slips

Receipts

  • RRSP contribution slips
  • Medical expenses
  • Support for a child, spouse, or common-law partner
  • Transit pass receipts
  • Charitable donations
  • Office-in-home expenses
  • Moving expenses (including realtor’s commissions)
  • Exams for professional certification
  • Carrying charges and interest expenses
  • Other interest expenses
  • Political contributions
  • Childcare expenses
  • Adoption expenses
  • Children’s arts and sports expenses
  • Tool expenses (tradesperson)
  • Interest paid on your student loans
  • Professional or union dues
  • Attendant Expenses for the disabled person
  • Other Documentation
  • Notice of Assessment/Reassessment
  • CRA Correspondence
  • Amounts you have paid in tax installments
  • Rental income and expenses
  • Sale or deemed sale of stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.
  • Disability tax credit certificate
  • Business, farm, or fishing income or expenses
  • Northern resident’s deduction receipts
  • Commission employee expenses
  • Automobile/Travel logbook and expenses (self-employed and commissioned employees)
  • Volunteer firefighter’s certification
  • Graduate Retention Certificate
  • Search and rescue volunteer certificate
  • Legal expenses to collect alimony, pension, or retiring allowances

Other Documents

  • Notice of Assessment/Reassessment
  • CRA Correspondence
  • Amounts you have paid in tax installments
  • Rental income and expenses
  • Sale or deemed sale of stocks, bonds, real estate, ect.
  • Disability tax credit certificate
  • Business, farm, or fishing income or expenses
  • Northern resident's deduction receipts 
  • commission employee expenses
  • Automobile/travel logbook and expenses (self-employed and commission employees)
  • Volunteer firefighter's certificate
  • Search and rescue volunteer certificate
  • Legal expenses to collect alimony, pension, or retiring allowances



Shelby's mantra and the business tagline is one most small business owners can get behind...

Running your own business can be exciting… managing your own books can steal your joy.


If you need a second opinion, or you are at that stage in your business where you are ready to hand over the bookkeeping to a professional contact Shelby at Book N Billing today! 

 Books N Billing Bookkeeping Services Include: 

Books N Billing is a Trusted Saskatoon Bookkeeping & Tax Services Specialist 



Citations, mentions, and SEO - how being a Trusted Saskatoon partner positively impacts local Google rankings

Citations, mentions, and SEO explained by Sara, owner of Trusted Saskatoon. 

There are many benefits to being a Trusted Saskatoon partner. My local team spends all of our time and energy promoting the Saskatoon partners on the directory as the best options in their industry in Saskatoon and the surrounding area. Once a business passes our unique verification process we invest in consistent advertising and we promote them both individually, and as a community as trustworthy, reputable locally owned, and accountable businesses. We do not do this because they ' bought our favour', we do it because they have proven themselves to be trusted.  Each of the businesses listed on Trusted Saskatoon has signed a contract where they agree to uphold the 5 Trusted Guarantees of Service. 

There is a lot of work and effort that goes on behind the scenes that may not be immediately obvious or understood by our Partners. In this article, I explain how my team helps our partner's websites rank higher in local search independently of their listings on our Saskatoon directory.

 

The SEO Impact Being Trusted Has On Our Partners Local Search Rankings

The key to being found online is having correct, consistent information online. That combined with fresh\new, relevant content on sites that are both yours and NOT yours, is what the internet and search engines really value!   
This is where local SEO citations and mentions on high-quality local directories such as Trusted Saskatoon, on social media, and other trustworthy websites and sources come into play.

What are citations and how do they impact local SEO?

Citations are online mentions of your business on 3rd party websites. If your business is listed on Trustedaskatoon.com, that counts as a local citation. The same goes if your business information is mentioned or featured on 3rd party blog posts or online newspaper/media articles- such as the Star Phoenix new faces new places for example. Citations and online mentions are important for local businesses online since they send out signals that tell Google and the other major search engines they can trust your Saskatoon business.

Why do we recommend focusing on citation building?

We all want to be on the 1st page of Google for our category in our local market for our main target search keywords. If your website ranks higher in search, then it should attract more visitors, generate leads and that should lead to more business. 

To be well ranked in local searches, you need to make sure the search engines have all of the correct information they need about your business. If your most important data is not consistent, the search engines are less likely to put your website forward as a high-ranking option for local prospects searching for your products and/or servcies. 

How The Local Search SEO Point System Works

Google is essentially the head librarian of the web, and as there are over 570,000 new websites added per DAY to the internet it’s a HUGE job! As such, Google has lots of 24/7 ‘library assistants’ helping with the massive and ongoing task of ranking the approximate 1.7 billion websites currently listed on the world wide web. If these assistants, or ‘web crawlers’, find links on 3rd party websites that link back to your business’s website, then they know it is trustworthy and you will earn an SEO point. If that backlink is on a quality local website, like www.trustedsaskatoon.com, then you are awarded additional, highly valued local SEO ‘points’. The same is true for citations; if web crawlers find your business information listed in important online directories, mentioned on other people's blogs, and featured in articles / local news, it solidifies the fact that they can trust your business information to be correct.

Citation building is a small but important piece of the local search marketing puzzle. Our team is working on our clients' behalf to ensure the information we have about them on Trusted Saskatoon is up to date and relevant.

Check out the video below for more information, and if you have questions please do reach out to our team!  

What’s the difference between online citations and online mentions? 

An online mention is when a business or brand is referenced, or "mentioned" on the internet. While often referring exclusively to social media mentions, they also count every time an online publication, website or blog ‘ mentions’  a brand or business name. If the mentions are combined with backlinks to your website and over 300 words of rich locally-focused content all the better.  By rich, we mean that the content includes elements such as quality, copyright-free images, relevant keywords, embedded videos, location-specific words, etc. If that is the case, then the value of that mention increases A LOT! This is why we ask our Partners to work with us to provide information about their specific business/ industry. We take that information and write quality Trusted Saskatoon Tips that feature them as the local experts in their industry!  

When we tag our Partners on our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter platforms the search engines and the web crawlers take note, this, in turn, adds additional SEO POINTS and improves their website’s organic search value. Their business and websites gain more ‘authority' within their respective industry categories in local search. Positive SEO leads to increased visibility, which can then prompt more mentions and further increased SEO points. Less is definitely NOT more when it comes to citations, mentions, and links to websites.

If Partners want to make the most of our expertise, promotions, and online klout, then they need to provide us with more information in the form of interesting, helpful and engaging expert tips about their industry. Our team will do the rest, we know how to take the content and get as many ‘ SEO points ‘ as possible. We then pay to promote that content locally so it reaches your ideal prospects. The more we can help our clients build a solid citation and link-building foundation the better they rank in local searches for their categories.  Our goal is that our Trusted Saskatoon Partners get their unfair share of leads in their categories locally online! 

About Trusted Sara

The founder of Trusted Saskatoon, Sara Wheelwright has over 25 years of marketing experience. A multi-award-winning entrepreneur and marketer, she expanded Trusted’s services by launching a full-service Saskatchewan digital marketing agency, Trusted Marketing Services in 2014. The success of Trusted is a testament to the importance of having business integrity in a digital age, where access to free-flowing information is constantly influencing consumers. Her experiences and insight are relevant to all business owners interested in progressive marketing strategies. Her biggest strength is being able to communicate the complexities of online marketing and how the internet works to local business owners in a way that they can fully comprehend. This, in turn, empowers them and helps them compete in this new marketing landscape.


TRUSTED DIRECTORIES ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP WITH FIX IT UP!


S & E TRUSTED ONLINE DIRECTORIES INC & FIX IT UP -JOINT  MEDIA RELEASE

For Release - January 26th, 2021 at 10 am SASKATOON, SK  

TRUSTED DIRECTORIES ANNOUNCE A PARTNERSHIP WITH FIX IT UP! 

S & E Trusted Online Directories is a multi-award-winning Saskatchewan marketing company headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 2011 by local award-winning entrepreneur Sara Wheelwright, it has a local online directory division, that includes Trustedsaskatoon.com and Trustedregina.com. In addition, there is a full-service marketing agency, Our company focus is supporting local businesses operated with integrity as a priority. 


FIX IT UP is owned by Brad Fekula and Dwayne Melcher. Brad has over a decade of marketing expertise at Cubbon Advertising, primarily dealing with Saskatchewan businesses. Dwayne is the owner of Melcher Media, a previously Trusted Regina website company and a highly respected Saskatchewan tech agency specializing in software and virtual reality (VR) development.  The Fix-It Up software allows consumers a convenient and reliable way to save time and money when looking for a local quote. The FIX IT UP quote software was created by the developers at Melcher Media to revolutionize the way quotes are provided. 

SASKATCHEWAN TECH COLLABORATING TO CREATE ADDITIONAL VALUE FOR SMALL SASK BUSINESSES
 

In 2020 Trusted and FIX IT Up entered into a mutually beneficial legal partnership agreement with the view to providing more support to local businesses in Saskatchewan.  On the surface the 2 companies may seem to be in competition as local web-based directories; but in fact, on closer inspection, it became obvious that they instead complement each other's activities. They share a common goal, to provide the best solutions and advertising value to their clients in the Saskatchewan services industry. 


The Trusted Directories partner with a select and restricted number of locally owned businesses. These businesses fall into 40 specific categories and most are based in and around  Saskatoon and Regina. These businesses are mostly service providers, and to become partners they must meet a unique set of standards, pass a Trusted qualification process, and sign a contract to commit to upholding specific standards of service ‘ The Trusted Guarantees’.  Trusted then promotes the partners individually and as part of the ‘Trusted Community’. Essentially, we sell the Trusted Partners as our only ‘product‘ to the local marketplace via a comprehensive marketing campaign - including, but not limited to,  billboards, radio, social media, CPC campaigns, event marketing, sponsorship, and more. This gives the partners significant exposure in their local marketplace, drives quality leads, and helps their SEO. Trusted also contributes time and money to help the partner's community support efforts, and the Trusted community holds each other accountable as a group of like-minded, quality-driven, locally owned businesses. 


FIX IT UP directories on the other hand, primarily provides a comprehensive quoting platform for local service providers in over 220+ categories. A detailed and industry-specific online quoting system saves service providers significant time. In addition, to build such a platform/feature on their own websites would be a significant cost that most service providers would not invest in. FIX IT UP businesses pay a very small lead fee, which they only pay if they are selected for a job they quote. The benefits for consumers and corporations is that they can provide all their information in one easy-to-use platform and await quotes from local service providers.  This is a managed process and also saves consumers time shopping around and the frustration of businesses not getting back to enquiries in a timely manner. 

The Trusted/FIX IT UP partnership involves the following elements:

1. Integration of the FIX IT UP quote software into the Trusted Directories clouded database platform. 

This means that Trusted Partners will be able to receive detailed quotes from local consumers who want a Trusted local service provider. This saves the consumer time and as the partners have to respond in a timely fashion customers are not left ‘ hanging ‘ waiting for a reply. In addition, they can request a quote at their convenience as our platform is open for business 24/ 7!


A bonus for the Trusted partners, is that the quote link and landing page is unique to each business. This means they will not be competing with other businesses in their category that are signed up as a FIX IT UP provider.

See a listing example here: https://www.trustedsaskatoon.com/listing.aspx?lid=334 



2. Trusted Saskatoon & Regina Partners who are listed on Fix It Up will be highlighted as Trusted on Fix It Up.


This differentiates Trusted Partners and recognizes the steps they have taken to invest in their integrity.
It also shines a spotlight on their consistently high standards of quality work and customer service and gives them an advantage in the selection process.



3. FIX IT UP operates on a ‘ typical online directory model’.
They aim to sign up as many businesses as possible and charge a very small fee per lead.  After staffing and development costs this does not allow for much capital to invest in local marketing to drive consumers to use the platform, especially when it comes to mass media like print, broadcast or billboard.  


The Trusted Directories model is different, they charge more for an annual fee and severely restrict the number of businesses in each category to offer much more individual promotion, marketing value, and personalized service for their partners. They appreciate the quality of the FIX IT UP quoting software and in return for integration they are committed to promoting the feature and their FIX IT UP Partnership as part of their ongoing marketing strategy in the cities they serve. 


The owners of Trusted and FIX IT UP believe that local businesses like themselves should actively seek out collaboration opportunities in order to become more successful. We appreciate each other’s strengths, and we are proud to enter into a partnership as two established and recognized leaders in the Saskatchewan marketing industry. A community whose tech sector collaborates is a valuable asset to the province and we believe is crucial for the success of Sask tech as a whole. 


Support local and we all win!


TrustedSaskatoon.com Celebrates Huge Milestone - as over 350,000 visitors visit Saskatoon's Number 1 Online Directory

The Trusted Saskatoon team are excited to share we have had over 350,000 people visit Trustedsaskatoon.com since we launched in 2011!! This is a monumental milestone for our small Saskatoon women-owned business and we are so proud of our dedicated local team. Of course huge kudos must go to the amazing locally owned and accountable community of Trusted Saskatoon businesses. They are run with integrity and  we are proud to promote and support their efforts. They are our product!! 


Many of the Trusted Saskatoon partners bought into the Trusted directories concept nearly 8 years ago - with ZERO results - look at the community we have now! I will be forever grateful for their trust and their investment in the concept and my dream to create a 'better option' for consumers looking for local businesses! Sara Wheelwright, Trusted Founder
 

Local Buyers With Local Needs Supporting Local Businesses!  

 

Nearly 60% or just over 215,000 of the visits 350,000 + visitors to TrustedSaskatoon.com were from people in Saskatoon, 85.25% from Saskatchewan and 98% from Canada!  

How do we know this? 


The website analytics tracks each IP address that visits the site. IP is short for (Internet Protocol) address, a numerical label assigned to every device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet. We can also see what kind of device the site was accessed on, what browser they used, what pages each visitor looked at on the directory, how long they spent choosing and reading the information, and even how they got to Trusedsaskatoon.com (EG: Google Searches, Google Ads, Facebook or Trusted Partners websites!)  

 

Tougher Times May Be Over in Saskatoon as Directory Visitor Numbers Trend UP in 2019. 

You can clearly see in the data above, 2017 and half of 2018 were tougher and visitor numbers were down. Although we still invested the same $ in marketing and had well over 35,000 people visit in our slowest calendar year.  We believe this effect was due to the ‘boom' ending. It seems most consumers were nervous to spend their hard earned money on anything but the products and services they actually needed at that time. 

Just look at the upturn in visitors that begin in the fall of 2018 and is really taking off in 2019 - over 18500 visitors ALREADY this year!! A record year may be in store for Trusted in 2019! 


Trusted Saskatoon Trivia


Wonder what the Top 5 categories have been since we launched? 


What about the last 12months? 


As a local online DIRECTORY, Trusted Saskatoon's primary role is to connect consumers who are actively looking for products and services, to local businesses they can trust. The directory listings are extremely comprehensive - including verified customer reviews, images, and video. We also have a HUGE library of nearly 1000 articles right here in our Trusted Tips Section - these helpful articles (blog posts) are mostly supplied by our local Trusted Saskatoon partners, who are the local experts in their industries. They are extremely well read and provide a unique local resource of information. 

Top 5 most read blogs in the Trusted Saskatoon Tip library over the last 12 month?


We are excited to continue our growth, as we welcome diverse and new Trusted Saskatoon partners every month to our community. In 2019 so far we have welcomed:

Occasionally we do part ways with businesses and sometimes we are asked why they leave. Some retire, close their business, move, change their business ownership or they simply choose to go in a different direction with their marketing. Occasionally we do have to make the tough decision to end the partnership.  We do this if we feel that the fit is not right and that they are no longer in line with our overall mission,  or that they are not committed to upholding the 5 Trusted Guarantees. 

We like to view this as an opportunity, as it allows us to meet new prospects, nominated business and also follow up with those on the waiting list of companies who are interested in joining the community. We have a maximum of 3 policy - This means we only allow  3 businesses in competition at any time in each of the 40 categories we provide. Also in 2019, we added Non - Profits to the directory and gifted 4 Saskatoon Non - Profits listings and free promotion

2019 is destined to be an amazing year, we have SO many amazing things coming your way Saskatoon! So watch this space! Thank you for your continued support of our Trusted Directories concept and our community Saskatoon!! 

Supporting Saskatoon businesses, consumers, and the community is what we do BEST!


Want More Information on Trusted Saskatoon?  


If you want more information on what it takes to join Trusted Saskatoon and if there is room for your company check out the JOIN TRUSTED page here and contact us to arrange a meeting. We can show you how we can help you grow your business alongside ours in 2019 and beyond! 

Trusted Saskatoon New Category Announced - Trusted Saskatoon Non-Profits

The Trusted Saskatoon team ran a contest on the Trusted Saskatoon Facebook page at the end of 2018 to find a new category for the Trusted Saskatoon directory. We received 100's of nominations, from children's activities to fencing, however, there was a clear winner, with over 200 nominations, we are pleased to announce the new category will be Trusted Saskatoon NON-PROFITS! 

  



Trusted Saskatoon Non-Profits.

As a small business in Saskatchewan, Trusted has prioritized community support as part of what we do from day 1. In 2017 we were recognized for our efforts as the recipient of the Saskatchewan Chamber Of Commerce ABEX Award for community support, so we were thrilled that this was the category that people in Saskatoon most wanted to see on our directory.   


There is no ME in Community…Just WE.


So What's The Plan for Trusted Saskatoon Non-Profits Category? 

We are pleased to announce that we will be GIFTING listings and annual Trusted partnerships in the new category to 4 Saskatoon Non- Profits. Each Year in January we will renew the category and we will rely on the public and the existing Trusted Saskatoon partners to help us find new Saskatoon and area non-profits to promote. Over the course of the year, we will volunteer our time and resources to help spread awareness of the 4 Trusted Saskatoon Non- profits organization activities, events and goals! 

This is an in-kind donation worth $4000 per non-profit, and being a Trusted Saskatoon partner means they will receive promotion in so many areas including:  

 1. 2 weeks of free radio ads. 
 2. Video interview and promotion of video.
 3. Regular Trusted partner promotion on our social media channels - including our Feature Partner Of the Week posts. 
 4. Free Marketing Training sessions.
 5. Networking  Opportunities. 


The 4 Trusted Saskatoon Non -Profits for 2019-2020:


1. Mending Little Hearts Fund of Saskatchewan 

This is a non- profit close to our heart, literally! 
Anna Maton, a Trusted Saskatoon Consultant is heavily involved in supporting this wonderful Saskatoon-based organization. Anna's youngest son William was born with a heart defect and went through open heart surgery a few years ago. We will share more about this Saskatoon Non-Profit once their listing has been added to the category.

2. TLC@Home  

This is a non-profit founded and run by a Trusted Saskatoon Partner - Hairstyles Inn.
First started in 2006 by Shelley James of The Hairstyle Inn, TLC@Home started off small distributing shoeboxes of gifts to one Saskatoon community school ( Princess Alexandra). Now 12 years later shoeboxes filled with holiday cheer are distributed to more than 800 students at Saskatoon schools which have included; Princess Alexandra Community School, St. Michael Community School, King George Community School and Pleasant Hill Community School.  We will share more about this Saskatoon Non-Profit once their listing has been added to the category.

3 & 4 ?????? - TO BE DECIDED...BY YOU! 

We are relying on our FANTASTIC Facebook fans to help us fill these 2 spots. A nomination process will begin Monday 7th Jan and run until Jan 31st. At that time votes will be counted and the top 2 most nominated non- profits will be recipients of the 2 remaining annual 2019-2020 Trusted Saskatoon Non- Profits gifted listings. 

**Please note Non- Profits MUST be registered to qualify**   


CLICK ON OUR FACEBOOK POST BELOW AND TAG TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVOURITE NON-PROFIT. 

 

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S & E Trusted Online Directories Inc
TrustedSaskatoon.com
310 Wall St #209
Saskatoon, SK   S7K 1N7
Ph: 306.244.4150

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