Simple Business Accounting for Windows

Most business accounting software is designed for accountants, which isn't much help to small business owners, who are usually not only chief accountant but also chief cook and bottle washer, among other titles. Business owners who keep their own books need accounting software that doesn't require CPA certification to use. OWL Software's Simple Business Accounting (OWL SBA) is designed from the ground up for the business owner who wears a lot of hats, starting with a user-definable interface refined in more than 20 years of developing business software. Most accounting software is based on the traditional double-entry method, but SBA uses a single-entry method that's designed to be more intuitive for nonaccountants. It also has extensive reporting features and password protection to secure your records. New to the latest releases is the ability to print checks.

SBA has an easy-to-use interface, just tabs for Income and Expenses, Reports, Setup, and File Maintenance. Fields display large rectangular buttons clearly labeled with descriptive titles such as Edit Income, Expense Budget, and Define Folders. SBA uses data folders to track expenses and other functions, which makes for a familiar feel for nonaccountants and the spreadsheet-challenged. It also simplifies the process of tracking income and expenses across multiple accounts or for multiple businesses, which is handy if you're CEO of a mini-empire.

If you could afford an accountant, maybe you'd hire one, but with OWL SBA, you might not need to. It's free to try for 30 days and costs $57; it works with all versions of Windows from 95 to Vista.