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BGL celebrates Daniel Tramontana’s 25 years

By BGL Update, CultureNo Comments

BGL is proud to congratulate Daniel Tramontana, our Chief Operations Officer, who recently celebrated 25 at BGL.

“It’s not something that happens often these days” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “Daniel joined BGL on 10 February 1997 in the support team. I would never have thought he would still be with us after 25 years”.

1997 was a big year at BGL. Not only did Daniel join the team, but BGL released Simple Fund, Simple Invest and Simple ledger. Previously, our only software product was the Corporate Affairs System (CAS). Daniel added a new area of competency to our support and training teams as he brought with him a Bachelor of Computer Science & Accounting.

Through his time at BGL, Daniel obtained a Master in Business Administration and a Six Sigma Black Belt qualification.

Daniel’s contribution to BGL has been enormous. From support to client and team training, to helping BGL grow from a business of 10 people to a business of 180 people – he has had his hand in every pie and BGL would not be where it is today without him.

“My BGL journey has been extraordinary” noted Daniel Tramontana. “Our success is directly attributed to the incredibly loyal and committed team of people. To be able to serve and work alongside such talented people has been an honour and a privilege that I do not take for granted. It is with great anticipation that I am able to take the next step and continue to drive and grow the business.”

“I would personally like to thank Daniel” added Lesh. “His contribution over the 25 years has been incredible and I am so privileged to have worked with someone of his calibre for such a long period of time”

BGL releases portfolio consolidation with AVA Systems

By BGL Update, Simple Fund 360, Simple Invest 360No Comments

BGL is proud to announce Simple Fund 360 and Simple Invest 360 are now integrated with advisory and reporting software solution, AVA Systems.

“It’s great to add AVA Systems to the BGL Ecosystem” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “The integration between Simple Fund 360, Simple Invest 360 and AVA Systems provides consolidated portfolio reporting for fund, trust, company and individual portfolios giving our clients and their clients a holistic portfolio view.”

Andrew Quinn, CEO and Founder of AVA Systems, said: “We’re thrilled with this partnership and to be able to offer BGL clients AVAs grouped reporting tool straight from their platform. Personally, I have been in the corporate advisory and insolvency sector for over a decade and saw the niche for accountants needing software to become more hands for their clients. Coupled with AVAs family grouped reporting ability and AVAs integration with BGL, AVA can now allow accountants to advise on how their clients are doing swiftly and efficiently. Superannuation, investments and businesses all tied into one.”

Apart from integrating with the BGL product suite through Simple Fund 360 and Simple Invest 360, AVA also allows clients to consolidate Xero ledgers with more integrations coming in the near future. “This is a real win-win for our clients” added Lesh.

BGL currently has over 350 partners in our Ecosystem and it is great to be able to add AVA Systems to the list.

For more information about this seamless and intelligent integration, visit: http://ava-systems.com/trynow 

Learn More
Cryptocurrency War Blog

How fighting against cryptocurrency is an unwinnable war

By BGL Update, TechnologyNo Comments

Despite the best efforts of financial regulators and threatened centralised institutions, the war on cryptocurrency seems to be unwinnable.

While cryptocurrencies may have come off the boil recently, there have been a few key events that have presented themselves that would imply they are not going to disappear completely from public view – and definitely not from investor portfolios.

Is it all a Ponzi scheme? Is it enabling criminal activity? Despite the best efforts of financial regulators and threatened centralised institutions, the war on cryptocurrency seems to be unwinnable.

In November 2021 the RBA’s head of payments, Tony Richards, was quoted in an AFR article with the usual concerns raised by institutions that are threatened by the decentralised finance movement. These were shots fired in a war against the perceived evil empire of cryptocurrency.

I too was a non-believer, silently snickering in early 2018 as Bitcoin lost almost half of its value. Since then I started small, and in more recent times there have been some key events that have made me double down on what I believe is a real area of opportunity.

Three stories that may change your mind about cryptocurrency

The CEO of Bitcoin

It must have been during a ‘snap reopening’ we had in Victoria in 2021, around August, when my daughter came home from school and told me that her friend’s mum was the CEO of Bitcoin. Wow, I thought, while Nakamoto Satoshi’s true identity is still up for debate, let’s have a look on Linkedin.

As tends to happen with news from the playground, there was some truth and some over-simplification. It turned out that the parent was a Financial Controller of a publicly listed payment and compliance company that specialised in digital assets.

Why was this significant to me? This was significant because this person had a family, a mortgage, bills to pay, and their livelihood was dependent on digital assets (cryptocurrencies) being the real deal.

Senator Jane Hume tells it how it is

During her address to the Australian Financial Review Super & Wealth Summit (Nov21), Jane Hume was direct and very clear about people who were either ignoring or trying to kill off innovation in decentralised finance – just don’t:

“Don’t be the person who thought the iPhone would never take off because people would prefer to have their music and telephone on separate devices. Don’t be the person who was still doing their financial models by hand in 2001, rather than using Excel.
Don’t be the person in 1995 who said the internet was just a place for geeks and criminals and would never become mainstream.
And don’t be the person who argued that email was a passing fad.”

~ Senator Jane HumeMinister for Women’s Economic Security, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy.

This showed to me that at least some government officials get it and are willing to stand up for what they see as an inevitable area of innovation.

The great rotation

In December 2021 a New York Times article provided evidence of a rotation that was taking place in Silicon Valley. No longer were the prestigious roles at big tech companies such as Google, Amazon and Apple exciting or rewarding enough for the tech workforce.

The entrepreneurial spirit is real, and these visionaries were moving on to where they saw the biggest area of opportunity: blockchain technology:

“There is a giant sucking sound coming from crypto,” said Sridhar Ramaswamy, chief executive of search engine start-up Neeva and a former Google executive, who competes with crypto companies for talent. “It feels a bit like the 1990s and the birth of the internet all over again. It’s that early, that chaotic and that much full of opportunity.”

The keyword being ‘chaotic’ – with many aspects of the new world of decentralised finance (DeFi) and cryptocurrency resembling the wild west where anything goes and with great opportunity also comes great (calculated) risk.

Despite the risks, the percentage of Australians that own some form of cryptocurrency continues to increase and the industry itself locally is expanding.

Ultimately everyone needs to come to their own conclusions. Personally, I hope that we can consider the possibilities of what is new, and not just be scared by it due to it threatening ‘how things have always been done’ – after all, who among us would want to admit that we thought email was just a fad?

Celebrating 25 years of service

By BGL Update, CultureNo Comments

Today marks 25 years of service at BGL Corporate Solutions. That equates to 53% of my life being involved with a business, team and community that I love. Stop trying to guess how old I was when started. Ron Lesh says 15! I will take that.

As an individual, I am truly humbled and grateful to be able to be involved in and to serve in an organisation that is truly a remarkable success story.

From the greatest of moments to the darkest of times, central to all of this is people. And today it is the very people who have helped define me, believed in me, mentored me and stood by me that I want to celebrate.

The people that I have come to know, love and serve are the greatest part of the story.

BGL Corporate Solutions team, I thank and admire each and everyone one of you. Your relentless commitment to each other, our products, clients and community is amazing. You are the reason we are where we are today.

Matthew Crofts, Adriana Cavallo, Warren Renden, Jeevan Tokhi, Anthony Costa, S. Adrian Muscan , Ashley Avileli, James Luo + Dubi Laviati (so many more I could add) your friendship and support allows me to do what I do.

To the many great clients, prospects, partners and Ecosystem members that I have come to know and crossed paths with, it is an honor working with you and being of service to you. Your belief and support of BGL Corporate Solutions is an important part of who we are today. I applaud you.

One of the greatest joys has been, some of the friendships that have evolved. Friends that will be for life. You know who you are. Your constant check-ins, chats and trust are something I dearly value. Thank you!

Danni Tramontana my wife + friend, you are my rock.

Ron Lesh. I am grateful for your belief, loyalty, support, encouragement and friendship. You are an incredible #leader. You have been and continue to be an important figure and influence. You have helped define me, making me a better person and servant of the people. You have also positioned me for an exciting future that I look forward to stepping into knowing that I have had the best example and mentor.

And now, let’s bring on another 25 years! Yes, well past 65 years of age but with CAS 360 (Australia), Simple Fund 360 + Simple Invest 360, I will have most of my compliance matters automated so I can spend time doing that which I love and that is working at BGL Corporate Solutions.

Check out our video!

We had a lot of fun making this video and hope it makes you smile! Enjoy!

BGL adds the Trust Tax Return to Simple Invest 360!

By BGL Update, Simple Invest 360No Comments

BGL is proud to announce the release of the 2021 Trust Income Tax Return in its investment portfolio software solution, Simple Invest 360.

“This is an industry first” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “No other investment platform in Australia automatically prepares income tax returns. This is a fantastic achievement by the BGL product teams and I am incredibly proud of them”

The Trust Tax Return will be released in two parts to provide BGL Simple Invest 360 clients with the opportunity to provide feedback on the functionality of the initial features in Part 1 – the paper trust income tax return, while our team works hard to release Part 2 – Electronic lodgement.

“This release includes the 2021 Trust Income Tax Return populated from the Simple Invest 360 tax calculation engine, associated schedules including the CGT Schedule, Losses Schedule, Rental Schedule, Distribution Schedules and much more” added Lesh.

“Part 2 of the release will provide clients with the ability to electronically lodge the 2021 Trust Tax Return from within Simple Invest 360. This will be the same functionality as is provided for the SMSF Annual Return in Simple Fund 360” noted Lesh.

Simple Invest 360 was launched in June 2021 to automate the tedious process of CGT record-keeping and financial reporting no matter what the tax structure – trusts, companies, partnerships or individuals. Simple Invest 360 is fully integrated with CAS 360 and Simple Fund 360 as well as providing integrated accounting workpapers, digital signing, over 350 data feeds, registry integration and BGL SmartDocs – our industry leading paper to data solution.

Learn More

BGL confirms it’s full-speed ahead for BGL REGTECH 2022

By BGL UpdateNo Comments

BGL is proud to announce the return of BGL REGTECH 2022 as live and in-person event in March 2022!

“This will be one of the first BIG in-person accounting conferences in almost two years and we cannot wait to reconnect with our clients and partners face-to-face” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “We feel there really is no substitute for human interaction and have missed coming together with our community. So, we’re excited to get back to enjoying the small, special moments that only live events can offer.”

BGL has invited industry experts David Boyar FCA – CEO of ChangeGPS, Aly Garrett FCA – Founder and Principal of All In Advisory and Rebecca Mihalic – Director of Business Depot as well as its own gurus to add their expertise to the program exploring the evolution of the accounting industry.

“This year we will explore the evolution – how we are turning big ideas into action; unveiling the challenges of the practice of the future and learning how to supercharge practices with digital transformation for better customer experiences. We also have a huge surprise in store for delegates” added Lesh. 

Aly Garrett, Founder + Principal of All In Advisory and BGL REGTECH 2022 presenter, said: “I am super excited to be joining the BGL REGTECH roadshow. I will be working through how our businesses and clients have evolved over the past couple of years, looking at the implementation of technology, our role in the evolution and how we can circumnavigate it in a COVID-19 environment, with the focus on how we need to evolve in the future to not only survive but thrive.”

BGL REGTECH 2022 will be held in Sydney (1 March), Brisbane (2 March), Adelaide (9 March) and Melbourne (16 March), followed by virtual BGL MASTERCLASSES for our cloud software solutions CAS 360 (22 March), Simple Fund 360 (24 March) and Simple Invest 360 (31 March). 

Registrations are now open! Learn more and register now at www.bglregtech.com

BUY TICKETS!

Simple Fund 360 and Simple Invest 360 Product Update Release – February 2022

By BGL Update, Simple Fund 360, Simple Invest 360No Comments

We are excited to announce the first major Simple Fund 360 and Simple Invest 360 updates for 2022! You can learn what’s new at our New Features Webinar on Tuesday 8 February 2022 from 14:00 – 15:00 AEDT. Register Now >>>  

The full release notes can be found on the BGL Community >>>

Simple Invest 360 New Features

Part 1 of the Trust Tax Return is now available in Simple Invest 360!

We are thrilled to announce the release of the most highly requested feature for Simple Invest 360 – the Trust Tax Return!

The Trust Tax Return will be released in two parts to provide clients with the opportunity to provide feedback on the functionality of the initial features in Part 1 – the paper tax return, while our team works hard to release Part 2 – Electronic lodgement!

Today’s release includes:

  • A brand new Trust Tax Return populated from the Simple Invest 360 tax calculation engine.
  • Support for the 2021 Trust Tax Return (paper/printed copy ONLY).
  • Associated schedules (CGT Schedule, Losses Schedule, Rental Schedule and Attachment Schedule).
  • Dynamic link to ATO help.
  • Invalid field navigation to help speed up validation.

Electronic lodgement coming soon!

Stay tuned for the release of Part 2, which will provide clients with the ability to electronically lodge the 2021 Trust Tax Return from within Simple Invest 360!

Simple Fund 360 New Features

SuperStream Improvements: A number of improvements have been made the help streamline SuperStream Rollovers including the ability to:

  • Validate the Unique Superannuation Identifier (USI) entered via the Fund Validation Service (FVS).
  • Automatically populate APRA Fund Name and ABN on entering USI.
  • Capture the receiving fund’s ABN and USI for use in Rollover Benefit Statement (RBS).
  • Receive an error message where an APRA fund does not have Rollover v3 enabled.
  • Check if a contact already exists before creating a new one – preventing duplicate data.

Plus, further improvements have been made to the Fund Validation Service (FVS) responses.

New Member Reports and Wishlists: New alternate Member’s Statement and Consolidated Member’s Statement reports have been added to Simple Fund 360 based on client feedback. The new reports have additional sub-headings, a summary account balance section, a detailed member section and a new graph design.

New Trustee Minute / Resolutions: The Trustee Minute / Resolutions have been improved and now provides clients with the ability to add custom text paragraphs.

Plus, many more features and improvements. Don’t forget to check out the full release notes on the BGL Community >>>

Scare, scare, scare…

By BGL UpdateNo Comments

I am really concerned.

Australia has become a hostile place where our governments and the media – especially the left wing media like the ABC  – are trying to divide us.

Be it stupid vaccine mandates, identity politics or even having a beer after you win a grand slam, people are out to get you. When did we become like this ?

During one of the lockdowns in Melbourne I as out walking with my wife and god forbid I was not wearing a mask. Some d**khead told me that by walking around without a mask, I was going to kill his children as they rode their bikes around outside his house. Yesterday I came down in a lift and a woman refused to get in. I should say she was wearing a cloth mask that provides little protection and I am of course double vaccinated and had to test negative to get into Queensland (thank god that stupidity is behind us). She was scared and paranoid – what have we done to people ? We are divided.

But it is the language of our so called leaders and the talking heads in the media that really concerns me. Their language is killing Australia. Theirr language is dividing Australia.

Even people who I thought were more sensible, like Neil Mitchell on 3AW, concern me. I listed to him on Tuesday morning and within the first hour he repeated the COVID numbers at least 3 times, seemed to bask in reports some schools had COVID cases and continued to talk like it was the end of the world. I was really disappointed. He is perpetuating the scare.

If it was not for COVID, the media seems to think it has nothing to talk about. How about one of these talking heads analyse where Albanese’s 600,000 climate policy jobs are going to come from ? I can’t see how going from Shorten’s 45% to Albanese’s 43% is going to create 6000,000 jobs. Maybe they can ? Maybe they can tell me ?

Yet the press was more interested in private texts between the ex NSW premier and an unnamed minister, who don’t like Morrison. Honestly, who cares. This from a lefty reported from Channel 10 who himself is the subject of a claim he “humiliated” a female colleague, in a claim filed against the network in the Federal Court. This is the level of in depth reporting by our media.

When is he media going to actually focus on the things that are important to Australian’s rather than the crap that is important to them ?

The scare, scare, scare is killing business. The lack of leadership from our politicians on both sides of all the house is breath-taking, When are our state premiers going to tell their public servants to go back in the office ? When are the hopeless woke CEO’s at our major companies going to do the same ?

I am also glad to see I not the only one who thinks the language of our so called leader is dreadful. It was great to hear Chris Lucus of Chin Chin fame say the same thing on 3AW last week – Grave fears held for Melbourne’s iconic hospitality scene https://www.3aw.com.au/grave-fears-held-for-melbournes-iconic-hospitality-scene/

Our leaders have spent 2 years scaring everyone about – a virus. Melbourne is depressed. If you don’t believe me come up to Queensland and feel the difference. While Brisbane is still slow, the attitude of people is just so different.
I remember being told last year – get vaccinated – when we get to 90%, life will go back to normal. Well when ? When are the bedwetters going to get out of our lives ?When are ALL the restrictions going to be lifted ? When do we start to live with COVID ? When do we get back control over our own lives and our own health ?

I know it is hard to get into the city in Melbourne now because of the ridiculous bike lines installed by Sally Crap – sorry Capp – and her human unfriendly council. Large numbers will not return to the city until this is fixed and the Council is living in fairyland if they think 750 electric scooters will fix the problem.

But, this scare, scare, scare has to stop. We need leaders that are NOT interested in daily COVID numbers – but are interested in rebuilding Melbourne and instilling confidence back into people,

At BGL, we encourage our team to come into the office. As we all know culture and mental health is just as important as physical health. You cannot teach culture over Zoom. I encourage all of you to get your people back in the office. They need it – and so do you!

CAS 360 Product Update Release – January 2022

By BGL Update, CAS 360No Comments

We are excited to announce the first CAS 360 update of 2022! You can read the full release notes on the BGL Community >>>

What's new?

Annual Report and Documents: The Directors Report and Directors Declaration has been added to the CAS 360’s Annual Reports and Documents screen.

Director ID Improvements: A new Director ID ABRS Letter has been added to CAS 360’s Document Production screen for Annual Reviews. This means users can now send the ABRS Director ID letter to their clients as part of the Annual Review process.

Plus, CAS 360’s new Director ID report allows users to quickly and easily export all the Director ID information in CAS 360 to Excel.

Notifications: The performance of the Notifications and Inbox screens in CAS 360 have been improved. Users can also now prepare a Notifications report from the Inbox screen.

ASIC Balance Merge Field: CAS 360’s Annual Review company letter now supports a ${companyAsicBalance} merge field.

Plus, many more features and improvements. Don’t forget to check out the full release notes on the BGL Community >>>

Delays in the delivery of BGL’s live software support

By BGL UpdateNo Comments

We would like to provide you with an important update on BGL’s live software support services.

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the BGL Support Team is currently experiencing staff shortages. As a result, you may experience some unavoidable delays in the delivery of BGL’s live software support including telephone, email and live chat services. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you and your business.

Rest assured the team is working hard and will endeavour to respond to your support tickets as soon as possible.

In the meantime, check out the BGL Resources Hub

BGL provides our cloud software users with a myriad of resources and services which can be used to self-resolve software issues including:

  • Online Help: Quickly search help articles, FAQ’s and training manuals. 
  • BGL Community: Connect with BGL users in a supportive online forum.
  • Learning Channel: An extensive self-paced online training platform.
  • YouTube Channel: Check our product feature videos, webinars and more.
VISIT THE BGL RESOURCES HUB

For BGL desktop software users, the BGL Wiki is available for you as usual.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this difficult time and thank you for your continued support.