Dear bivio friends,

I would like to be the first to apologize to Rob and his
crew for fueling the fire of uncertainty over the new
service changes. I have to admit I reacted before taking
the time to investigate. I spent the better part of
yesterday visiting with my contacts at BI, Manifest,
StockCentral, as well as other bivio clubs, affiliated
accounting professionals and finally, Rob. From what I have
learned, this is but one in a series of changes coming our
way that could be very beneficial to our clubs. The problem
is, these changes have not been made public yet, and I’m not
the right messenger. This has added to the confusion.

What I explained to Rob was that many of us from the NAIC
community have been sorely tested over the last couple
years. Our support system has been compromised, our prices
have substantially increased on several fronts, and our
attention is now being pulled in several new directions.
Geesh! We have a reason to be a little sensitive! But the
one beacon of consistency has always been bivio. So while
the timing and communication of the service changes could
have been better planned, I have to trust that Rob will do
the right thing by us. He always has before.

Here’s what I do know:

1) With 13 years of club accounting under my belt, I
can tell you with absolutely certainty that bivio club
accounting is far superior to everything on the market
today. The program is constantly maintained to keep it
error-free; the technical support is just awesome; and Rob
and his crew listen to every request and make every effort
to implement our suggestions. I can’t say that for the
competition.

2) The cost of doing business is rising everywhere. I
reviewed my subscription history and noted that we have not
had a price increase in 3 years. Sure, it would have been
easier to receive it in smaller increments. But in my SMALL
club of 9 members, the $30 represents a $3.33 increase per
member per year. I think we can live with that. Besides,
we are getting a deal if you compare the new $99 price tag
to the competition (I hear it will be $158 now) which has a
lesser-quality, less-user-friendly program.

3) I am a financial person by trade, and much like
Sandy and Ira and others here who are numbers-oriented(!), I
don’t mind entering the numbers. But folks, I would never
want the responsibility of doing the books by hand again or
pumping out the tax returns by myself. There's just too
much we need to know. And I know that many of you feel the
same way. So while I personally may not need AccountSync, I
have to admit that I have never tried the program. But those
who have seem to just love it. It’s my understanding that
the extra fees will pay for improvements and to add
additional brokers, like Firstrade.com. One of the reasons
I love Firstrade is because they are so investment club
friendly. I can’t imagine them turning away from this
opportunity. So! When it becomes available through
Firstrade, I will recommend that my club signs up for it.
Then I will have right to voice my opinion on it.

Again, I think the biggest problem here is the lack of
communication. I am hoping that new information will become
public soon to explain some of what’s going on. In the
meantime, I plan to sit tight, support this website as it
has supported me and my club, and concentrate on a peaceful
holiday and a very prosperous 2007! I ask all of you to
join me.

Thanks, and happy holidays,

Lynn Ostrem, President
garbagecop@earthlink.net
Crow River Investment Club
www.bivio.com/crowriver

Lynn,

Yes, I agree we should regroup. In this spirit I offer my
"bivio catechism" below. I think everything in it is true.

Mike Carroll
Sun City Vistoso VIP Investment Club
+++
a bivio catechism

What is the best accounting solution available for
investment clubs?
bivio!

Is $99 annually a reasonable price for bivio?
Yes, $99 annually is a very reasonable price.

Was $69 annually a reasonable price?
No, $69 annually was not a reasonable price. It was a steal.

What else do I get for my $99?
For my $99, I also get AccountSync.

Do I have to use the AccountSync feature?
No, use of the AccountSync feature is entirely optional. I
do not have to use it.

Should I be happy?
Yes, I should be happy, and grateful that I have bivio.

Lynn Ostrem wrote:
>I 'am with Lynn on this one. Our club uses Bivio but it can not properly handle our partnership percentages because each partner owns a certain perecntange. Bivio was convient for the club for members to review and comunicate. All entries were manually inputed and tax reports were manually done. Bivio was not used. So I just got billed and paid the $69.00 for next year. I guess I want my money back and will cease relations with Bivio.
 G. Staub

Family & Friends Inv. Club



>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Bill,
>  
> Just to let you know, Rob and I already talked about the
> growing number of Firstrade accounts here at bivio, and he is working, on it as
> we speak.  I, too, feel a little cheated if I have to pay for something I
> can't use.  Although, rather than being forced to "buy" AccountSync,I think
> the price increase was probably necessary, and tossing in AccountSync was
> more of a reward since the programming for it was already done.
>  
> Lynn O.
>  

Gerald C Staub writes:
> I just got billed and paid the $69.00 for next year. I guess I want
> my money back and will cease relations with Bivio.

Please email support@bivio.com, and we'll either get a check or a
credit card refund to you. Our Terms of Service does not require us
to do this. However, we believe it's the ethical thing to do.

Rob

Gerald, just as a matter of information for you, the accounting program can
easily handle members owning different percentages in the club, by the unit
value system. Gene Rooks, Space Coast Chapter