This blog is dedicated to stuff that accountants like
Posted in List on Feb 20th, 2009
Accountants live and die by the pending list. It’s the heart of their operation and acts as mission control. For an accountant, to have to worry about version control (i.e. which pending list is the most recent) is a set back that will cost at least a day to catch up. A pending list is, […]
Posted in List on Feb 18th, 2009
It’s true, accountants give out crappy, lame gifts. Accountants are not known for being especially creative people, unless it comes to cooking the books and then the MENSA scholars come out from all corners. Just look at all the junk available out there. Coffee mugs emblazoned with Accountant? A t-shirt that says CPA? A mouse […]
Posted in List on Feb 16th, 2009
When it comes to sending IMs instead of working, there is no match for an accountant. Accountants spend most hours in their day in front of laptops staring at excel, outlook, and instant messenger. An amazing thing about how instant messaging works: the more explicitly company-banned instant messaging programs are, the more popular the programs […]
Posted in List on Feb 11th, 2009
Studying for the CPA exam is an important step in any young accountant’s life. It demonstrates strength of will to put up with and study excessively dull accounting concepts. It shows that they are ready to accept the title of CPA and manage the painful, dream-shattering experience that is everyday at work. The exam has […]
Posted in List on Feb 9th, 2009
As a professional pastime, accountants are experts at claiming expenses. This practice has also been called expensing it, charging it, running it through, and so on. Accountants call it whatever they want since it’s a perk of the job, though the IRS doesn’t need to know that. Here’s how it works: 1.) Buy something possibly […]
Posted in List on Feb 6th, 2009
If accountants had their way, everything would be immaterial. “50% of gross assets? Immaterial!” “Oh, it’s only a few hundred million off? Totally immaterial.” Material, roughly speaking, means that an omission or misstatement of the data could potentially influence the decision of an end user. To say something is immaterial is to say that it […]
Posted in List on Feb 4th, 2009
The Office is a TV sitcom documenting the exciting, drama-filled lives of office employees in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Office showcases a paper sales company with a clueless boss, Michael Scott. In order to keep the show entertaining, accounting treatment is rarely discussed and the accountants (Angela, Kevin, and Oscar) are often targets of the plot. […]
Posted in List on Feb 2nd, 2009
From GAAP to GAAS, CPA to CPE, and AICPA to PCAOB, accountants feel the need to shoehorn as many acronyms as possible throughout their workpapers and professional lives. While accountants are busy trying to save the world, the fact remains that accountants are incredibly lazy people. Acronyms, as you are well aware, are words formed […]
Posted in List on Jan 30th, 2009
Training is important to accountants, but not for the reasons typically listed. Keeping up to date on the latest accounting standards, improving soft skills, utilizing new software – nobody cares. All the real learning is done on the job anyways. Trainings are the perfect time to see coworkers, go out, and not sleep. People go […]
Posted in List on Jan 28th, 2009
Now, we have the opportunity to discuss accounting fundamentals. Forget everything you thought you knew about accountants: debits, credits, even addition and subtraction. None of that actually matters in practice. Accountants rely on Tickmarks and equally, if not more important, Tickmark Legends, to accomplish anything. Accountants have to take a pen that dollar stores would […]