Accountant

When I was 14 years old, I was asked by a friend's father what I wanted to be when I grew up. My response was quick, accountant. In thinking back, I'm not sure why the 14-year-old me chose accountant. I have distant relatives who are accountants, but I'm not sure if I even knew that then. It doesn't matter, accountant was what I said, and I never wavered. Four years of high school, four and a half years of college, and I was an accountant. Now what? Well I figured out pretty quickly what an accountant does at my first job. I started with a local public accounting firm in January. My first week, I worked just over 40 hours. Not too bad, except I started on Wednesday. My second week, everyone left the office except for me and one senior staff accountant. We were in charge of payroll. Poor Jason. My average was four touches on each payroll client. In other words, I prepared the return, I made changes per the senior staff, I made more changes per the senior staff, I made more changes per the senior staff...you get the idea. The rest of my first tax season was more of the same. No two projects I worked on were the same. I prepared 70 personal returns. All were different. I prepared 50 business returns.
All were different. I did salary schedules, fixed asset listings, and more payroll returns. I adjusted clients' accounting files to allocate payroll, recorded depreciation, set up new loans, and set up new companies. I learned about SIMPLE plans, 401(k) plans, Section 179 for fixed asset purchases, and Section 351 for non-taxable asset transfers. After April 15th that year, I knew what an accountant did, and more importantly, I was glad a very smart 14-year-old me said accountant.

Over the years since, what I do has changed a lot. I can prepare payroll as well as anyone out there, but I don't. I know how to calculate a retirement plan match for a company, but I don't. I can key in check stubs into an accounting system quick as lightning, but I don't. Mainly because of government regulation and technological advances, what I do is different now. However, what I am is very much the same. As an accountant, I help people understand the financial environment around them. I do not make business decisions for clients, but I do help clients understand what the decision means for their business. I do not make personal financial decisions for clients, but I do help clients understand where they currently are, and what all their options are going forward. I firmly believe that the worst decision anyone can make is one that they will not 100% support after making it. It is impossible to support any decision, even a little bit, when you have no idea what the decision even is.

So the question now is, what can an accountant do for you? Are you comfortable with your current tax situation? No, not your 2010 tax situation, but your 2011 tax situation. Do you know how your current business/personal cash flow breaks down? If a new opportunity came about tomorrow, would you be comfortable making a decision you can support 100% based on the information you have right now? Answer honestly. This is where an accountant can fit in for you. With new technology, an accountant can get a great picture of your current tax situation. This will leave no surprises for the spring. Keeping up detailed records that allow a quick assessment of your cash flow, and how different opportunities could effect it, has never been easier. Bank files download into accounting programs, websites can keep track and organize personal expenditures, and internet search tools allow you to research more powerfully than ever before. And accountants can use all of this to help you make the very best decisions. That is what an accountant can do for you.