Art of Accounting: My first 156 columns

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I just found out that there is link that brings you to my prior "Art of Accounting" columns. I checked it out and it goes back to my 156th column posted on Nov. 14, 2016. Here’s the link. The earlier columns can be found on this website by searching for my name, or you can just click on my byline at the top of the page.

Coincidentally a book was just published with the first 156 columns. It is 400+ pages of my sage wisdom told in an autobiographical manner. I loved writing each of them and enjoyed reliving those circumstances. I have been truly fortunate to enjoy working in this fine profession with great partners, bright staff and clients who are the smartest people on earth — entrepreneurs, corporate executives and directors, and managers of not-for-profit organizations.

Rick Telberg of CPA Trendlines asked me if he could publish my columns, which he felt would include a wide body of knowledge in an easily accessible book. How could I deny him this pleasure … .

You can access everything I wrote on this site for free at the above link. However, you can also buy the book and have it near you at all times to flip through to find a solution to a current problem that I might have had quite some time ago and worked out in an effective way that I shared in a column.

I have to admit that I really like each of the columns that I wrote. I had to reread them for Rick when he sent me the pre-publication proofs, and in all modesty I enjoyed rereading every word and recalling every situation.

If you want to buy the book, here is a link: https://store.cpatrendlines.com/shop/call-me/. If you claim an EdSentMe coupon code, you will get a 25 percent discount. Keep the code because you will also get the 25 percent discount for any other book published by CPA Trendlines. BTW, Rick Telberg was the first editor of Accounting Today and has become a good friend and also asked if he could write the foreword.

Here is a takeaway for you based on my experience (to make this column useful besides being a “commercial” for my book). Through my years of practice I realize that the most successful accountants are not the smartest, or those who had the highest GPA in college, or the best organized, although many very successful accountants are all three. The most successful are the ones who remembered what they worked on if and when the situation re-occurred; know experts to go to when confronted with complicated issues; meet deadline commitments; and are fully accessible to their staff and clients. Oh yeah — they also look for every opportunity to learn new things and are obsessive about systems, procedures and training their staff. Consider if you meet all of these “success” attributes. If not, then start doing so.