what is role of a professional accountant?
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Accountants and auditors help to ensure that the Nation’s firms are run efficiently, its public records kept accurately, and its taxes paid properly and on time. They perform these vital functions by offering an increasingly wide array of business and accounting services, including public, management, and government accounting, as well as internal auditing, to their clients. Beyond carrying out the fundamental tasks of the occupation—preparing, analyzing, and verifying financial documents in order to provide information to clients—many accountants now are required to possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. Accountants and auditors are broadening the services they offer to include budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services.\n\nSpecific job duties vary widely among the four major fields of accounting: public, management, and government accounting and internal auditing.\n\nYou can read about each field by clicking on the link below.  There is also information about salary, working conditions and training requirements.
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try reading these pages .. to have an understanding on the purpose of accounting... and the basic concepts behind them..\n\nhttp://www.futureaccountant.com/accounting-process/study-notes/\n\n\nhttp://www.futureaccountant.com/\n\nhttp://www.schoolingkids.com/
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A clerical representative working in accounting may have such duties as processing payment to vendors, reimbursing employee expenses, receiving payments from customers, negotiating chargebacks, and properly recording the credits (or debits) for such payments into the proper general ledger account so that the company can properly track expenditures and receipts.
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This site has a wonderful explanation on the basics of accounting. Please be patient enough to read through. http://www.futureaccountant.com/accounting-process/study-notes/\n\n\nhttp://www.futureaccountant.com/\nhttp://www.schoolingkids.com
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There are many different kinds of accountant.  If you are reasonably numerate (top 75 percentile) and logical/methodical in your approach to problem solving it isn't difficult at all.\n\nThe hard part is maintaining interest in your studies, as some segments of the qualifications can be very dull.\n\nThere are many different types of accountancy work.  Management accounting, financial accounting, bursarial work, advisory, forensic, audit.... the list goes on.  \n\nIt is a good career path, and if you take a good combination course, with a management element you may well be able to move into other work.  Most senior officers in local government and Chief Executives started their careers in accountancy.\n\nIf you are seriously considering a post graduate course in accountancy the main options are:\n\nCIMA - Chartered Institute of Management Accountants - good generic course with strong management element, liked by business and local government.\nhttp://www.cimaglobal.com/cps/rde/xchg/live/root.xsl/index.htm\nCIPFA - Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants - again good management element, but predominantly for those wanting a career in local government.\nhttp://www.cipfa.org.uk/\nACCA - Association of Chartered Certified Accountants - generally preferred option for practice accountants\nhttp://uk.accaglobal.com/\n\nYou could enter the career by working for one of the 'big four', KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Ernst&Young.  Or any number of other firms, or you could apply for a trainee post within local government.  You should expect to take three or four years to qualify, but the financial rewards are high.\n\nBefore you leap into the career wholeheartedly, why don't you try getting a Summer job in an accounts office, or ask local firms/councils for some work experience to give you an idea of what's involved.\n\nPersonally I drifted into finance by accident, I've spent 10 years advising non-financial managers on all aspects of financial rules and regulations and the customer facing aspects of the job gave me great satisfaction.  I've done some audit/forensic accounting, which is brilliant if you like problem solving and puzzles.  Now I'm using that experience in a general management position.\n\nGood luck, whatever you decide to do....just remember that there's more to life than work.  After all I'm 34 and I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up!!
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Some companies have ethnical standards and some don't. Every business needs an accountant and I really don't know how they can do bad things. Unless they are force to make up some numbers to overstate their profits and earnings, then the only person we can blame is the person who made that order. Accountants primary duties is to calculate numbers and put in data.
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Public accounting firms can issue an opinion on financial statements as to their conformity with GAAP and employ CPA's.  Private acctg. firms usually specialize in tax issues and accounting services.
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I am a public accountant who deals with small businesses.  I like to think of accounting as detective work with numbers.  When a client supplies me with information, I go through the numbers and see which ones are innocent (ie clean), and which ones are guilty.  I keep my clients on the straight and narrow by reporting ALL their income, and finding ALL the appropriate deductions.   I interview the clients to get more information, I do research on the internet to learn more about the client's vendors, and I consult with colleagues to discuss best procedures.  It can be a rewarding job.
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Accounting is the principles behind and the process of tracking the resources of a company to provide management information to the company and its stakeholders.\n\nThat's the one sentence answer. \n\nFor the rest, you can have a look at the CPA site, it was written by Uni Graduates, so it takes about 3 pages to say the same thing
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For protection from liability.  If a professional does not incorporate or form a partnership, their personal property is subject to creditors and other judgements.  Corporations and partnerships protect the personal assets of the professionsl.
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Accountant: One that keeps, audits, and inspects the financial records of individuals or business concerns and prepares financial and tax reports\n-can run you about $150 an hour\n\nLawyer:a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice\n- can run you about $300 an hour\n\nDoctor:a licensed medical practitioner\n-Makes $$$$$ (and lots of it)
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Accountants are realistic. Usually professionally they do not have any emotion what you have is what you have, the numbers never lie.
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Public Accountant, Public Address, Purchasing Agent, Pennsylvania . . .\n\nIt depends upon its context.
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If a person is doing Bookeeping they are a bookeeper, if they are doing Accounting they are an accountant.\n\nA Bookeeper performs a Bookeeping cycle I guess you could say eg: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable etc.  The full Bookeeper is someone who can do it all - compiling data into the General Ledger and preparing Financial statements.\n\nAn Accountant is someone who sets up the bookeeping system, monitors it and interpret the results. Maybe you could say they oversee the bookeeper.\n\nI am not an Accountant nor Bookeeper we have our own business and we have both an accountant and a Bookeeper and this is what they do for us.  Hope this helps.
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Accountancy is the first step to understanding finance. It also teaches the essentials of book-keeping so it is important for anyone who wants to run their own business. There are many reasons of course but I think its mainly because this subject is very easy.
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Accounting mistakes can be very costly for a business or firm, potentially leading to legal troubles or financial loss. Accountants are paid to not make mistakes.
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It means you hire an accountant. You have some advantages that most people overlook.