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Accounting For Dummies
Whether you're a small business owner or just want to understand your 401(k) statements, a basic understanding of accounting practices is important for anyone who handles money. Knowing how to balance the books and stay in the black is vital for keeping a business afloat or keeping your checkbook balanced. If you need to keep the books in order, this new edition of Accounting For Dummies helps you get a handle on all those columns of numbers. It offers fully up-to-date coverage of accounting basics and includes all the tools and tips you need to:
Make sense of bookkeeping basics Read a financial statement Manage budgets for a better bottom line Analyze business strengths and weaknesses Evaluate accounting methods and business structures John Tracy, Certified Public Accountant and former professor of accounting, presents everything you need to know to master modern accounting. Packed with practical guidance and real-world scenarios, this handy guide covers it all:
Making and reporting profit Reporting a company's financial condition Preparing financial reports Budgeting profit and cash flow Choosing and implementing accounting methods How to read a financial report Audits, accounting fraud, and audit failure How to decipher accounting jargon And savvy ways businesses use accounting From balance sheets, to income statements, to inventory, almost every aspect of modern business requires basic accounting techniques. You'll learn it all here. Plus, this new edition covers the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, recent accounting fraud scandals, the establishment of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the new financial reporting standards for stock options and financial derivatives.
Make sense of bookkeeping basics Read a financial statement Manage budgets for a better bottom line Analyze business strengths and weaknesses Evaluate accounting methods and business structures John Tracy, Certified Public Accountant and former professor of accounting, presents everything you need to know to master modern accounting. Packed with practical guidance and real-world scenarios, this handy guide covers it all:
Making and reporting profit Reporting a company's financial condition Preparing financial reports Budgeting profit and cash flow Choosing and implementing accounting methods How to read a financial report Audits, accounting fraud, and audit failure How to decipher accounting jargon And savvy ways businesses use accounting From balance sheets, to income statements, to inventory, almost every aspect of modern business requires basic accounting techniques. You'll learn it all here. Plus, this new edition covers the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, recent accounting fraud scandals, the establishment of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the new financial reporting standards for stock options and financial derivatives.
386 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2004
207 people are currently reading
1423 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 12, 2013
I'm not an accountant or bookkeeper, but I did need to understand the process. I also didn't want to have to try and find classes to teach me about the basics.
Dummies books are well known for being easy to read and understand. This book is like others in the series in that it does exactly that. In addition, each chapter is written so that you can go to the exact section that you need and go only through that chapter alone, instead of being forced to read the entire book so that you understood a single portion.
This is an excellent book for someone who wants to get a good grasp of particular facets of accounting and the processes/purposes of accounting. I didn't want to become an accountant, and certainly did not want to devote an immense amount of time to developing a grasp of who, what, where, when and why of accounting. In just a few hours, I could quickly get a grasp of the concepts, and easily refer back to pertinent sections of the book as needed.
Whether you are a small business owner, considering your own business, or just want to better understand what you are paying that guy to do for you, this is the book to use. It won't magically turn you into an accounting genius, but it will get you to where you need to go to understand it.
Dummies books are well known for being easy to read and understand. This book is like others in the series in that it does exactly that. In addition, each chapter is written so that you can go to the exact section that you need and go only through that chapter alone, instead of being forced to read the entire book so that you understood a single portion.
This is an excellent book for someone who wants to get a good grasp of particular facets of accounting and the processes/purposes of accounting. I didn't want to become an accountant, and certainly did not want to devote an immense amount of time to developing a grasp of who, what, where, when and why of accounting. In just a few hours, I could quickly get a grasp of the concepts, and easily refer back to pertinent sections of the book as needed.
Whether you are a small business owner, considering your own business, or just want to better understand what you are paying that guy to do for you, this is the book to use. It won't magically turn you into an accounting genius, but it will get you to where you need to go to understand it.
July 10, 2012
I laughed. I cried. I ran the full gamut of emotions. And that was before opening the book.
October 12, 2020
3/10
This is the first "For Dummies" book I've read, and I have to say I'm disappointed. I work in accounting so have a background in much of what is covered here, and have to say that if you were to give this book to a lay person, they would be flummoxed by this account of accounting. My mother for instance, though intelligent, would be lost here, as Tracy does not provide enough of a foundation for the uninitiated. The book itself was fine, correct as far as the actual information, but not very useful to anyone except for the very few who already have a general understanding of accounting, but are missing some basics.
Honestly I think Tracy is just not a great communicator, as he takes to much for granted from his audience, and fails to read it from their perspective. I struggle to think of a better alternative then this, but may look for one in future, as this ain't it chief.
This is the first "For Dummies" book I've read, and I have to say I'm disappointed. I work in accounting so have a background in much of what is covered here, and have to say that if you were to give this book to a lay person, they would be flummoxed by this account of accounting. My mother for instance, though intelligent, would be lost here, as Tracy does not provide enough of a foundation for the uninitiated. The book itself was fine, correct as far as the actual information, but not very useful to anyone except for the very few who already have a general understanding of accounting, but are missing some basics.
Honestly I think Tracy is just not a great communicator, as he takes to much for granted from his audience, and fails to read it from their perspective. I struggle to think of a better alternative then this, but may look for one in future, as this ain't it chief.
April 23, 2009
Maybe I needed accounting for MEGA dummies. I have zero knowledge about accounting and unfortunately I found that in order to understand this book one still needed a basic understanding of accounting definitions to grasp these concepts. Bummer.
January 10, 2019
در واقع هیچ فرمول و تعاریف پیچیده در این کتاب نیست و خیلی کاربردی به بیان حسابداری ساده پرداخته است.
March 18, 2009
I find the Dummies series to be quite educational. If I wanted to learn about cooking or about sports, I can read a book designed around the topic. I think that a person should learn as much as they can about things that matter to them. I like learning about accounting because of it's role in business. Increasing my knowledge of accounting can help me invest or even save money.
I like the summary on the income statement and balance sheet. I also like how the book goes in depth what an accountant is and the different components that make up accounting.
I like the summary on the income statement and balance sheet. I also like how the book goes in depth what an accountant is and the different components that make up accounting.
January 15, 2015
overall a great look at accounting, just like you would expect from this book. went more in depth than I expected, which was nice. took me awhile to get through because it's a bit dry.... only so much you can do to spice up an accounting book.
May 19, 2019
Welcome to the incredible world of Accounting! Yay! Accounting for Dummies is a book in the series that introduces Accounting practices to the layman. It discusses the differences between Bookkeeping and Accounting, a point that I had forgotten or overlooked. The author makes it a point to differentiate between the two of them. For instance, while a person that does Bookkeeping might use software and enter data into a computer program, an Accountant would choose between the different brands of accounting software and get to make specialized decisions. In general, the Accountant is the boss or manager of the Bookkeeper.
While I had taken a College Course in Accounting, that is already a story that is over a decade old. I didn’t particularly enjoy the class since it was dry, dull, and overly technical. Not that I expected something exciting, but I figured it would at least be interesting. I was wrong in that sense. Perhaps I wanted to test the Accountant waters and see what it was like.
I had hoped to brush up on some of the Accounting Jargon and maybe refresh my memories of what exactly Accounting is. In that vein, this book didn’t disappoint me. It contains a lot of information that pertains to Accounting; from the fact that you don’t need to be a CPA to be an accountant(it helps though), to the fact that there is no international Accounting Standard in place as of the printing of this book. The major parts of importance discuss how to read Financial Statements and other forms of Financial Reports. For instance, while profit is reported, it is not an independent account. It isn’t even consistently called profit. Sometimes it goes by Net Earnings or Earnings.
So it does put a large amount of effort into raising your Financial Literacy. It even goes into ‘Cooking the Books,’ stressing the fact that this is illegal. However, I suppose if you know what to look for, you can find it better in your own business or personal life. So the book is really useful. I only have one problem with the book itself. Accounting For Dummies has no workable problems. I suppose that this isn’t a huge deal since the mathematics involved with accounting is pretty basic. It isn’t like it would be for Actuarial Science or something along those lines.
In any case, this book was still good. It talks about developing an active reading stance for financial reports and so on. I would say it is pretty invaluable.
While I had taken a College Course in Accounting, that is already a story that is over a decade old. I didn’t particularly enjoy the class since it was dry, dull, and overly technical. Not that I expected something exciting, but I figured it would at least be interesting. I was wrong in that sense. Perhaps I wanted to test the Accountant waters and see what it was like.
I had hoped to brush up on some of the Accounting Jargon and maybe refresh my memories of what exactly Accounting is. In that vein, this book didn’t disappoint me. It contains a lot of information that pertains to Accounting; from the fact that you don’t need to be a CPA to be an accountant(it helps though), to the fact that there is no international Accounting Standard in place as of the printing of this book. The major parts of importance discuss how to read Financial Statements and other forms of Financial Reports. For instance, while profit is reported, it is not an independent account. It isn’t even consistently called profit. Sometimes it goes by Net Earnings or Earnings.
So it does put a large amount of effort into raising your Financial Literacy. It even goes into ‘Cooking the Books,’ stressing the fact that this is illegal. However, I suppose if you know what to look for, you can find it better in your own business or personal life. So the book is really useful. I only have one problem with the book itself. Accounting For Dummies has no workable problems. I suppose that this isn’t a huge deal since the mathematics involved with accounting is pretty basic. It isn’t like it would be for Actuarial Science or something along those lines.
In any case, this book was still good. It talks about developing an active reading stance for financial reports and so on. I would say it is pretty invaluable.
May 18, 2023
Yes, I read the entire book. Both because I'm pivoting into bookkeeping and wanted to supplement my accounting knowledge with an easy read, and because I love stuff about accounting principles in general.
What I especially like about the For Dummies series is that it's like those entry-level college courses you had with the "cool" professor, who would just perch on the front edge of his desk and chat about the topic in a chill, conversational way.
What I especially like about the For Dummies series is that it's like those entry-level college courses you had with the "cool" professor, who would just perch on the front edge of his desk and chat about the topic in a chill, conversational way.
February 1, 2020
Curso básico de contabilidad con los siguientes apartados: los libros, los estado financieros, los reportes financieros, contabilidad de gestión, resumen y glosario. Escrito con el tradicional lenguaje asequible y la chispa de humor reconocible en la serie de los libros de la colección "for dummies".
March 22, 2022
3 stars is about the highest praise I can give for an accounting textbook. I recently got promoted to a job that requires some basic knowledge of accounting, and this was a good introduction. I definitely feel more confident reading financial statements now. Got boring and repetitive in parts, as I'm sure you can imagine.
January 12, 2025
Not my cup of tea on the subject matter, but I’m trying to teach myself to be an extra pair of eyes for a business venture. Well written. Now that I’ve gotten my feet wet with financial statements, accounting terms, ratios ,things to look for as a business manager, I feel the need to do something more hands on… working through the numbers, etc. (But I am also dreading it!)
September 6, 2018
I can't say I gave this book my full attention. It wasn't as technical, straight-forward, or detailed as I hoped.
Not a bad introduction to accounting, but not a great one either.
I definitely have more to learn and don't think I really got much from this 3.5-hour audiobook.
Oh well.
Not a bad introduction to accounting, but not a great one either.
I definitely have more to learn and don't think I really got much from this 3.5-hour audiobook.
Oh well.
February 5, 2018
A solid, high-level overview of how businesses work and how accounting reflects the business process.
January 26, 2019
Good but almost too basic for me,
September 1, 2019
Didn't finish. Gave the book away. A good book but I lost interest.
December 9, 2020
Informative and easy to digest. A good book for beginners who have some basic understanding of personal finance and terminology.
May 25, 2023
Helpful guide to accounting
December 18, 2023
I’m a dummy in accounting and I still don’t understand
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May 21, 2024
I read this as a business manager / glorified bookkeeper. It was rather insightful, so I am glad I have had the chance to read this from front to back. The tips and insights garnered have been noted.
July 11, 2024
The Accounting Professor Emeritus John A. Tracy and his son, the accountant Tage C. Tracy, published the American Canadian version of Accounting for Dummies in 2022. John A. Tracy and Tage C. Tracy have passed the exam to become certified public accountants at some point in their careers. John A. Tracy is a professor emeritus of accounting at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Tage C. Tracy was head of a financial consulting firm. I read the 7th edition. The Tracys’ book, Accounting for Dummies, was a helpful introduction to accounting. Tracys’ book has twenty chapters. The book has a Glossary. The book covers a lot of ground. The book has four sections. The first section is an introduction to accounting. The second section is on financial statements. The third section is to understand different types of financial information as reported in reports, statements, and other ways to report financial information. The fourth section is how accounting information can help in business management. The book also covers how businesses can prevent accounting fraud. The book is partly written for business owners who seek to understand accounting to run their businesses better. I thought the book could have maybe used some more practice problems. I found Tracys' Accounting for Dummies to be a valuable introduction to the accounting field in the United States and Canada.
May 23, 2008
I listened to this as an audiobook, which was probably a bad choice (like milk). The book seems to be a high-level management style overview of basic accounting principles. As an audiobook it was sometimes difficult to picture in my head the various types of accounting forms that the author was speaking on (Simon... That was for you). I assume that in the real book there are likely examples to make this easier. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a high-level view of business accounting, but I would recommend the actual physical book and not the audio version.
November 15, 2009
Ugh...
August 19, 2010
I skipped around in this book and read the items that mattered to me at this point. I like that I can skip around in the book. This is a great desk reference for a quick laymans explanation.
September 13, 2010
This a great study guide. I love how it contains so much, but is so little.
November 16, 2010
Can't get much better.
October 4, 2011
just too much beyond me.....i don't think this is for me.
November 11, 2012
Some helpful ideas to get me started. Geared to business accounting as opposed to nonprofit organizations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews