Reading Time: 3 minutesA good accountant might be excellent at crunching numbers but a great accountant has far wider range of skills. Of course, you want a person who will manage books, accounts, payroll and taxes efficiently but, when hiring a financial and business partner for your company, you also want someone that you can trust completely, can […]
A Primer on Double-entry Bookkeeping
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe idea of double-entry bookkeeping sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Many people are confused by the concept of double-entry accounting systems though it is one of the most standard of accounting practices. You might think that the easiest way of keeping track of your accounts is to simply make a single recording of every transaction made […]
How to Read a Financial Statement
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhether you are an investor, employee, board member or owner of your own SME, knowing how to read a financial statement is a skill you will need to call upon if you want to make informed decisions regarding spending, investing and more. Sure, you might rather leave the interpretation of financial documents to your accountant […]
Fraud Auditing, Investigation and Forensic Accounting
Reading Time: 4 minutesAnyone who has read the autobiography of Frank Abagnale, “Catch Me if You Can” (also adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks) would be surprised by the ease conmen find weaknesses in controlled processes. By the tender age of 21, Frank Abagnale had already defrauded banks of 2.5 million via bad cheques […]
Accountants and Early-stage Startups
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt is common for early-stage startups to put off hiring an accountant, either because they think they don’t need one or because they think they can’t afford one. In some cases, the idea of retaining an accountant is not even on the radar of early-stage founders yet. While it might seem too soon to some, […]