Who are accountants,
anyway?
Barbara
Clemenson,
CPA, CFRE
Who are
accountants?
Who are
accountants
and CPAs?
What is the difference
between accountants and auditors?
What should I remember when I’m
dealing with accountants?
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Who are accountants?
Accountants are sometimes
referred to in a derogative way as
“bean counters.” Can anyone
guess why?
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Who are accountants?
Beans were the first mobile form of
currency. Hence, those who kept
track of the “beans” (i.e. money)
were “bean counters.”
Some businesses have even turned
the term to their advantage:
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Who would want to
become an
accountant, anyway?
These are generalizations and are NOT true of all
accountants!
Numbers thinkers more than idea people
Detailed oriented people more than broad
visionaries
People who like things to fit, work. More
binary [“double-entry”] than creative.
Task-oriented more than people-oriented.
More risk-adverse people than risk-taking
people.
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Who are CPAs?
CPA stands for “Certified Public
Accountant.”
“Certified” means that we are licensed by
the state in which we work. Each state has
slightly different qualifications for CPAs.
“Public” means that although we might
work for an accounting firm or for a
company, our primary responsibility is to the
public – to make sure the public has good
financial information.
“Accountant” is who we are and what we
Clemenson
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do. - Who are accountants?
Who are CPAs?
In the State of
Ohio, only CPAs
can call themselves
accountants or hold themselves out to the
public as providing accounting services.
Non CPAs cannot legally use those terms.
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Who are CPAs?
How do you
become a CPA?
In Ohio CPAs need:
 Training in Accounting
 150 credit hours of college
 A degree
 To pass the CPA Exam
 And to have two years of experience
 To pass the ethics exam.
 Every 3 years they need 120 hours of CPE /
Continuing Professional Education in order to be
recertified and keep their license active.
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What is the difference
between an accountant and
an auditor? An auditor works for
a CPA firm and
conducts independent
audits of other
organizations.
A “CPA in Industry”
works for a company
and does not audit
other organizations.
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What should I remember when
dealing with an accountant?
CEO and
Accountants/CFOs are
different:
In Personality
In Perspective
In Training
In Language and
Communication
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Personalities of Administration
CEOs
Personality
Perspective
Training
Language &
Communication
Accountants
Risk-takers
Conservative/Risk-adverse
Imaginative--Thinking
outside of the Box
Determinative--Thinking
within established parameters
Impulsive
Deliberate
People-oriented/Outgoing
Conceptual: The Forest
Task-oriented/Private
Details: The Trees
Future-Oriented
Past-Oriented
Why?: Causal
What?: Results
Qualitative
Management-People
Ideas/Words
Quantitative
Accounting-Finances
Numbers/Graphs
Verbal
Written
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Learning to Communicate
We are both responsible to learn each other’s
language, understand each other’s perspective,
and anticipate each other’s information needs
CEOs
 Tell your Accountant
what information you
need
 Tell your Accountant
what is happening so
he/she can anticipate
needs of which you
are not aware
Clemenson - Who are accountants?
Accountant
 Forget GAAP and organize your
financial information in whatever
way it makes sense to your
Executive Director
 Listen to your Executive Director’s
ideas and help him/her quantify
and codify them so they are easy
to understand and communicate
 Anticipate your Executive
Director’s needs and point out
potential risks
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What CEOs want in CFOs
CFO Magazine, July 1999
Most Important Skills &
Qualities
Multitasking Required-CFO Important in:
Financial expertise
Personal integrity
Communication skills
Strategic vision
Industry expertise
Business development
Human resources
Information tech.
Reengineering
Marketing/Sales
Integrity, Objectivity, Confidentiality:
CFOs are most CEOs’ main professional confidant
and often influence their thinking
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What should I remember when
dealing with an accountant?
Be patient
Be gentle
Be encouraging
Give them time
to think things
through and
make up their
mind
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Why wouldn’t anyone
want to become an
accountant?
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