Accounting For Dummies [Paperback]

John A. Tracy CPA (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0470246006 | ISBN-13: 978-0470246009 | Edition: 4

Learn the basics of practical accounting easily and painlessly with Accounting For Dummies, 4th Edition, which features new information on accounting methods and standards to keep you up to date. With this guide, you can avoid accounting fraud, minimize confusion, maximize profits, and make sense of accounting basics with this plain-English guide to your accountant’s language. Understand how to manage inventory, report income and expenses for public or private companies, evaluate profit margins, analyze business strengths and weaknesses, and manage budgets for a better bottom line.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…insightful and well-reasoned…” (Money Matters, October 2004) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Features new information on accounting methods and standards

The fun and easy way to create great financials and boost your bottom line

Want to make sense of accounting basics? This plain-English guide helps you speak your accountant's language with ease, minimizing confusion as you maximize profits. You'll see how to manage inventory, report income and expenses for public or private companies, evaluate profit margins, analyze business strengths and weaknesses, and manage budgets for a better bottom line.

Discover how to:

• Read income statements and balance sheets

• Analyze profits and cash flow

• Evaluate accounting methods and business structures

• Use ratios to study financial statements

• Avoid accounting fraud

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 4 edition (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470246006
• ISBN-13: 978-0470246009
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Business & Investing > Accounting

More About the Author

John A. Tracy is an award-winning Professor of Accounting, Emeritus, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His other books include The Fast Forward MBA in Finance, Second Edition, Accounting For Dummies, Fourth Edition, and Accounting Workbook For Dummies, all published by Wiley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

237 of 245 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not abt Accounting, September 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Accounting for Dummies (Paperback)

While the book does have an excellent layout and has been thoroughly and professionally edited, like almost all of the "for Dummies" books, it lacks content where it needs it most. There is surprisingly little about accounting. There are no examples of how to create any of the three basic accounting reports, the balance sheet, income statement, and the cash flow statement. Double-entry accounting, the foundation of modern accounting, is only given three short pages with, again, no examples. It is not written for those who want to know how to do accounting or how to assist their accountant with their own company's books, but for those who want to have a functional understanding of a small set of reports. This makes it wholly inadequate for someone who wants to learn about accounting. On the other hand, this could make it a good resource for the middle-level manager who needs to know a little about how to read a small group of reports.

140 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for you if your looking for a bookkeeping treatise., October 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Accounting for Dummies (Paperback)

This book is great (I mean great) if you need to understand what is profit, whats in a balance sheet, how to understand it, whats in an income statement. What are assets, etc, etc. This book will open your eyes. Like others have said its not about double entry bookkeeping, or how to prepare your balance sheet. Find that elsewhere. This book addresses what the numbers mean and how to follow them to come to conclusions and how to use that information.

Let me put it this way. If you have a small business, or are put into a position where you need to manage money for a business, or need to buy a business. This book will help you if your not accountant savy.

Its a great book, and is very well written. Another five star success for the dummies series.

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate as a non-accountants' everyday reference, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Accounting for Dummies (Paperback)

The content is simple with material presented in the usual 'dummie' tradition. It works great as a quick way to understand hard concepts, without going into too much distracting detail. A good reference for people who interface with accountants or accounting departments, but accounting students will find that the material is not detailed enough for cases covered in a typical accounting course. Is it the 'feel good accounting book of the year?' I dunno...but like any other dummies book, buy it for the funny cartoons.