Customer Reviews

Bookkeeping For Dummies

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

So you're going to start a business, and if you have any money left over at the end of the year you're going to save part of it and spend part of it. OK, but your business partner isn't going to like that very much. 'What, you say you don't have a business partner?' Yes, you do, and he usually goes by the initials IRS.

Since you're reading this review, you obviously have, or have access to a computer. Your first thought is to go buy an accounting package. OK, that's a good idea. But those packages start throwing around funny words like 'General Ledger,' 'Accrual,' and 'Balance Sheet.'

This book starts earlier than that and starts you off with a paper based accounting system. After you know what you are doing, then it discusses three accounting packages: Simply Accounting Pro, Peachtree Accounting, and QuickBooks. Hint: A lot of banks seem to like QuickBooks and may sell it to their customers at a deep discount, or even give away at no charge.

A Request to the Author, or to anyone else reading this. There are a bunch of free accounting systems on the net. Are any of them any good? Maybe one (or more) of them could be included in the next edition of the book, or on the eTips website.

I'm a smart girl but I STILL cannot make heads or tails out of bookkeeping. Although I now understand credits and debits, the journal entering and what not just didn't make sense. The book seemed to be too general for me. I really needed more detailed, beginner-friendly information and guidance. Maybe if you have a general idea of how bookkeeping works, this book will work for you. I, on the other hand, bought this book having absolutely no knowledge of bookkeeping, and unfortunately, I still don't.

Watch out! The Kindle edition is the UK version! I started at the page for the paperback edition (published in the US), clicked on the Kindle edition and bought it. They're not the same!

I am a Business Manager and I have read this book myself. I think it is an essential guide for anyone who is apart of a bookkeeping staff. It is a really good book that has the basics of accounting principals, but offers more information on supporting Accountants or Accounting Pros. I have given this book to others who are in Accounts Payable or Receivable positions or those who may want to understand their own personal financials. I highlighted throughout the book. Sometimes you forget the foundation to accounting and finance is bookkeeping. I found it to be a nice refresher/reminder. Worth the $$$

If you really want to learn bookkeeping, this is not the book for you. First, it is error-filled. Second, the book provides questions in proceeding chapters about areas that have not been covered. Third, the questions are beyond description. Let's just say, based on the poorly-written sections, you will not be able to understand what is being asked. Last and worst, the concepts are not tied together so that the reader can get a complete picture of the entire process. I cannot emphasize this enough: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. If I could have, I would have given this book a zero.

This book doesn't help you if you have the Mac Version of Quickbooks. I probably should have checked that out before buying it but I assumed that the functions would be the same. Silly me, they are not! Just something to consider...

I found this book repetitive and confusing. No easy explanation was given for which accounts have a debit or credit balance (DEAD CLeRC is a helpful mnemonic), and there are as many examples of using Quickbooks as manual bookkeeping. Quickbooks is popular, but if you want to learn Quickbooks, get the Quickbook for Dummies book!

Add in silly grammatical problems and I just can't recommend this book.

I purchased this for a business franchisee because I felt that he need help. After first reading it myself, I know that it offers good sound accounting. I would offer this to nay small business owner.

I like this book as a beginner-- it's an easy read and it also gives you a lot of tips and tricks.

Don't waste your money on this book. There are much better explanations of bookkeeping available on the internet for free. Try googling "double entry bookkeeping tutorial".
The primary reason I bought this book was to understand double entry bookkeeping: debits, credits, ledgers, journals, etc.
Unfortunately, while the book addresses these topics, it does not explain them. For example, for debits & credits the best the author can do is print a table and basically ask the reader to memorize it. I don't want to memorize stuff. I want to understand the logic behind a system so that I can figure the details out on my own.
The author also spends a lot of time explaining the process of closing the books at the end of an accounting period. She makes it sound so onerous and complicated that any reasonable person would conclude that it is better to just hire an accountant. Maybe the author is an accountant trying to drum up business?
Another complaint I have with the book is that every example the author uses to illustrate bookkeeping involves a retail store. I bet most small businesses are not retail stores. The principles of accounting are basic, they apply to retail stores, service businesses, non-profits, governments, households. How about a variety of examples to show how the system works for these various types of entities?