Accounting

Well, if everyone keeps good records & update their check books/statements, pay on time, save $, shop smart, buy less, invest more wisely, we can all be well off!

Good Book for the thought. Keeps you focused on exact budget instead of impulse spending.

My wife and I squabbled for years over who was spending too much. There never seemed to be enough money, no matter how much we both earned. After reading this book, we were able to budget effectively for this first time. And it doesn't take that much time. What's best is we have more money left over, and we don't argue about money anymore!

This is a great intro to accounting. It will probably take a couple days to a week to read, depending on your background, but you will come away with a pretty solid understanding of accounting fundamentals.

If you have been exposed to finances and business topics then you'll grock the material quickly. If you are brand new to business and accounting then it will be a bit tough - you'll have to pause and think about the explanations. It's worth it though. You'll learn more faster from this book than from a 1000 page book that covers the same material.

In brief, Dr. Label's 10 Minute Guide... is a godsend for those of us who are 'MBA challenged'. Written in simple, easy to understand language, the book opens up the world of accounting to those who have no formal training in business. The Ten Minute Guide... serves as a useful guide and reference for those who want to keep their own books, or to better understand the finances of another business.

Dr. Label skillfully introduces the four key areas of accounting- GAAP rules, the balance sheet, the income statement, and the cash flow statement. For each area, he painstakingly defines the components that go into each area and the relationships between the individual components in an area as well as the relationships between different areas. He broadens his explanation of each area by introducing simple to follow examples of their use throughout the text. Although most of the book's emphasis is on the accounting required by sole proprietorships or partnerships, Dr. Label does extend the concepts to the stock corporation, and devotes two chapters to the analysis of a corporation's financial statements.

In addition, Dr. Label takes the reader through audits and auditors, the basics of keeping a general journal, the use of various financial statements for short and long term analysis, and the use of budgeting in business. Finally, one chapter covers some basic information on the internet and accounting (a subject that is a book unto itself), and Dr. Label thoughtfully provides a comprehensive and understandable glossary of key terms for quick reference.

Although the book is small, it is packed with a lot of useful information which is presented in a clear and succinct manner. It serves as an excellent springboard into the world of accounting, and provides a firm basis for understanding financial data and making good judgements based on such data. After reading this book, one can safely and confidently converse with an accountant and walk away with one's wallet full of cash still in one's pocket. Imagine that!

I have been involved in a small family business for twenty years. My background is engineering. When I was at the university I never felt a need to study or understand business let alone accounting. During the last 10 years in my families business I have continued to take over more and more of the management of the company. As I have done this I have had to understand more and more about accounting in order to deal with my bankers, my financial advisors and my CPA. For years I have been struggling with this topic. A friend of mine gave me a copy of The 10-Minute Guide to Accounting for Non-accountants, and it was like a new world had opened up for me. The book was written in a manner that was so easy to use and understand in my daily life, that by the time I finished reading it (and I couldn't put it down-an accounting book?), I felt so much more confident in dealing with my financial people. Good job! I have now bought the book for ten of my friends.