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Materiality - the music video

The ever-so material accounting song you've all been waiting for!! Materiality is an auditor's anthem created by two accounting musicians: Petty Ca$h [rap] & Auditor Meri [lead vocals & music production].
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The role of an auditor

The role of the company auditor is commonly misunderstood.

To help clarify the the limited responsibilities of auditors, reference is often made to the immortal words of Lord Justice Stopes in the Kingston Cotton Mill case: "The auditor is a watchdog not a bloodhound".
Many years later this phrase was famously corrupted by an aspiring young accountancy student. During an examination where he felt under significant time pressure he wrote, in evident frustration: "The auditor is a watchdog, not a bloody greyhound".
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When Allan was an accountant on the streets

Many years ago I met Allan Kutner at a local club for aspiring speakers. 

Allan was a city-based Chartered Accountant who told a wonderful story about his early years. I encouraged him to send it in to Accountancy Age who duly printed extracts in their ‘Taking Stock’ back cover feature. 

I recently traced a copy that I must have retained over the years and am delighted to be able to record it on this blog for posterity:

Allan’s hope was that his cautionary tale would help others to overcome the stigma and guilt that society instils in accountants.
After exhibiting an early obsession with maths Allan says that he started going up the city and hanging round Threadneedle Street. 
“I’d go up to business men and ask if they wanted an audit” he writes. “At first they would just look at me disgustedly and rush off. But gradually some would stop and ask ‘how much?’. I would tell them – for a full audit and typed report, £250. But if they just wanted an interim and handwritten report, I’d do it for…
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What Big 4 accountancy partners do outside of the office....

A newly qualified accountant in one of the larger firms was having a celebratory drink with some of the partners in his firm.

They were encouraging him to take an interest in professional affairs - as they all did.

''What do you do,'' he asked. One said he was on the local branch committee, another chaired a tax discussion group, a third was a practice support member.

The oldest partner was unusually coy and then announced that his involvement in professional affairs was limited to making regular appearances in disciplinary hearings after clients complained about his work.

One of his fellow partners was quite new to the firm and was astonished to hear this. Later the new parter asked if what he'd heard was really true, that the older partner made regular appearances in disciplinary hearings after clients complained about his work.

''Oh no'', came the reply, ''The senior partner's a member of the Financial Reporting Council; he's just …
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Synonyms for accountants

Some of the newer synonyms I've heard for accountants include:

The books banditA double entry deviantThe financial first ladyA financial wizardThe finance fairyA journal jugglerA month end maniac The prince of payments  Any more?
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The Public Accounting Anthem music video

This well crafted rap video of his 'Public Accounting Anthem' explains the career history and professional life of CPA qualified accountant Petty Ca$h.


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5 acronyms of interest to Accountants

I'm a bit of an acronymaniac. Here are some that might be useful for accountants.

AFLO 
We've all had them. Challenges or things that don't go as we hoped. We might smack our forehead in frustration. Maybe January was an AFLO for you this year. Another Flipping Learning Opportunity!

TIOLI 
Maybe this is your approach when talking with clients about your service offerings: Take It Or Leave It

DARE
An approach to following up after attending networking events: Deliberate Acts of Relationship Enhancement.

HIPPO
Another way of explaining why the senior partner gets the last word. It's because it's the Highest Paid Person's Opinion.

GLIBO
What you might think of these acronyms. They offer a GLIBO: Glimse of the Bleeding Obvious
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