Naturally, we’re all excited to see the kiddos go back to school this time of year. Not only because they have a renewed opportunity to learn important things, such as what the cool kids are wearing, but also because the house is quieter during the day, and we can take a nap.

Sometimes, we grown-ups go back to school around this time of year, too. We get advanced degrees, or we learn how to cook fancy meals with southwestern flair, or we brush up on statistics to bolster our fantasy football teams.

There’s a guy I know named Albert (not really), whose nickname is Speed (really), because he’s always in a hurry. And this is the sad tale of how Speed started his real estate investment business.

It’s sad, because Speed definitely rushed into things without giving much thought to his bookkeeping and accounting.

I recently met with a client named Molly (not really), who owns one of those “glamping” businesses up in the mountains (really), and she was struggling with making shrewd business decisions based on the financial reports her accounting system was providing.

“I’m just not sure which of our offerings is most profitable,” Molly said, as far as you know. “We offer hiking trips, fishing trips, hunting trips, rafting trips, even zip trips. But which are the winners, and which should we think about cutting?”

Here’s a testimonial we recently received, or could plausibly have received, from a new client whose name could plausibly be Hubert.

I put in my bidness’s transactions, using a popular book keepin’ program which I ain’t gonna name on account of not wanting to get sued (but it rhymes with “Slick Hooks”), so’s I could get it over to my accountant for tax figgerin.’

Come on, you can tell us. You don’t have to keep it to yourself any longer.

We’ve all been there: We’ve had our sacred trust betrayed by someone we thought we could count on.

Like the time we went Christmas shopping with our three-year-old, trusting him not to tell Daddy what we were getting him, only to have Daddy ask THAT VERY NIGHT if we remembered to get extra blades.

If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finds some problem with your tax filings, or wants to warn you about something, do they:

Now that the holidays are (finally) over, and the local swimming pool doesn’t open for such a lo-o-o-o-o-ong time, we’ve arrived at that time of the year which typically represents a big “sag” in excitement and festive cheer in the lives of many.

Holidays are perfect days to set a festive scene:
From giving thanks, to New Year’s Eve, and all that’s in between.
For family and friends, and really, everyone you meet,
This joyous time of year is one we know is pretty sweet.

Ever notice how the people who most need professional advice are the ones who think they don’t?

Teenagers are perhaps at the top of this long list. “Mo-o-o-om! I don’t need you to tell me what to wear!”

(This might explain what you see teenagers wearing at the stores this holiday season.)

This time of year, everyone’s talking about spooky stuff, naturally. The last thing any of us needs is another Halloween-related newsletter.

So here it is.

Each client of your Friendly Bean Counter (FBC) (me) has their own horrors – scary stuff that’s specific to their own business or industry: