What is an Accountant?

If you had asked one hundred friends, "what is an accountant?", then you would probably get as completely different answers! But what really is an accountant? Wikipedia describes the accountants such as:

"is an expert accountant accounting (called the accounting in the United States), which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and other decision makers to resource allocation decisions.

word "accountant" comes from the French word compter that has its origin from the word Computar. It is written in Middle English as Accomptant, but in time for the process, which has always been pronounced drop "p", gradually becomes changed, both in pronunciation and spelling in its current form ."

It is debatable whether or not this answer the question or simply creates more questions. Perhaps it would be more useful to focus on what you Practicing. Again, if this question has been asked for the public then you should get significantly different answers. The most common answer is likely to be "an accountant preparing accounts!" followed by "accountant complete your tax returns!" It is certainly true that most average time accountant in public practice is spent engaged in these activities. However, many UK accountants have developed and offer many services above and beyond those traditionally associated with the profession.

This may include:

Business Planning business benchmarking Tax Planning business model implementation of HR advice outsourcing business insurance Forensic Accounting The expert Cash flow management Resource Planning business growth and development advice Company secretarial work financial advice, such as mortgages, pensions, insurance and investment Auditing Grant advise Corporate Finance

Of course, this list is not exhaustive and not all UK accountants or offer, or are licensed to provide all the services above. If you are looking for an accountant, then it is recommended that you choose only after careful consideration. Areas to consider might be:

Qualifiers accountant Authority for the company Does the accountant come with any recommendations? is an accountant gained experience in conducting similar work for similar clients? office location and ease of reach Fundamentals of charge, not an accountant offers a fixed interest rate? reputation guarantees, the rule of professional bodies and appropriate liability insurance.

Again, this list is not intended to be comprehensive, but only a guide. Careful selection is recommended as a good accountant can add significant value to your business.