Best products from r/Accounting

We found 50 comments on r/Accounting discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 290 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/Accounting:

u/whacim · 3 pointsr/Accounting

This is probably more than what you are looking for, but I’ll go ahead and pass on what I have been using. I was already thinking about putting together a less expensive, non-Becker CPA exam strategy for r/accounting once I pass all the exams; so this will be a good warm up.
I haven’t taken all of the exams yet (I have passed the ones I have taken), but I can tell you the resources that have seemed to help the most far. I am pretty cheap, so I have tried to obtain my materials as inexpensively as possible (which is odd because my employer is paying for everything upfront).

For all of the exams I have purchased the Wiley CPA exam prep books; If you are lucky you might be able to find them at your local library.

I also use the Gleim multiple choice questions, and simulations. Gleim questions are in my experience more challenging than the real test questions, which make the actual exams seem not so bad (which is a great confidence booster). I try to answer 1500-2000 MC questions in the last couple of weeks leading up to the exam. I went through the Gleim regulation simulation questions once before the exam, and they really helped me a lot.

For BEC I pretty much relied on tons of Gleim MC questions, and the Wiley materials. I also used my managerial accounting textbook for reviewing cost accounting.

Additional materials I used for REG were my undergrad Business Law textbook, and the Federal Taxation book I mentioned in my last post.

For FAR (the test I am preparing for now), it had been so long since I took any financial accounting courses, I felt I needed a more fundamental review. I have been working through Schaums Outline of Intermediate Accounting I, Second Edition and Schaums Outline of Intermediate Accounting II, Second Edition. I have also been reading Governmental Accounting Made Easy, which has been helping with governmental accounting concepts (I never covered this in school). I am hoping that Wiley and Gleim materials will be sufficient for IFRS.

I’ll have to get back to you on AUD in a few months, but I am assuming that it will probably be a Gleim, Wiley, and old text book combo.

I hope that this helps. It has worked pretty well for me, but everybody learns a little different. Good luck!

u/oaklandr8dr · 4 pointsr/Accounting

I have the gamut of suggestions that I wish I received gifts on through my career:

  1. Laptop Riser - I can't find online the one I bought, but I believe it's aviation grade aluminum. Super light, fold-able to a very level you can easily carry in a backpack. It will save visits to the chiropractor and neck pain to look at your screen eye level. I can't tell you how many staff have bad posture, neck/back pain from hunching over a laptop

  2. Noise Cancelling Headphones - I bought these Sony's and they are incredible for noisy offices, have great battery life, and enough quality to satisfy audiophiles as an "everyday" pair. The battery life is great.

    The price for these refurbs on Amazon are great (I bought mine new).

    The hype is real on this model. Best sound for the buck, wish I bought them sooner.

    https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Wireless-Bluetooth-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B077591SKS

    ​

    A good pair of quality earbuds with the voice microphone too is a must for those moments you need to listen to things more discreet or hop on a Zoom / Skype call.

    ​

  3. ZIPPING Leather Folio - If her firm doesn't provide one already, a folio that ZIPS is clutch because you can throw whatever loose items you have (coins, business cards, extra pens) and it won't get lost in the sea of junk in your backpack

  4. Cord organizer - my backpack has so many different USB cables, dongles, and attachments I could really use a backpack with better pockets and places for the cables, or a cable management/organization tool

  5. French Press - Coffee at most CPA offices suck especially when you're in Flavia country. Hot water though is almost invariably available. Client sites usually have shitty coffee too. I keep a hand grinder and french press in my car (no joke) for audits when the client coffee is shitty (I'll bring a bag of coffee beans from home).

  6. USB C HDMI/Hub/Adapter/Card Reader

    https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Aluminum-Ethernet-Delivery-Compatible/dp/B07919ZNB4

    Something like this. My IT doesn't have these, but I brought the one I got issued from another firm into my current firm. Our laptops have one USB C port and one regular USB port - totally unacceptable. If one port is taken up by my Logitech dongle for mouse and keyboard - I only have the USB C port to go on, and I need a hub for more attachments.

    https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Converter-Adaptor-Macbook-Chromebook/dp/B074HZMCQ3

    My firm does have these, because we have so many monitors with different adapters and laptops are now retiring ports except displayport/HDMI.

    My laptop also didn't come with a hardwire LAN connection, also why I'm glad I had the hub from my old firm because for downloading massive files - WiFI sucks.

  7. "Care Package" - I have this already stuffed in my backpack, but a nice little "extra" gift would be a small zippered bag of meds. I have ibuprofen, allergy meds, a few bandaids and wipes for paper cuts, hand sanitizer (100% MUST), emergency tin of breath mints (you'd be surprise how many clients and coworkers have butt breath), and various cold medicine (sudafed) and because I am stuffy in allergy season I keep flonase handy. A few benadryl just in case, but i never use it (makes you too drowsy to work). I also keep a packet of tissues because you can't rely on the client having anything to blow your nose in.

  8. Business Card Case - I got one from my state CPA society, but I've seen some in novelty stores like Daiso from Japan for just a few bucks or less. That's the place to go. Just something to keep the cards clean and unscuffed.

  9. Portable USB Power Bank with high capacity - Anything less than 10,000 mah is a waste of time. They've got 30,000 mah banks that could get you through days worth of phone charges without recharging. You want those.

    Some clients don't have power strips or you'll be fighting for plugs with your team in an audit site.
u/frenchforkate · 1 pointr/Accounting

Ok, well a lot of Introductory Accounting books are really more about bookkeeping than anything else. I'd avoid those. If you want to get a head start, the Phillips and Libby one is good. I teach it in my Intro Accounting class. This is an older edition, but you can get a used version for $3.00 on Amazon so that's a plus. Everything builds on the concepts in this book. To succeed in Accounting, you have to master debits/credits and journal entries. There are lots of great YouTube videos on Accounting concepts too so if there's something in the book that's not making sense, see if you can find a good video on the topic.

Here's a link to purchase the Phillips and Libby book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0078025370/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1465504702&sr=8-1&keywords=fundamentals+of+financial+accounting+book+libby

Also, I haven't read this book, but it sounds like it covers all the basics well.

https://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Made-Simple-Explained-Pages/dp/0981454224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465504552&sr=8-1&keywords=intro+accounting+book

Best of luck!

u/1950sbebop · 8 pointsr/Accounting

Sup Stab-Stabby,

Before you read what I have to say, I highly suggest checking out this sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bookkeeping/ . I asked a question there about bookkeeping and got some pretty honest and straight forward advice.

Anyways - from what I understand (and I could be wrong, anyone feel free to correct me), it's essentially making journal entries and making the ledger, writing up invoices and income statements.

You absolutely for sure need to have some basic concept regarding what to debit and credit when there is a transaction, and other basic accounting rules.

If you are not well versed at all in accounting (like I was and still am, however I've been studying in my spare time), I highly suggest you read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Made-Simple-Explained-Pages/dp/0981454224

The author explains the accounting concept and doing things like a book keeper would do very simply, and straight to the point.

You do not need to be a math wizard to be a bookkeeper, but you need to do things like Add, subtract, multiply, or divide in accounting terms.

For example: Return on Assets = Net Income/Average Total Assets.

But I'm not sure if you'd use something like that in bookkeeping, it's more of keeping records I'm assuming .

I do want to point out that you're not insane considering a career like this. I'm in the exact same position - decided I needed a career change and started looking into different careers out of desperation. Found accounting to be doable / interesting, financially stable, seems to be a decent job market and it's something that doesn't take long schooling wise compared to... let's say law school or becoming a doctor.

Hope this helped you out in some way or another

u/chrissundberg · 2 pointsr/Accounting

I'm not aware of a whole lot of books specifically about accounting, but here are a few recommendations of books about finance, economics, business or that I just think might appeal to /r/accounting.

Anything by Michael Lewis. Liar's Poker has been mentioned elsewhere, but The Big Short is excellent as well.

Ben Mezrich has written some good books about business, but not really accounting specifically. He's most famous for The Accidental Billionaires which is about Facebook (I believe it, along with The Facebook Effect were the main sources for the movie The Social Network) and Bringing Down the House which was about the MIT card counting team and inspiration for the movie 21. You might be interested in Ugly Americans or Rigged though.

Here's a few more that are a little less fiction-y:

Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Traders, Guns and Money by Satyajit Das

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay

Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It) by William Poundstone

EDIT: Now with links!

u/monsieur_le_mayor · 2 pointsr/Accounting

You've probably seen the movie, but The Smartest Guys in the Room book is a cracking read. I was engrossed the entire time by how fucked up Enron was and what the wall street mania was like in the late 90's. Superbly written, richly detailed look into how corporations go off the rails and how accounting practices and corporate culture and ethics (or lack thereof) intersect. It's a total page turner - even though I knew Enron collapsed and Skilling and others went to jail.

In a similar vein, The Big Short is a great movie and an even better book. Probably less accounting stuff than The Smartest Guys in the Room, but an engaging, informative and personal look at the sub-prime housing clusterfuck of 2008. Anything by Michael Lewis is a good read generally.

Other random books I've enjoyed recently:

  • East of Eden by John Stienbeck
  • Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Airley

u/throwaway1138 · 13 pointsr/Accounting

I'm not a shill, but I'm going to plug a book recommendation here.

I'm reading a book called Double Entry - How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance and I highly recommend it. Accounting systems developed around Renaissance Italy, with the help of Muslim scholars, who brought to the west Hindu numbers. It's like the entire world came together all at once perfectly at exactly the right time to develop modern accounting as we know it. Luca Pacioli is heavily featured in the book, and it surveys all of number theory, logical philosophy, math, history, banking, finance, and accounting through the ages.

I highly recommend this read, A+

u/Uncle_Erik · 5 pointsr/Accounting

> no advanced math...

I had to take business calculus and statistics, so there is math. I was terrified of it at first, but wound up buying a copy of Forgotten Calculus and, man, that is one of the greatest math books out there. No shortcuts, but it takes you by the hand and explains everything. I was cranking out differential equations after that.

Further, I brought the book to class and my calculus professor went nuts over it. I gave him the book after the final and he's now using examples from it to teach. It is that good. If you're afraid of the math, buy this book. You have to put in the time and work the problems, but it will get you through and everything will make sense.

> Accounting is learning the principles/regulations/laws of accounting and applying them.

Very true. I had a somewhat unfair advantage since I went back for another degree in accounting after I became a lawyer. There's a lot of overlap between the two professions and all the rules and regulations were easy. Of course, I hit my head against the wall over that stuff my first year of law school. You can understand it, but you have to be immersed in it for awhile. Then you'll pick it up and it's not too bad.

Also, I strongly recommend accounting over finance. Far more versatile, practical and useful. Finance means you work in finance. Accounting means you can work a variety of positions in any business.

u/iPommy · 1 pointr/Accounting

I understand what you're going through. In Intermediate 1, there will be topics that you've learned in Intro to Financial Accounting, but they will be more in-depth of it.

All I can say is, read the textbook, write notes from what you've learned in the textbook, come to class every day to take lecture notes that your professor will cover (depending how good your professor is), and watch videos on YouTube that cover topics in Intermediate 1. Depending on the professor, you can also ask him for help on a problem or a confusing topic of the class.

I recommend Edspira on YouTube, because if you have any confusion on a topic in Intermediate 1 (like revenue recognition), chances are, Edspira has a video on it. Here's his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/EducationUnlocked

You can also look up other videos that will help you understand confusing topics, too.

All of this will help you pass the class. Also take mental breaks; take naps, do a quick 5-min break while you're studying, and/or do other hobbies. Don't feel overwhelmed.

I once heard my adviser explain that Intermediate 1 is a make-it-or-break-it class for accounting majors--she wasn't kidding around. I barely passed that class with a C if it wasn't for the textbook and videos on YouTube, as well as taking mental breaks.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: If you need to refresh your memory on the foundations of accounting (such as your Intro to Financial Accounting class), I recommend getting this book. This book simplifies the principles of accounting with an example of a lemonade stand: https://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Game-Basic-Fresh-Lemonade-ebook/dp/B001U29UIU

u/rae1988 · -15 pointsr/Accounting

Do all accountants have as great a personality as yourself?

I'm asking for like 3 mini paragraphs that explains what forms of accounting are used for those career paths. Not a lecture on how I have to "work harder". What's the point of having r/accounting if people from other fields can't ask simple questions?

These are the list of books that just arrived from amazon.com. I should have them read in 2-3 weeks:

http://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Dummies-John-Tracy-CPA/dp/1118482220/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369466046&sr=1-1&keywords=Accounting+for+dummies

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Financial-Reports-For-Dummies/dp/0470376287/ref=pd_sim_b_10

http://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Equity-Credit-Analysts-Morris/dp/0071429697/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369465988&sr=8-1&keywords=Accounting+for+m%26a

http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Statements-Step---Step-Understanding/dp/1601630239/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369466133&sr=1-2&keywords=reading+financial+statements

Are there any canonical texts that I'm missing? Mind you, I have a scarce amount of free time due to upcoming internship and my reading list for corporate finance/valuation. So like don't be a dick and tell me I have to read a 1500 pg encyclopedia.

u/Qaskets · 2 pointsr/Accounting

The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U29UIU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1ZlZCbSANXB90

I always recommend this to people who have 0 experience in accounting. My girlfriend wanted to understand what I did on a fundamental level so I gave her this and she enjoyed it. Don't be fooled by the childlike aesthetics, this book actually gave a good clear understanding of the basic concepts. Let me know what you think

u/dbxxd · 2 pointsr/Accounting

These are the best books that I've used: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Excel-Essential-Skills-Method/dp/1909253065 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Excel-Expert-Skills-Method/dp/1909253073

Completing both will take you from zero to 99th percentile of Excel users in terms of skill.

Excel Bible is worthless for learning - it's basically an Excel bult-in help (which is excellent) turned into an overpriced and cumbersome book.

u/manwich123 · 4 pointsr/Accounting

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Excel-Expert-Skills-Method/dp/1909253073

During my undergrad I had an entire class dedicated to Excel and intro to SAP. We used the textbook cover to cover. It teaches you everything and each lesson covers only 2 pages making it very easy to work through. All the files can be downloaded online for free. Couldn't recommend any higher.

u/mhern93 · 2 pointsr/Accounting

I used this book to learn the Excel skills I needed for my job.

https://www.amazon.com/Excel-University-Microsoft-Accounting-Professionals-ebook/dp/B008UZHLJ0

Volume 1 and Volume 2 are enough. I'm sure there are free resources somewhere (could always rely on Help while in Excel).

u/IlIlIIIlIl · 6 pointsr/Accounting

Double Entry

Great read about how accounting came to be and the important people behind it. Including Luca Pacioli (who tutored Leonardo Da Vinci) and his enormous contributions and developments. It's a nice history lesson which helped me connect more dots about accounting.

u/rgfuller · 1 pointr/Accounting

This is pretty good: Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance
https://www.amazon.com/Double-Entry-Merchants-Created-Finance/dp/0393346595

u/Izminko · 1 pointr/Accounting

I've only skimmed through couple videos but it looks decent at explaining the concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu6bUFWaNZo

I've personally started with this book and I think it's a great resource to start out.

http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Statements-Step---Step-Understanding/dp/1601630239/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332430775&sr=8-1

u/DanielTheGreat4 · 3 pointsr/Accounting

I seriously recommend you buy the accounting game. It really helps people who are new to accounting understand what’s really happening. I would recommend getting in a
Paper so you can actually fill it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Game-Basic-Fresh-Lemonade-ebook/dp/B001U29UIU

u/JJ12345678910 · 1 pointr/Accounting

Silly phone posted the link with no text. The book is titled "more than a numbers game". This is a very pleasant, easy to read, history that has some of the 'why' in it. You'll get enough into to how accounting works in your first couple of classes.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470008733?pc_redir=1411903305&robot_redir=1

u/Ivalance · 1 pointr/Accounting

Visit your local library and look for bookkeeping/accounting books not prescribed for college. They tend to be more concise and easier to understand if you're new to accounting. Something like this.

u/SmoothGrind · 1 pointr/Accounting

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010DFVFXC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

never had an issue with this backpack I've had it for 2 years and it protects the laptop very well.

u/peegravy · 2 pointsr/Accounting

Accounting demystified by Jeffery Haber.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0814407900/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_86yrybC5ZAZB5

It's a super quick read, and he teaches so well. Covers basic financial accounting.

u/ButtrmlkPncaks · 1 pointr/Accounting

I think the problem is that any pen you have to press down hard with will bleed through and show up on other pages as if it was like carbon paper or something. You gotta get a pen that doesn't require you to push down hard, something like a Sharpie pen or something with similar ink. I think they're called plastic point pens. The pen I started using today is basically the same thing as a sharpie pen and it doesn't bleed, it dries quickly, and as a bonus it has a highlighter on the other just to prove how serious I am about passing. Try it out and tell me it doesn't change your life: https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-1742663-Plastic-Permanent-Resistant/dp/B00Q4KGJK0

u/EconomicHitmann · 2 pointsr/Accounting

I really liked this book on double entry bookkeeping. I found it suggested on this sub

u/[deleted] · 1 pointr/Accounting

If you're not looking specifically for an academic book (e.g. Wiley Intro to Financial, etc.), this one should give you a good understand of the principles and basis for the field:

http://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Demystified-Jeffry-R-Haber/dp/0814407900/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1331929510&sr=8-11

u/life180degrees · 1 pointr/Accounting

Thank you. Do you think that working from the Schaum's book will be sufficient? It's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Schaums-Outline-Principles-Accounting-Fifth/dp/0071635386

u/iwenttocharlenes · 3 pointsr/Accounting

More Than a Number Game: A Brief History of Accounting - I know it sounds boring, but the writing style makes it actually quite interesting. And it's all about accounting.

All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis - Not technically accounting related, more of a finance book--but absolutely the best business book I've ever read. A history of what lead up to the financial crisis, going into detail about the types of financial instruments at play, and the major players that influenced the course of their development.

u/sakebomb69 · 1 pointr/Accounting

The cover reminds me of Jane Gleeson White's Double Entry