Veechi Curtis - Bookkeeping for Dummies

Bookkeeping For Dummies

3rd Australian Edition published by
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ISBN: 978-0-730-38473-1

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While reviewing this edition of Bookkeeping For Dummies, I have once again been impressed with how well Veechi has captured the essence of bookkeeping in todays world. While some say bookkeeping doesnt change, what is very obvious (and what Veechi takes care to explain within these pages) is that new technology and changing government regulations constantly drive change in bookkeeping methodologies and practices.

Bookkeeping For Dummies is a must-read, whether youre considering doing the books for your own business, as an employee or whether youre considering bookkeeping as a career. The combination of step-by-step explanations, background information, tips and warnings will help you gain a rapid and accurate understanding of all requirements. Veechi not only explains the basics, introducing essential bookkeeping concepts, but also embraces more complex and advanced bookkeeping topics, including the latest on the rules and regulations involved with working as a BAS Agent.

I first met Veechi Curtis more than fifteen years ago at an MYOB accounting software conference. I was the technical presenter and Veechi was there in her capacity as a bestselling author of numerous accounting software and small business titles. Since then many years, many conferences and many chats later it has become obvious to me that Veechi has a passion for sharing her knowledge about bookkeeping and small business in a creative and committed way that always sheds new light on the topics.

I helped found the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) in Australia in 2006. ICB is the largest bookkeeping institute in the world and aims to promote and maintain the standards of bookkeeping as a profession. All kinds of people, with different backgrounds, experiences and qualifications, are involved in keeping the books. Although some people seek out bookkeeping as a profession, others end up working as bookkeepers almost by accident which is fine, but without training, they often lack the skills to do the best job possible.

My vision for ICB is to help bookkeepers find information and resources, and access insurance and quality support. Given ICBs aim to provide bookkeepers with information of the highest quality, Im very proud to write this foreword for Veechis book.

Good luck and happy bookkeeping!

Matthew Addison
Executive Director, Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
June 2020

1. Chapter 3
2. Chapter 6
3. Chapter 7
4. Chapter 8
5. Chapter 9
6. Chapter 12
7. Chapter 17

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 4
4. Chapter 6
5. Chapter 7
6. Chapter 8
7. Chapter 9
8. Chapter 10
9. Chapter 11
10. Chapter 12
11. Chapter 13
12. Chapter 14
13. Chapter 15
14. Chapter 16

I first started working as a bookkeeper in my late teens, doing handwritten books in leather-bound journals down by the docks in my hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland. Later, I emigrated to Australia, where I got a job working as a bookkeeper in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. There I worked with first-generation accounting software, substituting the peace of those inky journals for a battle of wills (myself versus the computer) that required a bizarre mixture of programming skills and native cunning.

By my late twenties, I had a small business of my own, employing four staff and offering bookkeeping services to local businesses. I finished a degree in accounting (which contributed surprisingly little to my bookkeeping expertise), and started writing for magazines and newspapers reviewing accounting software. In the following years, I wrote a fair few For Dummies titles, including MYOB Software For Dummies and QuickBooks For Dummies.

Even with all this experience behind me, I was in a bit of a quandary as to how to structure the project that you have in your hands right now Bookkeeping For Dummies. I started looking around at other books about bookkeeping, and found that these books fell into two camps. The first camp took a traditional approach, explaining debits and credits, general ledger postings, and so on, all with the assumption that youre doing books by hand. The second camp were accounting software how-to guides, such as the books Id written about using MYOB or QuickBooks.