The Wisdom of the Gaucho

Considering the proximity to the dreaded April 15 th date you may be on the lookout for a Certified Public Accountant for yourself or your business. Choosing a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a difficult decision. Along with your stock broker, banker, and tax preparer, who you choose as the CPA for your individual or business needs can have a strong financial impact upon you. You are placing a great deal of faith in this individual, and you should take steps to ensure you're picking a good apple.  Here are some steps you can take to make sure you locate a reputable, competent, knowledgeable CPA:  1 - It's all about the letters. Make sure that you select a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). A CPA has an undergraduate college degree that includes a large amount of accounting courses, passed a grueling 17 hour test, completed 2 years of selected experience under the supervision of another CPA, and attends 40 hours of training per year (known as Continuing Profe...

If you're interested in a career in business, then regardless of your current job, education, or background, you should strongly consider becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA in the United States) or Chartered Accountant (CA in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, etc.). Becoming a CPA (in order to make things more succinct, I'll simply use the acronym "CPA") will give you the business tools, connections, competitive pay, and career certification to have a successful career in business. Numerous factors in the United States and abroad have recently increased the need for competent accountants, and salaries in the industry make it a very desirable career choice. Upon graduating from college, students with an accounting degree are actively recruited by accounting firms. Top students are especially courted by the "Big 4" Accounting Firms (PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Deloitte & Touche). These international firms repres...

In the decade-and-a-half since their introduction, people have come to appreciate the incredible power of the Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Roth IRAs allow individuals to save money for their retirement and let it grow tax free. Yup, you heard correctly; tax free. Roth IRAs are retirement accounts that are maintained by a registered financial institution, but created and directed entirely by you, the investor. These accounts can contain any number of investments including Certificates of Deposit, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, even real estate. You can open a Roth IRA through a brokerage firm (such as Charles Schwab, E-Trade, TD Ameritrade), a Mutual Fund Company (exp. Janus, Fidelity, Vanguard), Banking Institution (Wachovia, Bank of America, or Washington Mutual) or diversified financial company (Citigroup, ING). These accounts can be opened in person, via telephone, or even online. It pays to do your research to find out each companies sp...