Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Recently Deceased ‘Accounting Legend’ Kenneth Leventhal’s Simple Explanation for His Career Choice

Last week Adrienne asked all of you to explain, to the best of your ability, why you became accountants. There were a myriad of answers given, which she opted to highlight in her post on Monday. While many of them were fine answers (if not a little verbose), they pale in comparison to the reasoning of "Real Estate Accounting Legend" Kenneth Leventhal. Mr. Leventhal passed away yesterday at the age of 91, and because of his prominence in the accounting biz, he got a press release to mark the occasion that included his explanation behind choosing the art of debits and credits:   

When he was 9 years old, he sold newspapers at a street corner in Los Angeles. In talking with his boss, he learned that the boss planned to take a correspondence accounting course and go into business for himself. All it took to get started was a pencil, his boss told him. "I figured that for a nickel, I could be my own boss," Mr. Leventhal explained, "and I never changed my mind."

Today's required seed money may be a bit smaller more than back then, but you shouldn't take this to mean that you can't arm yourself with a sharp No. 2 and end up getting your name on a building

[via Hoyt Organization]

Latest Accounting Jobs--Apply Now:

Have something to add to this story? Give us a shout by email, Twitter, or text/call the tipline at 202-505-8885. As always, all tips are anonymous.

Comments are closed.

Related articles

Robert Half Reports Finance and Accounting Talent is in High Demand (Duh)

According to the results of a recent Robert Half survey, companies across the U.S. are hungry for talent and of all professional roles, finance and accounting are nearly the most in-demand, second only to technology. The survey also shows that few respondents expect to freeze hiring or eliminate positions in the first half of this […]

chalk hash marks on a black background

The Largest Accounting Firms in Portland, Ranked by Number of CPAs Working There

Been a while since we’ve ranked anything, thankfully Portland Business Journal came in clutch today and gave the world a good old fashioned ranking of Portland accounting firms. The full list of 30 firms costs $30 and we don’t have money like that so we’re looking at the five we can see for free. There’s […]