Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Audit Team Struggles to Come Up with Ironic Halloween Costume

From the mailbag:

Hey Caleb and Adrienne,

Question: my audit team and I are looking for a cool costume idea for Halloween. Since everyone rejected my idea of dressing as “Sox”, we’re at a loss. I’d love to go for some irony element (no one liked my idea of being Occupy protesters and not showing up for work). I think it would be fun to do a play on a scandal, fall out or another sexy accounting story, but I just can’t figure out how to make a reverse merger costume. Do your twisted, ironic minds have any ideas?

-Should probably go back to work, now

Dear SPGBTWN,


Perhaps you missed our story from last month but sorry to say, you’ve got a tall order ahead of you. That writer wanted an idea for “Accounting Police” and the best I could come up with was this:

Simply dress up as police officer and walk around the whole night counting things, not unlike The Count (in fact, I suggest you do the laugh). “What the hell are you supposed to be?” some dope will say. You’ll respond, “A counting police.”

And because you’ve got a whole team of auditors trying to get creative (not your strong suit) it’s even a bigger challenge. I suppose you could go as “whistleblowers” but that will most definitely include a blowing a whistle which will likely get you quickly ejected from any party. Another option is go as Mort Mort Feingold (maybe a sexy version?) and have the rest of your friends dress up as various, dimwitted celebrities.

Of course you could really nerd it up and play on “footnotes,” or even “audit trail.” Then again, if you want to go the “sexy” route, I suggest you go with “double-entry accounting.” How sexy you make it is up to you.

Any other ideas, gang? This is a tough one.

Clearly Avoiding the “Sexy” Route, Young CPA Needs Help with Ideas for “Accounting Police” Halloween Costume

Now that it’s September, people start getting anxious about their Halloween costumes. Regardless of the two months of football, a World Series, and God knows how many GOP Presidential candidate debates, many will agonize over just what outfit they will wear for approximately 2-3 hours, knowing full well that vomit could end up on it. These days Halloween costumes, for better or worse, focus on the “sexy.” The sexy Little Bo Peep. The sexy priest. This year, I’m really hoping to see the sexy Angry Birds. Anyway, a reader is stumped on how best to approach a recent light bulb moment she had for this year’s outfit:

Hi Caleb,

I am hoping some creative CPAs who read your blog can help me out. A month ago, during one of my trainings, a partner came in and spoke to us about how we should not be seen by our clients as the “accounting police.” Immediately, a lightbulb went off in my head and I thought “HALLOWEEN COSTUME!”, but I have no idea how to pull this off so people will understand it! Any ideas out there?

So we have “accounting” and “police.” Not exactly a lot to work with here but we’ll throw a few ideas out there to get things rolling:

1. Ask four of your friends to join you and go as the letters P-C-A-O-B. Of course, you won’t actually do anything.

2. Simply dress up as police officer and walk around the whole night counting things, not unlike The Count (in fact, I suggest you do the laugh). “What the hell are you supposed to be?” some dope will say. You’ll respond, “A counting police.”

3. Get another idea.

Your suggestions are now welcome.