#TBT: That Time When a Manager and Partner Chucked Knuckles At the Office
A bored tax associate asked on Fishbowl earlier today if anyone has ever been involved in a fistfight at work. We don’t know which accounting firm or who the combatants were, but someone responded with this little bit of awesomeness: Ah, the good ol’ days of public accounting.
#TBT: Retired Accountant Whose Last Name Is Bunny Wins Easter Contest
This gem comes from the Warrington Guardian in England back in April 2014: Bookmakers feared the work of a prankster when the winner of a £124,987 first prize in a nationwide contest culminating ahead of Easter was Mr. Bunny. But the winner of the Easter cash is in fact retired accountant David Bunny who now plans to spend […]
#TBT: PwC’s Letter to Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney About His Taxes
You may have heard that it's a presidential election year. And perhaps you've heard that one of the candidates is a carnival barker that spray tans with Krylon Pumpkin Orange. And maybe you've even heard that said carnival barker has not released his tax returns for public consumption despite decades of precedent. It's all good […]
#TBT: The First Form 1040
Yes, April 15th was yesterday and I'm sure no one wants to hear about tax returns, but after reading this Journal article on collectors of tax momentos, this seems like a worthy #TBT. 1040_1913 It seems so quaint with just a single page of instructions and nine lines for income and seven for deductions. Maybe […]
#TBT: The Maker’s Mark Billboard That Poked Fun at Andersen’s Demise
This billboard is a work of genius. Yes, Maker's Mark is a mass-produced bourbon, but in a pinch, it does go down easy. The story behind this billboard is a little muddy but apparently, back in 2002 when this billboard appears, the AICPA was NOT amused by it and convinced Maker's Mark to pull it. […]
Belated #TBT: VisiCalc, the First Spreadsheet Program
I wrote this yesterday and didn't publish it. Go figure. Anyway, VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet program, hitting the market in 1979. It was developed by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, originally running on the Apple II and was consider its "killer app." In a 1980 review, BYTE stated: "The most exciting and influential piece […]
Belated #TBT: The Birth of the Cash Flow Statement
No financial statement tells the story of a company quite like the statement of cash flows. It's simple, yet powerful, like The Sun Also Rises or "The Contest" or Where's Spot? Everyone can enjoy it. But where did this thing of beauty originate? Did the balance sheet and income statement party too hard one night only […]