Nice to be Appreciated

In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Ajilon Finance, Americans reportedly have an overall appreciation of accountants. It's nice to know that despite some occasional negative publicity about financial reporting fraud, auditor cover-ups, and "creative accounting," people do not harbor much bitterness against accounting practitioners themselves. Through personal interactions with accountants preparing tax returns, small business financial statements, and handling personal finances, most Americans have come to appreciate our profession.

A survey of 2,024 Americans found that 88 percent disagree with the common stereotype that accountants are boring. Not that we'll start seeing accountants on Hollywood's red carpet partying with the stars any time soon. But more astonishing, perhaps, is the fact that 84 percent of those surveyed did not think the profession itself was boring. Uhoh, now we may have even more competition for top accounting jobs if children stop aspiring to be professional athletes and start dreaming of a career in accountancy when they grow up. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the accounting profession is projected to grow by 22 percent over the ten year period from 2008 to 2018, making it one of the fastest growing professions in the country.

The majority of adults who use an accountant (53 percent of respondents) trust them entirely with their personal finances. Even though the April 15th Tax Deadline has passed, 98 percent of survey respondents recognized that accountants work hard all year round, not just during tax season. Thanks to all the grateful Americans out there who keep us accountants going!

See www.webcpa.com for additional discussion of the survey results.