Author: Kristen Rampe, CPA
Publisher: Caper Artisanal Publishing – 95 pages
Book Review by: Laxmi Chaandi

This is a funny little (6”x 6”) pictorial booklet that is sure to elicit chuckles from you, maybe even guffaws, depending on your experience with accountants. It will also likely not just relate well, but even resonate with insiders in this profession.

On the first page of this book is a greeting for insiders: “Dedicated to all CPAs who love to laugh.”

This book takes a look at both sides of the fence, the CPAs (their wish list of improbable remarks of their clients) and their clients (their imagined verbalizations of CPAs that are not just amusing but humorously shocking).

The book is divided into three short Parts:

  1. CPA Dreams
  2. Client Delusions
  3. Nightmares and Realities

Here is a sampling of what CPA Dreams in terms of remarks they heard from their clients (?):

  • “Wow, great rates! Who knew accounting fees could be so reasonable?”
  • “Do you mind if I give you everything a week early?”
  • “The CFO thought your team would prefer working in his corner office over sharing those two cubicles”
  • “ I know you don’t have a draft of the return ready. I just wanted to drop off some of our fresh flowers for you guys”
  • “Even though we use ShadyBooks, I wouldn’t dream of making a prior period entry”

And here are some Client Delusions – stuff clients thought they heard from their CPAs?:

 

  • “I made sure the staff on your engagement are the same as last year, so we won’t ask you any repetitive questions”
  • “This is the first and last request you’ll receive from us”
  • “I’m here to massage your numbers”
  • “Our clients find this much easier than talking to us”: Free New Client On-boarding Gift (pictured is a bottle marked CPA Repellent: When You Need a Little Extra Time to Prepare)
  • “It will take me only one day to draft the financials for your five subsidiaries”
  • “Your refund is $1,000,000!”
  • “No evidence? No problem”
  • “I see some significant over-runs. We’ll have to write those off”

So if you want to feel like “Thank God It’s Friday,” do get a copy of this book.

 

Author:

Kristen Rampe, CPA got into accounting the way most people did: She liked math. She joined the Big-4 out of college and held on for three enlightening years in audit. After finding the long-hours-lifestyle to be more than she was after, Kristen quit public accounting for the first time and ended up in industry at one of her clients.

In 18 months, and a fraud investigation later (no, not for her own acts!), she jumped back into public at a regional firm in San Francisco. This time she eased out of audit to help form a SOX compliance team from the ground up, and led a variety of intriguing and unique consulting projects.

Fast-forward seven years, she realized her strongest technical talents were those in the areas that were not considered “technical” as a public accountant (you know the ones: communication, client service, building great teams…). Kristen made the decision to use her strengths to bring these essential soft-skills back to the industry she’s known from the inside.

Her work now enables deeper client relationships, stronger team collaboration, and increased efficiency; all leading to higher profitability for CPA and professional services firms. She loves what she does and welcomes the opportunity to work with people who value relationships and communication as a component of success.