8 Best Accounting Books

As a business owner of any size, it’s a universal truth that you never stop learning.

Each day brings new challenges, and from these new challenges, different lessons are learned. One way to try and stay ahead of this curve is to learn as much as you can about as many aspects of the business as possible.

One part of your business that you should be well versed in is the accounting department. A business lives and breathes on its financial health, so financial literacy is important.

So with so many books on finance and accounting out there, which ones should you prioritise reading?

With your time at a premium, we’ve done the hard work for you. We have put together a list of the 8 best accounting books that you should read to help improve your business and help you get a grip on the different aspects of accounting.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

Accounting Made Simple – Mike Piper

Accounting All-in-One For Dummies – Kenneth W. Boyd

Accounting for the Numberphobic: A Survival Guide for Small Business Owners – Dawn Fotopulos

Tax Savvy for Small Business- Frederick W. Daily & Jeffrey A. Quinn

Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports – Howard Schilit & Jeremy Perler

Accounting for Small Business Owners – Tycho Press

Warren Buffett Accounting Book: Reading Financial Statements for Value Investing – Stig Brodersen & Preston Pysh

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything Paperback – Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Key Takeaways

1. Accounting Made Simple – Mike Piper

Mike Piper takes accounting and puts it in simple, easy to understand terms. He utilises straightforward examples that can help to shed some light on the concepts. This is expertly done without all of the unnecessary jargon that only serves to confuse things.

He covers the basic concepts of a wide variety of topics such as Accounting Equation and its significance. He also goes over reading and preparing financial statements. As well as the assumptions behind the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP.

It’s a quick and easy read for early beginners or seasoned professionals who just want a laid-back refresh.

2. Accounting All-in-One For Dummies – Kenneth W. Boyd

No list of instructional books would be complete without a book from the ‘For Dummies’ series. This is a powerful one-stop accounting reference that offers a basic understanding of the accounting knowledge you’ll need.

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the basics of accounting, and for anyone who handles money in general.

It details how to balance the books and stay in the black when you’re just starting out. It’s full of helpful tips and advice on how to keep your accounts balanced and healthy.

3. Accounting for the Numberphobic: A Survival Guide for Small Business Owners – Dawn Fotopulos

Accounting isn’t always a passion, for some people it is a necessary evil. So how can you handle your books when you don’t know the first thing about numbers?

Dawn Fotopulos’ book is perfect for people who normally try to avoid accounting at all costs. It provides a great insight into what you need to know to get by. It also answers some key questions like what your business is worth, or how much income you need for your business to be profitable.

4. Tax Savvy for Small Business– Frederick W. Daily & Jeffrey A. Quinn

Taxes are taxing. It’s a simple truth. Yet understanding what taxes you have to pay and which ones you don’t when it comes to tax time are imperative to running your business.

Frederick W. Daily brings 35 years of experience as a tax attorney and shares all that he knows about the world of taxes. This guide covers all of the essential business tax accounting topics, as well as how to deal with an audit.

5. Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports – Howard Schilit & Jeremy Perler

Howard Schilit and Jeremy Perler bring us a book that is filled to the brim with various types of accounting frauds with real-life examples. They also give suggestions on how you can detect fraud so that you can take steps to protect your business.

This book is a great investment for financial professionals and anybody who handles finances. It’s a page-turner that will reveal all of the tips and tricks that can be used to try and trick investors.

6. Accounting for Small Business Owners – Tycho Press

Tycho Press outlines how you can establish solid accounting practices for your business by detailing a number of common financial scenarios.

The book gives us definitions and examples of basic accounting terms as well as samples of accounting statements. It’s full of tips and tricks that will help ease you into the process of accounting.

7. Warren Buffett Accounting Book: Reading Financial Statements for Value Investing – Stig Brodersen & Preston Pysh

Investing and accounting can be seen to go hand in hand. And who better to learn from about investing than Warren Buffet?

This book takes you through the rigours of the investment world and helps explain how to analyse financial statements.

It is a perfect read for any accounting professionals who have just started their journey into the industry. It’s a book that every person interested in financials should read.

8. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything Paperback – Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Freakonomics is a best seller for a reason. Levitt and Dubner delve into the everyday working of normal situations to figure out how things work in relation to economics.

Although it is a book written in a fictional format, there is still a huge amount of valuable insight. It delves into the workings of economics and analysing sociological developments.

It provides food for the mind as technical data is supplemented by strong arguments which is sure to keep the reader gripped.

Key Takeaways

These 8 books are a treasure trove of knowledge and information from some of the sharpest accounting minds out there.

The business world is an ever-changing place, it doesn’t sit still for much time at all. This means that you always have to be changing and adapting to it so that you can stay up to date and keep your business running smoothly.

As Albert Einstein famously said; the moment you stop learning is the moment you start dying.

Are you looking for more business advice on everything from starting a new business to new business practices?

Then check out the FreshBooks Resource Hub.

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