Recording, classifying, summarizing, and interpreting of financial events and transactions to provide management and other interested parties the information they need to make good decisions
PRIVATE ACCOUNTANT
Accountant who works for a single firm, gov't agency, or nonprofit orgz and keeps track of accurate financial information
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
Provides acct services to indiv or businesses on a fee basis
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA)
Accountant that passes a series of exams from the American Institute of CPA and meets state's req for education and experience
-Can be private/public
GAAP
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles established by independent Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to assure users that financial information provided by businesses is accurate