Accountant: history and fun facts
Everything a curious kid might want to know about this job.
Did you know?
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Long before computers, people kept track of money by writing numbers in big paper books called ledgers.
Tools of the trade
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Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer page with rows and boxes. Accountants use it to write down money in and money out, and it adds up the numbers for them.
A day in the job
- 9:00 AMThe accountant opens the computer and checks yesterday's money. They look at receipts and bank papers to see what came in and what went out.
Words to know
- Receipt
- A receipt is a little paper or email that shows you paid for something. Accountants check receipts to make sure the money matches.
Quiz time
Accountants only work with numbers on paper, never on computers.
An accountant checks that a bakery's cash matches how many cupcakes it sold.
Accountants help a business know if it has enough money to pay its workers.
Accountants only help at the very end of the year, never during the rest of the year.