Accounting Foundations: Bookkeeping

Author

Kay Stice

Summary

Learn the basics of bookkeeping and how financial statements are created from ledgers in this essential accounting skills course.

Bookkeeping is about collecting information, recording events, and organizing those records to make better decisions. Accountants use the financial transactions recorded in ledgers or "books" to create a company's income statement and balance sheet. In this course, accounting professors Jim and Kay Stice walk you through the four key steps in the bookkeeping process: analyzing transactions, recording the effects, summarizing the effects, and preparing financial reports. They explain the components of a journal entry—debits and credits—and the essential questions a bookkeeper/accountant asks in reviewing those transactions. They also explain how accountants translate ledger information into financial statements and the role of computer programs in helping businesses manage their accounts.