Module 1: Accounting Made Easy
Journals and Ledgers - General Ledger, Journals, and Subsidiary Ledgers
Balance Sheet - Assets, Liabilities, Accruals, Capital, Depreciation, and Other Balance Sheet Accounts, with Exercises and Industry Application.
Business Entities - Sole Proprietorship, Partnerships, Corporations
Balance Sheet Practice
Earnings Statement - Revenue, Cost of Goods, Expenses, Chart of Accounts with Exercise and Industry Applications
Sales and Cost of Sales - SPEC's, Percentage of Sales, Mark-up, Gross Profit Margin
Learn Practical Accounting Basics
Whether you are new to Accounting or have been in the field for years, Module 1 of the Professional Bookkeeper course, Accounting Made Easy, teaches you mastery of the core Accounting principles that all Accounting and Bookkeeping build upon. As the foundation of a house must be solid and well-crafted, a firm understanding of concepts such as debits and credits, journals, and how to record sales transactions are key to success in mastery of later concepts of Accounting.
Module 1 of the Professional Bookkeeper™ course, Accounting Made Easy, teaches you the fundamentals of Bookkeeping in a practical, hands-on methodology. You will learn by doing, the best way for the skills that you gain to stick. If you have ever read a book on a subject and found that you couldn’t retain the knowledge when you needed it later, you already know the value of learning by doing, involving more of your brain in the learning process. As you complete the practice sets in the Professional Bookkeeping course, you become familiar with the processes involved in day-to-day Accounting and Bookkeeping tasks. They become second nature to you, enabling you to focus on higher-level things.
Sessions 1-3 — Develop First-Rate Accounting Skills
The first sessions of Module 1 of the Professional Bookkeeper™ (PB) course teach you the fundamental building blocks of the accounting process. You will have a firm understanding of debits and credits. Though they make up one of the simplest concepts of Accounting, they are among the least understood. You will learn how a T-account works and how to balance double-entry Accounting forms.
You will learn the best indicators of a company’s financial strength. Since you are a company’s first line of defense in knowing their financial health, knowing how to interpret Accounting data is of critical importance to your success and the profitability of your clients.
Modern accounting has not fundamentally changed in 300 years. However, there are many ways to record Accounting tasks. You will learn a tried and proven accounting system that ensures efficiency, accuracy, and integrity. There are also Accounting tasks that must be performed in very specific ways and one accounting rule you should never break, which Module 1 will detail.
Sessions 4-6 — Consult on Key Business Issues
Your clients will rely heavily upon you to not only record Accounting entries but to help them to interpret them. Because you know more about a client’s financial health, clients will come to you and value your opinion. Without you, they don’t even know if they are profitable or not.
You will learn the must-know principles of marking down assets and the what’s, when’s, where’s, and how’s of depreciation. Further, Module 1 teaches you three methods of depreciating fixed assets — when and why to use them and two methods of calculating the allowance for bad debts. You will be able to present the business legal structures with confidence and give some advice regarding which are best for businesses of various types.
Practice Exercise: Practice categorizing over 90 accounts into their appropriate general ledger section.
Session 7 — Assemble the Financial Puzzle
You will master the technique that will enable you to navigate the debit/credit maze and learn to use the accountants’ troubleshooting tool. Now that you will have some experience in basic accounting, you will be introduced to preparing financial statements that your clients will use to analyze the financial “big picture” of their company’s health.
Practice Exercise: Drill . . . drill . . . drill — Enter over 100 different transactions into 12 different companies.
Session 8 — The Earnings Account Explosion
You will be introduced to Gross Profit, what it is, and what it means about the financial condition of a company. How the income accounts connect into the balance sheet will also be taught.
Summary
When you have mastered the concepts introduced in Module 1, you will have a core understanding of the Accounting process and how to perform Bookkeeping tasks and basic reports. This knowledge will give you the ability to determine the profitability of a company and to be able to advise in key areas of incoming revenue and outgoing bills. You will now be able to go on to Module 2, Practical Small Business Applications, where you will learn to succeed in business by using professionally designed accounting systems for a variety of industries.
Module II - Practical Small Business Applications
Practical Application of Double Entry Accounting System for:
Succeed in Your Business Using Professionally Designed Industry-Specific Accounting Systems Module 1 - Accounting Made Easy, will have taught you to master the core building blocks of accounting and Bookkeeping. Module 2, Practical Small Business Applications, teaches you how to apply those principles to specific industries. You will learn to set up books from scratch, setting up all of the ledgers and journals needed to do full service Accounting for your paying clients. Your clients will learn that you are the only financial analyst that they will ever need because you can do it all!
Industry-Specific Knowledge Gives You a Competitive Advantage
When you have a leak that is flooding your home, would you call an electrician to take care of it? Of course not. You call a plumber because his specialty ensures that he can best solve your problem. Module 2 teaches you industry-specific accounting systems that make you the expert in the specialized Accounting and reporting procedures for many fields. This gives you a tremendous competitive advantage over bookkeepers that, for example, may have no clue where to start setting up accounts for a clothing retailer.
When you finish Module 2, you will have completed a set of books for that kind of business. When you approach a client, your talent and knowledge of their industry demonstrate that you are a specialist in supporting their business. In the same way that when your house floods you want a qualified plumber when a small-business owner needs help, they want someone with the hands-on experience to jump right in and get the financial leaks in their company under control. The Professional Bookkeeper™ designation demonstrates that you have the right tools and the mastery of required skills to come in and get the job done right, and done right now!
Session 1, Part 1 — Real-Life Data Entry
Most beginning Bookkeeping and Accounting positions assume that a system is already in place that you will just take the reigns on. Never make that assumption with a small-business. Their “system” may well be the box that the last pair of shoes they bought came in. When you get one of these boxes of receipts, deposits, and miscellaneous paperwork, count on the fact that you need to know how to get things started from scratch.
You will learn to understand how credit purchases affect your client’s cash flow and the overall financial health of their company. You will learn how to determine precisely where all of your client’s hard-earned dollars were spent. With the reporting skills in which you will become an expert, you will be able to present to clients the complete financial view of their business’ economic strengths and areas that need improvement. It may surprise you to know that a large percentage of businesses do not even know if they are profitable or not. They know that they are bringing in money, but often they do not know how their liabilities offset that income. YOU are the one that will bring these insights into the financial workings of their company to them. Your clients will come to rely on you and value your opinion as you lay out for them where they are really at and advise them as to what they can do to improve their bottom line.
Session 1, Part 2 — Completing the Accounting Model
You will learn how to prepare payroll in a manner that is easy to keep track of and ensures that employees are paid the right amount on time. You will learn a set of step-by-step procedures to correctly determine if a person is an employee or a contractor, and how to avoid costly IRS penalties that your client can incur if they are incorrect in their classification. Sometimes it is to your advantage to use an outside payroll service; learn when it makes sense to do so for you and your clients.
You will learn to breeze through creating quarterly reports with confidence and to understand concepts like the cost of goods sold, the relationship between markup and profit, and why your clients should care about any of these. As you educate your clients in the financial workings of their company, you prove your worth to them over and over, ensuring the clients that you have are the clients you keep so that your time is spent servicing profitable clients, not searching for new ones.
Session 2 — Practical Application in the Retail Industry
Small retail outlets can be some of your most profitable clients and a large sector of small businesses, so knowing how to service them well will add greatly to not only their bottom line but to yours. You will learn the three ways of calculating the cost of goods sold (COGS) in a real-world situation. You will experience the accounting system for three types of businesses (all under one roof): Grocery store, gas station, and auto repair shop. You will see how subsidiary ledgers tell it all and how to prepare them.
Practical Exercise: You will transform the first month of transactions for “Barry’s Gas & Groceries” into a complete set of financial statements. Since you probably visit gas stations weekly, these are easy clients to find, and some that often need your services most.
Sessions 3 – 4 — Practical Application in the Food Service & Apparel Industry
You will learn the right recipe for creating a full set of books for a bakery and catering business. You will learn to efficiently and accurately report the inventory adjustments and owner costs for the business. You will know how to highlight cash shortages and overages and to know when they are a problem.
Practical Exercise: Stewart’s Bakery has hired you as their Accountant. You will complete a month’s books from beginning to end.
Practical Exercise: Prepare a well-fitted accounting system for a clothing store and prepare the first month’s financials for City Clothing Company.
The Professional Bookkeeper™ Program
The Professional Bookkeeper™ Program gives you the practical hands-on experience to service a wide range of clients and make $40 to $60 per hour. We give you the tools, skills, and support to make your Accounting and Bookkeeping service a success and to give you financial freedom at last.
Module III - Advancing Your Accountability
Establishing a Bookkeeping System
Year-End Closing
Cash vs. Accrual Accounting
Practical Application of Double Entry Accounting System for:
Purpose: To help you set up a complete bookkeeping system, and manage clients from a variety of more sophisticated industries for your new accounting and bookkeeping business. Average time to Complete: 20 Hours
Sessions 1-2 — Dealerships: Complicated Accounting
How to effectively handle Flooring — the necessary evil of high-cost retailers
Accounting for creative selling
Understand additional sources of income that dealers have, that earn you profits, whether you are the dealer or the customer
CASE STUDY: Discover how dealerships account for large transactions by completing the accounting for a motorcycle dealership (City Cycle Company)
Sessions 3-4 — Establish the Accounting Method that Fits the Business Best
The very first two things you must do when accounting for a company
Set up an efficient system from ‘scratch’
How to establish an organized system that will ensure your value as an accountant
Choosing between the cash and accrual methods
How to set up a hybrid system that will reap the benefits of both methods
CASE STUDY: Convert Sonja’s Art and Frame from the cash basis to the accrual basis in 3 easy steps
How to get that iron-clad feeling — without a shadow of a doubt — that your financial’s are right
Identifying, customizing, and instituting effective auditing techniques
Learn how to spot and avoid dangerous trends
How to save the company thousands of dollars in auditing costs
Sessions 5-6 — Year-End Closings and Manufacturing
6 final adjustments that should be considered at year-end
Resetting the financial score
EXERCISE: Prepare the final adjusting entries and close out the general ledger for a company
How to set up and run an efficient accounting system for the small ‘mom and pop’ manufacturing company
The simplifying trick to Process Accounting — “SPECs”
How to price manufactured goods
CASE STUDY: Calculate the manufacturing costs for three months for the Widget Manufacturing Company
Sessions 7-8 — Construction and Non-Profit Accounting
Job Costing – A simple way to track costs by the project
3 construction computations that you must know
Tracking revenues and costs by month
One step that you must never forget
CASE STUDY: Perform the accounting for CR Construction
Accounting for a non-profit organization
CASE STUDY: Perform the accounting for Now Moreland Church
Session 9 — A Food Service Business
CASE STUDY: Prepare all journals, general ledgers, subsidiary ledgers, and financial statements for Alfredo’s Deli
The information in the course is not only plentiful but also straight to the point. I love the courses in general because its doesn't have the unnecessary f...
Read MoreThe information in the course is not only plentiful but also straight to the point. I love the courses in general because its doesn't have the unnecessary fluff other courses have.
Read LessI honestly believe this module is just like they mentioned. It is the one that will separate those of us who take it, from other bookkeepers who did not.
I honestly believe this module is just like they mentioned. It is the one that will separate those of us who take it, from other bookkeepers who did not.
Read LessThe Professional Bookkeeper course has been a truly wonderful experience. Throughout the program, I have gained a profound understanding of bookkeeping princ...
Read MoreThe Professional Bookkeeper course has been a truly wonderful experience. Throughout the program, I have gained a profound understanding of bookkeeping principles and practices essential for managing any business's finances. What stands out the most about this course is the versatility of its learning process, allowing students to absorb knowledge effectively and at their own pace. The course content is well-structured, covering a wide range of topics from basic concepts to advanced accounting techniques. This ensures not only a solid foundation in bookkeeping but also prepares students to tackle more complex accounting challenges. The final exam, though rigorous, is an excellent tool for consolidating and assessing the acquired knowledge. Going through this exam has given me great confidence in my abilities and prepared me to apply this knowledge in the real world. I highly recommend the Professional Bookkeeper course to anyone looking to enhance their accounting skills and advance their career. The quality of instruction and the flexibility of the learning process make this course a valuable investment in my education and professional development.
Read LessIt’s an amazing course and really ENJOYED IT
It’s an amazing course and really ENJOYED IT
Read LessThis course is a clear and concise course. It clearly teaches manufacturing and contracting plus it completes all odd and ends of bookkeeping.
This course is a clear and concise course. It clearly teaches manufacturing and contracting plus it completes all odd and ends of bookkeeping.
Read LessFantastic double-entry accounting and full-charge bookkeeping and financial statement and analysis training. I would recommended to college Alumnus and Alumni.
Read MoreFantastic double-entry accounting and full-charge bookkeeping and financial statement and analysis training. I would recommended to college Alumnus and Alumni.
Read LessLoved all the extra details and companies I was able to learn about.
Loved all the extra details and companies I was able to learn about.
Read LessContent Focus: In-depth payroll processing for small businesses, including tax calculations, and compliance.
Skills Covered: Tax withholding, payroll forms (e.g., W-2, W-4), and business payroll management.
Audience: Individuals or professionals aiming to gain payroll expertise to serve businesses.
Depth: Universal Accounting dives deep into complex payroll management for businesses.
Support: Universal Accounting provides coaching and certification.
Audience Goal: Universal prepares individuals to become payroll professionals with business insights.
Becoming a QuickBooks Specialist™ certifies your expertise with QuickBooks. It also demonstrates your commitment to being the best.
For many, if not most, small businesses’ software of choice is QuickBooks. When certified as a QuickBooks Specialist, QS, you are able to confidently set-up, train, troubleshoot and support clients. Get the skills, have the confidence to work with small businesses as their qualified QuickBooks Specialist, QS.
With millions of small businesses already using QuickBooks and the majority of accounting positions with small businesses requiring expertise in QuickBooks, this designation can give you a competitive advantage. QuickBooks is the leading software in the small business accounting industry. Presently, the majority of the small businesses using accounting software have chosen QuickBooks as their preference, and it is the preferred software for most small business accountants.
QuickBooks Specialist Accounting software to the accountant is like golf clubs to Tiger Woods — the key is not so much in the tool itself, but in how expertly it is used. The professional bookkeeper can only be as good as his/her ability to use the software available.
Over the past few years, Inuit has acquired the largest market share as the choice of small business accounting software. Regardless of business, employment, or client service interests, Universal applies the principles of the Professional Bookkeeper™ program to the QuickBooks accounting software. In our effort to integrate the most popular accounting software, we have developed The Professional Bookkeepers™ Guide to QuickBooks Pro.
Many accountants describe the affordable accounting software that came out years ago as a revolutionary beginning in the availability of accounting services. Not only did it allow many certified public accountants, CPA’s, accountants and bookkeepers to earn a living offering quality services, but it allowed many to enter the world of freelance.
Used as either as a training tool or a reference guide, the Professional Bookkeepers Guide to QuickBooks Pro program was created to help you become a “QuickBooks Specialist.”
Whether you need someone to start your QuickBooks files from scratch or are just interested in working with a QuickBooks consultant, you should secure a professional who has earned the QuickBooks Specialist™ (QS) designation.
This designation distinguishes Universal Accounting Center℠ (UAC) graduates as proficient in setting up new businesses, working with company files, running valuable financial reports and consulting in QuickBooks Pro capabilities and issues. These individuals have done more than just dabbled in the QuickBooks software; they have mastered it.
Self-paced Online (QBO) training, to become proficient in the use of QuickBooks within business
The training includes:
Includes the opportunity to become certified as a QuickBooks Specialist and use the (QS) designation upon qualification. In addition to your enrollment, you’ll also receive the following:
As part of your QuickBooks Specialist (QS) training, you’ll receive a 30-day educational trial of QuickBooks Online (QBO). During this trial, you’ll be able to work on and complete the sets of books for two companies, giving you hands-on experience with real business scenarios.
Once you’re comfortable in the trial, we’ll guide you through the process of signing up as an accountant with Intuit. This step unlocks the QuickBooks Online Accountant version of the software at no cost and gives you access to Intuit’s ProAdvisor training and certification program.
Our goal is to make sure you not only learn QBO during your training, but also position yourself to keep using it for free as a ProAdvisor—whether for your own business or for clients you work with in the future.
Understand where the cash goes, spot problems early, and make smarter decisions—without needing an MBA.
If you’re a small business owner, bookkeeper, tax pro, or office manager who wants to understand money movement—not just profit—this course is for you.
Preview lesson available: What Is a Cash Flow Statement?
The role of cash flow vs. income & balance sheets
Operating, Investing, Financing—how they connect
Profit vs. cash, depreciation, working capital, FCF
A simple method you can reuse every time
Green flags, red flags, and context
Five real-world style examples to analyze
Build one from sample data, start to finish
We train working adults in bookkeeping and tax to use real tools in real businesses. The material is plain-language, practical, and built for speed—so you can use it the same day.
Ken Bostrom, Director of Education & Production at Universal Accounting. Ken has trained hundreds of professionals to read and explain cash flow in clear, simple terms.
“I finally understood why our ‘profit’ never matched our bank balance.” — Small Business Owner
“The step-by-step method is gold. I use it in client meetings.” — Bookkeeper
About 2–3 hours of focused content plus practice.
No. We start simple and build up.
Yes, a downloadable certificate upon completion.
How to Find and Acquire Employment in the Tax and Accounting arena. This course will take you through everything from your resume, to your cover letter to how to ROCK the interview!
Here are all the courses that are included in your bundle.
All Courses & Programs, Value Menu, GrowCon
All Courses & Programs, Accounting & Bookkeeping, Tax Planning & Preparation, Free Resources
All Courses & Programs, Accounting & Bookkeeping, Tax Planning & Preparation, Free Resources
All Courses & Programs, Accounting & Bookkeeping
All Courses & Programs, Accounting & Bookkeeping
All Courses & Programs, Accounting & Bookkeeping
All Courses & Programs, Accounting & Bookkeeping
All Courses & Programs, Free Resources
All Courses & Programs, Business Acceleration (Marketing)
