Accountants provide managers with information to be used in planning, coordinating, and controlling operations. In addition, accountants provide information for external clients, such as investors, creditors, and government agencies. Accountants assemble data for the evaluation of the performance and position of the organization. They report, analyze, and interpret information that focuses on problems, inefficiencies, and opportunities. Then, accountants quantify the relative merits of possible courses of action, and recommend solutions.
Accountants usually specialize in a field such as auditing, cost, or tax.
Successful completion of the Certified Public Accountant examination is necessary for advancement in public accounting. Public accountants perform a variety of services, including auditing and attesting to the fairness of financial statements and carrying out financial investigations in cases involving fraud, insolvency, and tax returns. Private accountants make up 50 percent of the profession. They perform cost, tax, or internal operations on the financial records of the organization which employs them. The government employs a large number of accountants, some of whom serve as investigators or Internal Revenue Service agents who audit records of private business organizations and individuals subject to government regulation.