Book excerpt: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Accounting, Second Edition, is for small business owners, novice bookkeepers, and accounting clerks who need a comprehensive overview of the monthly accounting process. It guides readers through the ins and outs of creating accounts, conducting transactions, handling employees and payroll, managing month-end procedures, and issuing financial reports. It also covers the various types of accounting software programs available and how to use them to manage a manual set of books. In addition, this new edition includes- Updates to current corporate tax rates Changes to inventory management procedures An all-new appendix featuring the latest government forms Changes to depreciation and sales taxes New and updated computer software programs