Book excerpt: The easy way to master the art of auditing Want to be an auditor and need to hone your investigating skills? Look no further. This friendly guide gives you an easy-to-understand explanation of auditing — from gathering financial statements and accounting information to analyzing a client's financial position. Packed with examples, it gives you everything you need to ace an auditing course and begin a career today. Auditing 101 — get a crash course in the world of auditing and a description of the types of tasks you'll be expected to perform during a typical day on the job It's risky business — find out about audit risk and arm yourself with the know-how to collect the right type of evidence to support your decisions Auditing in the real world — dig into tons of sample business records to perform your first audit Focus on finances — learn how both ends of the financial equation — balance sheet and income statement — need to be presented on your client's financial statements Seal the deal — get the lowdown on how to wrap up your audit and write your opinion After the audit — see the types of additional services that may be asked of you after you've issued your professional opinion