Beth Pervis

Background

About Beth Pervis

A healthy curiosity, combined with precision and experience, guides my adventure with numbers: precision, because inputs should equal outputs; curiosity, because I want to know the how, the why and the why not of where numbers come from and what they mean. Satisfying that drive is where the number adventure begins. Accounting principles are the same whether they are written in a ledger kept for a small side business or embodied in the complexities of a Fortune 500 ERP system. Seeking that commonality helps me adapt quickly to new financial systems and reporting tools. I have converted hand written ledgers to software-based systems for small business and for a non-profit where I was a volunteer treasurer. Any accountant, myself included, will tell you that complying with taxes and government regulations is a big chunk of why we keep records. Need to fill out a form? Develop a reporting model. Need to know how many FTE’s per month for health insurance? Create a spreadsheet. Need to know how much of the construction project is subject to sales tax? Query a database. Answering questions created by bureaucrats causes me to follow attorney blogs, read human resource websites, and scour state and federal websites. One of the biggest questions I answer is: Did the project make money? Data must be categorized. Logical overhead percentages must be calculated and application methods developed. The spreadsheet becomes the star of the show as I use pivot tables and other tools to bring order from chaos. The final report either confirms or challenges assumptions. Numbers are not just cold hard facts. Numbers tell a story. The financial statements I prepare from all those details tell the story of what the people behind the numbers did. I like to think that over time I have become a master story teller.