Welcome to the Traders Laboratory Forums.
Futures Trading Laboratory Trading commodities and currency futures

Reply
Old 01-28-2010, 06:25 PM   #1

jonbig04's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Nunya
Posts: 937
Ignore this user

Thanks: 283
Thanked 208 Times in 145 Posts

Futures Accounting

Hope this isn't in the wrong section. I'm looking for suggestions on who to use for accounting. Ideally someone who could also advise me on the business of trading/money management in general.

Thanks.
__________________
"You have to recognize that every 'out front' maneuver is going to be lonely. If you feel entirely comfortable than you're not far ahead enough to do any good. That warm sense of everything going well is usually just the body temperature of the herd. Only if you're far ahead enough to be at risk do you have the chance to reap large rewards."
jonbig04 is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2010, 07:51 PM   #2

brownsfan019's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 4,255
Ignore this user

Thanks: 1,912
Thanked 1,789 Times in 895 Posts

Re: Futures Accounting

JB - 2 places to look:
1) Online - a few 'specialize' in traders
2) Local - try to find someone that has done this before
#2 will be harder to find, but if you like being able to go visit the person, could be worthwhile to look. If face-to-face is irrelevant, then I would interview some of the online specialized guys and see what you think. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
brownsfan019 is offline  
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to brownsfan019 For This Useful Post:
jonbig04 (01-29-2010)
Old 01-29-2010, 03:13 AM   #3

Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: London
Posts: 365
Ignore this user

Thanks: 206
Thanked 195 Times in 124 Posts

Re: Futures Accounting

Hi jon,
it depends on what you are really looking for.
If its a simple accounting for futures trading as a business then any accountant should be able to help you. They should not need much more than a broker account for the start of the year, and the end of the year. If you want to reconcile and actually double check the broker accounts then excel is good enough.
(even if you get into more complicated accounts with varying currency accounts)

Ifs it more about managing money for other people, then this is a bit more involved. regarding audits, proper accounts etc; dependant on your location.

Given nunya is an interesting place according to goolge, you might have trouble getting anyone to help you

(my view on accountants and lawyers is that you still need to do the work and know which questions to ask them, as otherwise they seem loathe to actually give advice)
DugDug is offline  
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to DugDug For This Useful Post:
jonbig04 (01-29-2010)
Old 01-29-2010, 11:13 AM   #4

brownsfan019's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 4,255
Ignore this user

Thanks: 1,912
Thanked 1,789 Times in 895 Posts

Re: Futures Accounting

DD brings up a good point - in the end, the one person that will work hardest for you and your money is you. So while it's nice to have a professional do the taxes and review them, you should have a pretty good idea what they are doing and how.
brownsfan019 is offline  
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to brownsfan019 For This Useful Post:
Dinerotrader (01-29-2010), DugDug (01-29-2010), jonbig04 (01-29-2010)
Old 01-29-2010, 03:13 PM   #5

Dinerotrader's Avatar

Join Date: May 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 729
Ignore this user

Thanks: 1,610
Thanked 703 Times in 396 Posts

Re: Futures Accounting

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonbig04 »
Hope this isn't in the wrong section. I'm looking for suggestions on who to use for accounting. Ideally someone who could also advise me on the business of trading/money management in general.

Thanks.
I am a CPA but unfortunately I do not do taxes at all anymore and I have never done small bus. accounting, only large corporate stuff. IMO you need to focus on getting someone who will help you avoid or manage the largest risks you face as a trader (related to the risk of losing money and time) , ie. law suits and tax audits.

Having someone as part of your business team that can confidently and knowledgably help you through the most difficult times is worth a lot. I would focus on those credentials when you start interviewing and looking for someone.

This is part of my overall philosophy though. For example, I don't get the cheapest car insurance so that I have the lowest monthly premium possible. I use USAA even though they aren't the cheapest because they are most often the highest rated in satisfacton for handling claims and my own experiences with them have been great. I don't want to pay an insurance company a low premium only to end up screwed when an accident happens because they treat me unfairly when I need my car replaced or medical bills paid.

My

Quote:
Originally Posted by brownsfan019 »
DD brings up a good point.
NOTE: Brownsfan, are you saying we should nickname DugDug "double D's".
Dinerotrader is offline  
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Dinerotrader For This Useful Post:
brownsfan019 (01-29-2010), jonbig04 (01-29-2010)
Old 01-29-2010, 06:19 PM   #6

Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: London
Posts: 365
Ignore this user

Thanks: 206
Thanked 195 Times in 124 Posts

Re: Futures Accounting

I am working on getting set of my own with the lack of exercise, food and age kicking in!
DugDug is offline  
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to DugDug For This Useful Post:
Dinerotrader (01-29-2010)
Old 01-29-2010, 07:47 PM   #7

jonbig04's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Nunya
Posts: 937
Ignore this user

Thanks: 283
Thanked 208 Times in 145 Posts

Re: Futures Accounting

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll start looking around.
__________________
"You have to recognize that every 'out front' maneuver is going to be lonely. If you feel entirely comfortable than you're not far ahead enough to do any good. That warm sense of everything going well is usually just the body temperature of the herd. Only if you're far ahead enough to be at risk do you have the chance to reap large rewards."
jonbig04 is offline  
Reply With Quote

Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes Help Others By Rating This Thread
Help Others By Rating This Thread:


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Asian Futures - Trade Kospi with NH Futures Soultrader Futures Trading Laboratory 6 12-28-2009 02:20 AM
[Tape Reading] SPI200 Futures (or Futures in General) & Algorithmic Trading? alwaysLearning Technical Analysis 0 06-08-2008 09:50 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:10 AM.
Copyright ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
CS to VB integration by DeskLancer
©2006-2011 Traders Laboratory, All Rights Reserved.