I have been in the accounting industry for 47 years — 36 as a certified public accountant — and have learned a few things about corporate America that I desire to share with your readers.

Corporate America does not exist for the benefit of its customers. They may say so, but the sole purpose of the managers of large corporations (and even some small) is to maximize the financial gain of the stockholder — no more, no less.

Most of us like to make feeling decisions. The managers of large corporations make thinking decisions.

I have a master’s in business administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. I am very proud of that degree, but I believe that there is nothing more dangerous in a large corporation than an “MBA with a laptop.”

Remember how a rogue MBA took an English bank down as a result of his unauthorized stock market trades?

Hence, if you think you can outthink the stock market and determine a price for the stock of large corporations, you are in for a bad outcome.

So where do we go from here?

Pay off debt; there is no risk in paying down debt.

Make sure you put the maximum you can in your 401k or 403b; at least the amount of the company match.

Stay married; there is nothing more financially devastating than a divorce.

Think about it.

D.B. Gray
Certified public accountant
Windsor