The importance of $4.45

Purpose – Reflection on the stress placed on the trivia in accounting within a context of the belief that there is truth in accounting. Design/methodology/approach – Fictional poem. Findings – There is often too much emphasis on the minutiae in accounting, while forgetting that much accounting is broad allocations based on unexamined assumptions. Research limitations/implications – Stimulates thought about the truth of accounting. Originality/value – An individual comment on assessing the problems of accounting as it pretends to be “truth” in a world of subjectivity and guesswork.