Evolution of a Profession — 8,000 years of accounting

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- Who am I?

Let's go way back, I come
from a long line of people

who have done some pretty amazing things.

- Let's start with writing,
yep, you could say,

we invented it in an ancient valley known

as the Cradle of Civilization.

We created writing to record transactions.

- It began with the symbols we used

to represent what was bought, sold,

and bartered by the people of the land.

Our records not only
led to written language,

but they were also the first form

of financial communication.

- As amazing as it sounds,
we made it possible

to buy and sell things, to own things.

- You ever heard of the Code of Hammurabi?

Yeah, we're in there,
chipped into clay and stone,

the first trade laws
the world had ever seen

were forever preserved.

- From that moment, let's leap
forward roughly 3,000 years.

Without us, the merchants of Venice

might not have known if
they were making a profit.

The only reason they did know
was because of one of us.

- Luca Pacioli, an Italian mathematician,

and a friend of Leonardo
da Vinci, decided to share

the idea of double entry
bookkeeping with the world.

- Our practical art of debit and credit

now had an accepted form
and presence in business.

Simply put, we help make the
Age of Discovery possible.

- Without us, there'd be no global trade.

We began the process of
making the world smaller.

Without one of us on
board, let's be honest,

there's no way Queen Isabella

would've allowed Columbus
to even set sail.

- Let's face it, the queen was no fool.

She wanted someone to keep an
eye on the voyage's bounty.

- Without us, there would've
been no American Revolution.

We convinced Europe to
believe in the possibility

of a new nation called the
United States of America

and to put their money
where their mouth was.

- It was one of us who
George Washington called on

when he needed a secret weapon.

- Washington was desperate
for cash to seal his victory,

and he knew exactly who to
turn to, a few unsung heroes

who knew something about
money and how to raise it.

- And whose face is it on the
$10 bill, Alexander Hamilton.

He created America's
first financial system.

He made our government account
for itself and he championed

the birth of a little thing called

the New York Stock Exchange.

- We opened up the West
not only figuring out how

to finance the building of a railroad,

but also how to keep it on track.

In the process, we helped
transform the United States

by funding another kind of revolution,

the Industrial Revolution and with

that entrepreneurial spirit,
our profession was born.

- You might not see us on
the cover of Vanity Fair

or Rolling Stone, but since
1913, we've been famous

for making sure you paid only
what is fair on your taxes.

- If it was a big idea,
we helped launch it

from the mass production of the automobile

to putting a man on the moon.

- When the bottom fell out, we jumped in.

It was us who FDR relied on to develop

the principles that protect investors.

- We have people in need and we've come

to the rescue of storm
battered businesses.

- Yes, we're the trusted advisors

from the Hollywood back lot
to the Manhattan C-Suite.

- From the deli on the corner
to the digital startup,

from Main Street to Wall Street.

- We're the ones shining
a light on transparency

and sustainability for all to see.

- We are the ones that provide information

that fuels a nation of investors.

And we are the ones who
look at things objectively

without bias to give you the true picture.

- We're the spark that jump
started financial literacy,

encouraging Americans to spend wisely

and save for the future.

- And that future, we've envisioned it

and it's filled with opportunity.

- It's a changing and
complex world we live in

and we are helping to make sense of it.

- There's a reason the world sees us

as honest and ethical, making us one of

the most trusted professionals
around the globe.

- It is because our mission
is and always has been

to protect the public interest.

- We are the mortar that
holds capitalism together.

Yes, it is amazing, all of these things

were done by accountants.

- My name is Noelle and I am a CPA.

- My name is Steve and I am a CPA.

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