A Lighter View
Financial literacy R Us
By K.E.H. Stagg

April 21, 2016

Whoever said, "Numbers never lie," has never walked a mile in my shoes.  For those of us who are numbers challenged, even a phone call is an adventure.  We never know who will answer, since we can't be certain what number we dialed in the first place.

Accounting proves a much greater challenge. Every new set of numbers presents an opportunity to engage in "creative calculation."  Before I'm inundated with advice (that would undoubtedly prove useful to someone who could actually follow it), let me say that I already know all the tricks: grouping numbers into sets of ten; reading aloud; and having someone else double-check. I've tried all of them, and they help to the extent possible. But since there's heavy reliance on the human capacity, user error figures heavily in these situations.

I remember taking part in a writers' group where our fact checking involved figuring out property size.  We all knew that a mile contains 5,280 feet, and there are three feet to a yard. At some point in the complex calculations, it dawned on us that we needed the square footage of an acre. I say "us," but it was certainly someone else in the group as I am still sorting out yards and feet, never mind acres.

Since income tax forms are due in April, someone came up with the idea of making April financial literacy month in the USA.  That's great - in theory - but when it takes a village to calculate what percent of 92 is 38?, the theory falls apart. I can talk myself through as far as cross-multiply and divide, but then I'm stumped!

I'll never qualify as anything approaching financial wizardry, but as long as I land in the ballpark of "best guesstimate," I'll be satisfied.