Property investment and financial planning ........ the NHS way!

I love this story.

In background, after stealing £104,000 over three years, NHS GP's Practice Manager Dawn Beynon, 45, was caught out in September 2007 while on a £13,000 Caribbean cruise with her husband and three children, two of whom had been privately educated. The five doctors in the 8,000 patient NHS practice commented that they had simply allowed Beynon to look after the accounts "while they got on with treating patients" - hence why she got away with cheque fraud for three years!

The new case is for recovery of the proceeds of crime - in other words, the gain on the five property portfolio she had created with the money she had stolen.

Questions.......

Does it make you worry that £30kpa disapearing out of an NHS account wasn't spotted by the auditors or the owners/doctors?

Would the alarm bells have been ringing in your mind, if in your business your £30kpa practise manager started taking £13,000 cruises as standard holidays?

How much of a medal does the judge deserve? If she does serve time in jail for non-payment of the £250k, that will be just an additional punishment

And finally: what has it come to when NHS staff build their "property is king/though must have property" portfolio's to wash their stolen gains?

Whatever the answers, the morale of story: sometimes, there is justice!

We need accountants because - people can't add up!

Today is one of those days that make me happy that I have little of my youthful flowing locks still attached to a head which has seen more than its fair share of bangs and knocks.

Because, today was yet another example, when the reason we need accountants is clearly because - people can't add up!

I am presently trying to buy a business in Bristol, as part of a grand scheme - those who are in the know are in the know, and those that don't need to know will at the appropriate time - apply the old rules is always best. But trying to get to the truth behind numbers is proving difficult when most of the "business" people involved can't add up. These so far include.....

The seller

The seller's "book keeper" - but I don't think they are qualified or competent......

The sales agent

Eventually, I grew to quite like accountants a few years ago. As an engineer and a sales person, I have to say it was originally like mixing oil and water. But now I realise they are a social service who pick up where the education system left off - and protect us all from the ravages of "Gordon-Brown-Onomics!"

Plus, because they charge due to their clients own incompetency, I also think they are quite excellent business people - and I really do admire that!