𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 $𝟮𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁. 𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. “We're $20,000 over budget on appliances and flooring?" That’s what the property manager, regional, and VP all told me. I asked, “Why are we over?” They said: “Appliances were too old.” “Carpets were threadbare.” “We had no choice.” But something felt off. So I opened the general ledger. Same $6,800 invoice—booked three times. It wasn’t a budget issue. It was a data entry error, disguised as certainty. The lesson? Believing a financial report without checking the sources. Here’s what to do… 1. Learn the language of money Read "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand." One weekend with that book will teach you more than most MBAs ever apply. You can’t manage what you don’t understand. 2. Know how your accountant records things Ask how they handle unpaid rent, late fees, bad debt, or accrued expenses. There’s more interpretation in accounting than you think—and the method matters. 3. Drill down to the actual invoice Most modern systems let you click from summary to source. Do it. Don’t just look at the report—look at the transaction. The general ledger doesn’t lie. People do. 4. Use purchase orders If you're still getting surprise bills, you're doing it wrong. Purchase orders force clarity before money gets spent.   5. Make friends with your accountant Take them to lunch. Ask “dumb” questions. They know where the bodies are buried. And yes, some even have a sense of humor. If your team’s financial report is a mystery novel, you’re the dead guy in Chapter One.