About this series
In this weekly Monday series, The Herald Bulletin engages local workers in a question-and-answer format.
Would you like to have your job profiled? If so, contact Associate Editor Stephen Dick at 640-4863 or steve.dick@heraldbulletin.com.
By Emma Bowen Meyer
For The Herald Bulletin
MARKLEVILLE — While many people don’t like dealing with numbers and ledgers, Shirley New, 61, loves to open up the books in a company and get all the figures to add up just right. Working full time in a corporate office for 21 years and part time at her own business, New Accounting, she has bathed in numbers for 40 years.
Living just a mile across the Madison County line on Indiana 38 near Markleville, New drives to clients’ businesses in Madison, Delaware and Henry counties. She even performs services for individuals in Florida — mostly residents who have moved but don’t want to find a new accountant.
New received her associates degree from the International College in Fort Wayne and her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion.
She also has earned more than 250 continuing education credits from the American Business Association.
An individual with a college degree can expect to make $30,000 to $40,000 a year as an accountant and more if they secure a CPA license.
Q: How long have you been at your job?
New: I’ve been working at New Accounting part time for 40 years and I spent 21 years working as a controller for Harper Hotels, Incorporated in Muncie. Since I was laid off, I’ve been picking up more work for my own business but I’m still looking for something full time. I would love to continue on my own with my business full time if I could get enough clients.
Q: What do you like best about your job?
New: What I love to do is go in somewhere that needs someone to clean up a mess, straighten up the books, and teach the people working there how to take care of them with Quickbook. That’s my ideal job, to go in and clean up the messes companies have and train them to continue on when I leave.
Q: What do you like the least?
New: I don’t know. The only thing I can think of is being afraid of missing any updates. I try to stay up on everything and keep abreast of all the changes that are happening but I don’t really hate that. But I would hate to miss out on something.
Q: What’s the funniest thing that has happened on the job?
New: When I worked at the corporate office of Harper Hotels, I would get all these phone calls from people wanting to rent a room. I even had to argue with some of them. They would insist that we were a hotel and I would tell them we are a corporate office. I used to threaten (co-workers) that I was going to bring in a cot and start renting it out.
Q: What’s the most serious thing that has happened on the job?
New: When I worked on an embezzlement investigation because it was within the company I worked for and so you take personal offense from it. It’s like somebody stole something from you.
Q: What kind of jobs does Madison County need?
New: Any kind. I know they are really stressed at this point. More middle management jobs — that’s what people need, but it’s probably the same everywhere.
Q: What other kinds of jobs have you had?
New: I’ve sold vitamins and supplements and worked in retail at Kohl’s. In college I baby-sat for a dog — that was my strangest job.
Q: What would be your idea of the perfect job?
New: Teaching. I’d love to teach college-level accounting, but I need a master’s degree to do that and I only have a bachelor’s.
Q: If you didn’t have to work for a living, what would you do?
New: I’d do a lot of volunteer work for nonprofits. For the last five years I have been involved with Parents Encouraging Parents, which is an organization that advises parents on how to help with their child’s education.
Q: How do you like to spend your hard-earned money?
New: I enjoy Hoosier Park and I like to travel. Of course, I like to do anything with my grandchildren.
Q: What is your busiest time of the year?
New: January through April 15. Then I get busy around July 15, Sept. 15, and Jan. 15 because that’s when the businesses’s quarterly taxes are due.
Q: What’s the biggest mistake people make with their taxes?
New: The IRS isn’t going to like me saying this, but the biggest mistake is to always assume the IRS or IDOR (Indiana Department of Revenue) is right. People get a notice from the IRS or the IDOR and assume they owe more money and just write out a check. Don’t pay it until we check it out. Sometimes they make mistakes.
