Dictionary
Thesaurus
Physician’s Desk Reference
TV Guide
All of these are reference materials that serve well those who need them. When spellcheck fails (it does more than you should be comfortable with), you can just go to the dictionary and make sure you have the right word attached to the right spelling. What is that funky looking rash on your elbow? You can play doctor and check out the Physician’s Desk Reference and mis-diagnose yourself with Malaysian Boogie Woogie Cannotpronounce-itis. When I was a kid, a staple of my Christmas wish list was the latest edition of the World Almanac. I think my mom was psyched to get it for me if for no other reason than the fact that I would sequester myself in my room for days learning all sorts of minutae. “Hey mom, didja know that Detroit sits on top of a huge salt mine?” My mom mastered the “Oh realllly? That’s neat!” response. And off I would disappear for another half hour.
BFF
My reference weapon of choice these days is the U.S. Master Tax Guide (USMTG). Over 1,000 pages of fun-filled tax facts, figures and even authors’ opinions (accountants love that stuff because we love to have opinions about things – see audits). This is the Almanac of Tax, The Old Testament of the IRS, The Encyclopedia Taxedia. If you don’t have one of these by your side during tax season, you are at a decided disadvantage. What I didn’t know when I received my first one was how truly useful it would become. How useful? Since you asked (you didn’t but whatever):
- Quick verification tool – When you think you know something regarding a tax law or rate, but would rather not risk that 3% chance you’re off base, you can quickly pick up the USMTG and get your answer. To go the conventional route for research can be a time killer. Tax law is complex. You could fill a public library just with tax information and research. The benefits of having a handy single guide right next to you to answer the basic stuff is huge.
- Client call enhancer – Win friends and impress clients with how fast you can answer thier phoned-in tax questions. If you know the USMTG well, you can give the direct impression you knew the answer to their question, not that you were able to quickly look it up. Thats neat!
- Fly swatter – This use came into play this week as I had a succession of nights being terrorized by flies circling the tower of my head while trying to work. The USMTG isn’t large per se, but if you connect on the target on a hard surface, those 1,000+ pages of mass means that there won’t be anything left to autopsy on Frankie The Fly. It is a bad weapon of choice on lamp shades, stereos and friends. Just take my word for it.
- Leveler – Something got knocked off the bottom of my oak file cabinet during my last move. The Leaning Tower of Vertical Files just doesn’t look right like that. Enter the 2009 edition of the USMTG and voila, my files have a sense of balance again!
- Crossword backboard – It’s not the best solution but if you need something to put your crossword puzzle on to write in a pinch, The USMTG can do the job.
So what is your right hand man/woman reference? Nothing will ever replace a dog for companionship, but a reference guide that works for your business might be a super handy tool.