There are lots of accounting bugs like this.  The challenge is Accounting isn&#x27;t as cut and dry as people think.<p>For example - how long do you depreciate (write down the value of) an asset that you buy?  If you depreciate it too slowly, it might make it seem like you&#x27;re more profitable than you really are.<p>Another example - If you buy a financial product to hedge a risk vs to speculate, the accounting treatment is different.  (In the latter you need to mark it to market more frequently)<p>One more...  If you&#x27;re a bank, and you make a loan which you intend to hold until maturity, the accounting treatment (mark to market) is different than if you intend to sell the loan.<p>Accounting is more than just consistent rules followed by the green eyeshades.  :-)<p>There are two immediate existing business opportunities:<p>1) Accounting companies (E&amp;Y, Deloitte, etc) help execs understand all these rules.  Their advisory (what can you do?) work is more profitable per partner than their audit (what did you do?) work.<p>2) Investment funds do detailed analysis of accounting statements to make &quot;Apples to Apples&quot; comparisons of companies, then analyze their equity and debt valuations to see if they are properly priced.  Sometimes this goes by the name of &quot;Relative value&quot; or &quot;Long&#x2F;short&quot;.