When I googled “ hammer, I got 146,000,000 hits.  With all those hammers out there, why do I need a carpenter?  The $18.99 hammer from my local hardware store would be a whole lot cheaper. 

Seriously, I understand your question.  And it’s a good one.  There are a lot of great tools out there; including hammers and accounting software.  These tools help make professional better and more productive at what they are trained to do.

Buying a hammer will no more make someone a carpenter than buying accounting software will make someone an accountant.  To master a profession requires training, education, and experience.  That’s equally true for carpentry, accounting, or brain surgery.   And speaking of surgery, if you needed a heart transplant, wouldn’t you want the best?  Why should you feel any differently about your accountant?

A good one will keep you out of trouble and earn his or her fee many times over.  Do yourself a favor; leave accounting (and carpentry) to the professionals.  Just because we get one of their tools doesn’t make us qualified to use it.