Learn to manage, balance, maintain, and close the books with confidence.

Join Mariette Martinez and Alicia Katz Pollock for a guided, five-week accounting and financial literacy experience designed to help bookkeepers connect the dots between everyday bookkeeping, financial reporting, client communication, and year-end readiness.

Go beyond knowing where to click. Learn how to understand the books, take ownership of the accounting process, and deliver the financial clarity business owners depend on.

Cohort Dates: November 10 – December 8, 2026
Session Count: 9 Live Sessions
Session Duration: 2 Hours Each (18 Hours Total)
Tuesdays 9am PT: November 10, 17, 24 | December 1, 8
Saturdays 9am PT: November 14, 21, 28 | December 5

9 Live Cohort Sessions

Participate in a combination of guided watch-party training, practical exercises, group discussions, and live instruction with Mariette Martinez and Alicia Katz Pollock.

18 CPE Credits

Earn 18 CPE credits while getting practical experience with the platform replacing QBOA.

Practical Checklists & Resources

Explore tools such as the Ultimate Accounting Services Checklist, the Accounting Services Roadmap, and the year-end readiness process.

5 Weeks of Structured Learning

Move through the accounting life cycle with a clear progression, building your understanding and professional skills one stage at a time.

Action-Based Assignments

Apply what you're learning through structured activities that connect accounting concepts to real bookkeeping responsibilities.

Community & Instructor Support

Continue the conversation inside the Royalwise class forum, with Mariette providing assignments and guidance throughout the cohort.

Built for bookkeepers who want to become stronger accounting professionals.

You’ve learned how to categorize transactions. You know how to enter bills, record payments, and reconcile accounts.

But when it’s time to review the financial statements, explain what the numbers mean, prepare for year-end, or answer a business owner’s financial questions, things can feel a little less certain.

The Accounting Life Cycle is designed to help you connect those pieces.

In-House Bookkeepers

You manage the books for a business and want to feel more confident in your work. Learn how to build consistent monthly routines, understand the financial statements, and provide more useful information to the business you serve.

Independent Bookkeepers

You're building a bookkeeping business or growing your existing practice. Develop a clearer understanding of the accounting services journey so you can create repeatable processes, communicate your value, and deliver more complete year-round services.

Accounting Firm Professionals

You work alongside accountants, tax professionals, or other bookkeepers. Learn how your responsibilities connect to the larger accounting process, improve collaboration, and understand what a complete, reliable set of books should look like.

Aspiring Professionals

You're developing your skills and preparing to take on more responsibility. Build the financial literacy, professional judgment, and workflow knowledge needed to move beyond basic transaction entry.

Understand the entire accounting lifecycle.

The program follows the accounting journey from defining your professional role to preparing reliable financial information and completing the year-end process.

01 — Define Your Role as an Accounting Professional

Know your role. Know your value.

Before you can deliver exceptional accounting services, you need to understand the role you want to play. Explore the Accounting Services Roadmap and begin identifying your responsibilities, professional goals, and opportunities for growth.

You’ll explore:

Defining your bookkeeping role
In-house, independent, and collaborative accounting relationships
Understanding professional responsibilities
Mapping your accounting services journey
Developing your personal action plan

02 — Understand the Business Behind the Books

Good accounting starts with understanding the business.

Every business operates differently. Before you can manage its financial information effectively, you need to understand how the business operates, what it needs, and what its financial records should communicate.

You’ll explore:

Understanding the business and its operations
Assessing bookkeeping needs
Planning an accounting engagement
Organizing the Chart of Accounts
Applying the accounting equation
Connecting business activity to financial reporting

03 — Manage the Books with a Repeatable Monthly Process

Build consistency into your bookkeeping.

Accurate financial records don’t happen by accident. They result from consistent processes, thoughtful review, and knowing what needs to happen each month.

You’ll explore:

Essential monthly bookkeeping responsibilities
Managing transactions and accounting records
The Ultimate Accounting Services Checklist
Establishing repeatable monthly routines
Taking professional responsibility for the books

04 — Balance the Books and Verify Their Accuracy

Reconciliation is more than checking a box.

Balanced books provide the foundation for trustworthy financial information. Learn how reconciliation, account review, and supporting documentation work together to create greater confidence in the financial records.

You’ll explore:

Reconciling balance sheet accounts
Reviewing account balances
Identifying inconsistencies
Understanding supporting documentation
Building reliable review processes
Preparing financial information for further analysis

05 — Understand the Financial Statements

Learn to read the story behind the numbers.

Financial statements aren’t just reports to generate at month-end. They tell the story of a business’s financial position, operating performance, and cash movement.

Learn how the three primary financial statements work together and what each reveals.

You’ll explore:

The Balance Sheet
The Income Statement / Profit & Loss
The Cash Flow Statement
Understanding financial relationships
Interpreting financial results
Recognizing information that deserves further attention

06 — Have Financial Conversations That Count

Turn financial information into business understanding.

Business owners don’t always need more reports.They need someone who can help them understand what those reports are saying. Develop your ability to discuss financial information in clear, practical language that supports better business decisions.

You’ll explore:

Communicating financial information clearly
Identifying meaningful financial trends
Understanding business performance
Asking better financial questions
Connecting financial results to business decisions
Building confidence in client conversations

07 — Maintain the Books Throughout the Year

Make year-end readiness a year-round habit.

The best year-end processes begin long before December. Learn how consistent maintenance, financial review, and attention to compliance responsibilities can help keep the books reliable throughout the year.

You’ll explore:

Ongoing accounting maintenance
Quarterly financial responsibilities
KPIs and business metrics
Monitoring financial performance
Supporting quarterly tax compliance
Keeping the books organized and current

08 — Close the Books and Prepare for Tax Time

Turn year-end from a scramble into a process.

Year-end doesn’t have to mean weeks of uncertainty, last-minute corrections, and missing information. Learn how to approach the closing process with a structured readiness checklist and a clear understanding of what the tax professional needs.

You’ll explore:

Year-end accounting responsibilities
The Ultimate Year-End Handoff
Reviewing financial information
Preparing tax-ready records
Coordinating with tax professionals
Building a repeatable closing process

09 — Build Your Next Professional Chapter

Turn what you’ve learned into a plan for growth.

The final step is connecting your new understanding to your professional future. Reflect on your progress, identify opportunities to strengthen your skills, and create a plan for applying what you’ve learned.

You’ll explore:

Evaluating your professional growth
Identifying areas for continued development
Refining your accounting services goals
Building a practical next-step action plan

Learn It. Practice It. Apply It.

This isn’t a single webinar where you watch a presentation and hope you remember everything afterward. The Accounting Life Cycle is a guided cohort designed to help you build understanding over time. Across five weeks, you’ll participate in nine scheduled sessions combining instruction, discussion, and practical application.

Tuesdays - Guided Learning with Alicia

Join Alicia Katz Pollock for watch-party training sessions that include scheduled pauses for exercises, reflection, and group discussion. These sessions give you time to work through the concepts rather than simply watch them.

Saturdays - Live Training with Mariette

Join Mariette Martinez for live instruction, discussion, and Q&A focused on deepening your understanding and applying the accounting life cycle.

Between Sessions - Put Your Knowledge to Work

Complete lesson assignments, apply the course resources, and participate in the Royalwise class forum. The learning continues between sessions, giving you opportunities to turn new concepts into practical skills.

From completing bookkeeping tasks to delivering financial clarity.

Before the Accounting Lifecycle Course:

You enter transactions but aren't always sure how everything connects.
Month-end feels like a collection of tasks rather than a defined process.
You reconcile accounts without understanding what the balances reveal.
You generate financial reports but struggle to explain their meaning.
Year-end creates stress because important details have been overlooked.
You're uncertain how to communicate the full value of your bookkeeping.

After the Accounting Lifecycle Course:

You understand how accounting responsibilities connect across the year.
You have a structured approach to managing and reviewing the books.
You know why account balances matter and how to evaluate them.
You can approach financial statements with greater confidence.
You understand the steps required for a more organized year-end handoff.
You have a clear understanding of the professional role & value you provide.

The goal isn’t simply to become faster at bookkeeping. It’s to become more capable, confident, and valuable as an accounting professional.

Mariette Martinez

Accounting Educator & Financial Literacy Advocate

Mariette Martinez is passionate about helping accounting professionals move beyond transaction management and become more confident participants in the financial conversations that matter to small businesses.

Through her work with Master Your Books, Mariette emphasizes financial literacy, repeatable accounting systems, and the connection between accurate financial records and sustainable business success.

In this cohort, Mariette will guide you through the accounting services journey, helping you understand how to manage, balance, maintain, and close the books while strengthening your professional capabilities.

Alicia Katz Pollock

Founder of Royalwise Solutions & QuickBooks Educator

Alicia Katz Pollock has helped thousands of business owners, bookkeepers, and accounting professionals develop greater confidence using QuickBooks and understanding their financial information.

Known for making complex topics approachable, Alicia focuses on practical education that connects software knowledge to real-world accounting workflows.

Together, Alicia and Mariette bring complementary perspectives to the learning experience: understanding the technology and understanding the accounting processes behind it.

Invest in the skills behind great bookkeeping.

Your enrollment includes:

Guided watch-party sessions with Alicia Katz Pollock
Live training and Q&A with Mariette Martinez
Structured accounting and financial literacy curriculum
Practical accounting checklists and course resources
Assignments and opportunities for hands-on application
Access to the Royalwise class forum
Certificate of Completion

Now $997

9 Live Sessions

Scheduled Across Five Weeks

2 Hours/Session

18 Total Hours

18 CPE Credits

Completion Required

Recording Access

Revisit Whenever Necessary

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Get clear answers about the course format, time commitment, cost, certification prep, and whether this training is the right fit for you.

What is The Accounting Life Cycle with Mariette Martinez?

The Accounting Lifecycle is a comprehensive, instructor-led training program designed to help accounting professionals understand how the different stages of accounting connect.

Rather than focusing on isolated bookkeeping tasks, the course explores the bigger picture — how financial information moves through the accounting process, why each stage matters, and how to develop more consistent, accurate, and efficient workflows.

Who should take this course?

This program is designed for bookkeepers, accountants, accounting firm owners, and financial professionals who want to strengthen their understanding of the complete accounting process.

It’s especially valuable for professionals who already perform bookkeeping tasks but want to better understand how their work connects to financial reporting, review, and broader business decisions.

Is this course appropriate for beginners?

The course is particularly valuable for professionals who have some familiarity with bookkeeping or accounting concepts and want to develop a more complete understanding of the accounting life cycle.

If you’ve learned how to perform individual accounting tasks but aren’t always confident about how everything fits together, this program can help connect those pieces.

How is this different from a traditional bookkeeping class?

Many bookkeeping courses focus on individual activities such as categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts, or preparing reports. The Accounting Life Cycle takes a broader approach.

You’ll explore how those activities connect, why the order of operations matters, and how to think about accounting as an ongoing process rather than a collection of unrelated tasks.

Who is Mariette Martinez?

Mariette Martinez is an accounting educator and professional who brings practical industry experience to her instruction.

Throughout the program, Mariette helps participants connect accounting concepts to real-world workflows, professional responsibilities, and the decisions accounting professionals encounter in their everyday work.

When does the program take place?

The cohort is scheduled to run from November 10 through December 8, 2026.

The program includes nine scheduled live sessions, giving participants an opportunity to build their knowledge progressively rather than trying to absorb everything in a single class.

How long is the program?

The program spans approximately five weeks, with nine live sessions scheduled for two hours each.

The course catalog identifies the overall program as 18 hours. Participants should refer to the official course schedule for the complete breakdown of instruction and learning activities.

How much does the course cost?

Enrollment is $997 for the complete program.

Rather than purchasing individual classes, you’re enrolling in a structured learning experience designed to help you develop a more comprehensive understanding of the accounting process.

Does this course qualify for CPE credits?

The course catalog lists 18 CPE credits.

Participants seeking CPE credit should review the applicable attendance, participation, and completion requirements before enrolling.

Will there be assignments or activities between sessions?

Yes. The program incorporates assignments and guided learning activities to help participants reinforce concepts and apply what they’re learning.

This is designed to be an active learning experience, not simply a series of presentations.

Will I have opportunities to ask questions?

Yes. The instructor-led format includes opportunities for discussion and questions, helping participants work through concepts and develop a deeper understanding of the material.

What if I can't attend every live session?

Because this is a structured cohort with live instruction, discussion, and assignments, attending the scheduled sessions is recommended.

If you anticipate missing a session, contact Royalwise before enrolling to confirm whether recordings or alternative participation arrangements are available and how an absence could affect CPE eligibility.

The Accounting Lifecycle

Great accounting is more than just Numbers.

Join Mariette Martinez and Alicia Katz Pollock for a comprehensive, five-week learning experience designed to strengthen your accounting knowledge, improve your workflows, and help you approach your work with greater confidence.