Busy Season Problems: You Deducted What?, Dumbest Conference Idea Ever, Clients Taking Ls
It occurred to me the other day as I was setting up my bullet journal spreads for next month that it is almost April. How’d that happen? As I was casually drawing out colorful little calendar boxes, checklists, and doodles without a care in the world I remembered that there are a good number of […]
Busy Season Survival Tip #626: Save Those Paperclips
Accounting OG @twuench took a break from telling interns to get off his lawn and has shared this great busy season survival tip from his former direct report at PwC. Take notes, people. IRS employees, y’all are out of luck sorry. Not like you’re allowed to partake anyway.
Exposure Drafts: It’s Busy Season, But Don’t Be Too Busy For Money
Listen to Oh My Fraud, a podcast by Caleb Newquist and Greg Kyte, and get free CPE through Earmark.
4 Ways PBC Management Makes Busy Season Less Sucky
For CPAs, accountants, and auditors, busy season sucks. The stress can take a serious toll on your personal life, your relationships, and even your health. That’s because it’s hard to find time for things like diet, exercise, and those pesky “other people in your life” when you’re busy reconciling the list of outstanding client requests […]
Monday Morning Accounting News Brief: Welcome to ’23; Deloitte Gets Chilly; Stop B*tching About Busy Season! | 1.2.23
Welcome to 2023! You made it! So happy to see you. Let’s see if anything happened while I was gone last week. … Wow, nothin’ huh? Alright, this news brief is going to be extra brief I guess. Deloitte has lowered its UK office temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees F) to cut costs […]
Are You Ready For the BUSY SEASON FUN Calendar??
I have just been made aware of the existence of this Busy Season Fun calendar by way of the Journal of Accountancy podcast in which host Jeff Drew mentions “it’s about time for PCPS to publish their annual busy season fun calendar.” The what now? You can find it on this Private Companies Practice Section […]
Marcum Leads Public Accounting In Posting Awkward Busy Season Pizza Party Photos on Social Media
Marcum employees are living that public accounting busy season stereotype one slice of pizza at a time. We're in the final stretch of the #taxseason. Our Fort Lauderdale office took a much needed break and gathered for happy hour while enjoying pizza and beer. #marcumeverywhere #funatwork pic.twitter.com/QJx0VBxD2R — Marcum LLP (@MarcumLLP) April 5, 2022 It […]
Busy Season Problems: Sunday Funday, Lost Tax Documents, In Need of Super Powers
We are officially one week away until our tax pro friends complete the long, arduous first leg of busy season. And based on all the extensions they are filing for procrastinating clients, the second leg of busy season, which wraps up this year on Oct. 17, might be just as crazy. Let’s take a look […]
Busy Season Problems: Somebody Please Get the IRS a Damn Scanner
We usually reserve this space on Going Concern for our tax preparer friends who have to deal with mostly client-initiated and other unexpected problems on a daily (hourly?) basis during busy season. And we’ll get to them next week as they near the home stretch of the April 15 18 filing deadline. But today I […]
Here’s a Photo From Saturday Night’s NASCAR Race That Sums Up Busy Season 2022 So Far
Based on what we’ve been seeing on #TaxTwitter over the past month, busy season 2022 is like the fiery last-lap, multicar wreck in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. And wouldn’t you know it, the car sponsored by Tax Slayer got absolutely trashed: Related articles: Busy Season Problems: ‘This […]
Tax Preparers Use Valentine’s Poetry to Express Their Busy Season Problems
Happy Valentine’s Day! Believe it or not, our friends on #TaxTwitter possess talents that stretch far beyond understanding the tax code, deftly dealing with awful clients, drinking massive quantities of coffee, and being able to function somewhat like a human after working 80-plus hours a week. They can also write poetry! And what better day […]
Busy Season Problems: K-2/K-3 Is Not OK; Weird Smells; Shadowy JPEGS
From time to time we like to check on our tax peeps to see how they’re holding up during busy season. Well … there’s the new schedules K-2/K-3 requirements for pass-through entities (see Michael Rapaport’s article for Bloomberg Tax on the new IRS foreign income reporting requirements for partnerships), which is driving tax pros completely […]
Friday Footnotes: Another PwC Failure; Excel JPGs; Busy Season Rants | 1.6.22
Elizabeth Holmes and her Big 4 audit firm buddies at Theranos [The Dig] When audit firms don’t live up to their public duty, everyone gets hurt. The harm at Theranos was more than financial. PwC ‘Failed Dismally’ as Auditor of South African Airways [Bloomberg Tax] A South African judicial report has sharply criticized PwC for […]
Happy Busy Season to All Who Celebrate
Happy first Monday of 2022! But let’s be real—nobody’s happy about being back at work today after the holiday break, especially auditors, who are embarking on another (or maybe their first) busy season. Busy season number 9. Let’s get it #DebitsEqualCredits #EBITDA pic.twitter.com/7FFTK8tcTD — Cory Callaghan (@corycallaghan) January 3, 2022 https://twitter.com/LiviaStrandberg/status/1477867111275921409 Not ready for busy […]
Friday Footnotes: Busy Season Vacay; PwC Fined; Bill Michael Was Right? | 2.19.21
Black CPA Centennial celebrates first Black CPA [Journal of Accountancy] The first CPA law was passed in New York 1896. It would be another 25 years before a Black person joined the profession. The primary blockers that made licensure essentially impossible for many aspiring Black CPAs included education, experience, and exclusion. Art of Accounting: Work-life […]
Here’s the Mentality You Should Have When Dealing with Clients This Busy Season, Courtesy of the Detroit Lions’ New Head Coach
On second thought, the whole kicking clients in the face and cannibalism thing will probably land you in hot water with your bosses … and the authorities: “[W]e’re going to kick you in the teeth, right? And when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you. And when you knock us down, we’re […]
How Are Auditors Handling the Start of Busy Season?
How’s everyone surviving their first Monday of the new year so far? Today is a double whammy for our auditor friends. Not only is it the first official workday of 2021 after holiday break but it’s also the start of the grueling marathon that is busy season. I went on Twitter to see how auditors […]
Busy Season Problems: COVID-19 vs. April 15, No Psychic Powers, IRS Hang-Ups
Got a busy season problem? First, put on some hand sanitizer. Then email us at [email protected] with “Busy Season Problems” in the subject line. Or you can text us at (202) 505-8885. News broke yesterday evening that the Treasury Department was seriously considering pushing back the April 15 filing deadline because of the coronavirus outbreak […]
Busy Season Zen: ‘The Bob Ross of Food Reviews’
Today I have a special treat for y’all. With 1.53 million subscribers, Steve1989MREInfo isn’t exactly an underground YouTuber, and I have no doubt some of you are already familiar with this Internet treasure. But for those of you who haven’t yet experienced the joy of a Steve1989 MRE review, get ready to meet your new […]
Busy Season Problems: Sleep Deprivation, Where’s My Wallet?, Daylight Saving Time Blues
Got a busy season problem? We want to hear all about it. Email us at [email protected] with “Busy Season Problems” in the subject line. Or you can text us at (202) 505-8885. We have officially reached the point in busy season where our friends in tax are exhausted, cranky, and can’t distinguish between dreams and […]
Busy Season Zen: These Marching Troops
I actually had a dinosaur mukbang planned for today’s Busy Season Zen but then I came across this and, well, considering it’s now March and busy season problems are in full swing, I figured why not. Seems oddly appropriate although I’m not entirely sure why. Volume warning, turn it down or pop in some headphones […]
Busy Season Problems: Quick Client Questions, Annoying Train Whistles, Autocorrect Fails
Got a busy season problem? Don’t be shy. Email us at [email protected] with “Busy Season Problems” in the subject line. Or you can text us at (202) 505-8885. It’s been exactly one month since tax season 2020 began. So let’s check in and see how busy season is treating our friends in tax so far: […]
Busy Season Zen: Time To Pay the Dog Tax
Playing Overwatch recently, I lucked out and managed to solo queue with a decent group of players in Quick Play of all places. I realize this is going to go over your head if you don’t play the game, so for those of you who don’t, let’s say if Quick Play were an accounting firm […]
Yes, You Can Quit During Busy Season
Nearly 10 years ago to the day (10 years and one day, specifically), my esteemed former colleague Caleb Newquist wrote a post for this here then-new website entitled Infuriating Problem of the Day: Accountants Quitting During Busy Season. It’s important to note here that Caleb is former Big 4 himself (borderline debatable given he worked […]
Busy Season Zen: This Birb Is a Whole Mood
When I spend hours upon hours scrolling through YouTube watching old To Catch a Predator clips looking for something cute in order to bring you the very best for Busy Season Zen, I’m usually looking for something that lasts longer than 60 seconds (insert joke about your ex-boyfriend here). Case in point, the ten hours […]
Busy Season Zen: Meet the Crusher
As has been tradition ’round these parts going back a few years, it’s officially time to break out the Busy Season Zen. If you’re new, Busy Season Zen is a dose of distraction, whether that be cute little ducklings or 10 straight hours of paint drying. You never know what you’re going to get. We […]
Get Dialed In for Busy Season 2020 with These Remote Tax Prep Jobs
Winter is coming, as is Tax Season 2020. The folks at 1-800Accountant don’t want to see tax professionals left out in the cold, not putting their tax preparation skills to good use during busy season. So, the firm is looking to hire between 40 and 50 people nationwide to fill its remote seasonal tax preparer […]
Friday Footnotes: Yo Dawg I Heard You Like Fraud; PwC’s ‘Hipsturbia’; Busy Season Redux | 10.11.19
Warning Signs about the Future Supply of Accounting Graduates [The CPA Journal] At the ground level, something has gone wrong with student perceptions about the value of an accounting education. It may take a few years for this changed dynamic to show up in economy-wide reports, but that a new dynamic is underway is obvious […]
The Six Kinds of Regret You’ll Experience Now That Busy Season Is Over
For weeks on end now your entire existence has revolved around busy season and all the misery that brings. Your significant other hasn’t heard from you in days and even your dog is suspicious of you when you finally arrive home late in the evening, suspecting you might be a burglar. Your best friend is […]
Maybe This Busy Season Video Will Get You Fired Up For the ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Premier … Or Maybe Not
Full disclosure: I’ve never watched a single episode of “Game of Thrones.” I realize I’m in the minority here. It’s not that I don’t want to watch it; I’m just too cheap to buy HBO or HBO NOW. My wife and I started paying for Netflix two years ago because we were told all the […]
Busy Season Zen: Eight Straight Hours of Cat Purring
So here we are, the last Busy Season Zen of busy season. You almost made it, just a little bit more to go. If you’ve made it this far, certainly you can crawl your way to the finish line. For this week’s zen, we thought about doing satisfying factory videos or bears playing in someone’s […]
Exposure Drafts: Keep Telling Yourself That You’ve Been Eating Healthy This Busy Season
Exposure Drafts appears every other Wednesday. Send your accounting cartoon ideas to [email protected]. You can follow Greg Kyte on Twitter.
Busy Season Zen: Bath Time With Sweetheart
Birds can be kinda weird, as pets anyway. I mean, yeah I understand it’s just as weird to collect small predators who shit in a box, but birds can be loud, too clever for their own good, and the damn things tend to outlive everyone. Plus their ancestors are dinosaurs and the last thing you […]
Exposure Drafts: Keeping Fit During Busy Season — It’s All About the Little Wins
Exposure Drafts appears every other Wednesday. Send your accounting cartoon ideas to [email protected]. You can follow Greg Kyte on Twitter.
Busy Season Zen: These Baby Frogs
As we crawl toward the end of busy season 2019, it’s important to remember just how unimportant you are in the scheme of things. I mean, out of billions of human beings on the planet you are but one speck, a cog in an invisible machine. Sorry, was that too deep? Let’s get back to […]
Busy Season Problems: Moms (Usually) Just Don’t Understand
This week’s BSP is dedicated to all the Moms out there who still have no idea why you hardly call between late January to mid-April, why you’re working all day on a Saturday, why you look malnourished, and why you have bags under your eyes. my mom calls me: hi! how’s tax season going? are […]
Busy Season Zen: Dis Fluff
I really hope y’all are prepared for today’s zen, as it might be the cutest thing you’ll see all week. Well, all day for sure. Hell, you probably haven’t seen anything so cute ever in your life, especially given that you’re wasting so much of it rotting away in a cube farm waiting for the […]
Busy Season Problems: No Highlighters, Please; Clients Ignoring Portals; Bad Takeout Food
So we kinda slacked off on doing posts on busy season problems this tax season. Sorry ’bout that. But it seems like there hasn’t been as much venting on Twitter this year as in past years. However, now that there’s less than a month left until Tax Day, patience might start to wear thin, so […]
Busy Season Zen: Whatever the Hell Is Happening Here
You know, I debated posting this as a Busy Season Zen as it’s less zen and more… I don’t even know. But I figure at this stage in the game, you could use a break or at least be reminded that there’s a big, weird, wonderful world out there beyond your cubicle. Yeah, let’s go […]
Busy Season Zen: This Car Wrap
Well, it’s Friday so you know what that means, time for another edition of Busy Season Zen. I scoured the Interwebs to bring you a quality video today, one that doesn’t involve baby doggos or kitties or children because sometimes the whole “it’s cute because it’s a baby” thing gets old. It’s a true shame […]
Busy Season Zen: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Remember when you were a kid and you couldn’t wait to grow up so you could eat candy for dinner and stay up as late as you want? And then you actually became an adult and realized you’re so tired from the never-ending rat race that you can’t wait to take a nap and refresh […]
Zaza Pachulia’s Ex-Accountant Is Going to Jail But Not Until After April 30 Because Busy Season
You know it’s tax season when an accountant who was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for identity theft is just too busy to go to jail right now. Such is the case for Randy Usow of Mequon, Wis., who agreed to plead guilty to one count of theft of government property and one […]
Busy Season Zen: These Hypnotic 3D Animations
Hello and welcome back to another Friday edition of Busy Season Zen. The good news is it’s Friday, the bad news is it’s still busy season. Hopefully you’re taking care of yourself with good nutrition, rest when possible, and a bath or two when the mood strikes. More likely, however, you’re performing your own personal […]
Busy Season Problems: People Are Flipping Out Over Their Small Tax Refunds
You guys have probably seen or heard that as of Feb. 8, the average tax refund was $1,949, down 8.7% compared to the first two weeks of tax season last year. And you’ve probably seen or heard that economists and tax experts are saying it’s way too early to start rioting in the streets, as […]
Busy Season Zen: Soap Cutting
I’m not even entirely sure what this ASMR thing is, beyond over-sexualized little kids whispering creepily and people running over Tide Pods. Apparently this is supposed to be satisfying to some people? OK. Back in my day, we just smoked weed and played GTA like normal people to unwind. Kids these days, I swear. Anyhoo… […]
Busy Season Zen: Here’s Ten Straight Hours of Paint Drying
How’s it going? We’re early in the season so I would imagine some of you are still hanging in there. But before you know it, you’re going to be facing vitamin deficiencies and potential nervous breakdowns. Maybe this will help. Need more zen? Here’s all the Busy Season Zen your poor broken heart can handle. […]
Busy Season Zen: Watch This Toddler Make Lasagna
Alright y’all, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that Busy Season Zen is back. Those of you who have been around since the good ole days will recognize it as a weekly feature that has absolutely nothing to do with accounting and everything to do with giving you a break […]
Some Guy Made a Game Called ‘Busy Season’ That’s Literally a Suicidal Dick Throwing Himself Off a Building
At least I think it’s a dick.
Exposure Drafts: Busy Season Is Over. You Deserve a Break From People.
Exposure Drafts appears every other Wednesday. Send your accounting cartoon ideas and emergency contact info to [email protected]. You can follow Greg Kyte on Twitter.
Exposure Drafts: Busy Season Adultery Isn’t the Worst Betrayal
Exposure Drafts appears every other Wednesday. Send your accounting cartoon ideas and Ashley Madison avatars to [email protected]. You can follow Greg Kyte on Twitter.
Busy Season Triggers Survivor Guilt in CPAs Working in Industry
Busy season. It’s the hardest time of year for me as a CPA. But I don’t work in tax. I don’t work in audit. I don’t even work in public accounting. I work in industry as a controller. Busy season is brutal for because of the lies and deception … because any time I interact […]
Accounting News Roundup: Theranos’s Fraud and Busy Season Self-Control | 03.15.18
SEC Charges Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes With Fraud [WSJ] Ms. Holmes and Theranos’s former president, the SEC said, perpetrated ” an elaborate, yearslong fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the company’s technology, business and financial performance.” As part of the settlement, Holmes gives up control of the company she founded in […]
5 Ways to Upgrade Your Busy Season Business Travel
Are your frequent flyer miles starting to rack up? Busy season can be hard enough when your clients are local. Add travel and some sleep deprivation, and it can make even the most cheerful manager bite your head off. Here’s what I recommend to you so you’ll be well rested and able to respond with […]
A CPA’s Incomplete 2018 Busy Season Prep To-Do List
Cut holiday vacation short to read the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Implement “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” charge code. Cram 40 hours of CPE into 4 days. Stare at children to remember their faces. Document rationale for becoming a corporation. Refill Zoloft prescription. Write farewell emails to non-profit clients. Stock up on bubble wrap. […]
When to give notice at a Big 4 during busy season?
I know that I need to leave my job in 3 to 4 months, but I just don’t know when I should let my workplace know. I am getting married and my coworkers and leadership know, but what they don’t know is thay I am moving to my fiancé’s city (across the country). I want […]
4 Weird Ways to Keep Your Sanity This Coming Busy Season
Busy season stress is no joke. When it hits and those 60-hour work weeks start piling up, where do you turn? You could (and probably will) drain every last drop out of the company coffee pot or slam green energy drinks composed of dubious ingredients. You’ll probably take a few Office Space-style breaks along the […]
Make $40k in Three Months This Busy Season
Imagine getting paid by the hour during busy season. Sure, salaried employment is great, and it makes sense for a lot of CPAs. But if you’re someone who isn’t sold on climbing the corporate ladder to enter yourself into the partner lottery 15 to 20 years into your career, then there’s a more flexible and […]
Now’s the Time to Take a Long, Hard Look at Busy Season
Now that busy season is over, and you’ve had some time to yourself, work schedules go back to normal. Same old, same old. So it’s a good time to assess what you learned. Doing that can give you a picture of how your firm managed the stress of filing season—and, more importantly, how you did. […]
A Non-Exhaustive List of What You Should Be Doing Now That Busy Season is Over
Certain accounting publications which are not Going Concern have all kinds of suggestions for how you should be spending your life post-busy season, sadly the majority of said suggestions involve everything but decompressing from the worst months of your miserable life to date. Now is not the time for introspection. It is not the time […]
Is There Anything Worse Than Busy Season? Yes, Performance Reviews
Please enjoy this sponsored content from Beech Valley Solutions. You can read more their partnership with Accountingfly here. Cancer, terrorists, undigested corn – all significantly worse than busy season. But what about within the confines of public accounting? Is there anything worse than busy season? Yes, and it’s formal professional feedback. A late 2015 survey […]
Everyone Suffering from Busy Season Depression: Grab Some Bubble Wrap, Stat
Is there anything better than popping bubble wrap? No. No there is not. The Los Angeles office of Cohn Reznick seems aware of that fact, as they spent part of the day yesterday de-stressing with a little contest: #fun #video, contest to #pop #bubblewrap – a great day with a “pop” theme for #stressrelief during […]
5 Ways to Steal Some Time Back This Busy Season
Ugh, busy season. 8 hours of sleep? Try 5-6 — on a good day. And, to add insult to injury, we are mocked by the fact that we are losing another precious hour this weekend (daylight savings time starts on Sunday, March 12). If sleep deprivation makes you want to cry, I tracked down some ways you […]
3 Ways Your Boss Causes Busy Season Fire Drills
Nothing can make your life a living hell more than a boss that turns everything into a last minute fire drill, especially during busy season. We’ve all had those bosses. Gallup’s research reveals that only about one in 10 people possess the talent to manage. These are not good odds. It’s almost like these bosses […]
Busy Season Problems: Confused Doorman, Z-Paks and Disappointing Chick-fil-A
Now that February is in full swing, the venting of busy season problems on social media is bound to pick up for the duration. I noticed that many of these occurred on Saturday, which suggests some firms are ignoring Rachel’s advice. Haven’t had a day off since January 1st. On the verge of a […]
3 Ways CPA Firms Can Make Busy Season Burnout a Thing of the Past
With every busy season, I, and most everyone around me, met the occasion with dread. We knew burnout was inevitable. It was interesting to observe how attitudes shifted from first year associate up the ladder. First year staff typically met the occasion with anticipation and slight uncertainty. Professionals that had a few busy seasons under […]
Seriously, Stop Making Saturdays Mandatory During Busy Season
With the recent “controversy” from the article posted on CPA Trendlines, we now have to discuss mandatory Saturdays. I can’t help myself. Stop making Saturdays mandatory. Seriously, just stop. How is this still a thing? (I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately.) And when I say stop making Saturdays mandatory, I mean […]
Being a Great Place to Work During Busy Season Means More Than a Free Slice of Pizza
Back when I was a tax associate, my colleagues and I would watch the Hoops and Yoyo “It’s Sarcastic Wednesday.” The part that cracked me up the most was when they say, “I’ll do large amounts of free work for a slice of pepperoni!” But why is it so funny (but not really funny at the same time)?
How to Make the Most of Your Time Before Busy Season
To get your career conundrums addressed, email Rachel at [email protected] and your question may be featured on Going Concern.
Oh glorious November, you are so sweet to me. You give me a time of low billable hour goals, clients on vacation, and tons of admin hours. In a world of crazy deadlines and overtime, this month is like public accounting nirvana.
Busy Season at Big 4
I have a question about how the audit busy season typically works at a Big 4 firm. I work as an auditor at a smaller regional firm now and during our busy season we work 60-65 hours per week (Monday-Saturday) from mid-January through April 15. Once our audit work gets wrapped up around mid-March then […]
How to Cope With Post-Busy Season Depression
When busy season ends, it takes time for many accountants to adjust to the 40ish-hour workweek again. For those of you who don't suffer from the martyrdom complex the return to a somewhat normal life is a welcome change. But for others, there are different feelings: @going_concern an article addressing getting out of post busy […]
Crackin’ Under Pressure: Making Mistakes During Busy Season
As you may know or be experiencing right this very second, it’s a stressful time of year for accountants and the people around them. Whether you’re working on tax returns or year-end audits or any other professional number crunching activity, that stress can cause people to make mistakes.
How I Managed to Pass REG in the Middle of Busy Season
Did you pass all four parts of the CPA exam on the first try? Well, lucky you. It was score release day. I'd passed AUD, BEC, and FAR –- REG was the last piece. The worst piece. The bane of my existence. To this day, my shoulders clamp up a little if you ask me […]
How Will Your Team Air Its Grievances This Busy Season?
If you are leading a team this busy season, it's likely that a conflict or two may arise and passive-aggressive behavior may result. When you have a group of people sitting on their asses for hours, day after day, not seeing daylight for months on end, it's inevitable. When passive-aggressive behavior does happen, there are […]
New Year’s Resolutions That Will Make Busy Season Less Awful
Happy New Year, y'all! I spent New Year's Eve watching my beloved Michigan State Spartans lose the Cotton Bowl and compiling a list of resolutions so we can kick off Busy Season 2016 right! You should be able to keep these going for at least a week or so. Learn something sweet in Excel –- […]
Busy Season’s Greetings
Now that it's December, it's easy to focus on the distractions of the holidays and the impending busy season. Since we're acutely aware of this fact down here at the ol' blog factory, we adjust our editorial whims to suit the season. Last week, Leona was in the midst of a Biggest Loser binge, so […]
Here Are Some Health Initiatives Accounting Firms Should Consider for the Upcoming Busy Season
While ya'll have been diligently protecting our capital markets, I've been binge-watching a million seasons of “The Biggest Loser” on Hulu. Why didn't anyone tell me about this show? I would have started watching it years ago! Meanwhile, I've also been scrolling through “office workers are all going to die of stress-induced heart attacks” articles. […]
Deadline to quit before busy season
I work for a smaller CPA firm comprised of about 15 auditors. I want to accept an offer for another position but am worried that it may be too close to busy season right now to quit. I can see quitting at a bigger firm in September isn't that huge of a deal but since […]
What Did You Learn This Busy Season?
All of those busy season problems must've taught you something.
Busy Season Zen: Celebrate April 15th with Some Maniacal Laughter
Yes, your busy season may have ended weeks ago but April 15th is still an important date for many accountants. To reach this day with your sanity intact is no small feat so why not enjoy your survival with some joyful lunacy? Here is 6 minutes of cinematic maniacal laughter that should help you feel […]
Long Hours Are the Root of All Your Busy Season Problems
Perhaps you gleaned this from the exhaustive tournament we hosted recently, but we'll bring it up again: working a lot of hours causes a lot of problems. Among these problems: drinking. Harvard Business Review has the latest scientific research: Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and colleagues found that people who log […]
Busy Season Zen: Ten Hours of Soothing Spring Showers
April showers bring May flowers, the saying goes. Of course, it also can bring tornadoes and all sorts of severe weather that will send your furry friends (and maybe you) running under the bed. However, the sound of rain falling and rolling thunder does give many people a sense of peace. Ten hours of it will get […]
Drown Your Busy Season Sorrows with a CPA IPA
In a clever bit of branding, Intuit partnered with Rhode Island-based Revival Brewing Company to create CPA IPA, a "special beer for accountants only." They plugged it in the RI-press, hosted some happy hours across the state, "where accountants enjoyed some free beer to de-stress," and then, most certainly, went back to answering customer complaints […]
Busy Season Zen: Every ‘Dude’ From The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a cinematic masterpiece. Fact. Other films by Ethan and Joel Coen have been given awards but none of them will ever achieve the legendary cult following like TBL. It inspired a multi-city festival. Before there was "U mad, bro?" there was, "Calmer than you are." It spawned a philosophy for crying out loud. […]
The Battle Royale of Busy Season
I don't need to tell you why March is such a great month, but I'll rehash anyway. There are universal loves like longer days and warmer weather, but for the public accountant, March marks a different kind of beginning that goes beyond saying adios to winter. March means that the trepidation of another busy season begins […]
Busy Season Zen: The Swish Montage
March Madness begins this week, so it seems appropriate that today's BSZ have a basketball theme. Although I'm not much of a basketball fan these days, I do enjoy the sound a ball makes when it goes through hoop in a perfect swish. Luckily, there I found a 2-minute montage of perfect (and some not […]
Leaving after first busy season or stick it out
I work for a small CPA firm that does both audit and tax. I realize now during my first busy season this is not the right career for me. The long hours and lack of leadership from partners and management make me hate going into work everyday. I am a little bit older (34) and […]
Busy Season Zen: The Twinkie Factory
There's something cathartic about watching confections silently go through their manufacturing process. Or maybe it's frightening? Or frighteningly cathartic? Clearly, these sorts of things are important to you all; hopefully it gives you some peace today. [YouTube via r/factoryporn]
Anyone Else Getting Busy Season Goodies?
Anyone getting any Busy Season goodies or treats beign sent to their office? I just got this from Thomson Reuters
Springing Forward to the End of Busy Season | 03.09.15
In case you haven't noticed, we've been combing Twitter the last few weeks to find the best (or is that the worst?) of busy season problems. From nightmares about spreadsheets to a completely jacked up circadian rhythm, things are getting rough out there. Of course, no more rough than previous busy seasons. In years gone […]
Busy Season Zen: Guinea Pigs Playing Basketball
Watching guinea pigs play basketball is infinitely better than watching any NBA game for several reasons. Among them: 1) Guinea pigs are adorable; 2) Quality of play; 3) No timeouts, therefore, no needless stalling until the end of the game; 4) Better music than you'll hear at any arena; 5) No Kobe Bryant.
This T-Shirt Sums Up Busy Season
From our pals at the Maryland Association of CPAs: I suggested on Facebook that this could be your new favorite Saturday t-shirt but some of you are probably ready to order 30 of these and wear one every day. Earlier:#BusySeasonProblems: Bad Dreams, Late Night Housekeeping, More Bad Dreams
Here Are Some Coded Phrases You Will Hear During Busy Season
It’s busy season and most accountants are feeling the physical and emotional pain of long hours. While cryptic underhanded messages are the last thing you need, there’s no stopping anyone from sending mixed messages. I’ve been there and it takes time to fully understand what people are saying to you. For all you newbies, […]
Busy Season Zen: Classical Car Crushing
A couple of years ago, Car and Driver ran a 5-episode series on its YouTube channel called The Destruction Hour. As you might expect, it's just 60 minutes of cars being crushed at a junkyard. They do manage to get through quite a number of cars in one hour, however. It's a little tedious to […]
Busy Season Zen: The Can Opener Bridge
We're going to take a different approach to Busy Season Zen today, as it's getting to that point where cute ducklings and cuddly kittens may not be doing it for you. Perhaps you've seen this video making the rounds, and if so forgive me. Actually no, don't, I don't care. 11foot8 is a site that […]
92-Year-Old Accountant Shares His Secret to Surviving Busy Season
Nope, not copious amounts of alcohol.
Busy Season Zen: Spend Three Hours on This California Beach
There's an adorable video going around of a kitten meeting some ducklings but we just did a duckling video so we'll be skipping that one this week. What we do have is 3 whole hours of ocean. No cute puppies, no sound effects, no comments. Just ocean. Sweet, calming, beautiful ocean. Enjoy.
McGladrey CEO Embarks on 37th Busy Season, But Who’s Counting?
Fresh from the tip box this week, we discover that McGladrey CEO Joe Adams is "personally" trying to get his people in the spirit of the season. Busy season, that is. Yes, please send your kid Joe Adams' regards for celebrating her birthday without you yet again. After all, it's all about that McGladrey experience!
Busy Season Zen: This Hamster Looks a Lot Like You at Team Lunch
This busy season, you're probably going to be eating a lot of pizza. So much so that by the time busy season is over, you'll probably have a Walter White moment if anyone dares show you one more pizza. Since it's still early in the game, you'll probably find this little hamster eating a little […]
CalCPA Basically Confirms That Busy Season Will Probably Kill You
So, CalCPA has this interesting article about managing stress that is definitely worth a read but it's the following description that really stood out to us: The accounting profession, much more so than most, has been known for its high stress environment and culture. I’ve seen an increasing lack of healthy life balance result in […]
Use Excel to Keep an Eye on Your BMI This Busy Season
Let’s assume that you’ve bought into the quantified-self craze. Your wearable technology measures every breath you take and every move you make, so now it's time for new frontiers, as in something other than the fast food drive-thru lane. It’s always easiest to start with low-hanging fruit, such as your co-workers. Body Mass Index is […]