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Merry Christmas From Us to You!

From Bramwell, me, and our benevolent overlords at AccountingFly, Merry Christmas. That’s all.

Happy 4th, Y’all!

Happy Murica Day, everyone! Our benevolent handlers were kind enough to give us a three-day weekend so this is all you’re getting from us today. Knowing that some of you will be “at the office” holiday or no, here’s a little weekend reading. See you back here first thing Monday. Working from home: What does […]

Going Concern Presents: Our 10 Most Popular Posts of 2019

Well, you guys did it. You made it through another year. 2019 was a pretty crazy 12 months in the accounting profession, and we were glad to be along for the ride. This year we found out about KPMGers in the U.K. defecating in bathroom sinks. And we thought about who in accounting would survive […]

Going Concern March Madness: Ultimate Tech Showdown

Once upon a time, our former dear leader Caleb — who is not exactly known as the pinnacle of red-blooded, sports-loving American male — got the bright idea to gift the accounting profession with its very own March Madness competition. Although it was wildly popular those first two years, it also ended in embarrassment for […]

you almost did the thing

Welcome to the First-Ever (and Maybe Last-Ever) Going Concern Awards

Since this website is aimed at the coveted 18-34 age demographic (don’t worry if you’re not in it, I got booted from that box a few years ago myself, pass the back pain pills please), y’all should be more than familiar with getting trophies for doing absolutely nothing if the 60-year-olds who gave them to […]

2018

Going Concern Presents: 2018 Going Concern Editor’s Picks

Ed. note: Due to this thing called a holiday, we’re on an even lighter than usual posting schedule. Barring any breaking news, expect shitposts for the remainder of the week. Love, AG It used to be tradition around these parts for Colin and I to gather round the virtual fireplace come the end of the […]

Rejoice, Jerk-offs! Passive-Aggressive Downvoting Has Returned

So, I’ve been back here for almost three months (time flies when you’re flinging salt, I know) and the one complaint I keep hearing is about the comment section. More specifically, the inability to upvote the good and downvote the bad. I get it. Trust me, many a day was spent back in this website’s […]

That’s (Mostly) It for Comments

This summer, Going Concern turns nine. Over that time, the site has changed a lot — to the chagrin of some, to the delight of others. In any case, one of the mainstays during this time has been the comments on articles. This week will bring more change to the site, as we’ve been working […]

Programming Note: Moving The Furniture Around

Lots of announcements today, people. Do you mind? No, you don’t mind. We’re rolling out a newly designed Going Concern starting Monday so the site will be dark tomorrow and through the weekend while the tech savvy youths do their thing. This means no surprise weekend posts and no Open Items will be published. You’ll […]

How to Get in Touch

Have some information or a tip to share? Seen a story that needs the Going Concern treatment? Want to log a complaint? Email us at [email protected] or get our attention on Twitter. Or you're feeling creative, post your own accounting-inspired missive, soliloquy, haiku or portmanteau in Open Items.

Reminder: You Have to Entertain Yourselves Awhile Longer

Don't forget, our editor is away on vacation, returning on Friday. Use this time to talk amongst yourselves in the comments, post an Open Item or dig through our archives. And if you have tips or stories that you'd like us to cover, send us an email directly. Things will be back to normal on […]

Get in Touch

Our editor is off today, but will be back tomorrow. Send us tips and stories by hitting the button at the top of the page or emailing us directly. Or keep yourselves entertained in Open Items, including this person who wants help making a choice. UPDATE: The OP had second thoughts about their posting. Try […]

Get in Touch

Did we miss a story that needs covered? Have a tip or information that we should know? Email us at [email protected] or post stories or questions in Open Items for discussion. You can get in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Take the Going Concern Reader Survey

From time to time, the publishing overlords that run this joint like to survey you, our beloved audience. If you would be so kind to complete this survey, I'm told it won't take long and is painless. There's even a chance for you to tell us what you like, don't like, etc. Kindly help us […]

Programming Note: Talk Amongst Yourselves

FYI, denizens of Going Concern: our esteemed editor will be away for the rest of the day and all of tomorrow so posting will be on the light side. You can still send in tips and links by hitting the button at the top of the page or emailing them to us. You can also […]

A Little Help From My Friends

I took the day off on Friday to travel to parts unknown. Alright, maybe "unknown" is a stretch; I went into the mountains to avoid civilization and showering for a few days. It was great! During my absence, Professor Paul Gillis and Leona May chipped in with excellent posts on polar opposite topics: Executive MBAs […]

A Midsummer Workday’s Time Killer

The best reason to go to work in late July is the commercial air conditioning. That is a fact. But a close second (for accountants anyway) is reading the summer scuttlebutt on Going Concern. Money, miserable performance reviews, money, questionable career choices, money, skill development and, oh yeah, money.  It's usually enough to fill the non-billable hours […]

Drop Us a Line

Got a tip? Seen a story you think we should cover? Send us info or links by hitting the button at the top of the page or emailing us directly. You can also get our attention on Facebook or Twitter if you spend time there. And if you feel like starting your own thread, post […]

Directing Traffic

Looking for a compensation discussion thread, you say? There are several going on right now, so follow these links to your firm of choice: PwC McGladrey Baker Tilly Grant Thornton If your firm deserves a thread of its own, drop us some info on the process and timing or throw one up in Open Items. 

Programming Note

If you're looking for the PwC Compensation Discussions post (and we know many of you are), please direct yourselves down the page and you'll find it in between most recent Open Items threads and the Most Read stories. You'll see a picture of Bob Moritz dancing a jig. Alternatively, click here. We will now return […]

Oh, Go On

If we've missed a story, have a complaint or want to share some information we should know, hit the button at the top of the page or email us directly. You can also get our attention on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and, if the urge strikes you, write your manifesto to the accounting profession in Open […]

ICYMI: Review Technology, Get Gift Cards

If you missed the special that our pals at G2 Crowd ran last month, fear not, denizens of Going Concern. They still want insights on all kinds of software. Everything from Xero and QuickBooks to BaseCamp to ZenPayroll to several offerings from Microsoft, SAP, Oracle and more. Over 150 products in all. Just submit a detailed, […]

Talk Amongst Yourselves (You Pick the Topic)

I'm at the AICPA Practice Symposium and Tech+ Conference this week. This year, just for fun, they've thrown in the Association of Accounting Marketers Summit and the Association for Accounting Administration National Practice Management Conference. Yes, I'm fighting the three-headed dragon of accounting conferences.  Which is why I'm getting torched and asked for everyone to talk amongst […]

Get Through to Us

I'm attending the three-headed dragon of accounting conferences — The AICPA Practitioners Symposium-Tech+/AAM Summit/AAA National Practice Conference  — through Wednesday so posting may be sparse the first half of the week. Help us out by keeping yourselves entertained on Open Items and dropping us tips by hitting the button at the top of the page […]

New Partners, Robots, and Hell

Where else can you read the scuttlebutt of PwC partner promotions, robots, and accountants being cast into a lake of fire? Nowhere but Going Concern, I tell you.    Diversity, CPA exam drop-outs, loyalty bonuses. The only thing missing was the FIFA scandal.   Which we got to today.   Yes, last week’s stories ran […]

Don’t Worry, We Got This

What's the secret to getting through the first day back from a holiday weekend? I wish knew.  If you're like me, you're at the mercy of something interesting happening so that we can write about it. In the world of accounting no less. Most of you aren't like me so I suppose that's not helpful […]

Let’s Talk

If you see a story we should know about or have information to share, hit the tips button at the top of the page or email us directly. You can also write it up it in Open Items if you are so inclined or get our attention via and Facebook. 

Review Some Software, Get Some Amazon Gift Cards

G2 Crowd has a special just for you, Going Concern readers. They want insights on various types of software, everything from Xero and QuickBooks to BaseCamp to ZenPayroll to several offerings from Microsoft, SAP, Oracle and more. Over 150 products in all. Just submit a detailed, balanced, complete review of a product you currently use and they'll […]

Reminder: We’re Listening

If you see a story we should know about or have a tip to share, email us at [email protected] Or if the mood strikes you, post it in Open Items. You can also get our attention via Twitter and Facebook. 

New Year, New Rules: An Update on Commenting on Going Concern

Due to popular demand and much hair-pulling-out over the years here at Going Concern HQ, we're implementing a new rule effective immediately. Before we get to that, this is the perfect time to remind you of the Community Guidelines that we so carefully crafted, remain in effect. The intention being a more insightful, useful, friendly community. Starting today, […]

Going Concern Editors’ Picks 2014

It's been a fun year for us around here, between the audit partner banging the chief accounting officer at the client and a certain acquisition that took up lots of our time and effort to smoke out. We successfully launched Open Items and wrapped up our awesome year crashing AccountingWEB Live. So all in all, […]

Going Concern Presents: Our Most Popular Posts of 2014

Is it 2015 yet? No? Well then, I guess we should crank out another year in review post before we bust out the champagne or nearest American knockoff. We present the following for your nostalgic pleasure: our most read posts for 2014. Compensation Hands down, the most read posts this year were compensation threads. EY […]

Going Concern Presents: The Top 5 Open Items of 2014

I know it seems like a long time ago but believe it or not, we launched Open Items this year. Crazy, huh? In the spirit of year in review posts, we humbly present our picks for the top 5 Open Items of 2014. Mind you, these are arbitrarily chosen by our team of keyboard ninjas […]

To Whom It May Going Concern: Let Me Call My Buddy Who Is an Expert on Cool Stories

This is the latest, if much overdue, edition of our infrequent feature, To Whom It May Going Concern. Here we share some of the more, shall we say, interesting messages that come across the wire that just don't fit anywhere else. If you get the urge to tell us what you think about this here […]

Your Smartphone Compels You to Take the Going Concern Technology Survey

TPTB got together and decided it would be great to know what technology makes your heart flutter, so they had the interns get together and whip up this fancy technology survey. It only takes a second and in exchange for your compliance, we're giving away five $100 Amazon gift cards at random. You could finally […]

Take the Going Concern Compensation Survey and Win More Than a Raise!

With the pungent aroma of compensation talks lingering in the air like a stale cigar, it's time to introduce a fancy new survey that you guys have been begging us to do for about as long as we have been ignoring your begging. As comp threads start rolling out, this is your chance to help […]

GC Is Looking for New Writers If You Think You’re Bitter and Punny Enough

Before I get to the important bit, I want to make it known that we've always been open to new writers. Sometimes we get lucky and someone like Greg Kyte manages to find time in his busy schedule to bless us with an article. Sometimes we get a stupid idea like running a new talent […]

Programming Note: A Word About Comments

This is why we can't have nice things. Due to certain comments which we don't want to out at the moment, we're forced to implement registration in the comment section for the foreseeable future. I'm sure you share our disappointment, because one of the strengths of GC has always been our completely anonymous comment section. […]

Housekeeping: The Hunt for a New Going Concern Freelancer Goes On

I suppose you've been wondering what we decided after the final round of Bob Loblaw vs. Lee St. Mark vs. Andrew Roberts. Well, I'll tell you – nothing. Adrienne and I discussed it for about ten seconds and it was obvious to us that no one was a good fit. Yep, it was clear that […]

A Not So Brief Word About the Going Concern Comment Section

Perhaps some of you have noticed that Mommy has had to put a couple of you in time out recently due to off topic, completely out of line and/or totally useless comments. I see how some of you could be upset by this considering we've been pretty lenient up until now but it's gotten completely […]

A Brief Word on the Going Concern Freelancer Search

Alright, you guys know me so I'm not going to mince words here but let's just say the entries we've gotten thus far for the Going Concern freelancer spot have been, well, kinda sad. Dismal. Depressing. Pathetic, even. Do any of you actually read the site? Sure, there are a few gems (you'll be hearing […]

Going Concern Seeks a New Writer

We're testing the waters for a new freelancer to join the GC team. If you (or someone you know) has a deep understanding of audit, accounting, tax, advisory services or all of the above and don't mind being mocked by capital market servants, then we'd love to hear what you have to offer. If interested, […]

Your Thoughts on the New Going Concern

So now that we've opened the kimono, TPTB are pretty anxious to know what you think of all the changes. As you know, we fired a warning shot yesterday to help lessen the blow but we know how sensitive you all can be. But we're big boys and girls over here so we want to […]

A Little Housekeeping

Good morning capital market servants. Pleasant Thursday, no? At least it’s natural disaster free, amiright? Oh, right. Irene. Nevermind.

You may have noticed a little warning from your browsers this morning concerning GC having a little malware. Google sent us a little heads up earlier this morning confirming the issue, so it’s just not you! They have various theories behind this including the site being “compromised” (I think that’s a nice way of saying “hacked”) but Adrienne is convinced that I brought something back from the red light district.

ANYWAY, right now all theories are on the table for investigation but I assure you, our team of tech-savvy youth are on the case as we…er…speak. The Internet is a crazy place so things like this are bound to happen once in a full moon on 11/11/11, so we ask that everyone please bear with us while we sort things out. We’ll keep you updated as things progress.

Thanks for your continued support of Going Concern.

UPDATE: Due to our difficulties, we’ll be skipping the Daily Grind today, so sorry if that’s the only thing that gets you out of bed in the morning. We’ll also refrain from posting until the issues have been fixed. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter where we’ll be wreaking havoc and giving you updates.

How to Post a Comment on Going Concern: A Helpful Guide

If you have successfully posted a comment on our site before (or several times before) without revealing your personal information, congratulations! The comment system isn’t that hard to figure out but we understand some of you are first-timers, multitasking, commenting while looking over your shoulder to make sure partners aren’t hovering around your cube or otherwise confused by the way it works. Therefore, we’ve put together this simple guide that should take the guesswork out of commenting on our site. Those of you who have figured this out may sit this one out, or fast-forward to the comment section to make fun of those who haven’t.

First, if you already have a Disqus account, the easiest thing to do is stay logged in on your machine and ��������������������le heart’s content. Your comment box will look something like this (except with fewer “likes” because you’re not as funny as I am and fewer comments because you hopefully have more of a life than I do):

Where it says “Type your comment here,” you will type your comment. Confirm that the avatar and name shown are actually yours unless you’ve hacked into your editor’s Disqus account to post embarrassing details about his personal life in front of all to see like this:

Anyway. Pretty self-explanatory, and great if you want credit for whatever you are posting but what if you prefer to remain anonymous or are a troll hoping to leave shitty criticism of people’s personal and professional lives without having the balls to sign your name to them? No problem!

Let’s say (theoretically, of course, I would never troll my own website) I wanted to respond to this jerk who called me out but want to make it appear as though I am not actually me so people think I actually have friends. Your comment field should look like this if you are logged out or unregistered:


Now, coming up with a snappy comeback is up to you. But once you’ve figured out what to say about this person’s Mom/dog/grandma/balls/whatever, pop it in the comment field and hit “Post as…”

It’s the window that pops up after that that seems to give people the most “trouble” so read this next part very carefully as we will not repeat it again and are this close to refusing to delete any identifying information since so many of you seem to get this part horribly wrong.

What this means is that if your email address is [email protected], typing that into Disqus will CHANGE “Guest” to “firstnamemiddleinitiallastname,” meaning if you do not double-check the field before hitting “Post comment,” you have now just exposed yourself to the entire Going Concern audience. This will make your joke unfunny, make you look like a douchebag and annoy the crap out of us when you inevitably email everyone on the Going Concern team demanding we take down your post at 11pm on a Friday night because YOU couldn’t pay attention.

Note: if you use Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo or OpenID to log in, this will link directly to your respective profile on those sites. So don’t use this option if you don’t want the troll you just humiliated to have your personal information. I repeat: do not use this if you don’t want people to know who you are. In fact, I’d advise against using this option altogether.

If you have any questions about our comment removal policy, please review our Terms of Service carefully. The short version is that we will not delete comments because you accidentally used your real name, posted identifying information about yourself such as actual office and cube location and/or Social Security number, made some remark that you now regret because of all the haters who attacked you after you made it or spelled important words wrong and now feel like a douchebag. So think it through and please, for the love of all that is sacred and holy please double-check before you hit “Post comment.” It isn’t that hard and everyone will be happier in the long run. A lot of you seem to have issues with this lately; don’t make us remove the option to comment completely from this site, as we believe the comment section is what makes Going Concern such a great place to waste all those billable hours.

With all my love,

AG

Gone Fishing

I’ve been working in the UK for the past week which explains the extra typos since I’ve been in a jet-lagged, cider-infused haze since I arrived. While in Londdon, I happened across this street performer who, oddly, had the KPMG logo on his costume. As you may know, these guys and gals aren’t much for conversation so I couldn’t get the story behind it but he offered this pose for £2. With any luck, he’s an auditor in the London office but I doubt my luck is that good.

ANYWAY, after two years of being chained to my desk and staring at my laptop, I’m taking a few days off (seven to be precise) starting Monday. I know, I know. Unacceptable. But after some arm twisting, TPTB figure that some vacation would give me a chance to relax and it offers them some reprieve from my kvetching about EVERYTHING. Plus when the country defaults on Tuesday I thought it might be safer to be in a Paris bistro while the rest of you fight over scraps in the streets.

While I’m trying to navigate various European cities, you’ll be left in the very capable tattooed hands of Adrienne. She’s been given strict instructions to simply keep her hands on the wheel but I imagine she’ll be relishing in the opportunity to not have her six extra “fucks” cut from her posts.

I don’t have to remind you that she commands respect and I won’t be here to protect you if she gets aggravated, so kindly email her with your tips, gossip and story ideas while I’m away. DWB will also be pitching in a little extra and we’re very excited to bring Joe Kristan back as well.

So thanks for your support and if I happen to not return, you can assume I ran off with a French girl and will live the rest of my days reading anything but accounting news. Cheers.

Going Concern Poll: What CPA Exam Review Course Are You Using?

TPTB, in their never-ending quest for world domination, respectfully request a moment of your time to answer the following question. Simply comply (if applicable) and we’ll never have to speak of it again.

I’ve been instructed to ask those of you answering “Other/Self Study” to kindly share which review course you are using. Thanks.

Friendly Reminder: Going Concern May 2010 Survey

Sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled dose of accounting and tax-related news, views and inflammatory nonsense again but TPTB wanted us to remind you to take two, fill out our little survey and give us some feedback on how we’re doing.

We’ve been assured that it’s painless and you have a chance to win a $100 AMEX Gift Card so what do you have to lose? Click on the link below to access the survey, answer a few questions and you’ll be back to your spreadsheets in no time.

Going Concern May 2010 Survey

Thanks for your participation!

Going Concern May 2010 Survey

We interrupt your regularly scheduled dose of accounting and tax-related news and chicanery to request some information about you, dear readers, and any input you may have for this here website.

Participants will have a chance to win a $100 AMEX Gift Card so it’s definitely worth your time. Click on the link below to access the survey, answer a few questions and you’ll be back to spreadsheets in no time.

Going Concern May 2010 Survey

Thanks for your participation!