Ready to get berated for this, but I want some constructive criticism. I graduated with a degree in finance and accounting, interned in audit with Big 4, and received an offer. The offer would start this August, and I’ve already taken 2 sections of the CPA exam. However, I’ve always considered pursuing medicine and I […]

Currently, I just finished my junior year of college and I have an internship with a mid market firm for next spring. I will be graduating that same spring with my bachelors in accountancy and will have my 150 credits to take the CPA exam. Assuming that I receive a full time offer after my […]

Like a place where anonymously asking about compensation, career path, etc.. I have around 3 yrs experience at Big 3 and wanna try something different, looking for advisors..

So, I’m trying to decide between pursuing a Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management or a Master of Accounting. Both degrees are financed so it’s not a financial matter. I also already have a job offer with Big 4 pending graduation. I have a B.S. in Accounting; however, I’m a little concerned that I […]

Hi All, I need some advice. I got an offer in Seattle as a tax senior with another Big 4 firm. I am from Southern California who is about to get promoted to senior. They offer me a 75k base no signing or relocation assistance but I tried getting a signing bonus. I haven’t signed […]

Hi All, I have a bit of a unique situation here. I left the big 4 as a staff auditor about 7 months ago. I was only at the big 4 firm for about a little more than a year. The reason why I left was because I was going through quite a bit at […]

Hi there, Have anyone made the move from Big4 to Federal government job in the financial sector? The USA hob website is not clear in regards to type and time of experience needed. I’m totally lost and would appreciate the help. I heard of an acquaintance who worked at Deloitte for  3 years and went […]

I have received two offers in a southeastern market for PwC M&A tax and Deloitte International Tax. . . . I really hit it off with the people of both offices and the offer (salary) is pretty similar between the two. Any thoughts one way or the other? I’m a JD/LLM. I’ve been told that […]

Hello, I’m currently finishing up graduate school. I did not network enough while I was in undergraduate school, so kpmg was my only internship/full time offer. I know kpmg is going through some ethical dilemmas right now with Wells Fargo and the PCAOB. Would it be safe to go work for Kpmg this Fall? I […]

I would love to get feed back from anyone in industry who uses data analytics for management or anyone in public who does data analytics consulting. I work in industry for a large public company, and they have offered to pay for me to take some courses on Coursera in data analytics. There is a […]

GT signed up Rickie Fowler to wear their logo and represent them. What do they pay him?  Can he really generate business? I hope he gets less money if he drops that pole vaulting girlfriend.  That would prove bad judgement.

I will soon be applying to the Big 4 as an experienced hire.  I have decided on the practice area I want to apply for and narrowed my preferred location down to 4 cities across the US. My question is, can I contact Big 4 in-house recruiters in each of these cities at once?  Will […]

My accounting career has been a total disaster and I don’t know what to do. I have been in my accounting career for 4 years and I feel like I have not learned much of anything and I have been miserable the whole time.I graduated Cum laude with a 3.8 . I thought I was […]

So I work for Deloitte in Audit, in Mclean, VA. The starting salary of a 1st year was 56k about 7 years ago………..the starting salary of a 1st year in 2017 was 56k. What’s wrong with this? Why is there absolutely 0 inflation adjustment?

It is Opening Day.  The Cubs open in Miami. My client is Chicago based and I am in Miami doing some inventory work for them this weekend, so I asked the controller of my client if she was going to the Cubs game today in Miami, expecting she would say no.  She said that sounded […]

I am currently considering a position with a prestigious Non-Profit as an associate of investment operations, but I am debating whether this is a good decision or not. I have 2.5yrs of experience in tax, mostly corporate, and this new role would drift away from that 100%. I am a quick learner, so the new […]

I’m currently in an internal role with the Big4.  I have an interview coming up in the tax department in a different state.  Has anyone ever made a transition like this?  Any advice?

I had a terrible client I was finally rid of I thought. They were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and always needing a “loan” to save them. after leaving me because I was not help enough to help borrow their way out of debt they contacted me. Their new lender promised them a line […]

An Ode to Contra Accounts – A thing of beauty and magic Oh, Mighty Contra Account What curious creature are you ? You sit with the account that you modify apparently mocking the rules of normal balance You have asset in your name, but your normal balance is credit You say you are a Liability, […]

I have a JD/LLM/CPA and I am a transactional attorney in a small town, where I do work for medium and high net worth individuals. I am looking to move to a more urban area and get more into corporate/business oriented work.  I’ve been practicing for about three years. I am planning on applying to […]

I just completed my audit internship with one of the Big 4 in Houston and I really enjoyed my experience. The firm I chose is definitely where I see myself for the foreseeable future. The only catch is that I cannot stand Houston. I had originally recruited with the Big 4 out-of-state, and got offers […]

I was terminated from a national CPA firm (not Big 4) last fall and was in the tax department. Prior to my termination, I had been with the firm for a year. Before getting fired, I had to take off two months from work for a medical reason, and when I returned I asked for […]

There have been some glitches in our Open Items notifications lately, so if you’ve submitted one recently and it hasn’t appeared in an hour two during normal business hours, hit us up at [email protected] and we’ll publish it for you. Okay? Okay.

Ed. note: A reader sent this question in via [email protected]. Hi, are any of you in solo tax functions or have been in one? What is/was the experience like?  What did you lose or gain in a position like that? Did you ever manage to grow the function? If so, how? In a solo role […]

I accepted an offer from a big 4 company last semester, however, I am currently struggling in one of my major related classes, and it is possible that I won’t pass. This semester has been tolling on me as I am balancing a few honors courses along with two of my majors “weed-out classes”. Additionally, […]

I am looking for insight from anyone who has worked in transaction services at a Big 4 firm. I am currently looking to make a move to a Big 4 firm from a financial services institution, where I do financial reporting. I don’t enjoy my role, as it tends to be a repetitive cycle of […]

Hello, I’m currently an undergrad at a well-respected state university pursuing my B.S. in accounting (3.85 GPA and good work experience). It will soon be time for my class and I to attend “Meet the Firms” and start applying for internships. While my short-term (post-grad) goal is public accounting, the internship that calls my attention […]

I’m looking for more perspective and insight from other’s experiences. Please respond if you have relevant experience. If you don’t then please don’t waste everyone’s time including your own. I’ve been working for big 4 in one of the largest private wealth tax practices in the country. I worked on private companies mainly pass through […]

I have the opportunity to intern at a Big 4. Let’s say I get an audit associate job there. I know most people leave after ~2 years but what do they end up doing? What do you recommend I do? Some background: I don’t like accounting but I have good grades and I am willing […]

I am a trained science teacher and and I have been debating on leaving the teaching field to switch to accounting. I am studying accountancy at the University of Gambia and am left with two semesters to graduate. I need advice on my next steps towards my dream career. University to do my masters and […]

Is sexual harassment rampant in the Big Four, or pretty rare? Do you think there are more stories to come? http://www.afr.com/business/accounting/metoo-strikes-at-big-four-consulting-firms-20180228-h0ws1e #metoo

My accounting career has been a total disaster and I don’t know what to do. I have been in my accounting career for 4 years and I feel like I have not learned much of anything and I have been miserable the whole time.I graduated Cum laude with a 3.8 . I thought I was […]

After school, I spent two years in public (mid-size firm) doing IT audit. In the last 6-9 months of my public tenure, I was leading several engagements, and was assigned the senior role on all my engagements for the rest of the year. Based on this and the conversations I was having with my manager, […]

I hear a rumor that the media is investigating the Big Four’s dirty #metoo laundry now. I know a few accounting partners who should be running out the door to early retirement before their names are on the cover of the NYTimes! .. sorry fellas, no more free nookie from your audit associates!

Warren Buffett was really ragging about the propriety of accounting rules again in his 2017 letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. He has a point.  Unrealized gains or losses on stock holdings are considered earnings, whether they intend to sell or not in the near or long term, if ever.  But all the info babes […]

Hello. Lurking GC reader; first time poster. I am 6 months into auditing for a very small firm of 10 tax preparers, 5 auditors, and 2 partners. So I really only have 5 coworkers. And I am losing my mind to boredom.  I expected it to be much more mature then my college job, but […]

Hello, I have an offer from a big 4 firm to go work as an auditor. The problem is I’m not a traditional new hire (I’ll be 28 years old when I start, no kids, but I’m married). I’m not looking forward to working 90 hour weeks, and I actually find audit boring, so I […]

Worked at a small CPA firm after college,  mainly doing tax but also some bookkeeping and other related functions.  After 5 years I landed a job at a mid-sized regional firm in the Tax Department.  I was promoted to manager after 2 years there.  My first year as a manager was rough, in part due […]

I started at a big 4 less than a month ago. I was hired as a Valuations associate. I understand that we are in busy season so there’s a lot of work to be done, but I can’t help to feel confused about most of the work. I have a good academic background so I […]

I have a BS in accounting and earned the 150 credit hours back in 2014. Since then I’ve been unable to land a role at a public firm. Most B4 offices in my city hire straight out of college, and most local firms hire only B4 drop outs. I’ve been wasting away at a payroll […]

Hello All, I’m currently a junior in college, I’m triple majoring in Accounting, Computer Science, and Mathematics, my current GPA is a 4.0. On top of that, I’m also president of Beta Alpha Psi, and I’m the treasurer for another organization. In my spare time, I like to read the Wall Street journal and play […]

I started the 2 year accounting program at my school, which is a satellite campus of it’s very nearby target school, as a senior. I was the first there to finish the program in 1 academic year because my FAFSA was running out and I was now sure that accounting was the path that I […]

In a bit of a career pickle. Advice wanted. I’ve been working simultaneously for my family’s nonprofit org as the de facto controller AND at my father in laws CPA firm (the only employee was me). I am still studying and taking the CPA exam. REG passed and BEC this Thursday coming. Experience-wise I have not […]

Ed. note: A query from the mailbag. Hey GC, After months and months of stressing about my exit opportunities from public accounting tax, I’ve come to the conclusion that tax accounting may not possibly be the ass crack of the accounting world, but it sure as well might be the space between toes of the […]

Updating a previous thread: per a PCAOB spokeswoman, the last two paragraphs on page 4 of the staff guidance provide a bit more clarity to calculating auditor tenure after firms expressed some confusion. If auditors cannot readily determine when an initial engagement letter was signed,they can determine tenure based on their own records, the company’s […]

As the title says, is it worth working at GT RSM BDO etc (non big 4)? I’m a sophomore applying to externships and some advisors at my career center make it out to be Big 4 or don’t bother, but I’m wondering if anyone with experience can provide their insights. Thanks.

Hello, I just came across this website and believe it may be a godsend as I am completely uncertain of what I should do after I graduate. I will tell you a little about me so you can hopefully help me. I am currently a senior at a smaller, state school, that is AACSB accredited. […]

How to repay a signing bonus received in 2016?

Last month I accepted a job offer from KPMG for a first year Associate position. I’ll be starting in a couple weeks. The job will be in a different town (about 300 miles from my hometown). Today I saw that there’s an opening for the same exact position in my hometown. Is it worth asking the […]

This paper, compiled by 13 tax law professors, is being referenced everywhere, “describes various tax games, roadblocks, and glitches in the tax legislation.” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3084187 This one is based on the bill that came out of the conference committee: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3089423. I imagine lots of people are reading these to get their planning ideas.

I’m sure these are necessary for many of you. Enjoy. SAB 118: “[E]xpresses views of the staff regarding application of U.S. GAAP when preparing an initial accounting of the income tax effects of the Act.” https://www.sec.gov/interps/account/staff-accounting-bulletin-118.htm Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation 110.02: “[E]xpresses views of the staff regarding the applicability of Item 2.06 of Form 8-K […]

I heard someone worked for a big 4 accounting firm and basically contracted off all their work to a freelancer. What does everyone think about this? Which fields in accounting would this work in? How can you get caught? Would CPA license be revoked if caught?

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 […]

Greetings Good People, I am 26 and possess a non accounting B.S. degree. I have been in my field for 4 years and am currently making plans to make a career change to Accountancy by entering into a MAcc program in 2018 .  In a perfect world, I would like to finish my Masters at […]

Hey! I just started preparing for the CPA exam that I will be taking in the next year around November. Can those who have cleared CPA guide me as to how to prepare for the CPA exam? I will be giving two exams at a time. I have taken the Becker course. I need a […]

I’m into my 7th year as an accountant. Worked in public for 2.5 years between two firms and was unable to pass the exam at that time (2011-2013). Got my first industry job and was burned out from studying. Play forward to 2016 and I began studying again, using Ninja. Passed BEC on the first […]

I’m currently in my second year, entering my second busy season, B4 audit in a major market and trying to look ahead at exit opportunities this spring. Is it too soon to move? I hate audit and only went into it to obtain some good experience. I could hopefully make senior in less than a […]

For any folks working in business valuations group at Big 4 or middle market, what is the expected starting salary+bonus (if any)? — Either for major market like NYC/Chicago/San Fran, etc or smaller markets.

Hi GC, I am here looking for some open ended career advice since I don’t know many older CPAs and would appreciate some insight. I am currently working for a Big 4 federal tax team in a middle sized market. I am an associate about to hit my 2 year mark and making roughly 60k. […]

Editor’s note: Here’s a submission from the mailbag. If you have trouble posting your Open Item, send us a message at [email protected]. Hi GC, Since accepting an audit internship in October, I’ve been reading through your many internship articles to prepare for the big day! My concern is a little different than most, as I’m […]

I’m interviewing for an internal job switch from audit to AAS (the KPMG equivalent of CMAAS or FAAS) as a senior. From what I gather, both sides have approved the transfer and the interviews will be more of a check the box thing, but I still don’t want to mess it up after all this. […]

There’s only ten days until the new audit report debuts, so the PCAOB Staff Guidance is likely required reading for professional opiners and CPA exam candidates alike. https://pcaobus.org/Standards/Documents/2017-12-04-Auditors-Report-Staff-Guidance.pdf The explanation for reporting of auditor tenure takes two pages and the guidance even allows for a little freestyle: AS 3101 does not specify a required location […]

hello all I recently accepted an offer with a government agency, with a start date of 1/2/18. I’m working as an auditor with a small POS firm, and right now we’re in the middle of busy season. I really don’t care about burning bridges, however, the  government agency still needs to contact my current employer […]

Hey there, I’ve accepted a new job in Finance at a public company, with a start date of 1/8, targeting my final day at the firm for 1/5 (no planned vacation this year, other than the firm shut down days). I’m in IT Audit, so yes, I’m leaving in busy season, but our busy season […]

Is anyone doing PwC’s FTN this busy season? When I left pwc as an experienced senior in 2014, they offered me $40/hr to stay on beyond busy season. Have these rates changed at all?

Last but not least, let this serve as the brief explainer for our final new category in Open Items. Even if the GOP manages to ram this massive tax cut through, we’ll all be sorting through the effects for years to come. Essentially, it’s the most recent iteration of the “Tax Accountant Full Employment Act.” […]

I currently work in the Internal Audit department for an insurance company and we are trying to improve our Board Presentation materials, specifically related to ERM. The Board is asking for something more high level that can be presented more frequently throughout the year. Would anyone be willing to share with me templates they use […]

Hey there, giants of accounting. Welcome to your refuge when you feel the need to discuss your most pressing debits and credits questions. Of course you’re allowed to parse through more complicated matters like the new revenue recognition rules, its sexy nickname, or any other technical topic that you might be faced with at work […]

Hey all, I am about to graduate from a top Masters in Accounting program and just received a full time offer for a firm in their Risk Consulting practice in a large city. I like the firm and the city, and the offer is solid but I don’t want to be stuck in risk. I […]

Hello everyone, Has anyone had an experience transitioning from a Big 4 in US to Canada or vice versa? Is there any big difference in culture, benefits, compensation (big factor here), work environment? What are the pros and cons of working in both countries?    

There’s a number of ways we could explain this new Open Items forum, but it’s probably best accomplished through a few gifs. Like, the Nestea plunge Or perhaps a duck sans pants: Or a crab doing a swan dive: Yes, this is a forum specifically for discussing compensation. Salaries, bonuses, stock options, PTO, ludicrous perks, […]

Questions for those who have been a Senior in Big 4 audit, or even mid-market firms (*please be as detailed as possible for example, how large were the bank recs you audited, how large were the spreadsheets you worked on*): 1. How many engagements have you managed at once? 2. What were your responsibilities on […]

I have worked for half a year in business valuation and now two years with a small forensics firm, doing mostly damage calculation analysis and lost revenues for insurance claims. I have my cpa and have started interviewing, and met with a small general CPA practice that does tax, accounting, audit in NYC and also […]

What is the typically percentage increase from senior to manager? Specifically for audit.

I recently got dinged due to my w/p and my counselor has given me the PIP. He told me the language is harsh but the plan is for my own good toward improvement. I signed the form since 1) Whether I sign or refused to sign it, the review will still be on my record […]

It looks like we’re going to be doing some copy/paste magic on our audit opinions for issuers. It looks like most of the changes are fairly minor (like moving the opinion first and adding the auditor’s tenure with the client to the letter). What about this critical audit matter stuff? Do you think it’s going to […]

Now, you might be thinking — who wants a dedicated channel to talk about auditing stuff all the time? Well, based on the flood of #auditorproud postings on Twitter and elsewhere, lots of people! There’s no shortage of topics for you to explore here. Everything from PCAOB inspections to ICFR to to the new audit […]

Like I explained here, there are a number of new forums in Open Items for your use. This is Meta, a Going Concern forum about…Going Concern. This will serve as the place where you can ask the community questions, bitch about, wax poetic about the Going Concern of yesteryear when it was SO MUCH BETTER, […]

I’m going to work for PwC in a month and a half, I’ll be near Washington DC. I will be doing a tax internship and I requested Financial Services because I heard they work a ton and I’m hoping for OT. I know tax internships last longer than audit, and I’m trying to earn as […]

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard rumors or stories about partners taking advantage of their position and ‘pedestal’ to take advantage of younger women working in their offices. Whether it is after a firm happy hour, post busy season party, holiday party, etc. there always seems to be rumors floating around about […]

Hi Accountants, Long story short>> I was hired on campus to be a Tax accountant although my degree is in Business Administration. I was honest with the tax partner at the interview about the fact that I know nothing about Tax and I don’t know if I will like it. She asked me to try […]

Hello All, I have been working in tax for 3 years in public accounting in Chicago/New York. I focus mostly on PE, real estate and investment partnership clients. It’s starting to dawn on me now that I am going into my second year as a senior associate that exit opportunity for tax is not as […]

Hi, I am looking for some insight for the background check process for a winter internship. I am a current college senior and landed a Big 4 internship for his upcoming January. I am a paranoid person and don’t have anything to hide, I just tend to worry. I just submitted my background check form […]

I am faced with a conundrum, and the Clash plays on repeat in my head… I enjoy public accounting (I know, I’m a psycho). I’m a high-performer: summa cum laude/BAP president in college, had 3 internships and got 3 job offers before graduation, good social skills (peers, supervisors, and clients all like me), wonderful performance reviews across […]

Thought this might be interesting: https://www.law360.com/articles/982811/italy-fines-big-four-accounting-firms-23m-for-collusion

All, I have been an M&A Attorney (focus on tax due diligence and deal structuring) for 2 years. I have a JD from top 50 law school and a tax LLM from NYU. I was with one of the Big4 for three years before law school in advisory. I am thinking about making the switch […]

Hey guys! Hope your week is going well. Just a quick question to see if any Big 4 Boomerangs out there? I recently left as a tax senior to go to a smaller firm (top 20). At my old B4 firm we have pretty much back to back busy seasons. So I got burned out […]

Hello All, I’m currently a potential candidate for a sales tax auditor job with the state comptroller. I also have a big 4 offer on the table as an audit associate (starting salaries for both are around the same). I want to work for the comptroller due to the benefits that one gets with a […]

So a recruiter is super interested in presenting me to a publicly traded company in search for a senior internal auditor who is well skilled in data analytics. Company is a fortune 500 player. Travel is low, 2-3 weeks a year, only to Asia. Comp is 30K higher than what I make now. Commute would […]

Hi folks, A little background.  I’m in my mid-twenties and I have been working in accounting since I graduated.  I have about 2 years of experience now, pretty much all in a staff accountant role with normal staff accountant responsibilities.  I have also passed two sections of the CPA exam, and I will be taking […]

So I’m very interested in technology, analytics, and reporting. Not so much on the other nuts and bolts of accounting. My current position is poised to become the assistant controller as long as I pass the CPA exam. While passing is a goal, I don’t want to continue on the controllership pathway. Long term, I […]

I have an interview with EY. Looking for some info on their transaction advisory business. What is their current salary range for managers? What type of work/projects they do and is it interesting? I am interviewing for OTS group M&A IT position.

I live and work in Northeast Florida. I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting and will obtain my master’s degree in April. I received a full time offer from a 5-person CPA firm (small/local). They offered me a starting salary of $44,000. I have worked as a tax intern in two CPA firms (including the […]

A query from the mailbag: Hi there I am currently based in the UK – I have been offered the role of assistant manager by two of the big four firms – Deloitte and KPMG I am having a hard time trying to decide which one I would like to go for, they both offer: […]

I am a student going for my CPA and I am almost done with school and going to prepare for the exam. I have been interning at a tax firm for a year now and I have found out about the work experience requirement which made my intern boss decide to let me go. He […]

Currently I’m working in the tax department of a mid tier firm and I want to try to get to the big 4 as an experienced hire in a couple years. I’ve been looking into ways to make myself more valuable on the job market and I did a little research on becoming a CFP […]

Just got promoted to tax manager (not big 4, but still a big firm) not long ago. Upward mobility in the current office is slim to none, I have been thinking about a few next steps 1. Jump to big 4 and experience big 4 2. Change career course, maybe advisory 3. Haven’t thought of […]

Hi everyone, I am wanting to ask, how do I go about applying for a Big 4 internship if they don’t do any campus recruitment at my school? A short summary of my background: Attending small state school in Oklahoma Double majoring in Accounting & Finance Graduating in May 2018 I will be eligible to […]

Everyone! I interviewed Friday morning at a Big 4 for an Associate position in their advisory practice. It’s now Monday (3 days later), and still waiting on a decision. Does anyone know when they’re likely to email/call me in terms of the final offer/rejection? I am excited to hear the news. I had a wonderful […]

I have a bit of a conundrum: Big 4 offered me a winter tax internship, acceptance due in 2 weeks. ANOTHER BIG 4 (!) offered 3rd office visit/interview (tax summer internship) at another location (big midwest region) interview in 3 weeks. Questions: How can I take advantage of this without hurting my prospects w/ 2 […]