New Industry, No Problem: How 3 Controllers Transitioned From One Sector to Another
After spending several years as either an assistant corporate controller or corporate controller for three companies within the healthcare sector, Erik Bello, CPA, decided to make a career change. In April of last year, he became corporate controller of UniFirst Corp., a uniform rental service company based in Wilmington, Mass. And even though Bello was […]
6 Controllers Share Their Most Pressing Priorities for 2018
Happy New Year! While 2018 officially began for us accounting scribes once the New Year’s Eve hangover faded away, a majority of accounting and finance departments celebrated the start of the new year several months ago. Many companies’ 2018 fiscal year first quarters began last fall, but the process of planning key accounting and finance […]
Controllers, Don’t Skim On These 6 Tips to Thwart Fraud
It’s not every day that you come across a controller who had worked on the Allen Stanford and Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme investigations. But Bridget Meacham Kowalski, CPA, CFE, did just that. Now the controller of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Kowalski was working as a financial and litigation consultant for FTI Consulting at the time […]
Here’s the Only Affirmation Accountants Need
This is from a couple weeks back, but it deserves a mention because it will help those of you currently experiencing a crisis of professional identity. It comes from a speech given by Wesley Bricker, the Chief Accountant of the SEC, and it’s just the kind of thing you need to hear when you’ve recently […]
No One Ever Died From a Late Tax Return
Before flying to the US last month, there was a mad frenzy at work, as associates swarmed around trying to make sure their jobs got signed off before I left. Heaven forbid it wait a few weeks for my return.
Double Threat: An Interview with an Accounting Graduate Who Went Straight Into Law School
Ed. note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Are you an accountant who's thinking about law school? We were curious about the transition from accounting into a legal career, so we found someone who could answer a few questions. GC caught up with Pamela Burneski, a second year law student at Michigan […]
It’s Time for the Accounting Profession to Get Serious About Mental Illness
I had a panic attack last night. I lost my breath. My lips went numb. My teeth clacked. My body shivered. I couldn't stop, and I felt the most overwhelming pit of despair somewhere inside my rib cage. The whole thing lasted about half an hour, and I spent that half hour choking and sobbing, […]