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Tips

A Senior Partner Who Has Probably Been Burned Out Since 1997 Gives Tips on Avoiding Burnout

Why do I feel like this screenshot is going to end up on r/thanksimcured? Now this may be blasphemy to say this around these parts but he’s mostly right. Exercise? Hell yeah, great for you. Healthy eating? Also great for you, those takeout dinners can really take a toll on your health. Passion projects? Super […]

wooden block figures in conflict

Rumor: Is Some Culture Drama Going Down at Grant Thornton?

We received a tip about a situation over at Grant Thornton that may or may not have any basis in reality but since the only time Grant Thornton ever gets mentioned here is to get made fun of over being so bad at auditing (it’s getting better OK!) we thought hey, let’s have a discussion […]

Tips For Working From Home From Experts In the No-Pants Lifestyle

Hi there, Going Concern faithful. How is everyone? Hanging in there? I hope so. So look. Bramwell and I realized the other day that you guys new to regular work from home (WFH) — which is pretty much most of you — might need some tips on how to stay sane. Not that either of […]

cybersecurity controllers accounting

How Controllers Can Step Up Their Cybersecurity Game

There’s a good reason why cybersecurity is ranked extremely high on the priority list of Trey White, CPA, and other controllers and chief accounting officers in the healthcare sector. According to a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center and CyberScout, 376 (34.4%) of the 1,093 data breach incidents reported in 2016 occurred in the […]

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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.

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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.

Busy Season Survival Tips For People Who Probably Don’t Do That Well at Life Either

CPA Trendlines has a list of "busy season survival tips" that, while useful to some, might be as rudimentary as reminding a living thing to breathe and ingest food-type matter more than once a year to stay alive. Like: Relax EXCELLENT TIP, I'm sure no one who has ever been stressed out ever thought to […]

This Way to CPA’s Interview Basics Are a Little Too Basic

First kidney stones, now this? I gotta say, whoever comes up with these graphics deserves a medal. "This Way to CPA Today's wisdom: See how else not to screw up your interview. http://ar.gy/4vv3" Other helpful tips: don't fart refrain from whipping out your junk don't talk about your cat wear pants don't wear tear away […]

PwC Employee More Upset By Aura 4 Than He Was When Facebook Switched to Timeline

The Tip Box that you see at the right and top of the page has been a moderate success. Thanks to its simplicity, even the most dense of you can send us information that could prove useful for a story worthy of these pages. And make no mistake, we do appreciate the dense messages; not […]

BREAKING: Young Woman That Sits Next to Some Bored Person Just Found Out That She Passed REG Section of CPA Exam

Someone who's a little short on billable work felt compelled to share this with us on the tip line: The girl who sits next to me just got her REG score and passed. Of course there could be any number of reasons that this person would share this news with us. Among them: 1) In […]

Advice For Getting the Most Out of the Going Concern Tip Box For Complete Idiots

Alright, folks, we have a problem. I'm going to waste precious space here (not to mention my time) explaining how to get the most out of the GC tip box since it seems many of you have never interacted with human beings before and don't get how this works. First: let me kick this off […]

Groupon Chief Accounting Officer Joe Del Preto, Is That Really You?

I have some doubts about this tip actually coming from the real Joe Del Preto but on the off chance it is (it was signed as such), maybe he would care to explain? I attempted to reach out to ask if he might suggest some other companies whose financial statements we should check out and, […]

Three Tips for New Accounting Bloggers

After a recent GC post on social networking tips for accountants, our friend and superstar social media maven Tom Hood (CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs, but you should already know that) asked “what about blogs?

Well, Tom, excellent question! What about blogs?

Blogging for accountants is no different than any other industry and there’s no one template that works for everyone.


With MACPA’s own Bill Sheridan breathing down my neck and stealing my readerbase with quality content (just kidding, Bill) on CPA Success, I imagine our buddy Tom doesn’t need tips on how to start and keep up a great accounting blog. But we aren’t all as new media savvy as Tom Hood and making the decision to blog can be an overwhelming choice if not executed correctly.

Personally, I try to practice a single rule of thumb: to thy own self be true.

While the F-bomb dropping, SEC-cussing-out model may not work for anyone but Jr Deputy Accountant (remember, I’m not a CPA, I just play one on TV), the rule in practice is the same regardless of who is doing the blogging.

So here are a few general hints if you’re an accountant looking to plunge head-first into the exciting world of blogging:

Find a mentor – This part is easy! Comb through accounting blogs (Michelle Golden has a handy and incredible extensive list of accounting bloggers you can check out if you’re absolutely stumped) to find a “voice” that aligns closely with your own. Reach out to the blog author, connect with other accounting bloggers on Twitter, and express your desires openly to the community.

Make a commitment – This can often be the hardest part but blogging requires a dedication to fresh content if you are going to be widely read and accepted.

Find your niche – Accounting bloggers come in all sorts of flavors; non-profit, tax, regulation, technology, auditing, etc. It is important in carving out your corner of the blogosphere to find your voice and embrace the area of expertise you are most passionate about. Ask yourself what moves you as an accountant if you are trying to find out what will inspire you as an accounting writer.

The reality is that no one can tell you what works for you and perhaps you will discover a path that has not yet been taken but should you need a little push in the right direction, trying out these tips should get you there with minimal effort.

The key to sustainable, well-received blogging is a passion for what you are writing about; if you enjoy what you do and want to write about it, that passion will translate for your audience and lead to countless opportunities to express your enthusiasm.