
Apparently Interns Are Flocking to PwC to Learn More About … HR
Getting an internship at PwC is a pretty big deal for college students looking to pursue a career in accounting or consulting. But in human resources? Apparently so, according to the latest ranking of the best HR internships for 2023 by Vault and Firsthand. Only five companies’ internship programs made the list for 2023. Coming […]

How Do Big 4 Consulting Internships Stack Up Against MBB?
McKinsey, Bain, and Boston Consulting Group—the Nos. 2, 1, and 3 best consulting firms to work for, respectively, in 2022, according to Vault and Firsthand—either have really crappy internship programs or didn’t want to participate in Firsthand’s internship survey because MBB is not among the top 15 consulting firms that provide the best experiences for […]

2023 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked
A Palo Alto, CA-based CPA firm that most of you guys have never heard of has the top accounting internship program in the U.S. and the second-best overall internship program in the country, according to Vault-Firsthand’s ranking of the top internship programs in the U.S. for 2023. Vault-Firsthand said this about the summer internship program […]

PwC Finishes First In Vault’s Accounting Firm Prestige Ranking For the Gazillionth Time (2023)
Another year, another first-place finish for PwC in Vault’s ranking of the most prestigious public accounting firms. At this point, you can just pencil in PwC as being the most prestigious firm now until the end of time. If a firm was to eventually unseat PwC in prestige, it would be as big of an […]

PwC Does Not Relinquish Top Spot In Vault Accounting 25 (2023)
Vault today released its newest ranking of the best public accounting firms to work for, and it’s a slimmed-down version for 2023: the number of firms ranked went from 50 (as has been the case for many years) to 25. But one thing remains constant: PwC is No. 1. This is the 10th straight year […]

Listicle of the Day: Firms That Have Topped the Vault Accounting 50/25 Through the Years
Except for 2012 when the Purple Rose of Chicago shockingly was named the best accounting firm to work for, a Big 4 firm has been ranked No. 1 in all the other Vault Accounting 50s. And even though Vault’s latest ranking for 2023, released earlier today, includes only 25 firms instead of 50, a Big […]

Vault Consulting 50: How Did the Big 4 Do In Key Employment Categories? (2022)
Last month we dove into the 2022 Vault rankings of the best consulting firms to work for and the consulting firms with the most prestige, with an eye on how the Big 4 firms fared in each. Today we’re going to wrap up our coverage of the 2022 Vault Consulting 50 by looking at which […]

Vault 50: Deloitte Consulting Still Has the Prestige Factor Going For Them (2022)
Yesterday we recapped the 2022 Vault ranking of the best consulting firms to work for and the lack of a Big 4 presence in the top 10, including Deloitte Consulting, which went from fourth in 2020 (highest among the Big 4 consulting practices) to 11th in 2022. But despite Deloitte Consulting now paying the price […]

2022 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked
Winter is coming, and new stars will soon be born in public accounting as the latest wave of interns are about to flock to a windowless cubicle near you. And just in time for the arrival of this latest group of fresh, smiling-faced youngsters is Firsthand’s (formerly Vault.com) ranking of the top accounting internship programs […]

Vault Accounting 50: No Stopping PwC In Latest Prestige Rankings (2022)
In the 16 years that Vault has ranked public accounting firms by prestige, only three firms have taken the title of “most prestigious”: EY (2007), Deloitte (2009), and PwC (2008; 2010-current). With the release of Vault’s 2022 Accounting 50 last week, that’s 13 straight years now that PwC has been viewed by accountants as the […]

Vault Accounting 50: PwC Remains No. 1; Top 5 SALY (2022)
How much do Big 4 people really care about Vault’s annual Accounting 50? PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG and their employees probably care way more about the ranking than EY and its employees because those firms routinely comprise the top three positions. EY, on the other hand, hasn’t participated in Vault’s annual survey of accounting professionals […]

Vault Consulting 50: Somehow Deloitte Still Has Prestige On Its Side (2021)
It was big news around these parts when we found out Deloitte Consulting was kicked off the Big 4 throne by EY-Parthenon in Vault’s most recent ranking of the 50 best consulting firms to work for. Deloitte had held down fourth place (No. 1 among the Big 4) for five consecutive years, so it was […]

2021 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked
Hey wannabe public accountants, Vault today released its ranking of the best accounting firms for interns in 2021, and of the 15 firms included, two are in the Big 4 while five others are among the top 15 largest firms in the U.S. More than 11,000 current and former interns were surveyed earlier this summer […]

Vault 2021 Rankings: These Accounting Firms Supposedly Care the Most About Diversity
One of the more interesting categories under the “Best Accounting Firms to Work For” portion of Vault’s accounting rankings each year is diversity. Pretty much all large-to-midsize accounting firms these days tout their diversity initiatives. But which firms actually walk the talk? Knocking KPMG out of the No. 1 spot in Vault’s 2021 overall diversity […]

Vault 2021 Rankings: Plante Moran Has Got a Hang of This Work/Life Balance Thing
As part of its annual Accounting 50 extravaganza, Vault comes out with rankings of accounting firms in 18 quality-of-life categories that fall under its “Best Accounting Firms to Work For” section. One of those categories is work/life balance. Based on the results of a survey sent to more than 10,000 accounting professionals, there are 25 […]

Vault Accounting 50: PwC Is Still the Most Prestigious Firm In the Land (2021)
There wasn’t much that changed in Vault’s 2021 ranking of the most prestigious accounting firms, at least in the top 25. PwC was named the most prestigiousiest firm for the 12th straight year, the Big 4 took the top four spots once again, and the same firms that filled up the top 25 in 2020’s […]

PwC Continues to Dominate Vault Accounting 50 (2021)
Not even a pandemic, the likes of which we’ve never seen, could stop the folks at Vault from releasing its 2021 Accounting 50 today. But if you were hoping for a firm other than PwC to take the top spot in the latest Vault ranking of the top accounting firms in the U.S., well, you’ll […]

2020 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked
Did anyone else notice that Vault released its 2020 accounting firm rankings and accounting internship program rankings on the two biggest tax days of the year? The Vault Accounting 50 almost always comes out on April 15, and its latest ranking of the best accounting internships came out on Oct. 15. Coincidence? Probably … or […]

Vault 50: Big 4 Among the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms (2020)
While you guys were wasting billable hours yesterday still debating which fast-food restaurant has the best fried chicken sandwich, we posted an article about the latest Vault Consulting 50 rankings and how the Big 4 did pretty well. If you missed it because you were trying to hunt down a Popeyes fried chicken sandwich, all […]

Vault 2020 Firm Rankings: Forensic Accounting FTW
Happy Monday, gang. Today, we’re going to take a look at Vault’s 2020 ranking of the “Best Accounting Firms for Forensic Accounting.” We wanted to give some love to these number-crunching crime fighters who helped take down Paul Manafort and bust idiot celebrities who illegally tried to get their wannabe-celebrity children admitted into elite universities […]

Vault 2020 Firm Rankings: KPMG Is the Diversitiest of the Big 4
We’ve given KPMG a lot of shit on this site recently, and rightly so. But we’re going to throw the House of Klynveld a bone today, as there’s some good news to report: KPMG nearly swept the diversity categories in Vault’s “Best Accounting Firms” rankings. Let’s not kid ourselves, though: The accounting profession is still […]

Vault 2020 Firm Rankings: Culture, Leadership, Relationships with Supervisors, and Work/Life Balance
Hey, guys. Hope you all had a nice, relaxing holiday weekend. As you know, Mondays after a holiday weekend suck, especially if you hate your job. But there are accounting professionals out there who were probably champing at the bit to come to work today because they actually enjoy being there and being around their […]

Vault 2020 Firm Rankings: Benefits, Comp, Vacation, and Promotion Policies
Earlier this week, we wrote about PwC’s continued dominance on Vault’s Accounting 50 and most prestigious firm rankings. Today, we’re going to focus on four of the 18 “quality of life” rankings that fall under Vault’s latest “Best Accounting Firms to Work For” section. And these four categories are near and dear to your heart: […]

You’ll Have to Pry Vault’s ‘Most Prestigious Firm’ Title Out of PwC’s Cold, Dead Hands
A little while ago, we told you how PwC locked down the top spot in Vault’s 2020 Accounting 50—the seventh consecutive year the firm has been ranked No. 1. But believe it or not, this isn’t the longest win streak P. Dubs has going when it comes to Vault’s rankings. Even though the House of […]

PwC Once Again Tops Vault Accounting 50 (2020)
It’s one of our favorite times of the year at GC HQ when our friends at Vault put out their yearly rankings of the top accounting firms in the U.S. in several categories. But for now, we’re going to focus on the overall top 50 ranking. The No. 1 firm in the U.S. for 2020, […]

2019 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked
Ah, internships: where bright-eyed, eager, budding capital market servants get their first taste of the hell that is a career in public accounting. But which accounting internship programs are the most popular among college students? Our friends at Vault have the answer. Vault recently released its top internship program rankings for 2019 in a bunch […]
These 1-Star Reviews of Accounting Firms Are The Saddest, Best
Vault put out its Accounting 50 today and shrug. It's fine if you like rankings and things. For me, the real gems are the employee reviews that are buried deep in the site. And, naturally, when I say "reviews" I'm talking about negative reviews. Now, it should be noted that the vast majority of the […]
PwC Tops Vault Rankings Once Again For Prestige, Conceit
Vault has been teasing us for weeks with the promise of their annual Accounting 50. It's finally here, and we'll get to that in a minute but before we delve into the full ranking, let's celebrate #1 PwC once again: Not only did New York-headquartered PwC again rank No. 1 in the Accounting 50 (and thus […]
PwC’s Transparency Gives Its Employees the Warm Fuzzies
Yesterday we discussed the Vault business outlook rankings for public accounting firms. In general, I thought that mid-tier firms have a sunnier horizon than the Big 4 firms, with the obvious exception of PwC. That exception seemed odd to me, so I shot a question over to Derek Loosvelt who did the write-up on the Accounting […]
Mid-tier Accounting Firms Have Much Brighter Futures Than the Big 4
One of the more interesting Vault rankings is the "Best to Work For: Business Outlook" list. All of the BtWF rankings have 20 firms listed, and that seems like overkill. Really, they could cut it off at ten and I think the list would have a more exclusive air to it, so that's what I'll […]
PwC Tops Vault Accounting 50 (2014)
After a couple of interesting teasers on LGBT relations and satisfaction among women, our friends at Vault have unveiled their Accounting 50 ranking today. The results will probably annoy many of you because, yes, PwC topped the three big categories in Vault's 2014 rankings — Overall Ranking, Prestige, and Diversity.
PwC’s Prestige Will Take a Backseat to No Firm
On Tuesday, Ernst & Young became the third surprise victor in the Vault Accounting 50; the first Big 4 firm to take the honor since the change in methodology for the 2011 list. It's a comeback of sorts for E&Y who has basically been the butt of many, many, many Lehman Brothers jokes. For some […]
Ernst & Young Tops Vault’s Accounting 50 (2013)
Imagine my surprise when a link to the 2013 Vault Accounting 50 found its way to our tip box. It comes to us five months earlier than last year and I really didn't expect to see all of the Big 4 in the type five, especially the likes of E&Y and KPMG who were doing well […]
Comp Watch: Vault Ranks the Firms That Give You the Most Bang for Your Buck
All of you people have dreams. Not your-name-in-lights dreams, however. Most of you are more interested in shopping-at-Bergdorf’s dreams. But which firm is going to give you the best combination of salary/bonus/Omaha Steaks to make you happy? Vault’s Compensation Ranking should give you an idea. Here’s your Top 5 out of 20 (previous year’s ranking in parenthesis):
1 (11) SS&G Financial Services
2 (5) Armanino McKenna
3 (8) WithumSmith + Brown
4 (7) Dixon Hughes Goodman
5 (1) Marcum
Where are the Final 4 Horsemen of the Accounting Firm Apocalypse, you ask? Well, a couple of them are completely MIA. Here are the other two plus some notables:
9 (10) Rothstein Kass
10 (NR) Grant Thornton
14 (19) CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann
15 (18) Moss Adams
19 (20) PwC
20 (17) Deloitte
Seriously, I think Stephen Chipman is putting something in the water at Grant Thornton. Whatever it is, KPMG and E&Y would be wise to get their hands on it. Check out the full ranking if you’re not satisfied. And feel free to share feelings on your firm’s presence (or lack thereof).
Accounting Firms Rankings 2012: Best to Work For: Compensation [Vault]
PwC Won’t Allow an Upset in Vault’s Prestige Rankings
Earlier this week, we learned that Grant Thornton was the new numero uno on Vault’s Accounting 50. The VA50 is determined by a number metrics that are weighted to come up with an overall score as to which firm is the best of the best. According to Vault, Grant Thornton was able to leverage their better work-life balance for employees to overcome their lack of prestige to pull this off.
For many people in the accounting world, however, this is meaningless. Reputation is everything and if you’re not working for one of the firms that are of highest regard, you’re simply a chump. Accordingly, Vault still presents a prestige ranking and while there aren’t many surprises, for many, this is the list. And the top firm on the list? P. Dubs.
1 (1) PwC
2 (3) Deloitte
3 (2) Ernst & Young
4 (4) KPMG
5 (5) Grant Thornton
6 (7) McGladrey
7 (6) BDO
8 (8) Moss Adams
9 (10) J.H. Cohn
10 (9) Plante & Moran
11 (13) Crowe Horwath
12 (12) Clifton Gunderson
13 (11) EisnerAmper
14 (22) LarsonAllen
15 (14) Rothstein Kass
16 (15) BKD
17 (18) Baker Tilly Virchow Krause
18 (16) Reznick Group
19 (21) Dixon Hughes Goodman
20 (19) Cherry Bekaert & Holland
21 (24) Anchin, Block & Anchin
22 (17) WeiserMazars
23 (23) CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann
24 (29) ParenteBeard
25 (28) Wipfli
26 (31) Friedman
27 (27) Marcum
28 (34) Berdon
29 (35) Citrin Cooperman & Co.
30 (36) Eide Bailly
31 (26) UHY Advisors
32 (37) WithumSmith + Brown
33 (32) Elliot Davis
34 (38) Margolin, Winer & Evens
35 (33) Marks Paneth & Shron
36 (40) Blackman Kallick
37 (25) Novogradac & Company
38 (49) RubinBrown
39 (NR) Schonbraun McCann Group
40 (50) Kaufman, Rossin & Co.
41 (NR) Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain
42 (45) Frank Rimerman & Co.
42 (48) Habif, Arogeti & Wynne
43 (NR) Buff Pilger Mayer, Inc.
44 (NR) Horne
45 (NR) Rehmann
46 (NR) Schenck SC
46 (NR) Suby, Von Haden & Associates
46 (NR) Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman
47 (41) Aronson & Company
48 (NR) SingerLewak
49 (47) SS&G Financial Services
50 (NR) Katz, Sapper & Miller
Oh! and probably most importantly, the prestige ranking is what we use to seed the brackets for the Coolest Accounting Firm in the spring, so it’s doubly important. Commence bickering.
Grant Thornton Tops Vault’s Accounting 50 (2012)
Yes my friends, the Purple Rose of Chicago’s focus on all things dynamic and pinstripe hating was enough to catapult the firm to the #1 spot on Vault’s Accounting 50. Va rnton’s rise “an upset of sorts” but I’ll go ahead and say this is more worthy of “shocker” status. This is like “Dewey Defeats Truman.” It’s the Miracle on Ice. Hell, it’s like when Brad Pitt finds Gwenyth Paltrow’s head at the end of Se7en (what do you MEAN you haven’t seen it?).
Don’t get me wrong, Grant Thornton is a fine firm. Sure, purple isn’t my favorite but the people there seem nice and very capable but HONESTLY this was not expected. When he hears the news, Stephen Chipman will probably start running through halls of the Chicago office sans pants trousers rallying everyone down to the nearest pub (pictures, please). Anyway, let’s get to the Top 25 (previous year in parenthesis), shall we?
1 (23) Grant Thornton
2 (2) PwC
3 (1) Deloitte
4 (3) Rothstein Kass
5 (5) Dixon Hughes Goodman
6 (6) Moss Adams
7 (11) WithumSmith + Brown
8 (8) Friedman
9 (4) Marcum
10 (28) EisnerAmper
11 (14) Eide Bailly
12 (18) SS&G Financial Services
13 (12) Berdon
14 (7) Elliott Davis
15 (NR) Rehmann
16 (33) Baker Tilly Virchow Krause
17 (17) Armanino McKenna
18 (16) CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann
19 (41) Marks Paneth & Shron
20 (20) Schenck
21 (10) Cherry, Bekaert & Holland
22 (21) Ernst & Young
23 (22) KPMG
24 (25) McGladrey
25 (24) BDO
As for how GT orchestrated this epic upset, here’s Vault’s Derek Loosvelt:
Although the Big Four firms PwC and Deloitte both significantly outscored Grant Thornton (the perennial fifth largest accounting firm in the country) in terms of prestige, Grant Thornton handily beat PwC and Deloitte in nearly every quality of life category. In other words, while the two Big Four firms’ names still carry much more weight than Grant Thornton’s in the marketplace, insiders are much more pleased with their day to day work lives at the non-Big Four GT than their peers are at PwC and Deloitte. In fact, non-Big Four firms ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in all but three quality of life categories (these rankings will be released over the next couple of days). Although Grant Thornton did not top any single category, it consistently placed ahead of PwC and Deloitte. Particular tough categories for the Big Four firms were hours and overall satisfaction.
So there are a couple of stories here: 1) Holy shit – Grant Thornton?! and 2) prestige seems to carry less and less weight in favor of quality of life for those looking to choose a public accounting firm as their employer. We’ll be covering the Vault list and the firms therein with more posts but until then, feel free to comment on the Top 25 and what you make of GT as the new #1.
50 Most Prestigious Accounting Firms [Vault]
Vault’s New Accounting 50 Ranking Has Plenty of Surprises [GC]
Presenting Going Concern March Madness: The Coolest Accounting Firm
Now that the Sweet Sixteen is set, the general consensus here at Going Concern is to take advantage of the combination of March Madness and the plight of busy season. Accordingly, we bring you the first ever edition of GC March Madness: Coolest Accounting Firm. Inspired by our sister from another mister, ATL, we’ve decided that we’re looking to the GC readers to determining which accounting firm is the coolest of the cool by way of a democratic process but utilizing the seasonally appropriate method of a bracket. We opted with the