Where Accountants Go - The Accounting Careers Podcast

It’s hard to believe, but after a little over 5 years and 240+ episodes, we are going to be shutting down the podcast… at least for now.

The journey of starting from zero and building the collection of interviews one-by-one over this 5 year time period has been incredibly fun and humbling.  I’ve been so grateful for all the guests that said ‘yes’ to being on the program.  And I’ve been even more grateful for you, the listeners, who continue to show up and download the shows every week.  It truly has been an amazing experience.

I think we have proven our purpose – that you truly can do practically anything when you start with a background in accounting, and so I’m comfortable that we can discontinue the show for now.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of any assistance to you with your own career journey going forward though.  We are always happy to help in any way that we can.

Thank you for listening!  🙂

Professor Mansour Farhat, a previous guest on our show, came back for this episode of Where Accountants Go to tell us about a new offering he has helped make available for accounting students.

If you weren’t already aware of Mansour from his 1900+ Youtube videos on accounting topics, you definitely should go back in our archives to episode 107 where we delve even more in-depth into how he got started in the Youtube world (107: Mansour Farhat – Saving Accounting Students One YouTube Video At A Time | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)).

Professor Farhat started producing accounting educational videos simply because he was very busy teaching classes at two different schools at one point.  He started his Youtube channel as a way to be more efficient with his time, and it ended up being a resource that is now used by accounting students all over the globe.  After a friend called his attention to how popular the channel had become, he decided to greatly expand it and make it even more searchable.  Fast forward a little bit, and Mansour now has over 1900 videos online, and produces supplemental material to be used in conjunction with popular CPA review courses as well!

The new offering we talk about in this episode though is that of helping students that need to meet the 150 hour credit requirement for the CPA exam get those credits in a more economical and efficient manner.  Mansour co-founded an organization called CPACredits.com that allows students to take courses online, in about half the time, and at a very economical rate in order to get the ten to thirty extra credits they may need to sit for the CPA exam.  While this would benefit just about anyone looking to meet that requirement, I believe that it will be a game-changer for those individuals that didn’t get the hours earlier in life, and now feel that they can’t due to complications with returning to school.  For those people already several years into their careers and family lives, this could be the solution that allows them to get certified.

For more information on CPACredits.com or Mansour’s other video offerings, please click on the links in the text above.

To listen to this interview with Mansour Farhat, please use the player below:

Hitendra Patil of AccountantsWorld, who also frequently appears on the list of the Top 100 Most Influential People In Accounting, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We like to cover a variety of career topics for accounting professionals on this show, and entrepreneurship-done-well is definitely one of them.  In this episode, Hitendra discusses the concept of how to become an “Accountaneur”.  This particular term, which Hitendra has trademarked, encompasses the idea of not just being a self-employed accountant, but being successful in the endeavor from both the earnings standpoint and the desired lifestyle perspective.  You will need to listen to the audio interview for a complete definition, but a large part of what Hitendra discusses is how to evolve past simply being a client’s chosen accountant, and going further to learn their business and the nuances of how they become successful.  This allows the Accountaneur to become more of the trusted advisor that we all aspire to be.  It really is a good discussion we have in this approximate 1-hour episode.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  John Garrett and Lindsay Stevenson

To listen to this episode with Hitendra Patil, please use the player below:

Lee Frederiksen of Hinge joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Lee’s team approached us with this topic, and we were very excited to have the discussion.  “The Great Resignation” is a phenomenon affecting the entire labor market, and the accounting profession is no exception.  The market was already tight in terms of the number of accountants available versus the number of job opportunities, but with opportunities increasing and some individuals choosing to exit the labor market by choice, the number of open jobs within our field has skyrocketed.  It’s a peculiar situation, and although it has its advantages, there are also some dangers as well.

In this episode, we will discuss the situation from both the employer’s perspective and the job seeker’s perspective, because there are opportunities and dangers on both sides.  It’s rare that we get to interview a behavioral psychologist on our program, so this was a real treat.  And the topic we discussed is definitely on the cutting edge of current events.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  Carl Peterson and Terrell Turner

To listen to this episode with Lee Frederiksen of Hinge, please use the player below:

Jennifer Todling, Partner with EY, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

When we scheduled this episode, we knew it was going to be a story of a successful, progressive accounting career as Jennifer had been with EY approaching 18 years and is a partner with the firm.  However, we didn’t realize all the additional value that this interview would bring!

In addition to discussing her progression to partner over the years, we also discuss a few other pleasant surprises in her journey.  One additional item of value was the discussion of her short departure from EY to pursue a Fellow position with the SEC.  Jennifer spent about 3 years on the regulatory side, which was both an enjoyable experience and something that helped build her skill-set for when she later returned to EY.

We also discuss how she had to go remote for personal reasons very early in her career.  That may not seem like a big deal now, but this was prior to Zoom, Teams, and all the other tools we use now to do remote work.  The process was much more paper intensive, so she wasn’t sure it was even possible in the beginning.  However, due to the support from a few leaders at the firm, they were able to make it work and her progression with EY continued.  It really is an interesting part of the interview.  Make sure you listen to this one all the way through.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  How To Advance to Partner, and Samantha Bowling’s interview.

To listen in on this interview with Jennifer Todling, please use the player below:

Tom Golden, a retired forensics partner from PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), who also has authored two forensics thrillers, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

If you have ever wondered about the realities of investigating major frauds, then this is the episode for you.  Tom very accidentally got into the forensics area when he discovered anomalies on one of his first client assignments at PwC, and that ended up turning into a major fraud investigation that lasted over a year.  After that experience, he realized that investigating fraud was something that he very much enjoyed, so he convinced the firm to let him start the forensics department, and ended up building that into a career for himself in the 26 years that he was with PwC.

Another important item to note about Tom’s career was that it wasn’t all behind a computer and a desk.  His investigations took he and his team across the globe and into some very dangerous situations.  Make sure you listen to the audio interview to hear Tom tell some of those stories.  They definitely are much more suspenseful than you would expect.

For details on two of the investigations Tom was involved in, check out his two thriller novels:  Sunday Night Fears and One Honest Soul.

Other related podcasts you will enjoy:  Kelly Richmond Pope and Mindy Mejia

To listen to this interview with Tom Golden, please use the player below:

Jason Parr, the President of Peisner Johnson, a state and local tax consulting company, joined us this week for Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss the road less traveled so-to-speak with respect to careers… that of staying at the same company and continuing to build your career at that one organization.  For Jason, that meant starting as an assistant in accounting prior to earning his degree, and ending up as President after a couple decades of diligent effort and personal growth.  Jason tells the story better than we could in a simple show notes summary, so make sure you listen to the full interview using the player below, or by using your favorite podcast app.

If you ultimately want to work your way into executive management, this is definitely an episode you will want to hear.  Jason was very open about his path, even about some of his doubts and learning opportunities along the way.  This was a great interview.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Paula Gold-Williams and Anoop Mehta

To listen to this interview with Jason Parr of Peisner Johnson, please use the player below:

Alicia Maples, a professional business coach that I personally have worked with for many years, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast.  In this special edition episode, we have a very direct and practical conversation about managing the client base in a public accounting firm.  If you are in business already, or just starting to think about starting your own firm, this episode will be beneficial to you.

The main topic we discuss is how to let go of clients that don’t fit your desired end goals, but we also discuss how keeping bad clients can affect not just your lifestyle, but that of your team as well!

If you would like to find out more about Alicia, or take her 5 Day Credibility Challenge, make sure you visit www.brilliantsmb.com

To listen in on this interview with Alicia Maples, please use the player below:

Andrew Jordan, CPA and COO of FinancePal, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  We touch on many topics in this particular show, from finding the right career fit for your own needs, all the way to starting and merging a firm.  And we even cover a story of fraud in the middle of the interview!  Many, many lessons in this episode.

Andrew’s career journey started as many do… he worked hard to do well in college and was hired by one of the national firms right out of school.  He passed the CPA exam early, and was on his way to have the ‘dream career’ in large public accounting.  What he didn’t realize at the time was that it was typical for the firm to over-hire, and then make adjustments after busy season.  Unfortunately this meant he was left without a job even after passing the CPA exam.  However, this ended up being a blessing as it launched him on a new path of joining a smaller firm and continuing his career progression there.

Not too many years later, he was recruited by a client tech company for their CFO role.  It was a tremendous opportunity.  He learned quite a bit, but unfortunately part of that was about the fraud that was occurring within the company.  He survived that tumultuous time though and helped the company recover.  Later on, due to decisions made by the private equity owners, the company closed down and Andrew decided to start his own practice.

For the story of how he started and grew his practice, and eventually merged it into FinancePal, make sure to listen to the full audio interview.  Andrew was very open and transparent with the story of his journey – something we always really appreciate.

For other episodes you may enjoy, listen to these prior shows:  Kelly Richmond-Pope and Ryan Lazanis

To listen in on this interview with Andrew Jordan, please use the player below:

Loreal Jiles, the new VP of Research & Thought Leadership with the Institute of Management Accountants, joins us for this very interesting episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss the technological transformation that has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen within the accounting profession.  Loreal has spent many years working in this space, both in her current role with the IMA as well as with the large multi-national organization BP.  However, in addition to the technological discussion, we also take significant time during this interview to delve deeply into Loreal’s very successful 14 years with BP.  It’s rare we see individuals move up that quickly and over such an extended period of time as Loreal, so that part of the interview has several gems of advice as well.

If you are looking to build your career with a large organization, or have an interest in technology and how it will continue to transform our profession, this is an ideal episode for you.

Other episodes that will interest you are:  Jody Padar and Stewart Goodson

For more information on the IMA, visit IMAnet.org

To listen in on this discussion with Loreal Jiles, please use the player below: