Episodes
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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! :)
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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: -
Missing episodes?
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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: -
Announcement! We are not gone, just taking a couple weeks off to recover from Covid.
Join us again on August 31st when we release our next guest accountant interview. You will enjoy this one - all about digital transformation!
In the meantime, if you haven't seen our Classes section and upcoming Excel and Tax courses, check out www.mgrar.com/classes
See you in 2 weeks!
Mark
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This is a special announcement edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.
For many years we have provided tax training for entry-level accountants and those without much tax experience through our live courses. We are super excited to announce that now that training is available to anyone, anytime, anywhere!
If you are an entry-level accountant that wants to learn CPA-firm-level tax skills, this course is for you.
If you are an experienced accountant, but without tax background, this course can help you learn CPA-firm-level tax preparation skills as well.
If you have had a tax internship or two, but didn’t feel like you learned everything you would like for a strong foundation, this course is for you as well.
(Note: This course is NOT for experienced tax preparers with 2+ years of experience. It is meant to mirror on-the-job type internship training, so it’s more appropriate for less experienced students.)
If you are interested in learning more about the content of our Individual Tax Bootcamp ON—DEMAND, click here: MGR On-Demand Courses. -
Geraldine Carter of She Thinks Big Coaching joined us for this special edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.
While our show usually highlights the career paths of successful accountants, or individuals that started in accounting and have went on to blossom that knowledge into new, unique career paths, sometimes we produce a special episode focused on helping accountants with their entrepreneurial endeavors. This episode is exactly that.
For this week’s show, our guest, Geraldine Carter, drills down on the issues that make some accountants’ entrepreneurial dreams turn more into nightmares down the road. Many of us ultimately would like to have our own practice, but often the freedom we think we are going to achieve doesn’t become a reality. We end up working for our practice instead of it working for us.
In this episode, Geraldine covers many of the pitfalls that a self-employed accountant can encounter, and how to fix those issues so that you can thoroughly enjoy running your practice, and so that it meets all your needs and expectations as well.
For more information on Geraldine Carter, please visit her website at: Business Coaching for CPA's & Small Firms | She Thinks Big Coaching
If you enjoy this episode with Geraldine, please also check out: Sarah Elliott and Mariette Martinez
To listen to this interview with Geraldine Carter, please use the player below: -
Tracy Coenen of Sequence Inc, a Chicago-based forensic accounting specialty firm, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.
Tracy always knew she wanted to be involved with investigations and the criminal justice system. In fact, early in her life she dreamed of being a Prison Warden! However, after taking a class in financial crime investigation, she realized that she enjoyed the analysis that comes with such an investigation, and decided to pursue a career investigating financial crimes. She continued with her Criminology major in school, but also got her MBA with enough hours to sit for the CPA exam. She passed the exam, spent a short time at Arthur Andersen, then a few years at a small forensic accounting firm, and then decided to launch her own business – Sequence Inc.
For the past 20 years, Tracy has operated her company basically as a solo entrepreneur, with the exception of a short time earlier on that she talks about in the interview. She chooses to keep the firm small from a team standpoint because it allows her to focus on the activities that she most enjoys – digging into the details and doing the investigation itself.
Another valuable portion of this episode is our discussion of what it takes to be a good expert witness in trials. Tracy has well-developed skills in that area, and shares some of her insights into that role in this interview. It’s definitely something you don’t want to miss.
If you enjoy this episode, please also check out: Kelly Richmond-Pope and Fred Olivares
To listen in on this podcast episode with Tracy Coenen, please use the player below: -
Michelle Garrison, a CFO in the Houston area, joined us for this continuation of our “2nd-career-accountant” series of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.
Michelle’s career started a little differently than most of our guests. Michelle was actually a very successful electrical engineer in her former career, and as she got further into the details of running her own electrical contracting company, she realized she had a talent for understanding the financial side of the business. As time went by and the contracting world was becoming more competitive, she decided to move her career in the direction of accounting, completing a Masters degree in Accounting and obtaining a consulting position within the field. Her consulting work fast-tracked her into many career-building opportunities, and eventually she landed in the role where she is today: the CFO for a healthcare organization in Houston.
If you are a 2nd-career-accountant yourself, or are about to be, you will definitely enjoy this interview. Also, if you want more insight into how an accounting education can help you be a better overall business advisor, then this show is for you as well.
Other episodes you may enjoy will include: Robin Thieme and Brian Henderson
To listen in on this interview with Michelle Garrison, please use the player below: -
Nancy McClelland, a CPA in the Chicago area, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast. In this episode, we are going to cover many items, probably the most interesting being how she came up with the name for her practice – “The Dancing Accountant”!
As you might expect, Nancy’s early background was in music. Her mother was very creative, and her father was the more analytical one. While in college, Nancy tried many majors, but eventually chose music. She very early on landed a role in administration with an arts school, and realized that she also had talent inherited from her father as well – that of organization and analysis. It was through combining both her creative side and analytical side that caused her to excel in accounting / administration roles with music-related companies. It wasn’t long though until she realized that all small businesses have similar issues to that which she was encountering in the music world, and so she then decided to start her practice – Nancy McClelland LLC. If you want to hear the full story of how she moved from that initial name for her practice to “The Dancing Accountant”, you’ll need to listen to the audio portion in order to her it from Nancy’s own lips. It’s a very interesting story.
To find out more about Nancy’s firm, please visit: The Dancing Accountant
If you enjoy this episode, please also check out: John Garrett and Ann Margaret Johnson
To listen in on this interview with The Dancing Accountant, Nancy McClelland, please use the player below: -
This week on Where Accountants Go: The Accounting Careers podcast, we rebroadcast a show where Mark Goldman, the host of Where Accountants Go, was a guest on another podcast by the name of “Accountable”.
“Accountable” is an extraordinarily well-produced podcast hosted by David Peters, a prior guest on our show. In this episode, David interviews Mark on aspects of the job market, hiring for accounting professionals, and career management. David did such a great job with the interview as well as the production of the show, that we wanted to re-run it so it could benefit you (our listeners) as well.
If you’d like to hear other episodes of “Accountable”, please visit their website by clicking here.
To hear David’s own interview on this episode, visit: 221: David Peters , CPA – Host of Accountable | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)
To listen in on this interview Mark did with David Peters on the Accountable podcast, please use the player below: -
Cece Leung, Founder of The Entrepreneur CFO, author of “Dear Accountant”, and host of the podcast by the same name, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.
In this episode, we cover many, many topics. Cece’s early career was somewhat unique for our show in that she worked in mutual fund accounting and other fields having to do with the financial capital markets. Eventually though, she joined a start-up in the financial services field and that launched her into the world of smaller businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors, and her vision of the business world was widened. Up until this point, she had lived primarily in large-corporate-America, or more appropriately the global corporate marketplace. However, when she joined this start-up as their Controller, she was forced to widen her knowledge base as she was not as focused in one area as she had been previously.
That experience, plus her ‘side hustle’ as she describes it, positioned her well to eventually start her own entrepreneurial CFO business. In addition, she perceived a lack of information for younger individuals regarding all the options that are available for accounting professionals, so she started her podcast and wrote a book by the same name highlighting some of the amazing careers of accounting professionals she had come in contact with. That book and podcast are titled, “Dear Accountant”.
If you are interested in the financial markets, a career that mixes both finance and accounting, or helping smaller businesses with finance issues, you will enjoy this story.
Also, make sure to check out both Cece’s book and podcast (click on the appropriate link).
If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to check out: Adriana Carpenter and Kim Nourie
To listen to this interview with Cece Leung, please use the player below: -
Dawn Goldberg, CPA and Certified Life Coach (and mother of course), joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast. In addition to being a coach for CPAs that are mothers, Dawn is also a Community Manager for CPA MOMS and hosts their podcast as well!
Dawn was introduced to accounting as many of us are, through her high school bookkeeping class. She had a great teacher that informed her it was a wonderful career path ‘for a woman’, and therefore she decided to pursue it as her chosen career field. Ironically, after working for several years in the Big 4, she decided to go ahead and leave to be a full-time, stay-at-home mother for a while in order to not miss out on some of the small moments that she treasured. (Although many of the partners she worked under had been understanding, there were a few that were not so understanding, so it made it a good choice to take some time off at that particular point.)
Upon re-entering the workforce part-time and later going through a divorce, she was researching different self-help resources when she decided that maybe that could be a new career path for her… helping others through what she had been through in both her career and her own personal life. It was at that point that she decided to study to be a Certified Life Coach.
Fast forward several years and Dawn has joined both her podcast and overall professional endeavors with the CPA MOMS organization, and she coaches ladies through the challenges that come with being both a CPA and a mother in today’s workplace.
Make sure you listen all the way to the end on this one as Dawn shares some very valuable and interesting career tips for us in our post-Covid world. I found a lot of truth in her perspective of what the workplace is like now and how it may become in the near future.
If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to also check out: Amanda Aguillard and Elena Levario
For Dawn’s own podcast, visit Podcast — CPA MOMS® (cpa-moms.com)
To listen in on this interview with Dawn Goldberg, please use the player below: -
Dr. Adrian Mayse, CPA, Accounting Department Chair at Howard University, and author of the children’s book “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant” (!) joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.
Like many of our guests over the years, this guest was suggested by one of you, the listeners! When I received the suggestion I was obviously intrigued, but when I looked on Amazon for Adrian’s book and saw the quality, I couldn’t help but ask him to come on the show.
In this episode, we cover Adrian’s early career of course, but then we get into two very informative & fun discussions about 1) what it takes to get your PhD in accounting, and 2) how he decided to and ultimately did publish his book, “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant”. In a nutshell, “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant” is a children’s book focused on teaching young children about the profession of accounting, as well as showing diversity in the profession – both of which are incredibly important. I truly feel that Adrian has done both the profession and society overall a good deed by putting this book out into the marketplace, and I know it will make many people’s lives better over time.
You can find Adrian’s book at: When I Grow Up I Want To Be... An Accountant: Mayse CPA, Dr. Adrian L., Perryman, Reshonda, Ross, Frank K.: 9798599300236: Amazon.com: Books
If you enjoy this episode, please also check out: Ed Polansky and John Garrett
To listen in on this interview with Dr. Adrian Mayse, please use the player below: - Show more
