Our 5 Favorite Accounting & Bookkeeping Online Resources
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Working as an accountant or bookkeeper today isn’t something to brush off. Amidst a constantly evolving global landscape, new clients and the development of new client niches, and shifting financial regulations, it feels like it’s too much work to keep up with everything round the clock, especially when you already put in extra work and hours during the busy season or to keep clients satisfied.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ve collected our 5 favorite accounting and bookkeeping resources that can augment your professional experience, no matter what stage you’re at in your accounting or bookkeeping journey, and keep you constantly in the know, so you don’t have to worry about falling behind or missing out.
Accounting Coach
This accounting website, launched in 2003, is an amazing educational resource for beginners to advanced accountants and bookkeepers. It has accounting-related content to help students, bookkeepers, and small business owners acquire new accounting skills to elevate their knowledge, but it can assist experienced accountants and bookkeepers refresh their memory as well.
With over 30 topics—from balance sheets to bookkeeping to bank reconciliation and accounts payable—there is plenty to choose and learn from, even if you’re not an accounting student. Harold Averkamp, a former accounting professor for 25 years and an accountant and consultant for 25 years, created the instructional content. Each topic includes an associated course outline alongside free downloadable content, practice quizzes, and fun puzzles and games to reinforce the information. But if you need additional help beyond this, Accounting Coach also offers some paid options (Pro and Pro Plus) for additional content like video tutorials and interactive tests.
American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)
Maybe you’ve already heard of or are a part of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), especially because of their annual AICPA Engage conference (which Uncat attended this past June). But, if you haven’t heard of it or haven’t joined yet, this website is a must-have for accounting resources. While you might think this resource is solely for CPAs, hence the name, this organization promotes information relevant to any and all accountants.
If you’re newly entering the profession or considering it, AICPA provides amazing resources, including a guide to getting started, scholarships, job postings, interview tips, resume-writing workshops, and more. Or even if you’re an experienced accounting veteran, AICPA is a fantastic resource for you to use to find new research and publications related to the accounting industry that can benefit your practice or a way to network with accounting peers through conferences, committees, and events. With over 420,000 members, you can be part of an interconnected professional network full of quality information, support, and guidance to be successful in this industry.
Strategic Finance Magazine
This online magazine is a publication part of The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business, and it’s a great resource for specific accounting niches and topics. You can find practically any article written about a topic related to accounting—including ethics, specific accounting careers and jobs, leadership, taxes, the business of finance, small business improvement, and government accounting updates. Anyone working in the accounting industry can find a gold mine of information to enhance their job experience and performance.
If this isn’t enough to persuade you to check out this magazine, Strategic Finance Magazine is the flagship publication of the Institute of Management Accountants (the leading international trade association for corporate accounting and finance professionals), meaning they also monthly produce articles oriented to personal and professional advancement, specifically helping you effectively advance your career.
Evergreen Small Business
While this resource is a blog, we love sharing this resource with small business owners and those who serve small business owners because it delivers so much quality information relevant to small businesses. Elizabeth and Steve Nelson, both CPAs and writers of the blog, answer common questions about small business management, appealing to small businesses, financial planning, how to best serve small business clients, tax strategies, and other actionable insight that pertains to small businesses. Whether you run a small bookkeeping/CPA practice or you primarily serve small businesses as your clients, this is a no-brainer resource to refer to, as improving how your practice operates as a small business or with small businesses is always crucial to successful growth and revenue.
Financial Executives International (FEI) Daily
This website, sponsored by Financial Executives International, is a go-to resource for accounting news and analysis on accounting industry trends. While FEI itself is a membership organization—which you can become a member of to augment your networking resources and advance your accounting career—FEI Daily is a free resource that provides updated information on a plethora of industry topics.
One of our favorite elements of FEI Daily is the homepage that includes the “5 Things You Need To Read” list that features valuable articles from a variety of sources where you’d likely get your news—including CNN, Forbes, McKinsey & Company, and more. So, instead of searching through dozens of websites every day to get the accounting and bookkeeping news and updates you’re looking for, in addition to all of the projects and tasks to work through each day, FEI Daily is an easily accessible resource to get all the news and analysis on industry content you need.
Conclusion
And there you have it! We hope you find at least one of these accounting and bookkeeping online resources useful, though these are just a few of the resources we’ve been loving recently.
If you’re interested in additional accounting and bookkeeping related resources, check out some of our other blog posts!
Want to try out another online accounting and bookkeeping resource? Give Uncat a try today by booking a demo, watching our tutorial videos, or starting a 14-day free trial today!