If you’re a small business owner, you no doubt want to stay up-to-date with any changes in accounting regulations and tax laws that will affect how your profits are reported and what your balance sheet looks like.
Accounting blogs are excellent sources for this kind of information. Best of all, they’re free.
Accountants love to blog and talk about accounting. We’ve found 15 of the top accounting blogs to follow. In addition to traditional certified public accountant (CPA) blog topics, we came across blogs that specialize in health care, fraud, public accounting, small business accounting, tax accounting blogs and even one that only has jokes about accounting.
Most of the accounting blogs are written by accountants, but one of the best blogs on taxes is written by a journalist, not a CPA, who spent years working in Washington, D.C. This blogger has insights about the workings of government that the rest of us don’t have.
Some blogs are light and conversational but get their point across in an easy-to-understand manner. Other blogs have long-form articles that dig deep into highly technical matters.
Whatever subject you’re looking for, you should be able to find it in one of the blogs on this list (in no particular order):
1. The Accounting Onion
Don’t let the name mislead you. The Accounting Onion “peels away the layers” of accounting to explain complex financial issues and does it with a sense of wit and humor.
Tom Selling has been teaching accounting for nearly 50 years at universities such as Thunderbird, MIT and Dartmouth. He addresses practical accounting issues in addition to offering perspectives on trends in accounting.
Selling simplifies accounting terms in Ungarbling Financial Accounting and addresses a disturbing trend in GAAP and the Federal Budget Deficit. The website has more than 300 posts roughly 1,000 words each.
2. AICPA Insights
With more than 430,000 members, the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) is the world’s largest organization for accountants.
The AICPA is in charge of developing the exams and qualifications to certify accountants in addition to setting ethical standards for the industry. Its blog, AICPA Insights, has posts written by staffers and guest accountants that address current issues in the accounting profession.
Recent articles include How to Audit During a Pandemic and How COVID-19 Will Affect States’ Revenues and Taxes.
3. Journal of Accountancy
Published by the AICPA, the Journal of Accountancy focuses on the serious, technical side of accounting. It’s designed for the accounting professional who needs to keep up with trends in the profession, not the layperson. The articles are straight and to the point without any wit or humor. The topics go directly to the facts.
Recent posts talk about how blockchain may transform accounting processes and what CPAs need to learn about an AI-powered world.
4. AccountingWEB
AccountingWEB features a collection of guest posts from all types of accountants. Blog topics address recent changes in technology, management and accounting standards.
Accounting WEB is an example of a bookkeeping business blog that illustrates how accountants can build their businesses with all different types of clients. You can find articles about New Payment Solutions for Accounting Firms, Why Working from Home is the Future of Accounting and Why Clients Shouldn’t Ignore FASB Lease Standards.
5. The MACPA Blog
The MACPA Blog is run by Bill Sheridan of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants. But it isn’t just for accountants in Maryland. Sheridan takes an upbeat approach to the accounting profession and frequently heaps praise when accounting firms get recognized for their community efforts.
Sheridan likes to write posts that encourage his fellow accountants to change with the times and always remain optimistic. He addresses maintaining a firm’s culture in a remote working environment, how to deal with the 6-month crisis wall and how to prepare future CPAs to work in a COVID-19 environment.
6. The Belfint Nonprofit Ledger
Accountants from the firm of Belfint Lyons and Shuman have put together The Belfint Nonprofit Ledger specifically for nonprofit accounting. The blog discusses management of nonprofits, human resources, finances and fundraising.
For example, a recent post discusses the conversion of a non-profit Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from a liability to revenue. Another post addresses the impact of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on nonprofits.
7. Where Every Penny Matters
Nicholas Pennewell Is a Florida-based CPA focusing on tax accounting for individuals, small businesses and nonprofit organizations. His blog, Where Every Penny Matters offers posts about recent tax news and tips on how to handle various tax issues.
The posts are conversational and written for a layperson to understand. For example, he has a very detailed post on Bitcoin and Taxes and gives several examples of how to calculate taxes on cryptocurrency trades. Another post discusses how the IRS is becoming “kinder and gentler” by making fewer audits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. Leverage SALT
When Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, the limitations placed on deductions of state and local taxes, SALT, created new challenges for accountants. As a result, Brian Strahle created the Leverage SALT blog to help fellow accountants and businesses deal with the new regulations.
He uses a casual style of writing, peppered with questions to keep readers engaged. In this post, Strahle goes into a state-by-state discussion of SALT.
9. Fraud Files Forensic Accounting
The Fraud Files Forensic Accounting blog deals with the seamier problems in business. Tracy Coenen’s blog uses forensic accounting to track down evidence of fraud, bribery, theft and embezzlement. Her experience in this field has brought requests for speaking engagements and appearances as an expert witness in criminal trials.
Coenen likes to keep her clients informed with blog posts such as Recognizing the Signs of Fraud, Finding Bribery and Corruption Schemes and How Not to Get Swindled by Your Financial Advisor.
10. Accounting Coach
The goal of Accounting Coach is to explain the principles of accounting and bookkeeping. The information on the website is free and contains real-life explanations and has quizzes on more than 30 topics.
CPA Harold Avercamp explains accounting terms in a clear, understandable manner. He has more than 25 years as a university accounting instructor and another 25 years as a consultant on accounting matters to clients.
Accounting Coach is one of those bookkeeping blogs that provides basic information, such as how to set up a chart of accounts, to more complex accounting issues, including calculating the present value of an ordinary annuity.
11. Reed Tinsley, CPA
The Reed Tinsley blog focuses on health-care issues. Tinsley’s clients are medical groups, physicians and other health-care entities engaged in managed care. His blog has posts about strategic planning, operational issues, financial management and growth strategies.
Tinsley’s articles have been published in national and regional publications and he is frequently asked to speak on various health-care topics. Examples of his posts are How to Value a Medical Practice, Year-End Tax Strategies for Your Stock Portfolio and Four Important Estate Planning Documents for Physicians.
12. TaxProf Blog
Paul Caron is the dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law. He graduated with a law degree from Cornell University and uses his background to focus on tax issues. He has been named one of the 100 most influential people in tax and accounting by Accounting Today.
In his blog, he tackled thorny issues such as 50 Years of Tax Cuts for the Rich Didn’t Trickle Down, Study Says and fairness in taxes with a post about Tax Benefits, Higher Education and Race.
13. Don’t Mess With Taxes
The Don’t Mess With Texas blog isn’t written by a CPA. It’s written by a journalist who is a self-professed “tax geek.” Kay Bell is a native Texan, hence the play on words for the title of her blog, who spent almost 20 years working in Washington, D.C., as a congressional staffer. This experience gave her inside material for the workings of government on tax matters.
She translates difficult subjects into lively, readable copy. In addition to this blog, Bell also writes about tax issues for Bankrate.com. On her blog, she gives advice about the deductibility of PPP loan expenses, discusses inflation effects in 2021 on payroll and nanny taxes and gives suggestions about how to get tax breaks for medical expenses.
14. re: The Auditors
If you like to keep up with news and events about the Big 4 accounting firms, re: The Auditors is the blog to follow. The author, Francine McKenna, has been an investigative reporter looking at public company accounting practices, fraud and financial schemes and questionable financial reporting from pre-IPO companies. She has been a featured writer for Forbes, American Banker, MarketWatch and Accounting Today.
In her blog, McKenna weighed in on the SEC fine for KPMG in the data theft scandal and the fate of the KPMG whistleblower. In another post, Francine analyzed the New York Department of Financial Services case against Promontory Financial Group and the problem of Big 4 bank consulting.
15. Mark’s Acc Jokes
Not everything about accounting has to be dull and boring. Mark Lee, a London accountant, can find something funny in just about anything related to accounting. Mark’s Acc Jokes is full of anecdotes, one-liners and witticisms. He even throws in a few jokes that seem to be from personal experiences, but you can never be sure.
If you aren’t sure what the answer to 2+2 is, see how an accountant would answer the question. Check out these posts about an accountant’s revenge and why accountants swear so much.
