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Careers in Accounting

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Careers in Accounting

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Question 1
A Forensic Accountant
This is a specialized career in accounting, which focuses on investigating financial information to identify or detect existence of white-collar crimes in companies or organizations. It is the responsibility of a Forensic Accountant to analyze and investigate crimes such as bankruptcy, embezzlement, and fraud to provide evidence as to who, what, how, and where the financial crime occurred. A Forensic Accountant needs to integrate law knowledge and the understanding of accounting and finance. The career in Forensic Accounting is recently on high demand because of the increased financial inconsistencies within organizations. A Forensic Accountant finds employment opportunities in many settings, which include law firms, consulting firms, government agencies, and financial institutions (Justice, Law & Legal Studies Forensic Accountant and Fraud Examiner). A Budget Analyst
A budget analyst is one of the career paths in accounting. This career involves the relationship between goals of the project and concerns of the budget. The work of the budget analyst is to organize business finances such as preparing budgets reports and checking organizational spending. Minimum requirements are a bachelor’s degree in accounting and in some cases, there is a requirement of a Master’s degree in accounting. Additional requirements include excellent numerical, analytical, and accounting skills. As with other careers, salary expectations upsurge with education and experience. The median annual salary exceeds $68, 000, while the highest annual range is more than $100,000, and the lowest earns at least $45,000 per year (How to Become a Budget Analyst).
Question 2
Chief Finance Officer (CFO)
The position of CFO plays a significant role in the success of a company. CFO advices board members and the company’s top managers about the directions of company’s finances. A successful CFO has to possess good communication, excellent modeling skills, analytical skills, and capability to bridge between all employee disciplines in an organization. CFO should understand all the dimensions in business, in addition to having risk management skills. It is also important for the CFO to be a navigator or someone who ensures that the company is on the course, while considering both short-term and long-term plans. Additionally, CFO should exhibit strong leadership skills and be able to work under extreme pressure. Finally, CFO adds value to organizations because there responsibility is to establish a company’s financial objectives, controlling budgetary planning, forming relationships with main stakeholders and investors, and developing tactical initiatives (Becoming a Chief Financial Officer).

References
Becoming a Chief Financial Officer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from http://allaccountingcareers.com/chief-financial-officer
How to Become a Budget Analyst. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from http://www.accountingedu.org/budget-analyst.html
Justice, Law & Legal Studies Forensic Accountant and Fraud Examiner. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from http://www.geteducated.com/career-center/detail/forensic-accountant-and-fraud-examiner

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