subject: New Generation Accountants Offer More Services [print this page] Traditionally, accountants are the financial professionals that handle the bookkeeping aspects of a business or an individual. Whether we are talking about a single accountant or an accounting firm, their primary function is to simply run the numbers, keep track of things, file and submit documents, and so on. When it comes to higher level financial analysis, planning, and advisement, they have hitherto tended to refer a client to other sources such financial advisors, consultants and planners. However, this trend appears to be changing.
But before we go into that, let's take a look at the function that financial advisors are ordinarily expected to perform. In most cases they help clients strategize and make decisions. They often begin by identifying financial goals, then begin to work with the client on creating a detailed strategy on attaining those goals. They often have a very decisive role in the decision making end of the finances of a business or an individual.
Many business owners feel they would find it difficult to make informed decisions without some kind of guru, someone with an in-depth knowledge of the world of finance guiding them in the process. In doing this, financial advisors and planners have a lot of access to a company's documents, use charts and graphs, and crunch numbers in an attempt to get an overall picture of where a business is at.
So as you can see the functions of an accountant and a planner overlap. Since an accountant has an in-depth knowledge of a client's financial specifics, and of the financial world in general, they are often tempted to offer advice. This does, in fact, seem to be a trend. Accounting firms are increasingly beginning to offer enhanced services along with traditional accounting, and they are beginning to do so increasingly. It is interesting to speculate on the reasons for this. Perhaps the primary reason in a general sense, is what is known as diversification. This is occurring all over the place as we move into the 21st century. It is a trend in which companies and individuals that previously stuck to rigid roles and functions begin to branch out and diversify what they offer. The reasons for this are manifold and in a certain sense just a simple part of evolution of systems.
As the knowledge base expands, more information becomes available to more people and greater information exchange becomes the norm. Simply put, this results in more people, including professionals, having expanded knowledge about their area of concentration. Or another way to say it is that knowledge interaction increases as knowledge itself does.
One can see how the internet with its quicker access to information is part of this movement. But it's also important to note that the process was going on before the existence of the internet. In fact diversification and greater exchange of knowledge on a technological level has played a big part in the development of the internet.
With regard accounting, the fact that there is so much quick information of a financial nature along with analytical tools available to an accountant via all kinds of internet technologies goes along with this. Add to this is the greater savvy that simply comes from the fact that accountants, financial planners, and other financial professionals have been rubbing shoulders in the modern world for a long time.
Another reason for this pattern is that with the recent economic crisis, people simply don't want to spend money for two sources of expertise when they can get both in one place. By combining these tasks, companies can get two for the price of one, which is a very basic financial lesson in itself. If they can get both accounting and consulting in one package, why go to two different companies which is only a waste of time, money, and resources. For all these reasons, we're beginning to see financial accountant and planner firms springing up with increasing frequency. Your average accountant is beginning to be armed with more and more knowledge that you can benefit from in a strategic sense. On the whole this seems like a healthy trend and one that will make valuable financial knowledge more integrated, fast, and reliable.
