As an accountant, you may have to crunch numbers, but those are not the only skills needed. It is important to possess sharp logic skills and big-picture problem-solving abilities, as well. While bookkeepers make sure the small pieces fit properly into place, accountants use those small pieces to draw much more significant and broader conclusions. Like Xero and QuickBooks, Sage Business Accounting’s reports are user friendly and very easy to read. Its business trend reports are particularly useful—they compare your business’s current health with its past growth and future goals so you can keep your business on track for success. Keep reading to learn more about QuickBooks Online, Xero, and five additional bookkeeping solutions tailor-made for small-business owners like you.
The BLS notes that job growth for accountants should track fairly closely with the broader economy. However, bookkeepers will face pressure from automation and technology that will reduce the demand for such workers. If you are interested in becoming an accountant, it may be beneficial to your career to become a certified public accountant (CPA), which has its own exam. You must have a minimum of 150 postsecondary education hours, or what amounts to a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and an additional 30 hours of graduate work. Want to check out software ranked by accounting features, not just bookkeeping basics? Read through our reviews of the best accounting software options for small businesses like yours.
What Is Bookkeeping?
The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Blueprint. Blueprint does not include all companies, bookkeeping firms products or offers that may be available to you within the market. As you dive deeper into the bookkeeping process, it may be tempting to blur the lines between your personal and business finances, but it’s not the best idea.
Both bookkeepers and accountants need to be comfortable working with numbers all day. Bookkeepers especially should be able to spot issues with daily expenses and make sure all the data points are tracked correctly. Accounting is for trained professionals who can give a fuller summary of your company’s financial realities.