The ‘dumbing down’ of the accounting industry

I’ve become more concerned with the ‘dumbing down’ of sectors of the accounting industry. Hardly a day goes by when I’m not solicited with advertisements about how to become a millionaire running an accounting practice without any accounting skills. Likewise my online group for tax advisers and planners is swamped with requests from people who show no indication of qualification in this field.

Tonight I viewed two accountant web sites. One showed a significant lack of command of the English language. After noting five or six errors, I lost all interest. It’s possible the web site was written by a person who is not a native English language speaker.

Then, immediately following this experience I notice the lack of information to be so significant an issue that I left to online groups for accountants tha t simply were not demonstrating professional ethics

The second web site was written for low information clients and worded such that the flow of logic and reason suffered. I’m not saying that it won’t be enormously successful. I’m just saying that I don’t want any part of that approach.

These businesses might have been members of professional associations. It doesn’t look like either  of these web sites wold meet professional standards of operation.

One of the reasons that I chose to focus on serving attorneys in my practice is that I am able to bypass this ‘dumbing down’ movement. Attorneys usually have a good command of communication and reason. Maybe this is my reaction to social trend or maybe it is a function of personal maturity. In either case, I recognize that life is too short to spend with those who lack the fundamentals of productive civil engagement.

Consumers need to be aware that there are at least two quite distinct types of accounting businesses today. One uses professionals who strive for excellence in their work and personal contact with clients. The other is primarily a marketing firm that uses a factory-like model to outsource services.