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Joe Schiavo

Director Accounting & Finance
Pershing LLC
Scotch Plains, NJ

 

Joe Schiavo learned as a child that numbers tell a story. And as a CPA, Joe now helps tell that story.

Think the tale of accounting is simply numbers? Think again Joe says. “Accounting is not just about numbers. What makes the job interesting is that you get a chance to learn everything about business sales, operations and finance as you search for the meaning behind the numbers.”

When he was young, Joe’s dad ran a small business. “He would write his daily sales receipts in a small book called ‘Beat Yesterday.’ This tracked his sales over different periods of time—both good and bad,” Joe says. “Each entry told a story about his business.”

That’s where Joe’s interest in accounting began.

He was the first person in his family to graduate from college. He commuted to school to get his undergraduate degree while working part time to pay for his education.

Now he’s a pro.

Joe had several different jobs and was “fortunate to work for an international accounting firm to earn my CPA. Then I landed in the financial services industry and have had various financial services industry positions ever since,” he says. Now, “people seek me out and respect me as an expert in my field.”

For Joe, enhancing his degree in accounting with the CPA certification was like changing the plot of the story from Clark Kent to Superman. “It is a professional credential that opens a lot of doors for you,” Joe says. “The CPA credential demonstrates to others that you have expert knowledge in a professional discipline which is respected throughout business.”

Got questions of your own? Ask a CPA.