You may have seen on social media the David Ogilvy memo from 1982 about "How To Write" . I've taken the liberty of translating it for a 2025 finance professionals. The better you write, the higher you'll go in finance. People who think clearly, write
When should you write numbers as words and when as figures? Most people guess. But guessing leads to inconsistency, and inconsistency makes your writing look unprofessional. BBC News has a simple rule in its style guide: * Spell out numbers one to nine * Use figures for 10 and above * Always spell
Cory Doctorow nailed it: AI cannot do your job, but an AI salesman can 100 per cent convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an AI that can't do your job. Here's the thing about accounting. AI can crunch numbers faster than you.
The best financial communicators don't hide behind complexity. They cut through it. They replace "utilize" with "use." They break up walls of text. They explain concepts like they're talking to a smart colleague, not performing for an academic journal.
Your boss hands back your draft report with red ink everywhere. "Can we add a section on market trends?" "Let's include more data." "We need another chart showing the quarterly breakdown." Sound familiar? Here's what almost never happens: "Can
Most people don’t realise how unclear their writing is. Clear writing isn’t just about grammar or big words. It’s about stripping away the clutter so your message gets through. If your writing is cloudy, your meaning gets lost. Take a fresh look at your last email or
Matthew Butterick has a great website and book called Typography for Lawyers. Inspired by that, here is lesson 1 of typography for accountants. You can make your documents clearer and easier to read with some simple changes that will take you less than 5 minutes. The secret lies in making
What can accountants learn from writers? Great writers don’t just write—they read, a lot. They learn what works and what doesn’t and sharpen their own skills. Accountants who want to communicate more clearly should borrow this habit. Next time you read a finance report (or anything) written
Don’t write your finance reports like detective stories. Don’t make your reader sift through pages and pages of clues before the real findings and recommendations are revealed on the final page. This problem–cause–solution approach where you describe the problem/issue, then explain why it has occurred
When you write about finance you need to be in the top left quadrant of the above chart. How do you do that? You put the bottom line up front. Tell the reader right at the beginning what your key message is. You’re not writing a mystery story. if
The conversation about AI in accounting is louder than ever. But here’s what hasn’t changed: insight is the most valuable skill an accountant can offer. And insight requires real thought. AI can process data at lightning speed and spot patterns you might miss, but that’s not the