Art of Accounting: Frank Boutillette’s parting words

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Frank has been my friend, colleague and partner since the end of 1993 when he came to work at MendlowitzWeitsen LLP, which merged into Withum on Jan. 1, 2005. He retired December 31 and here are his parting words. His three points are great advice for anyone starting in accounting and anyone already working there or anywhere else. Frank had an illustrious career, which included being president of the New Jersey Society of CPAs.

“6-13-83 to 12-31-21: My 38-year career as a CPA comes to an end today. Reflecting on my career, I remember back in ’83 having to drive this retired CPA from the Metro Park train station to our Woodbridge office on Tuesday mornings and back to the train on Thursday afternoons. The firm brought him in for his tax knowledge, and I was smart enough to listen to him when he spoke. Here are three of the many things he said during those drives. They hold true for everything we do.

1. Don’t follow the work that someone did last time without spending five minutes thinking about it first. They could be wrong and, by just following them, you too would be wrong. 
2. You own it and they rent it. Your brain is like inventory on a shelf. The more information you pack into it, the more valuable you are to others. If you stop learning, your brain will be obsolete and they will have no use for you.
3. Look back every six months to see what you learned. Accounting (but substitute anything in life) is constantly changing, and you should be learning new things all the time. If not, then maybe what you are doing isn't challenging and it’s time to do something different.

Following these three bits of wisdom has made all the difference in what I have achieved as a CPA/person. Thank you, Joe Wolfowitz. I hope that I have been able to leave my mark on the CPA profession, impart my wisdom and work ethic on the partners and staff I worked with, and given the appropriate guidance to the clients I serviced over the years.”

Well-spoken words for any professional. Frank had only two jobs — with that firm and with mine. Good luck, my friend, in your well-earned retirement.

Do not hesitate to contact me at emendlowitz@withum.com with your practice management questions or about engagements you might not be able to perform.

Edward Mendlowitz, CPA, is partner at WithumSmith+Brown, PC, CPAs. He is on the Accounting Today Top 100 Influential People list. He is the author of 24 books, including “How to Review Tax Returns,” co-written with Andrew D. Mendlowitz, and “Managing Your Tax Season, Third Edition.” He also writes a twice-a-week blog addressing issues that clients have at www.partners-network.com along with the Pay-Less-Tax Man blog for Bottom Line. He is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Fairleigh Dickinson University teaching end user applications of financial statements. Art of Accounting is a continuing series where he shares autobiographical experiences with tips that he hopes can be adopted by his colleagues. He welcomes practice management questions and can be reached at (732) 743-4582 or emendlowitz@withum.com.