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The differences between accounting managers and chief finance officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an accounting manager, becoming a chief finance officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief finance officer has an average salary of $143,947, which is higher than the $84,451 average annual salary of an accounting manager.
The top three skills for an accounting manager include reconciliations, CPA and GAAP. The most important skills for a chief finance officer are payroll, CPA, and oversight.
| Accounting Manager | Chief Finance Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,451 | $143,947 |
| Hourly rate | $40.60 | $69.21 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 92,089 | 145,184 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 46 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 8 | - |
An accounting manager is responsible for supervising and monitoring the overall accounting department operations. Duties of an accounting manager include reviewing account information and account statements, processing invoices, analyzing financial data, performing account reconciliations, assisting with tax processing and audit reports, and generating financial reports for presentation with the board. An accounting manager must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and legislation to assist the team with the company's financial goals. Accounting managers must have the outstanding analytical, critical thinking, and decision-making skills to develop the best competitive financial strategies.
A chief financial officer is responsible for managing and reviewing the financial status of a company. Chief financial officers' duties include ensuring the accuracy of financial reports, monitoring the company's expenses and budget goals, providing recommendations to prevent financial loss and increase revenues, processing the company's tax obligations, and resolving financial disputes. A chief financial officer must have an impeccable knowledge of the financial industry, updated with the current market trend, and strong leadership and decision-making skills to support the organization's financial department.
Accounting managers and chief finance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Manager | Chief Finance Officer | |
| Average salary | $84,451 | $143,947 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $117,000 | Between $80,000 And $257,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | California |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | Baker McKenzie |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Construction |
There are a few differences between an accounting manager and a chief finance officer in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Manager | Chief Finance Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting managers' and chief finance officers' demographics:
| Accounting Manager | Chief Finance Officer | |
| Average age | 46 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |