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Portfolio accountant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Alex Yen Ph.D.,

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical portfolio accountant skills. We ranked the top skills for portfolio accountants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.5% of portfolio accountant resumes contained reconciliations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a portfolio accountant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 portfolio accountant skills for your resume and career

1. Reconciliations

Here's how portfolio accountants use reconciliations:

Prepared Personal property tax and reserve reconciliations for assigned accounts, Gathered conversion data from newly acquired business portfolios
Prepared recoverable income reconciliations, which included understanding tenant lease provisions as well as ensuring accurate calculations.

2. Financial Reports

Here's how portfolio accountants use financial reports:

Ensured proper processing of month-end financial reports and year-end tax reports - Participated in system enhancement and process improvement projects
Coordinated training, independent and internal audits Prepared managerial and client's financial reports.

3. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how portfolio accountants use real estate:

Increased effectiveness of company's financial reporting process by aptly addressing real estate accounting related matters to respective company's personnel.
Maintained general ledgers for real estate properties and calculated depreciation schedules.

4. Journal Entries

Journal entries can be defined as an act of keeping or making records of any transactions either economic or non-economic. The journal entries are made in the accounting systems of an organization. The entries are filled with two main fields; debit and credit. The debit and credit must be equal at the end of a journal entry else it is not considered correct. The journal entries also keep the date of transactions and the names of the accounts that were affected by the transactions.

Here's how portfolio accountants use journal entries:

Prepared monthly / quarterly financial statements for residential properties including journal entries and reconciliation on all accounts.
Reconciled general and subsidiary bank accounts and corrected errors by posting adjusted journal entries.

5. Yardi

Yardi is a tech company that creates solutions for land management and real estate firms of all sizes. Land security, marketing, industrial applications, elder care, and finances are also covered by the company's tech suites. Yardi offers customised land management tools and wealth management applications for all commercial property verticals, giving owners, developers, buyers, and other stakeholders access to data tailored to their individual needs.

Here's how portfolio accountants use yardi:

Managed accoutningtransition from Quickbooks to Yardi.
Manage the production of the annual budget and forecasts as well as upload into Yardi.

6. Accruals

Here's how portfolio accountants use accruals:

Calculated and prepared monthly accruals, dividend reconciliation, interest receivables, realized and unrealized gain/loss reports.
Monitored client account actions such as interest/expense accruals and security amortization.

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7. GAAP

Here's how portfolio accountants use gaap:

Reconciled daily cash and market values on global, municipal and special insurance portfolios, knowledge of GAAP and statutory accounting.
Performed daily GAAP accounting for 35 domestic and global funds consisting of equities, bonds, and futures contracts.

8. Balance Sheet

Here's how portfolio accountants use balance sheet:

Managed defined benefit / contribution plans including analysis of balance sheets and creation of financial statements.
Develop and analyze balance sheet position for construction/development projects.

9. Securities

Here's how portfolio accountants use securities:

Referenced information management for proper pricing of securities, setup of securities corporate action implications and investment manager issues.
Worked effectively with brokers and traders to reconcile securities and cash positions in private and institutional accounts daily.

10. General Ledger Accounts

A general ledger account is a practice to keep a record of a company's total financial accounts. The accounts included in a general ledger lists the assets, liabilities, owners' equity, expenses, and income or revenue. It forms the basis of reporting a business's financial statements.

Here's how portfolio accountants use general ledger accounts:

Cash management and application, ensuring data integrity, income verification, fund reallocation and auditing of fund general ledger accounts.
Prepared monthly and quarterly reconciliation of general ledger accounts and audit schedules required by independent financial auditors.

11. External Auditors

Here's how portfolio accountants use external auditors:

Assisted internal and external auditors and prepare required reports; researched and provided financial data upon request.
Coordinated financial statements with external Auditors, SEC Reporting Department, and Executive Management.

12. Corporate Actions

Here's how portfolio accountants use corporate actions:

Reviewed and signed off on daily activity including overnight investments, corporate actions, and trading activity ensuring 100 percent accuracy.
Analyzed expense spreadsheets and updated accrual changes/payments, researched dividend projections and pending corporate actions.

13. NET Asset Value

Here's how portfolio accountants use net asset value:

Ensured calculate/review net asset value for portfolios consisting of domestic/international fixed income and equity funds.
Prepared monthly reports showing institutions international portfolio holdings and calculated net asset values.

14. Fixed Income

Here's how portfolio accountants use fixed income:

Trade settlement and account reconciliation for equity and fixed income funds both domestic and international.
Compiled cash data necessary for daily management of institutional insurance fixed income assets.

15. Bank Reconciliations

Here's how portfolio accountants use bank reconciliations:

Prepare monthly/daily bank reconciliation and custody reconciliation.
Conducted tasks such as bank reconciliation's, payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable.

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What skills help Portfolio Accountants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on portfolio accountant resumes?

Alex Yen Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting, Stonehill College

As mentioned above, the ability to work with "big data" is highly valued by CPA firms these days. So recruiters are looking (on resumes) for experience working with "big data" and experience with the tools to analyze data and communicate results, like Excel, Power BI, SAS, Python, and Tableau.

But public accounting is also a people business and CPA firms also value leadership, communication skills, leadership, and the ability to work in teams. Resume items like having a leadership position in a campus organization or having a customer-facing position in retail or food service will signal to recruiters that a student is developing these skills. But having the position is just the start. Once in a formal interview, recruiters will want to hear anecdotes and specifics from students about how they leveraged a leadership position into success for the organization or how students worked with others to overcome challenges in their organization or work.

Finally, and I am not sure how it can be communicated on a resume, CPA firm recruiters are looking for students who are eager to learn more and want to continue to expand their skill set. The idea that a student is fully formed and has learned everything s/he will ever need to know for their job while they were in college is a faulty assumption. Students cannot feel that now they have their degree that they can coast. The economy is constantly changing in terms of technology, new industries being created, globalization, and changing tax and regulatory laws, and accountants will need to keep up with these developments to be able to audit companies and to advise their clients. For example, in technology, the programs mentioned above that are in vogue today could be obsolete in 3 to 5 years, requiring accountants to learn new programs. The openness and ability to adapt and be a lifelong learner is critical for accountants entering the profession and recruiters are looking for graduates with that mindset.

What soft skills should all portfolio accountants possess?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

Assistant Professor of Accounting, Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching Recipient, Clarksville Chamber of Commerce APSU Distinguished Faculty Award for Community Service Recipient, Accounting Society at Austin Peay Advisor, Austin Peay State University

From speaking with employers in the industry, the number one soft skill seems to be written and spoken communication. Many current students need to hone their written communication skills to avoid "text speak" when communicating with potential employers and/or clients. Other important soft skills include problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, and willingness to deal with failure and/or criticism. Especially in the world of COVID and ever-changing work environments, the importance of adaptability and problem-solving have only been highlighted. Since most work environments involve people working in teams, effectively collaborating with others and accepting criticism are vital skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for portfolio accountants?

Dr. Jennifer Thayer

In addition to general accounting knowledge, critical thinking, data analytics, and advanced Microsoft Excel abilities are some of the most important skills. Clearly, having a solid foundation in general accounting knowledge is necessary to be a candidate for a job in the accounting field. However, possessing the ability to critically think and analyze data and use Microsoft Excel beyond the basics, such as pivot tables, will only improve a candidate's chances.

What portfolio accountant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Professor and Chairman of Accounting, University of Missouri - St. Louis

In the spirit of continuing education I would recommend the following: First and foremost, successfully complete the cpa exam. This is a huge difference-maker in the marketplace. If the young professional has already accomplished that, I would consider developing expertise consistent with their long-term career goals. Potential areas of expertise include data analytics, information systems controls and security, taxation, SEC reporting, or management accounting. There are certificate programs in each of these skills at universities across the country. The internet is also replete with free or relatively inexpensive materials for self-starters.

What type of skills will young portfolio accountants need?

Jeff Bogan

Adjunct Professor, California State University - Fullerton

The skills required for young accounting and tax graduates are evolving. Young accounting professionals must be more skilled in working with various types of technologies and applications. Young graduates should have experiences working with data integration tools, such as Microsoft getting & Transform, Alteryx, data visualization tools, cloud-based platforms such as Microsoft Azure, and robotic processes automation applications such as UiPath and Blue Prism.

Over the last decade, we have seen global transparency initiatives such as OECD's BEPS initiative, complex tax law, and numerous complex accounting guidance. Also, the business has become much more complicated with global footprints and digital platforms. These changes now require accounting professionals to have the well-developed critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills. Accounting professionals must now also have a "continuous learning" mindset. Technology is changing rapidly, and accounting professionals will need to adapt and learn new technologies.

Do you want to know more?

List of portfolio accountant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a portfolio accountant resume and required skills for a portfolio accountant to have include:

Reconciliations
Financial Reports
Real Estate
Journal Entries
Yardi
Accruals
GAAP
Balance Sheet
Securities
General Ledger Accounts
External Auditors
Corporate Actions
NET Asset Value
Fixed Income
Bank Reconciliations
Market Value

Equities
Cash Management
Cash Flow
Fixed Assets
Bloomberg
Ledgers
Trial Balance
Account Balances
Trade Settlement
Cam
FX
Mutual Funds
Financial Data
Hedge Funds
Management Reports
Client Service

Client Accounts
Management Fees
Taxation
Capital Calls
Investment Portfolios
Client Portfolios
Variance Analysis
A/P
ERISA
Pension Funds
Income Statement
Wire Transfers
Bank Statements
Derivative

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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