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Accounting, explained and improved.

Practical ideas on AI, better ways of working, reporting and standards.

AI Can Do the Work. But Who Signs Off?

AI can prepare accounting work, but accountability still sits with the professional. The real question is what review provides a sufficient basis to sign.

Xian Hui27 Aug 2026

Advanced Lookup: Wildcards

How accountants use Excel wildcards — the asterisk and question mark — to match account names and codes by pattern in SUMIF, VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP formulas.

Xian Hui7 Jul 2025

Accounting Attrition

Accountant attrition has climbed sharply, and the biggest driver is time. Here is why accountants leave the profession, and how automating routine work helps firms hold onto them.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Artificial Intelligence in Excel

How accountants can push Excel further with artificial intelligence, from built-in tools such as Flash Fill and Analyze Data to third-party AI services connected through APIs and add-ins.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Rethinking Audit Exemptions in Malaysia

A conceptual take on Malaysia's proposal to raise the audit exemption threshold, why easing statutory audit for small companies can benefit businesses and the profession, and why the threshold measure itself deserves a rethink.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Automating the Final Mile of Report Generation

A beginner-friendly guide to using VBA in Excel to automate the final mile of report generation — decoupling a finished report from its working file so it is accurate, well formatted and ready to share.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Dynamic Array Formulas in Excel: Unleashing the Power

How Excel dynamic array formulas such as FILTER and XLOOKUP spill results across cells, so accountants can build scalable, error-resistant templates and audit working papers.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Free Handy Excel Tool for Accountants: Rounding

A short guide to rounding figures to the nearest thousand in Excel — comparing the custom number format and the ROUND function — plus a free tool that rounds and reformats selected cells in one step.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

How do we see data analytics?

Data analytics only works when it starts with a clear purpose. Here is how we see it — define the problem first, plan your data steps together, and use only the tools you genuinely understand.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

How to Get Yourself Ready for the Future of Accounting

Accounting is a future-proof career, but the work is changing fast. Three practical habits to stay relevant: differentiate yourself from a bot, use new technology, and keep learning.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Is Excel The Right Tool?

Excel is the accountant's default tool for its flexibility and low cost, but it has real limits. This article explains what Excel does well, where it falls short, and how to decide when a specialised tool is the better choice.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

Multiple Criteria VLOOKUP Guide

How to run a lookup on more than one criterion in Excel — by combining fields into a single identifier, or by using functions built for multiple criteria such as SUMIFS and FILTER.

Xian Hui23 Jun 2025

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