The treasurer is one of the primary stewards of the company’s financial assets. Some treasurer’s responsibilities include:

• Firm’s financial activities, in particular, investment and risk management.
• Managing cash flows
• Arranging financing
• Making investment decisions
• Implementing policies and procedures that govern the organization’s accounting practices.

Requirements

• Demonstrated accounting skills
• Trustworthiness
• Leadership ability.

Education

• Accounting and finance major (Higher Education level)
• Statistics and economics
• Public accounting experience

Key Take Aways

• The treasurer of a company is a key financial manager that handles the firm’s investments, risk management, and accounting practices.
• The position of treasurer involves a great deal of responsibility, and ultimately, treasurers are responsible, in part, for the success and solvency of a business.
• The treasurer position is upper management level, so hiring companies will look for a stellar track record of accounting experience, leadership ability, and knowledge of tax law.

Some Questions

• How has Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002 affected corporate accounting practices?
• Define mark-to-market accounting and discuss advantages and disadvantages.