20 Magazine

20 magazine is where you find the best tips and tools from industry experts to allow you to get ahead in accountancy. Whether you’re looking for study tips to achieve your qualification or the inside scoop on what it’s really like to work in a particular sector, 20 magazine can help.

Launched in January 2018, 20 is AAT’s dedicated magazine for AAT Accounting Qualification students. Published three times a year, each issue features study tips, career advice and industry news to help you succeed in your studies and develop a rewarding finance career. For students, 20 is available online to all current AAT Accounting Qualification students and new affiliate members. 

Here we have compiled all the best bits from the latest issue. From downloads and links to events that are not to be missed!

Issue: 6

How to smash the first year in a new job

In issue 6 of 20 magazine, we find out how to smash the first year of your career from a panel of experts, including two AAT apprentices of the year (p24). Also in this issue:

  • Rebuilding your mental health – how three students coped with conditions like depression and anxiety (p38)
  • Meet the mentor – Hayat Amin advises AAT student Nathalie Njike on finishing her studies forging a career (p42)
  • Manners for the modern colleague – Are half the office staff on holiday? Embrace it! (p59)

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Issue:5

Digital masterclass (e-learning)

Xero’s Advisor Certification Equivalency Course aims to give accountants and bookkeepers in the UK the online accounting skills they need to succeed in the digital age. This 6 hour course is free for AAT students. Here’s how to access it:

  1. Head to this page at xero.com
  2. Create an account
  3. Enter the code: XeroAATStudents to unlock the e-learning content


Business models (further reading)

A business model expresses how a business will move from it’s early stage towards ultimate, set goals. Below are a few resources that will help you to create your own business model.

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Issue: 4

Want to build a cash flow statement? (template)

Cash flow statements tell you the position that a company is in. Is it growing? Is it in investment mode? Or does the statement show that the business doesn’t really know what it’s doing? Here’s the link to the template we talked about in How can I manage budgeting?


Motivate yourself by finding a study buddy online

If you can’t find someone on your course, try a forum or Facebook group.

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Issue: 3

Put Cloud Accounting in your ears (podcast)

Accountant and cloud specialist Blake Oliver discusses the modern practice. The podcast features interviews with innovative accountants and senior figures at cloud software companies, plus news on modern accountancy.

Expand your learning with free content

The AAT Knowledge Hub provides free articles and resources to help you continue learning as you progress through your career. There is also specific content aimed at licensed members.

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Issue: 2

Money laundering and accountancy (podcast)

This podcast explores the prevalence of money laundering in the art market. A combination of education and technology could help to make anti-money laundering efforts in the art market more proactive and less reactive.

The AAT Annual conference – June 13th – 14th 

An unmissable two-day CPD and networking event for all finance professionals. It’s your opportunity to update and develop your skills, connect with hundreds of members, and hear from expert speakers on essential topics in accountancy.

Find out more 

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Issue: 1

Get your head around financial shenanigans (book) 
The fourth edition of forensic accounting expert Howard M Schilit’s popular Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports comes out in March. Schilit, a pioneer in the field of forensic accounting, first published his book in 1993 but has since updated it to reflect technological changes in the sector. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in forensic accounting, this book is essential reading.
Understand the power of the Big Four (book) 
Investigative journalist and former tax inspector Richard Brooks dug deep into the global workings of the world’s biggest accounting firms for his book Bean Counters: The Triumph of the Accountants and How They Broke Capitalism, which aims to reveal the global economic influence these firms quietly wield. Expect some criticism from Brooks, who isn’t known to pull punches, in a book that provides a great insight into outside perceptions of corporate accounting.
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Online magazine is for AAT students and requires log-in.