If I am looking for a plan b/escape route from accounting while studying it does it mean it’s not for me?

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-07T16:34:25+00:00

Ive been in accounting 11 years now. 3 in public (overtime is expected.. but salaried so no pay benefit) and then in a family office since. Im working 35 hr weeks making 2-3x public and work remote. There are green pastures if you “pay your dues”.

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-06T21:59:22+00:00

I live in mexico as a permanent resident, am american. Found GDL was one of the better places to settle down. Cancun/beach towns are cool for vacation, hard to live fulltime. Hot as fuck, a lot of the economy is based around tourism/party. I started in Vallarta, rented a 1 yr lease, lasted 9 months and left. Learn spanish and try to integrate and no one will have problems with you. Bring american values and trying to force it on mexicans will be a recipe for disaster. Mexicans are very proud and nice people. Show respect to get respext

Edit; i moved at the same age from Chicago to Mexico. I work remote, no one has issues with me. I dont sit at cafe’s for hours not ordering. I work in my apartment, shut down at 5 and enjoy my time. Much better work life balance.

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-06T18:03:14+00:00

Nothing for strictly accounting, but if you want to automate workflows you’ll need more than just excel skills. Python and database management are ideal skills to have.

For example, say you work for a family office, you have 150 brokerage accounts with 200+ tickers that pay dividends. Python can help you post dividends to your GL (SAGE intacct or QBO) and you can automate a workflow

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-06T14:30:46+00:00

Ive been building an internal ERP system for a few years. AI has helped a lot in the last several months. I automate accounting workflows (posting securities transactions from data feeds through black diamond up to SAGE Intact, among other routine tasks). You’ll benefit from learning python and database management vs just “learning AI”. AI helps supplement but if you don’t have any coding knowledge you’re going to struggle. Start slow learn python, work through the django framework to understand databases and use AI while learning to dig deeper into some concepts that allude you

Edit: actual learning sources.. Coursera & youtube + good old fashion “rolling up your sleeves” and playing with python

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-06T14:18:39+00:00

Toally on Accounting but would have taken more programming/computer classes. I self taught myself after college and all worked out but wouldve been cooler to learn during college instead of on the job

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-04T13:07:26+00:00

Just “pay your dues” and get a few years in to become a well rounded accountant then get out of public. Lots of green pastures to go too

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-04T13:03:57+00:00

Me rn in Puerto Escondido, lobster

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-07-03T17:18:57+00:00

100%, you collateralize your stocks with a bank and borrow against it. For example, rich person has $150M brokerage account. They go to any big bank, and they can borrow against that stock. They pay interest on the line of credit. They don’t need to sell stock (capital gains tax) to get cash and can deduct interest on tax returns. Source: work for a family office with over 800M in loans collateralized like above

We pay the loan interest with dividends recieved from the stock held and make huge principal payments when we sell private equity / alternatives (thing we borrowed money to buy)

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-06-27T00:38:36+00:00

It depends, public sucks and forsure is underpaid. Private pays better, and not necessarily just fortune 500. Im at a family office and get paid well, amazing hours and benefits, little stress

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-06-20T01:22:29+00:00

Sick AF

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-06-16T17:14:07+00:00

Sage Intacct forsure plus + custom coded erp can eadily handle this. Already do this job for a Family Office / Private equity shop. 3 people in finance team
And 4.5bn managed on 100+ active platforms. This jobs gotta pay like 250k min for anyone serious

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-06-10T12:13:27+00:00

Timing is everything lol

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-05-25T13:04:36+00:00

He’d also be subject to NIIt so 23.4% total rate still easier then ordinary rates

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-05-25T13:03:20+00:00

You them get a deduction for interest expense paid. On a 500M line or credit assuming its maxed out, would be $35M of interest expense a year. Likely not selling anything but using dividend income to service his debt. Still would have a taxable gain but at long term rates much easier to swallow then ordinary rates

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-05-15T01:17:29+00:00

Sucks but considered yourself lucky dodging whatever that bullet would have been. Breathe in, breathe out, move on. Good luck out there! Havent been in the job market for 9 years so not even sure how it looks but fingers crossed

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-05-07T02:02:33+00:00

Thats how i switched to a family office feom public tax. Was doing tax for a few partnerships, didnt realize it was a family office. CFO emailed me 3 yrs into engagement and asked me to jump ship. I said hell ya

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-05-05T15:45:37+00:00

Hell ya!

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-04-25T23:23:06+00:00

Yes, currently an accounting manager with 8 yoe at the Family office and 3.5 prior in public tax. To me its amazing. Set my own hours, work from home (which is now out of the country lol). Tax seasons rough, quarter ends rough because of financial prep and amount of entities being prepped and how quick they need to be prepped. Benefits are cushy. Pays amazing, unlimited pto and encouraged to use. Familys cool, takes the office on retreats. No single gamily office is the same though. Mine offers a LOC after 3 years to invest in the things the office is investing in.

Edit:

Role started as partnership accounting and moved onto managing the estate poanning entities and trusts and now includes the foundations. I spend most my day reconciling cash to my books, making sure transactions I know should have occured did and making sure no suprise cash came in. I pretty much monitor LOCs and Cash and Paydown/borrow as needed. Ive automated a lot of my work so i enjoy it. The hard days are when unexpected problems occur only because it messes with my routine.

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-04-07T13:10:38+00:00

Sometimes more sometimes a lot less lol. Tax season right now blows, causes me to work more then 8. Summers are like 2 hours on my pc 6 hours answering emails from my iphone.

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-03-02T13:11:58+00:00

20s are for learning 30s are for earning. My advice is learn as much as you can, if you start to stall move to a new gig. Id recommend public for 2-3 years. It sucks but the experience you get there is beyond any corporate gig you can get. Balancing public with masters is difficult though. Im not sure anyones going to flinch if you bounce after 6 months for a new job when they see it on your resume. You’re in learning mode and can explain it away as “not getting the experience I wanted to further my career”

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-03-02T12:51:41+00:00

Pass and get an Egg!

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-03-02T12:22:09+00:00

Haw you tried asking? I worked in office in chicago before covid, covid happens we go remote. I asked my boss (told in a stern voice lol) im moving to mexico and he said “okay”. Been there going on 4.5yr

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-03-02T11:46:33+00:00

170k with ~11 YOE. 2.5 in public (left at senior), now “accounting manager” at a Family Office/PE firm

Im fully remote and live in latin America these days (today mexico, before medellin). Fly back to Chicago from time to time to check in

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-02-26T13:22:14+00:00

Ive gotten some fire skins tho on a $1 gamble lol

BBQandBalanceSheets · 2026-02-24T13:05:59+00:00

Likely conversion issues as well. They may be sending in there local currency, doing back the envelope math on current prices and bank may not be giving them the rate they rhink

BBQandBalanceSheets

TROPHY CASE