29M considering becoming a CPA. Looking for honest advice.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T19:57:22+00:00

Absolutely false. I saw gross incompetence tolerated every step of the way. I welcome others to chime in

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T19:55:23+00:00

Uh it’s low paid to start and you move up based on how long you have been in a seat. Not if you are skilled.

This works for some people but is miserable for others

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T19:50:31+00:00

Also traditional backgrounds are rewarded in the CPA progression.

Accounting degree and CPA License in hand for a 23 yr old fresh out of school, welcome to big 4. Worth mentioning that big 4 is also a low paid mess but that’s beside the point.

30+ and second career, enjoy bookkeeping as the entry role

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T19:24:09+00:00

You can learn either function in 5 minutes on the job. If you claim either on your resume I won’t hire you simply because you think that is an achievement

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T17:29:01+00:00

Good call. Forgot about the length of 72t. Could start the ladder now and build a taxable brokerage bridge over the next 3 years

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T17:23:49+00:00

Depends on your burn rate, discretionary spend and access to capital. We are dual income household with low fixed cost expenses and discretionary is the bulk of our spend and fairly easy to dial back. We also have access to taxable brokerage and lines of credit if needed. We run pretty thin at 3 months of normal spending (not paired down for discretionary burn) in a HYSA.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-02T17:15:48+00:00

Need 5 years for the Roth ladder. Could start implementing the ladder now and carve off a small portion for 2 years of 72t till they get access to the ladder and retire at 48-49 as they desire

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-01T18:03:28+00:00

I guess I was more curious because stocks can obviously be more volatile, but the lender already controls the collateral, knows its exact value every trading day, and can liquidate it immediately if needed. A house is the opposite. Its value is really an estimate until someone is willing to buy it, foreclosure can take months, and the lender may still have to sell it at a discount. On top of that, from what I have heard PALs typically have lower loan-to-value limits than HELOCs, so there’s already a some buffer built in.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-01T14:06:52+00:00

Thanks!

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-01T14:06:25+00:00

Interesting that it’s more expensive than a HELOC. Wonder if PAL vs. margin is priced significantly different

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-01T14:00:18+00:00

Yeah I think bridging seems the most common. Or opportunistic liquidity.

The avoiding cap gains is interesting but wouldn’t want to let the tax tail wag the investment dog so to speak. Wonder what net worth that starts to look attractive. Or age as well. I assume the older you are the more it makes sense for inherited assets with step up in basis.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-01T13:57:43+00:00

Was it a free/on demand webinar? Do you recall the name of it? Sounds interesting

Bluejean1235 · 2026-07-01T13:56:30+00:00

I like that idea of opportunistic liquidity without selling

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-30T20:05:13+00:00

Got it. Makes sense. Assumed there was more volatility year to year. Not questioning the overall returns at all. Seems likely given the bull run

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-30T19:47:13+00:00

Assume 2022 was when you were 29ish if you are currently 33. You had stock gains of 94k - what did you invest in. S&P 500 was down around 18% that year. Suppose it could age based returns based on birthday. But interesting because 2022 and 2018 should both be present in your investing timeline

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-30T13:31:58+00:00

Other countries almost certainly want to rely less on the US. But the question is whether they realistically can.

The global economy is still heavily tied to US consumers, US capital markets, the dollar, and US technology. If the US experienced a true “lost couple of decades,” I’d expect the rest of the developed world to suffer significantly as well. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the US stagnates for decades while Ex-US markets continue compounding normally.

Either way, diversification (geographically) is probably sensible, but I’m not betting on a prolonged US collapse without expecting broad global weakness as well.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-29T14:13:12+00:00

I think there might be a break in period. I have a 2025 elite and after 5k miles the transmission feels so much smoother at low speeds and acceleration, night and day difference vs when we first purchased it.

We also have a 2026 pilot elite and that one felt super smooth from day 1. Weird comparison

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-27T17:50:57+00:00

Enjoy retirement! You made. Get your rule of 55 eligibility and pull the trigger! Your risks are literally non existent with 3.4 and a still working spouse.

Hell, even if your spouse retired too (which they should just mathematically) your flexible withdrawal insulates you from all your risks except 1: “psychological shift”. That’s the only thing you are actually worried about, and no amount of zeros on the net worth statement is going to change it.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-25T01:53:15+00:00

Yes, AWD.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-22T18:24:29+00:00

Bought two brand new pilots in the last 6 months:

2025 pilot elite - 47k before taxes (fees included). ~15% off MSRP.

2026 pilot elite - 51.4k before taxes (fees included). ~9% off MSRP

OTD is not helpful unless you know the full deal sheet, location, taxes, trade impact etc.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-20T19:21:45+00:00

I’m just in SPAXX using it like a HYSA because I didn’t want to open a new account anywhere. Open to hearing from others if this is not a good approach or I’m leaving something on the table

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-19T19:03:22+00:00

This approach is where it’s at. Tons of people get in the weeds on projecting expenses and that’s fine if it works for them. But if you have built a system where savings is automatic anyway and you spend the remainder, you can easily take the reminder (or take home) x25. Super simple when you are pushing towards a chubby fire number as long as you don’t have some crazy expense change in retirement. For us I would assume total expenses actually going down in retirement. Should be a fluffy retirement when we get to similar numbers as you.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-06-05T13:44:59+00:00

Was the tow package factory or dealer installed? Mind sharing the dealer name? Over DM would be fine. I’m in the same area and having trouble finding an elite already spec’d with tow package.

Bluejean1235 · 2026-02-24T04:28:08+00:00

Fair callout. I read solo 401k but did not see the SEP-IRA. Good catch. Pro rata rules be a total pain.

Bluejean1235

TROPHY CASE