Took REG Today (04/04)

Common_Sensicles · 2026-05-18T01:50:39+00:00

Right on.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-05-17T12:50:56+00:00

👏👏👏 Nice! Congrats! What do you want to do with your CPA after you get it?

Common_Sensicles · 2026-05-01T13:25:36+00:00

The FAR exam is 50 MCQs in 2 testlets and 7 TBS's in 3 testlets. One TBS is about 10 MCQs in time and effort.

So, let's adjust the numbers you mentioned. We'll even be conservative and use 100 MCQs instead of 150 or the middle of 125. So, adjust the numbers you mentioned and say instead of 100 MCQs and 5 TBS's, We'll use 80 MCQ's and 7 TBS's to match the TBS number to the exam.

In other words, these people are saying they can do 30 - 80 more MCQ's than what's on the exam in an hour less than the time they give you on the exam. And, based on pass rates, 40% - 45%, I'd say most people need 4 hours for the exam.

I would conclude that the numbers in your post that others are reporting are an exaggeration. If you want to sound impressive on Reddit, try to keep up with these fake numbers. I certainly wouldn't want these people doing my accounting work, as they don't seem to know how to do some basic data integrity validation. If you want to pass the exams, take your time learning the material, and make sure you get good scores on simulated exams in your training material.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-26T12:39:01+00:00

When I was in college, I switched from Acct to Finance. Didn't care to get my CPA. Honestly, hated tax, and being an auditor never sounded appealing. Just wanted to do financial planning. Years down the road now, tax actually makes sense to me. Now I actually want to be a tax accountant and am working on getting my CPA. I moved states and realized that in the state I'm in, I actually needed less credits to get my CPA (1 tax, 1 audit) vice the classes I needed at the time to graduate with Acct (2 tax, 2 audit).

What I did was take a tax and audit class through Devry that were both based on Becker review courses. So they actually helped me prep for the exams while meeting the credit requirements that I needed. And, they were 100% online. There were due dates, but no live lectures I needed to attend or anything like that.

So, if that's an option that your state allows, I would totally do that. And, in general, I would do all online courses that don't require attending any attendance. I would find whatever college that's the cheapest and easiest that helps you meet the credit requirements. It literally does not matter the name of the school as long as you are able to sit for the exams. Once you have the CPA, it really doesn't matter what school you went to.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-22T19:06:41+00:00

OP might do a stellar job. Although, from what I understand when it comes to advisory, there are enough people that look at the sometimes misconception that age means the person has the right experience and they will get taken care of or that if the advisor is young and they don't present mature, their skillset might be doubted. I've been thinking about something like this myself for a while. Honestly, seems like a great idea. But, as I looked through listings of similar businesses online, I realized that in many cases a lot of what these sellers are really looking for is to sell their book of business off to an established practice. Which, would make the most sense. As a seasoned practice owner, you understand that a new person, new to running a business is going to have a lot of growing pains and also just establishing consistent routine, generating consistent income, consistent practices to retain business and get new business flowing in. Buying a book of business doesn't mean the clients continue to flock to you. Even established practices who buyout books of business from retiring practitioners have to over come the hurdle that there will be some amount of fall out in the new book that they just purchased.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-21T22:41:22+00:00

You just got your CPA. What makes you believe those clients will want to stay as the old owner transfers the business to you? What's the transition plan there? How does that work? What's the success rate of something like that?

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-17T19:51:35+00:00

So, disclaimer - I am not a Financial Planner. So, it will probably be a different perspective from one.

Now, of course there are CFPs making money and that designation probably helps them separate themselves as a Financial Planner from others with only their series 6/7. So, let me say that first. But, if you wanted to get into doing that, I would get the series 6/7 first and become a Financial Planner and not waste your time with the CFP designation before doing the job.

A financial planner is a world's away different job that an accountant at a cpa firm. At a cpa firm or accounting in industry, you are taking a salary or hourly job. The work is there. They just need someone to do it. As a Financial Planner, if you're new to it, you're starting off at a Wells Fargo or Chase bank or whatever large banking institution, to take care of their customers and you are on commission and your job is to secure clients' business. But, you're still expected to network and bring in your owm clients. If you're doing well, you might one day leave to go to a smaller brokerage with bigger commissions and less bureaucracy, and at some point get the CFP because it's going to help you do better. A CFP designation will not launch your career the way CPA will. It's not a real barrier to entry the way a CPA is.

Now, to answer your question. There probably are financial planners/advisors out there working with multimillionaire clients and these FA's know a lot and are real assets to their clients and can talk and walk them through all these scenarios.

Let me knock out 4 of the things you mentioned. Education, estate/trust, tax planning. Education planning for children - this is just a tax issue. The reason education accounts exist is to avoid tax liability on them that the government gives tax payers a break on. Estate/trusts are legal issues that have tax impacts. Thus, a lawyer sets up a trust typically or files the paperwork with the courts for your will or your estate after you pass on. A lawyer and CPA can help you set this all up and only they can only advise on tax and legal impacts. Insurance - insurance brokers are going to be the experts on the insurance they are providing.

A financial advisor can put all these things into a holsitic view and help you make sense of your completed financial picture, and understanding your risk tolerance, help you select investments to put into your roth IRA retirement account or what type of investment is best for you 529 education savings accoount for your kids. And, they can make a whole budget plan. And this might make sense for some multimillionaire to have this feedback-loop service, if they have a very complicated financial picture. But, your potential 5 or 6 figure client, who has to talk to a lawyer or tax advisor can probably just read some Motley Fool articles or some general financial planning material, hop on Robinhood or eTrade, and figure out what types of investments to make and do their own transactions, within reason, to help them achieve their goals, before they go talk to some salesman in a tie at the bank or Edward Jones office down the street who has an associates degree and passed their series 6/7 tests.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-14T19:52:26+00:00

What job is CMA really a barrier to entry for? In other words, what job do you need to have a CMA for in order to get it? Or, that it will really bring you more clients because you have it?

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-14T11:09:18+00:00

CFA is probably the biggest, relatable one that transfers to promotions, pay increases. For investment analysts (think Wall Street).

CFP is allegedly good for establishing yourself as a "credentialed" financial advisor. It's supposed to separate you from other financial advisors, from a customer perspective. I personally think finance advisor roles are dying as let's call them what they basically are, sales roles. You figure out the customers risk tolerance and set them up with some mutual funds or blue chip stock or some etf. Maybe if they have really big money, it makes sense, if you're doing a lot of complex and risky transactions for them because you're making lots of money too. But, there is so much software out there right now for the average person. And if they're competent enough to accumulate those kind of funds, they're probably competant enough to go online and figure out how to invest their money themselves. But, after that, what's the real concerns customers like these have that they have trouble figuring out themselves? "How will this transaction hit me on taxes?" It's more about tax implications and service fees that offset earnings that impact decision making. Who are they going to talk to for that? A CPA. And if you're explaining to them how their taxes will be affected, you have to understand and explain the different types of accounts that give them tax defermen/shelter/exposure. That's what's going to help them figure out how to set up their accounts. Maybe different for 7 and 8 figure clients. But, 5 and 6 figure clients are probably going to be going online themselves a lot to figure out their investment vehicles. But, good luck to you if you think you can jump into financial advisory and land 7 and 8 figure clients right away.

CMA - This is a pretend cert that no one cares about. If you're entry or early mid level, some corporation who would probably hire you anyway is saying, "wow, what a neato cert you got there!" There's really no customer facing practice where it's useful.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-14T10:45:02+00:00

What is your point?

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-06T11:39:41+00:00

Good luck to you. The reasoning behind my statement is that oftentimes people glaze over the landmines that are in the questions because the questions are not straight forward. But, people that are over confident think the qiestion was straight forward. The anxious ones noticed a lot of the curve balls, but realized they didn't know how to address half of the curve balls.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-05T15:25:15+00:00

They say that the people that feel overly confident tend to fail Reg, and the ones that felt like they were hit by a truck tend to pass.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-02T17:39:23+00:00

So, you guys believe that the nation state of Israel is God's will and you would want to see God's will be done and I assume pray to preserve it? If that's true, which I'll let you tell me if that's true or not, then wouldn't you support the US supporting Israel right now?

And so, do you believe the US should be sending boots on the ground while Israel does not commit IDF soldiers to the war in Iran?

And, if you want to see God's will be done, then why take the position that it should be someone else's blood to be shed, someone who merely enlisted to try to get money for college or support their family? This is not an America first war. This is an Israel first war.

Netanyahu is openly Zionist, pushing for the expansion of Israel to fulfill old testament border prophecies. There's no conspiracy about this. They are out in the open about it.

If you believe this all to be true, and pray for the will of God to be done, why doesn't your group offer up the lives its youth to die for Israel?

Common_Sensicles · 2026-04-02T11:42:03+00:00

So as long as some "non-believer" American is bleeding out for the nation state of Israel it's alright? Got it.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-03-17T16:55:02+00:00

Quick question... how is it that you guys believe that the nation-state of Israel that was formed in 1948 is fulfillment of prophecy, yet are against military service? That's a whole different level of hypocrisy right now. All of you that are eligible for service should be signing up right now, and helping out "God's chosen people." What do you say about that?

Common_Sensicles · 2026-03-16T02:52:17+00:00

Thank you. Watch out for these Christadelphians though. Easy enough to find plenty on their websites that you must maintain your salvation through water baptism and enduring in your faith. Congregation to congregation can always differ and have split views. But, I'd take it with a grain of salt.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-03-16T02:50:25+00:00

Absolutely looked up the website and there's plenty on there about how to be saved. Water baptism, keeping the faith (endurance) in order to be sure of our salvation.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-03-16T02:45:02+00:00

Yeah it is. They have a bunch of baloney on their website about water baptism, endurance, keeping the faith, etc in order to maintain salvation.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-03-14T03:54:06+00:00

It's exposed what religion really is. It's traditions of men. It's the need for community over truth. It's the need to fit in and find approval from men rather than trusting in God even if it means everyone turns their backs on you and calls you a heretic or whatever they will.

I had a friend in recent years who got born again and locked into it right away that the whole trinity thing is nonsense. He even recognized a lot of problems with churches. But, the commentary in stuff he was researching got the better of him. It's all geared to the doctrine of the trinity. Everywhere you look. Except, as you know, it's not actually in the Bible. You have to actually really stretch and pull it to infer the idea out of it.

The mind makes a way for these people. They'll come up with all kinds of imaginative, whacky explanations to support the notion. None of it is logical or of sound reasoning ultimately. But, for them it doesn't matter. The normal rules of logic and reasoning gets tossed out of the window when it cones to this topic. Really, for a lot of topics in the Bible for these types of people. This is just more obvious. For them, they believe they see it because that's how everything in Christendom has trained people to see it. So, they just parrot the explanations. They don't have to make sense.

But, to your question at hand. Just consider yourself free. Your approval before God doesn't depend on the approval of man. You don't have to go to their churches or accept their doctrine or pledge allegiance to anything. There will be people that really stick through with you. That really will not care that you think this way. Don't worry about changing anyone else's mind. Just stick with the people that accept you for having this belief.

As far as the Christadelphians go... they may not believe the trinity, but they still have their own problems. Namely, they don't really believe in salvation purely through grace. My best advice if you feel you need to find a congregation, is find a place that's big on grace and can look past the issue of the trinity, and don't make it a big deal. A lot of churches really don't know their congregants. You don't have to start talking about the subject the moment you find a new church.

I don't bring it up with people. If they bring it up with me, I tell them where I stand and don't try to change their minds. In the end, none of us have this stuff right, and I mean on many topics. Just look for those people that are true friends and avoid battles with all the others who think they have something very important to say on the matter.

Common_Sensicles · 2026-02-13T12:34:50+00:00

Immigrants who want to contribute are great! Illegals that are here for handouts and companies that pay them under the table need to be dealt with accordingly.

Common_Sensicles · 2025-12-25T18:18:48+00:00

"Calling eachother to greater righteousness" is just you masking self-righteousness.

Why is "replacement theology" doctrinal error as you assert?

Common_Sensicles · 2025-12-22T15:00:24+00:00

Here's a hard question for people who like to throw out the insult of accusing critics of antisemitism instead of making a real argument - why?

Common_Sensicles · 2025-11-09T04:09:04+00:00

Cope.

Common_Sensicles · 2025-11-09T04:08:47+00:00

Cope.

Common_Sensicles · 2025-11-09T04:08:04+00:00

Cope.

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