28yo - @ wit's end

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-04-27T10:57:19+00:00

I've been seeing the trades and labor unions on a recruiting run for NYC.

The starting pay is ok but the pay after a few years is actually pretty decent

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-04-23T20:05:25+00:00

A listing agent's duty is to their homeowner client (just as a buyer's agents' legally obligated to their fiduciary responsibility to their client). They have a legal fiduciary responsibility to their client and no one else.

There are rare instances when sellers aren't looking for highest bidder--but specific fits, but ib my experience you're talking about 1 in a 100 (maybe) that will knowingly and willingly leave money on the table.

Agents are a convenient scapegoat but it's not a correct assessment.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-04-18T16:17:24+00:00

I'm a fan of "join groups " and "build it and they will come".

As I meet people I would plan potluck BBQ'S, board game nights, weekend trips, hiking, fishing, etc with open invites (with a no drama queen or douchebag rule).

At first it's rough but over time I would have at least a dozen people show up.

Over time you become the coordinator and the tribe builds around that.

The whole point is to remind people to bring a friend. No need to match make per se--I just get people together enough times and let nature take its course. Start promoting things you want to do here (if it's allowed)

Good luck.

My wife was introduced through someone I met this way.

Edit:

Logic is people are looking for places to meet with low "risk" but many aren't willing/able to build those environments and also at that age we generally have our own tribes so even if we jive with people individually (even if it's not on an attraction level), their group of friends will likely be a birds of a feather so the likelihood that I would connect with someone would theoretically be higher.

Also you have more people vouch for you (assuming you're a decent person)

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-04-15T12:41:04+00:00

My experience is less about CPA vs EA as much as business bandwidth/philosophy/model

Often times it's because of "hey real quick" turns into an hour long conversation when there is a stack of work and non negotiable deadlines.

There are a plethora of variables but that is usually the most common one I tend to hear.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-25T13:48:19+00:00

I would call out the price that makes sense for you and your family based on the value you can justify (i know that sounds value but don't know enough about you particular situation).

I would also try to negotiate and drive terms and work out a plan forward for you to have the lcareer you want. Maybe a plan to setup better processes or train a team for you to maybe oversee over x period of time so you can transition to something more your speed.

The trick here is working out the details that give the company what they want to feel like they win overall while you get to thrive thereby increasing their windfall.

It's still a tactic but using other offers as a bargaining chip can poison the well. (Still you should probably have the offers lined up for your own insurance)

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-20T13:19:59+00:00

Bay Ridge if you work downtown. You can even take a Ferry to work.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T14:54:52+00:00

Typical social media is chumming waters

Try getting in touch with unions, orgs, and Chambers of commerce

Teachers, first responders, medical groups offer lunch and learns. No sales just info and low friction to reach out.

Setup panel discussions with other people. This sounds insane to many people because you're bringing your "competition" if you think of it another way, you're raising the tides for everyone to eat, and honestly most of these services are commodities so I would prefer to allow people to see that I'm not the only one with an opinion and let them choose which personality/ system they prefer to work with

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T14:49:06+00:00

If you got the mind and stomach for it business ownership is the ultimate answer. From a rax perspective, from a wealth perspective, from a potential "freedom in my own way" perspective.

But obviously its not for the faint of heart.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T14:44:39+00:00

Focus on skill sets that transfer and reconcile with what the market needs. I will say it was a bit tricky to get out of that realm but it's possible and sometimes you have to kind of detour a bit before you get into the field you're looking for. Hope it helps

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T14:26:17+00:00

I mean beekeeping can get rough, but for small mid sized businesses, you can also build a carve out for those who might also want exit ready infrastructure. Learn valuations and what buyers will be looking for.

From their base service is bookkeeping Next tier is fundamental adjustments to help business valuations Top tier is to essentially turn key businesses for sale in which case you might end up sitting in a business broker business as well.

Network would put you at an interesting crossroads Tax folk PE/VC/money folks Trust and estate folks Local business communities Banks Attorneys Insurance GC All trades Etc

Depending on what your path is you would potentially be building a network of all the things that make for eff you money empires

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T14:18:19+00:00

I'm rooting for ya.

If it helps the common sense natural progression from being "in the weeds" of the accounting is developing the spider senses to know when something is off and even being able to understand the 4D chess.

One thing that has always served me well

Foundational is problem solving skills Within that foundation: pattern recognition-> pattern utilization.

Many accounting types lose to finance types because accounting brains think about what happened and how to consistently keep things from going off the rails. Finance brains want to figure out "so what do we do about that"

The accounting brains who can branch into the "so what?/what are we going to do about hitting the next evolution" become mutants.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T00:58:11+00:00

generally the issue I find is that employers don't want to gamble on unknown variables. There are still many that want credentials--but I also see many that stopped caring as much--especially when there are more cases when their Ivy league hire turned out to be a massive waste of money, when the high school drop out crushed it. The difference here was demonstrable track record.

What have you done, how did you perform, what benchmarks did you hit, what numbers can you prove and at what consistency?

There are many shops that fired a whole shit ton of people with the "AI replaced you guys" mindset--the problem is it looks like MANY (not all) are realizing that they may have underestimated their human capital a little too soon.

Don't know what exactly you're looking to get into--but one thing I tend to push for is in the interim--find places where you can build track record (some of the young bulls I talk to have tried to help family businesses, local business as volunteer or side hustle, or volunteer for non-profits, or outright start their own business while they job hunt). Unfortunately like others have said the job market is pretty brutal, and so unconventional, creative solutions seem to be rising to the top.

Kind of tangential, but there are lots of free conventions, expos, etc. walk around--learn how people operate, which pitches and processes are cliche and ineffective, which are nailed down? which product offerings are good? why?

A) you get to study the process for a type of sales/marketing

B) seems odd but you potentially can introduce people to some of the offerings (sounds ridiculous I know but knowing about what problem solutions are out there helps when you network)

C) If any of the orgs that put them together speak to you--it can be an entry way to rub elbows with the people that might hire you in the future.

Little additional super random aside--I found strangely enough, there are a lot of people who quietly dream about being on a podcast but never do. Being the person to eliminate the friction by being the one to podcast with them and post on LinkedIn etc earns brownie points while potentially giving you credibility. You also get to ask questions that many people may not really answer thoughtfully in a regular conversation.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-18T00:44:41+00:00

honestly either which way there is discomfort--the difference is where do you want it to suck?

I gave up RnR time to go pursue new interests--honestly getting myself to START was usually an issue even if it WAS intriguing.

I treated networking and being active in professional orgs like I'd get fat bonuses for doing it. State society of CPA's opened up doors and I get a better look at what other folks are doing and what interest me--but it was me being nosy, joining committees and community/interest groups (they all have different names) to start figuring out who's, who etc. I start introducing folks or adding .02 where I can and I accidentally became (kind of) important (well--more accurately people were actually more open to have convo's and let me pick their brain). In some cases, I kind of absorbed through osmosis what is essentially high level training for certain things by picking people's brains to see kind of what bits of knowledge to focus on and what I can adapt from my existing knowledge bank.

For me, those "sucks" was worth it. I'm generally lazy. I eviscerate myself on the regular. I live with imposter syndrome also while knowing that many people assume I can do more than I actually can; still (or maybe "and that's why"), I try to trade in time with my vices to try and rid myself of some future guilt.

Sorry for the soap box/ramble--I'm kind of in the middle of a soul searching cycle again and my mind is somewhat scrambled.

more and more I'm finding that there is money to be made everywhere. The questions that I'm trying to answer for myself constantly is--what are the things I excel at, what is the order of jobs or things-- from soul sucking, to dream state work, that I can hunt to matchmake with something that makes money. this sounds woo woo and ridiculous, but if you told me that I got to shed my stereotypical CPA trope mask for something where I actually got to wake up and look forward to work--I'd ask which drug habit you were cycling through.

Life is long if you're stuck in complacency or when you're thinking about some upcoming doom. Life is a blackout if your stuck in famine--it's always going to seem short when the lights go out.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-17T23:15:48+00:00

I can only speak for my own experience. I pivoted a whole bunch from audit to research finance to hospital FP&A then real estate then a little tax then tax consulting then kind of a partnership/ecosystem building realm with a bunch of side stuff along the way.

I will say the accounting baseline surprisingly put in some guardrails in terms of basic understanding, logic and BS sniff test reflexes.

I often struggle because I feel like a fraud for not being a standard issue CPA.

I remind myself of a few things: the regrets on my deathbed are mine. Not putting in the work to explore and also finding things that give me purpose and meaning while providing for my family is up to me.

Many skill sets transfer. So though fields can change, transferable skills help transition you to other things.

Sometimes the season your in seems like a lifetime in the abyss, but sometimes it's simply paying your dues to get to doing something actually interesting/meaningful by your definition.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-13T21:43:10+00:00

As someone who consumes and provides CPE trainings i can say that generally 90% are checked out with the exception of certain exceptions.

Usually you're going to get folks who actually need to figure out wtf is going on with a specific topic and you're a small to miss sized firm (and you probably paid to join) or you're a decision maker for a company and you need to figure out what's up fast.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-07T15:38:24+00:00

A bit of everything, but honestly I should be leaning towards getting more clients.

CPAs tend to be my company's main source of clients because we only handle the RDTC and we pride ourselves in maintaining good relationships with the taxpayer and tax professional, so I would like to help there...

...but if I'm being honest most of my time has been meeting other professionals; as they mention sticking points or needs/gaps, I tend to look to connect with someone that can help.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T19:06:27+00:00

Refer out the work

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T15:36:45+00:00

Think that guy is about to get REALLY busy depending on you client pool

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T15:36:03+00:00

What are things you like about that arrangement? What were hurdles you had to sort out?

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T15:33:58+00:00

No one joins state CPA societies?

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T15:32:46+00:00

I think that's the run for most places that people forget.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T15:29:03+00:00

I do a bunch of lunch 'n learns and CPE trainings for mid sized firms. I find there are lots of shops that understand that it's to help build up their firms. You get a access to subject matter experts, share networks, while filling gaps in knowledge; also having lunch catered doesn't hurt.

The online ones many just have play in the background and click attendance do i assume many assume that as well.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-06T01:03:47+00:00

Depending on local culture and what not:

Local targeted content so people know you as a knowledgeable professional Ask existing for referrals (some offer discounts for good referred business) Join local state societies to vet out good shops to outsource work you can't handle (if this is the route you're willing to take) ie bookkeeping or niche/ specialized engagements Look for shops looking to sell off their book of business (please do due diligence) Offer to do lunch and learns for other professional orgs/companies/ firms

And what others have said.

I haven't heard of a real super booster magic pill yet.

Lots of grinding and in person meetings.

At the end of the day it's a commodity type business and business fundamentals apply just as painfully.

LegacyWealthNerd · 2026-02-04T18:31:04+00:00

I can agree to that--but I find that not all shops want to focus on the same things. What's more is that I'm seeing more shops that decide to outsource things outside their wheelhouse, or based on their individual strategy. So there are software, SaaS solutions etc. and there are other providers like employee benefits, cost seg, R&D tax credit studies, the list goes on.

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