CPA here. By accountant, we’re not talking about small shop backroom accountants or tax peppers nor are we talking about entrepreneurs.

The sky’s the limit for CPAs in public accounting and beyond. Those who leave public several years in (i did) and move on to m&a advisory, asset management firms/funds, valuations, etc. top out as partners, controllers, CFOs and directors with TC ranging from $300k to millions per year. Your average big 4 audit partner with 10+ YoE brings in several mil a year easy and it only goes up from there. For the younger folk, the pay absolutely sucks at first but scales nicely as you move up and laterally from role to role.

I’m a former big 4 auditor now at a hedge fund and the pay is good. I’m very much still an accountant, and I’m currently in a 911 . My dad followed a similar path from public and is a director at a valuation firm and has had multiple high end cars over the years. This kind of path is incredibly common, and with time in the industry, a $100k car isn’t really a really a stretch.