About

Hello. This site is written by an anonymous accountant who finds spreadsheets genuinely relaxing, which is either a gift or a cry for help. Either way, it means you get FIRE guides where the math is checked twice, the jokes are checked once, and the fictional cast (Captain Compound, Frugal Fran, Lavish Larry and the villainous Doctor Drawdown) does the embarrassing stuff so you don’t have to.

CPA FIRE is written by Tom, CPA. The goal is simple: explain the full picture of financial independence in plain language (saving, investing, withdrawals, real estate, health care, lifestyle, and taxes) with the depth and rigor of a CPA, so people pursuing FIRE can make clearer decisions and avoid expensive surprises.

I'm a CPA with nearly two decades in accounting and finance, from public accounting to senior leadership at publicly traded companies. Day to day that has meant SEC reporting, debt and equity financings, acquisitions, and the tax and accounting questions that sit underneath big financial decisions. I started writing here because the same money questions come up again and again among people pursuing financial independence, and a CPA's habits of mind (testing assumptions, reading the numbers like financial statements, and getting the tax details right) add depth across all of them.

The views here are my own, written in a personal capacity. They are not the views of any employer or organization, and nothing on this site is advice for your situation.

What you'll find here

• Guides across the full FIRE picture: saving and spending, investing, withdrawal strategy, risk, real estate, health care, lifestyle, career, and taxes
• Simple calculators for illustration
• Videos (coming soon)

Educational only

This site is educational; reading it doesn't create a professional relationship. For decisions about your own situation, talk to a qualified professional.