Also called: Fractional CFO
Runs a local accounting firm doing taxes, bookkeeping and advice for small businesses and families.
In tax season you meet ten clients a day; the rest of the year you advise a restaurant owner on cash flow and serve as a 'fractional CFO' for three startups.
Owner profit depends on the number of clients; established practices are often very profitable.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in accounting; CPA license or IRS Enrolled Agent status.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Accounting, Finance.
Growing about average. Many older CPAs are retiring and selling practices.
Medium risk for 10 years. Software and AI take over bookkeeping and simple returns; owners shift to advising local businesses, which keeps demand steady.
Classes: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Personal finance, Computer applications.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.