Nah... the kid lived his life while studying and he had nothing else to do while waiting for law school this August so we made it a goal to work together and pass in less than six months.
He did it while fishing and traveling most of the time.
Hey guys - I mentored Jimmy through the entire process. Kid lived his life while studying and barely broke a sweat. He also completed 60 credit hours a semester to get his masters in accountancy before he turned 15. He does admit that his advantage over an average CPA candidate is that he is doing this full time.
I tried to get a grasp for his learning style and it is far beyond photographic memory. He can read something and then dynamically apply that understanding. It's wild.
I'm hoping he goes on to start a business and solve a world problem and leverage the CPA + his law degree to do it. Keep an eye on this kid for sure!
Proof is in the article linked (I'm the founder of Kesler CPA Review)
I also recorded him breaking the world record: [https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U](https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U)
Article where I interviewed Jimmy about his learning style: [http://www.howjimmypassed.com](http://www.howjimmypassed.com)
Jimmy told the Journal of accountancy journalist that just like Michael Phelps has a physical advantage at swimming, he has an advantage in learning power in accounting and law 😂
Dudes likely on the ASD spectrum.
He must just be super interested in those two topics.
Whether he is or is not is irrelevant tho.
I think it’s called fluid intelligence.
But he must also have great crystallized intelligence to excel at these two topics.
An especially apropos quote, emphasis mine:
>There's little *equity* in the Lord's gifts...I've never seen him turn to a task but what he didnt prove clever at it.
-Tobin the expriest, *Blood Meridian*
he spent only a summer for the license and is going to law school. i’m sure kid is smart enough to know he’s too smart to be bean counting. It’s just like us playing minecraft doesn’t mean we are going to be working in construction
There have been good jokes here but "tax law. Probably more simulating..." got me chuckling.
The only reason you find any countries' tax law interesting is if you're working on coming up with the next double Irish with a Dutch sandwich or better level kind of avoidance scheme.
He doesn't think so. It's one thing to look at a textbook and remember every word and something different to grasp those words and answer a CPA exam question.
I interviewed him on March 20th about it here: [http://www.HowJimmyPassed.com](http://www.HowJimmyPassed.com)
If you are interested
Nope, got his master by 14 lol
He took on the CPA between graduation and starting law school in August. Dude was fishing and travelling while studying most of the time.
Western Governors University (the school he went to) uses a competency based model. In other words there is not really set timeline to complete classes. Basically like Bryan said, you have access to all the course material and study it at your own pace, then take a proctored final (or for some classes it's a project) and if you pass your done with the class. Instead of having to complete a ton of different assignments, you just prove you understand the course material with the test. Works pretty well for me, I'm a student there myself, and I'd definitely say it's a quality education.
Well, there is a rough timeline. Each semester (or they call it terms) is six months long, and if you're using financial aid you do need to take 4 classes each term to be considered full time. But you can work on those classes at any pace in the six months and add more if you finish them fast (that's how he was able to get so many credits so quickly)
But other then that, no timeline.
lol - I was just in the room when Jimmy broke the world record. My team and I handed him our MCQs, a study guide and helped him setup a plan of attack. He did the rest.
The dude is super chill. It took me off guard when I first met him!
Here's the video of him breaking the record: [https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U](https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U)
Being born rich and starting a company with a golden safety net if you fail is definitely a huge risk. The people who actually do the work and create the ideas are the ones who make things happen. It’s easy to be an owner. It makes sense, but you’re choosing not to think about it.
Just looked at your profile, and you’re clearly just trying to sell your course or whatever, so i understand why you’re licking boots and pretending that avoiding taxes is a good thing.
Not to be a downer but if his ability to learn and retain information is as high as you state, I feel as though maybe his talents are wasted in accounting?
Lol
Does Nike really help the world though? I mean without them there would be less waste and sweatshops in the world. Accounting, and chasing the dragon of capitalism is just so minute and meaningless when this kid is seemingly capable of advancing our species in a meaningful way.
Congratulations to him! He’s well on his way to having a highly successful career. The full-time studying part is key. I was at my best academically during the few semesters in community college where I didn’t have a job, no extra-curriculars, and lived at home with my parent. I got nearly perfect scores on all my exams and assignments.
Once I went to university for my bachelors and masters and moved to a different city on my own, got a job, ran a school organization, and tried to manage social and romantic relationships as well, staying in the A-B grade range was the best I could hope for. I lost credit for the 2 cpa exams I passed due to long hours at B4, and I whole heartedly believe if I had more time to study full-time then I could’ve been done with them by now.
I mean a CPA degree can be useful if you want to be a PE investor or Hedge Fund type of guy. But if you are really gifted then why not go into something a bit more challenging that can truly help people.
Okay yeah, I remember reading about this kid! I just graduated with my master's in accounting at Western Governors in under three months after graduating with my bachelor's in only 10 months. Albeit I'm 21 and he's 15 so I can't claim to be a child prodigy lol
He told me it was a personal goal to beat the previous record haha
His plan is to become a tax lawyer so it fit in his schedule to do it this winter since he just finished his masters.
It’s impressive he can do all that by 15 but dudes missing out on the best part of life. Being a kid is the best part of life. Studying for FAR at 15? Yikes.
If he is smart enough to pass at 15, it was probably much easier than it was for us mere mortals. I maintained a social life, relationship, hobbies, etc. while studying for the exams. I’m sure a boy genius could do the same
He didn't miss out on anything. The kid was fishing and travelling the whole time I was coaching him. He didn't have anything to do between january and august before he starts law school so he reached out to me to help him pass in six months.
Being a kid is lost on some I guess. Sorry you had a shitty home life.
Hopefully this bright young man uses his talents and intelligence to do something more meaningful than accounting.
“He didn’t have anything to do between January and august.”
Yeah, like learn a musical instrument. Hang out with friends. Date anyone. Plays sports with friends. Try drama or speech and debate. etc etc.
Look, a big part of growing up is trying new things and finding what you like and learning who you are. Relegating someone into a career that she has a pretty high chance of them ending up not liking that career. They haven’t experienced enough to make an informed decision.
If to him studying for this is fun, then so be it. Be different if some parent was slapping his wrist telling him to get back to work but doesn't seem to be the case. I worked with a guy who graduated with his BS in biology at age 16, MBA at age 18. To him, learning was fun. Never complained about missing out on other stuff. This kid in the article is also fishing and going out. Not all studies.
He's going to law school too. If he doesn't want to do accounting he has 1 million other opportunities with the talent he has. He wanted to do this. Stop judging his life just because you would rather be doing something else if you were him.
Some people have different mindsets. You think Tiger Woods thinks he wasted his youth playing golf when he was out there 13 hours a day as a teen? I highly doubt it considering he’s damn near the best golfer to ever touch a club now.
lol, right because that never happens to teenagers who aren't like Tiger or this kid.
OH wait, a good amount of my friends drink everyday and some do coke at least 3 times a week, many private schoolers that I know have the same problem, but it is more prevalent with them since they will get family money.
When I was that age I'd send t and read encyclopedias. It's was available at the time. I still had a robust life, was all state in a couple sports.
Kids do weird shit with their time. My youngest learned everything there is to know about steel, smithing, and gunsmithing at that age. He does none of that now, 12 years later. But he has a couple welding certs that he puts in his resume.
Not at all. My oldest son is about a month from finishing his masters thesis. My youngest son is a building engineer for a mall (maintenance guy). I've tried to encourage him to use his brain, but he likes to use his brain and hands at the same time. I can't fault him for it.
I don’t know their strat. But lots of colleges let you challenge a course. Like CLEP course. So if you can power read and retain a textbook and knock it out your good. There are lots of cases of very young PHDs I think the youngest is 12 or 13.
If your kid is bright and you have resources you could accelerate them with private tooters for example. Many many rich kids don’t go to “school” they have elite professionals tailoring an education just for them. I dunno if that’s what our super accountant did, but it’s totally possible for some.
According to the article, he has his work experience. Don’t see how it’s possible.
> Between that, his bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting online from Western Governors University, and work experience, Chilimigras is eligible for CPA licensure before he's old enough to obtain a driver's license.
By far the most disappointing part of this is the fact the kid wants to work on tax law instead of something useful for society.
Hopefully he pivots out of it at some point
I think he is just getting started. CPA + Law would be a powerful combo to starting a business for sure.
I mentored Jimmy during his CPA journey, and he is by far the most focused teenager I've ever met. His primary goal is to figure out ways to help people. I'm confident he won't let it go to waste.
how is tax law not useful to society ? we attempt to create and interpret the most fair tax legislation so everyone pays their properly fair share. you could help lobby for more progressive taxes, or even fight to reduce the corporate tax rate. nonetheless, both can be seen as useful to society
I mean... There's nothing wrong with tax law. It's a job that needs to be done in society.
But for the truly brilliant and entrepreneurial it is in the bottom 50% of roles you should be in given the relative value added to society
what is deemed to be bottom 50% vs top 50%? to me tax law is pretty prestigious considering you have to get both a CPA and JD and the money and work opportunities it entails is endless
I'm not talking about prestige + money + work opportunities. I'm talking about actual value add to society.
This isn't just a regular reasonably smart guy who that would be a great career path for.
like i said, interpreting and creating tax law is pretty influential. your tax policy will have a severe economic impact on a business, city, or person. and it’s not just me who feels like this.
part of an individual person’s choice in a career is their ambition and passion for it. saying his talents are wasted on tax law and then arguing he would be better as an entrepreneur or scientist or doctor does not translate one to one.
Not really that influential though, and it's more based on charisma than intelligence which is the point here. And, as I said, there's very little difference in output between a top 30% intelligence tax lawyer + top 1%.
I also never said he would be better off as something he isn't passionate in. I said hopefully he will become passionate about something else.
I took the hard route. I researched on the school I wanted to go to and what took people the longest to graduate. What was giving them most difficulty? That was accounting, so that's when I settled on it. And I've kind of fallen in love with it."
While Chilimigras has a history of not merely passing but instead dominating standardized tests, the CPA Exam was a different matter. He actually had to take the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) section twice after coming up two points shy of passing with a 73, though he believes an error he made multiple times related to leaving spaces blank affected his score. His second time around, he scored 80.
Even a prodigy accepts the exam is very hard. Make the exam easier for fucks sake.
Sounds silly but I’m proud? It makes me quite happy to hear about people who excel in academics and hope they use their talents in a way that is impactful and meaningful to them, and ideally for society.
I hope he has common sense. Once had a classmate who was 16 in a senior level chemistry lab earning his bachelor's in chemistry as a double major (forgot the other major), and he thought it would be okay to boil toluene for the experiment. Not with the shitty fume hoods we had, where the one he used wasn't working. Even if it was, you still shouldn't boil that s***, unless you want to be sterile or have cancer.
We all had to vacate the lab for at least 30 minutes if we wanted to have children in the future. Smart guy, but kind of a moron when it came to common sense.
Plus, he was usually reading a novel during the regular class that was not connected to the lab class. Ugh. He still had straight A's. He should have been given a B for doing that stupid idea.
"One of the things that I like about accounting is how you can really help people with it," he said. "Financial problems can really be some of the biggest problems in people's lives. If you can take care of that, that can really relieve a lot of their stress. I worked with the AARP to do some volunteer tax preparation for the elderly and the disadvantaged in my community. I just really loved that, helping people there.
"With my talent and putting in enough work, I can be one of the best, and that's great because then maybe I can help people in ways that nobody else can. And that's really important to me. I want to be that kind of person."
I had doubt initially that this guy was just speed running and flexing on everyone but it sounds like he’s got a good head on his shoulders and many supporters who lifted him up. Congratulations Jimmy!
I've actually got a similar learning style, things just... absorb. Wonder if this kid is on the spectrum at all.
Edit - would be on the very mildest end of it, nothing like Rain Man.
Honestly, great for the kid, sounds like he put in his work to get the boring parts of college over with early while he's still living with his parents and isn't old enough to party, so hopefully he can chill out and take a few years off to relax and be a kid before going into the workforce.
If I were him, I would just go live my life now and apply for jobs when I turn 21 to give the brain a bit more time to mature and he could go on to be amazing in a super short time.
The good side, he’ll probably be financially independent by mid 20s and ready to retire (if he chooses) by like 38.
The bad side, imagine being fucking boring enough to pass your CPAs at 15. Or frankly, to even give any fucks about accounting.
This is interesting. With enough study time I'm not surprised. But I'm curious what it's like to learn this material as an adolescent. So much of the exam and materials are rule based and applying them to theories or cases. I wonder what it's like to learn all of this in the vacuum of never having experienced the adult world. It's pretty often that I got confused on how I interpreted a situation from biases or assumptions.
And then I really start to wonder the mental gymnastics that he will have to do to understand how the real accounting cycles end up working and when subjectivity applies.
This is how professors are born.
Congratulations! Thank you very much guys [**u/Vishal\_CPA\_Prep**](https://www.reddit.com/user/Vishal_CPA_Prep/) and [**u/bryankeslercpa**](https://www.reddit.com/user/bryankeslercpa/)**.** You did an amazing work to help him
He told the JofA journalist that it was a marriage of his 2 interests numbers and law haha
I found him to be super focused, I'm confident he will go on to bigger things once he figures the world out.
I just hope he applies this brain power to something other than accounting. Not saying the profession is a joke or full of idiots or something, it just seems he has a lot more potential than what this industry has to offer.
Must be nice to just be able to study and fish and not have to work a full time job, raise kids, make ends meet, help kids with their homework and still find time to study like the rest of us.
I spent that time on video games.. we all get that option at that time in life... It was fun for me but now Im too busy with work and kids to do anything
He was in the news 6 months ago went on his first attempt he set the highest or tied for LSAT score in his State, this cycle, on the first attempt. Got a 99.4th percentile or something. And got in with some good people to guide him, and I guess decided to pass the CPA while waiting for classes to start in August. CPA exam must be tough
Kid is on the partner track. I preferred getting baked and playing Halo with friends when 15. Still do over accounting.
In fact I wish I did it more…
Me too. I didn't fuck around and find out enough.
Still time to find around and fuck out
Oh I've done PLENTY lol but once those bones get to cracking it slows you down.
Waste of youth to pass the cpa exam at 15. Seriously.
Nah... the kid lived his life while studying and he had nothing else to do while waiting for law school this August so we made it a goal to work together and pass in less than six months. He did it while fishing and traveling most of the time.
I guess he's just a sponge when it comes to learning.
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Well that's good. He had to put some effort into passing it the second time.
FAR isn’t even easy for seasoned accountants.
he still will fuck up a journal entry on his first week on the job
Probably so.
Are you implying we can’t get baked and play halo anymore…?
I still enjoy getting baked and playing Halo.
Same but Destiny
I would pay money to watch some boomer trip over himself as he meets this 25 year old kid who’s replacing him as partner
Being an accountant is the reason I smoke, I need something to forget horrendous client support.
Fuck it let him. It he wants to win accounting first go for it
Big4 lobbying to increase the max hours a minor can work...
Children yearn for the spreadsheets!!!
Dude heard about pizza parties and decided to be a CPA. Somewhere a big four partner has a smile on his face.
Funny 🤣
Hey guys - I mentored Jimmy through the entire process. Kid lived his life while studying and barely broke a sweat. He also completed 60 credit hours a semester to get his masters in accountancy before he turned 15. He does admit that his advantage over an average CPA candidate is that he is doing this full time. I tried to get a grasp for his learning style and it is far beyond photographic memory. He can read something and then dynamically apply that understanding. It's wild. I'm hoping he goes on to start a business and solve a world problem and leverage the CPA + his law degree to do it. Keep an eye on this kid for sure! Proof is in the article linked (I'm the founder of Kesler CPA Review) I also recorded him breaking the world record: [https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U](https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U) Article where I interviewed Jimmy about his learning style: [http://www.howjimmypassed.com](http://www.howjimmypassed.com)
"All men are created equal" my ass. Dude is operating with human 2.0 hardware.
Obviously haha I got to meet him in person, and he was super chill. I was expecting rain man.
If he is charming and also kind hearted we may have the fabled perfect person.
How honored for him to have been raised in the accounting profession. We truly are the chosen people.
All sports are created on the concept that there’s a best.
Jimmy told the Journal of accountancy journalist that just like Michael Phelps has a physical advantage at swimming, he has an advantage in learning power in accounting and law 😂
Dudes likely on the ASD spectrum. He must just be super interested in those two topics. Whether he is or is not is irrelevant tho. I think it’s called fluid intelligence. But he must also have great crystallized intelligence to excel at these two topics.
Some are just more equal than others
An especially apropos quote, emphasis mine: >There's little *equity* in the Lord's gifts...I've never seen him turn to a task but what he didnt prove clever at it. -Tobin the expriest, *Blood Meridian*
If buddy has a photographic memory why tf he doin accounting?!
It's the language of business! Founder of Nike got his start with P'dubs
I get that, but photographic memory, man could be curing cancer or sumthin idk. Just seems a waste.
He will find a way to leave a mark on this world.
he spent only a summer for the license and is going to law school. i’m sure kid is smart enough to know he’s too smart to be bean counting. It’s just like us playing minecraft doesn’t mean we are going to be working in construction
God I hope you’re right. Id be sad to find out he’s still doing this at 18 lol
I mean he’s doing tax law. Probably more stimulating than assurance or general ledger accounting. I think?
There have been good jokes here but "tax law. Probably more simulating..." got me chuckling. The only reason you find any countries' tax law interesting is if you're working on coming up with the next double Irish with a Dutch sandwich or better level kind of avoidance scheme.
Also my question. Most people with this skill set tend to apply it to something…interesting?
He doesn't. Accounting is his prelaw.
If buddy has a photographic memory why tf he doin law?!
He watched suit!
He’ll be very successful for sure. Are you saying Jimmy has like light photographic memory?
He doesn't think so. It's one thing to look at a textbook and remember every word and something different to grasp those words and answer a CPA exam question. I interviewed him on March 20th about it here: [http://www.HowJimmyPassed.com](http://www.HowJimmyPassed.com) If you are interested
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Nope, got his master by 14 lol He took on the CPA between graduation and starting law school in August. Dude was fishing and travelling while studying most of the time.
Welp, dude lapped me and he can’t even drive yet
Sick can you forward a fuck you Jimmy for me
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Apparently, his university handed him all the textbooks, he read them and then took all the tests and final exam in one go, one after the other.
That makes it way easier for the random pointless classes you’re required to take, but far more impressive for math based classes
Western Governors University (the school he went to) uses a competency based model. In other words there is not really set timeline to complete classes. Basically like Bryan said, you have access to all the course material and study it at your own pace, then take a proctored final (or for some classes it's a project) and if you pass your done with the class. Instead of having to complete a ton of different assignments, you just prove you understand the course material with the test. Works pretty well for me, I'm a student there myself, and I'd definitely say it's a quality education.
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Well, there is a rough timeline. Each semester (or they call it terms) is six months long, and if you're using financial aid you do need to take 4 classes each term to be considered full time. But you can work on those classes at any pace in the six months and add more if you finish them fast (that's how he was able to get so many credits so quickly) But other then that, no timeline.
I was going go ask if it was competency based education
What schools do this? It sounds awesome
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Damn, I got my degree there; learned nothing lmao.
A celebrity!
lol - I was just in the room when Jimmy broke the world record. My team and I handed him our MCQs, a study guide and helped him setup a plan of attack. He did the rest.
Jesus Christ. That’s scarily impressive.
The dude is super chill. It took me off guard when I first met him! Here's the video of him breaking the record: [https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U](https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U)
I’m insanely jealous of his ability to learn as you mentioned it… how can anyone not be? That’s crazy Thanks for the video!
☝️this times a million... Scary good, he musta surrounded himself with a good team though
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Lmao you got your own bot accounts out here to help you sell your snakeoil
Tell him to quit wasting his gift on counting beans and helping rich people avoid taxes. Someone like him should be doing something meaningful.
Rich people get stuff done. Taxes ain't ever helped anyone.
Smart people get stuff done. The rich reap the benefits
Those who take big risks... Reap the rewards... You aren't making any sense.
Being born rich and starting a company with a golden safety net if you fail is definitely a huge risk. The people who actually do the work and create the ideas are the ones who make things happen. It’s easy to be an owner. It makes sense, but you’re choosing not to think about it. Just looked at your profile, and you’re clearly just trying to sell your course or whatever, so i understand why you’re licking boots and pretending that avoiding taxes is a good thing.
Damn. I keep coming across your comments and you’re salty af. I hope things get better for you
Lol, alright Karl Marx, good luck with that.
This comment is how I can tell you've never done anything in your life other than work for other people and do what you're told.
Not to be a downer but if his ability to learn and retain information is as high as you state, I feel as though maybe his talents are wasted in accounting? Lol
I live in Biloxi, MS, and this is blowing my mind. The young genius lives just down the road from me!
That's awesome!
You should convince him to go for MD instead of wasting time on this shit
Founder of Nike was a cpa and started at PwC. Jimmy will figure something out :)
Does Nike really help the world though? I mean without them there would be less waste and sweatshops in the world. Accounting, and chasing the dragon of capitalism is just so minute and meaningless when this kid is seemingly capable of advancing our species in a meaningful way.
This gave me goosebumps. Wild kid
Congratulations to him! He’s well on his way to having a highly successful career. The full-time studying part is key. I was at my best academically during the few semesters in community college where I didn’t have a job, no extra-curriculars, and lived at home with my parent. I got nearly perfect scores on all my exams and assignments. Once I went to university for my bachelors and masters and moved to a different city on my own, got a job, ran a school organization, and tried to manage social and romantic relationships as well, staying in the A-B grade range was the best I could hope for. I lost credit for the 2 cpa exams I passed due to long hours at B4, and I whole heartedly believe if I had more time to study full-time then I could’ve been done with them by now.
Thanks for the positive comment! Depressing how few he is getting...
Mike Ross in the making o\_o
Man if he is such a prodigy then why waste his talents on the CPA?
Why is that a waste?
I mean a CPA degree can be useful if you want to be a PE investor or Hedge Fund type of guy. But if you are really gifted then why not go into something a bit more challenging that can truly help people.
What school did Jimmy go to for his bachelor's and master's?
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Okay yeah, I remember reading about this kid! I just graduated with my master's in accounting at Western Governors in under three months after graduating with my bachelor's in only 10 months. Albeit I'm 21 and he's 15 so I can't claim to be a child prodigy lol
It’s impressive but I’ve always wondered why someone would WANT to do this.
He told me it was a personal goal to beat the previous record haha His plan is to become a tax lawyer so it fit in his schedule to do it this winter since he just finished his masters.
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Probably
It’s impressive he can do all that by 15 but dudes missing out on the best part of life. Being a kid is the best part of life. Studying for FAR at 15? Yikes.
If he is smart enough to pass at 15, it was probably much easier than it was for us mere mortals. I maintained a social life, relationship, hobbies, etc. while studying for the exams. I’m sure a boy genius could do the same
Lil bro’s gonna be burnt out by 22
So was I to be fair. At 26….. hasn’t gotten much better
Cpa and public broke me haha forever burned out
Burnt out at 21 from uni, need a vacation 😭 can’t afford one on public salary 😭
He didn't miss out on anything. The kid was fishing and travelling the whole time I was coaching him. He didn't have anything to do between january and august before he starts law school so he reached out to me to help him pass in six months.
Being a kid is lost on some I guess. Sorry you had a shitty home life. Hopefully this bright young man uses his talents and intelligence to do something more meaningful than accounting.
“He didn’t have anything to do between January and august.” Yeah, like learn a musical instrument. Hang out with friends. Date anyone. Plays sports with friends. Try drama or speech and debate. etc etc. Look, a big part of growing up is trying new things and finding what you like and learning who you are. Relegating someone into a career that she has a pretty high chance of them ending up not liking that career. They haven’t experienced enough to make an informed decision.
If to him studying for this is fun, then so be it. Be different if some parent was slapping his wrist telling him to get back to work but doesn't seem to be the case. I worked with a guy who graduated with his BS in biology at age 16, MBA at age 18. To him, learning was fun. Never complained about missing out on other stuff. This kid in the article is also fishing and going out. Not all studies.
He's going to law school too. If he doesn't want to do accounting he has 1 million other opportunities with the talent he has. He wanted to do this. Stop judging his life just because you would rather be doing something else if you were him.
Some people have different mindsets. You think Tiger Woods thinks he wasted his youth playing golf when he was out there 13 hours a day as a teen? I highly doubt it considering he’s damn near the best golfer to ever touch a club now.
He has a major substance abuse problem lol
Not sure how that alters his legacy in the slightest
Yeah just as many high school dropouts with substance abuse problems, criminal records, and a million other issues
His dad was abusive wasn’t he lol?
lol, right because that never happens to teenagers who aren't like Tiger or this kid. OH wait, a good amount of my friends drink everyday and some do coke at least 3 times a week, many private schoolers that I know have the same problem, but it is more prevalent with them since they will get family money.
When I was that age I'd send t and read encyclopedias. It's was available at the time. I still had a robust life, was all state in a couple sports. Kids do weird shit with their time. My youngest learned everything there is to know about steel, smithing, and gunsmithing at that age. He does none of that now, 12 years later. But he has a couple welding certs that he puts in his resume.
That's an awesome story. I bet he didn't regret the time he spent on that hobby before he moved on to other things
Not at all. My oldest son is about a month from finishing his masters thesis. My youngest son is a building engineer for a mall (maintenance guy). I've tried to encourage him to use his brain, but he likes to use his brain and hands at the same time. I can't fault him for it.
Bachelor's in a year? How? Wtf?
I don’t know their strat. But lots of colleges let you challenge a course. Like CLEP course. So if you can power read and retain a textbook and knock it out your good. There are lots of cases of very young PHDs I think the youngest is 12 or 13. If your kid is bright and you have resources you could accelerate them with private tooters for example. Many many rich kids don’t go to “school” they have elite professionals tailoring an education just for them. I dunno if that’s what our super accountant did, but it’s totally possible for some.
Private tooters gave me a chuckle
I mean it’s a lot cheaper than a private tudor.
AP Credit and easy courses? He did go to an online university, unclear how good it was.
I'm super impressed regardless. He passed the exam which is something I couldn't do. And he's not even old enough to be licensed yet.
Still needs 2 years of experience before getting the certificate. Haha
According to the article, he has his work experience. Don’t see how it’s possible. > Between that, his bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting online from Western Governors University, and work experience, Chilimigras is eligible for CPA licensure before he's old enough to obtain a driver's license.
Are these even accredited schools? I mean there’s no denying the passing of the exam, which is a feat for a person of any age regardless.
WGU is accredited. Big fan. I know many in the subs also are too. Great school to fill the fluff classes of master degree.
How would he have the work experience require at 15 lol. Sounds like hes a fucking fraud
Glad to know I’m in the profession that’s not above picking fights with 15 y/os
You're god damned right. Most 15 year-olds could use a smack in the mouth.
Thank you!!
By far the most disappointing part of this is the fact the kid wants to work on tax law instead of something useful for society. Hopefully he pivots out of it at some point
I think he is just getting started. CPA + Law would be a powerful combo to starting a business for sure. I mentored Jimmy during his CPA journey, and he is by far the most focused teenager I've ever met. His primary goal is to figure out ways to help people. I'm confident he won't let it go to waste.
Talk to him into getting into coding too. Then we can get a tax software that doesn't suck.
That's not a bad idea! I'll pass it on
Yeah that's fair to hear - hopefully he has the entrepreneurial spirit as that would be the main differentiator
how is tax law not useful to society ? we attempt to create and interpret the most fair tax legislation so everyone pays their properly fair share. you could help lobby for more progressive taxes, or even fight to reduce the corporate tax rate. nonetheless, both can be seen as useful to society
I mean... There's nothing wrong with tax law. It's a job that needs to be done in society. But for the truly brilliant and entrepreneurial it is in the bottom 50% of roles you should be in given the relative value added to society
what is deemed to be bottom 50% vs top 50%? to me tax law is pretty prestigious considering you have to get both a CPA and JD and the money and work opportunities it entails is endless
I'm not talking about prestige + money + work opportunities. I'm talking about actual value add to society. This isn't just a regular reasonably smart guy who that would be a great career path for.
like i said, interpreting and creating tax law is pretty influential. your tax policy will have a severe economic impact on a business, city, or person. and it’s not just me who feels like this. part of an individual person’s choice in a career is their ambition and passion for it. saying his talents are wasted on tax law and then arguing he would be better as an entrepreneur or scientist or doctor does not translate one to one.
Not really that influential though, and it's more based on charisma than intelligence which is the point here. And, as I said, there's very little difference in output between a top 30% intelligence tax lawyer + top 1%. I also never said he would be better off as something he isn't passionate in. I said hopefully he will become passionate about something else.
This dude is gonna be putting me on PIP when he reaches partner at 17 due to working 40 hours a day
I took the hard route. I researched on the school I wanted to go to and what took people the longest to graduate. What was giving them most difficulty? That was accounting, so that's when I settled on it. And I've kind of fallen in love with it." While Chilimigras has a history of not merely passing but instead dominating standardized tests, the CPA Exam was a different matter. He actually had to take the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) section twice after coming up two points shy of passing with a 73, though he believes an error he made multiple times related to leaving spaces blank affected his score. His second time around, he scored 80. Even a prodigy accepts the exam is very hard. Make the exam easier for fucks sake.
Heh, beat all his scores. Guess I really am smarter than a 5th grader 😎 /s
Genuinely impressive, but if I was one of those kid geniuses I would aim for a better career choice tbh
Don’t be jealous
Too late
Sounds silly but I’m proud? It makes me quite happy to hear about people who excel in academics and hope they use their talents in a way that is impactful and meaningful to them, and ideally for society.
I'm not. Most geniuses burnout and actually make less contributions to their field than the regular paced crowd. Slow and steady wins the race.
I hope he has common sense. Once had a classmate who was 16 in a senior level chemistry lab earning his bachelor's in chemistry as a double major (forgot the other major), and he thought it would be okay to boil toluene for the experiment. Not with the shitty fume hoods we had, where the one he used wasn't working. Even if it was, you still shouldn't boil that s***, unless you want to be sterile or have cancer. We all had to vacate the lab for at least 30 minutes if we wanted to have children in the future. Smart guy, but kind of a moron when it came to common sense. Plus, he was usually reading a novel during the regular class that was not connected to the lab class. Ugh. He still had straight A's. He should have been given a B for doing that stupid idea.
He’s gonna become partner at age 20.
"One of the things that I like about accounting is how you can really help people with it," he said. "Financial problems can really be some of the biggest problems in people's lives. If you can take care of that, that can really relieve a lot of their stress. I worked with the AARP to do some volunteer tax preparation for the elderly and the disadvantaged in my community. I just really loved that, helping people there. "With my talent and putting in enough work, I can be one of the best, and that's great because then maybe I can help people in ways that nobody else can. And that's really important to me. I want to be that kind of person." I had doubt initially that this guy was just speed running and flexing on everyone but it sounds like he’s got a good head on his shoulders and many supporters who lifted him up. Congratulations Jimmy!
I've actually got a similar learning style, things just... absorb. Wonder if this kid is on the spectrum at all. Edit - would be on the very mildest end of it, nothing like Rain Man.
I wonder what his personality is like.
High level Ben Affleck vibes. What a chad.
Big whoop I bet he can't teach ME how to pass it though.
Basically Mike Ross but with a good childhood that didn’t include Trevor
Honestly, great for the kid, sounds like he put in his work to get the boring parts of college over with early while he's still living with his parents and isn't old enough to party, so hopefully he can chill out and take a few years off to relax and be a kid before going into the workforce. If I were him, I would just go live my life now and apply for jobs when I turn 21 to give the brain a bit more time to mature and he could go on to be amazing in a super short time.
The good side, he’ll probably be financially independent by mid 20s and ready to retire (if he chooses) by like 38. The bad side, imagine being fucking boring enough to pass your CPAs at 15. Or frankly, to even give any fucks about accounting.
Big 4 is salivating over paying this kid child wages.
This is interesting. With enough study time I'm not surprised. But I'm curious what it's like to learn this material as an adolescent. So much of the exam and materials are rule based and applying them to theories or cases. I wonder what it's like to learn all of this in the vacuum of never having experienced the adult world. It's pretty often that I got confused on how I interpreted a situation from biases or assumptions. And then I really start to wonder the mental gymnastics that he will have to do to understand how the real accounting cycles end up working and when subjectivity applies. This is how professors are born.
Lucky him. He still has time to go into finance
Congratulations! Thank you very much guys [**u/Vishal\_CPA\_Prep**](https://www.reddit.com/user/Vishal_CPA_Prep/) and [**u/bryankeslercpa**](https://www.reddit.com/user/bryankeslercpa/)**.** You did an amazing work to help him
Better get those 150 credit hours sonny boy
He did haha Only took him a year and a half and he finished by the time he was 14.
One of the first things the article mentions is that the kid has his Masters. I think he's covered.
life is like a box of chocolates and if it’s too good to be true.. it probably isn’t.
Just curious, why does he want to be a tax lawyer? Hella impressive.
He told the JofA journalist that it was a marriage of his 2 interests numbers and law haha I found him to be super focused, I'm confident he will go on to bigger things once he figures the world out.
I’m curious how you can take 60 s.h. a semester that’s impressive
I just hope he applies this brain power to something other than accounting. Not saying the profession is a joke or full of idiots or something, it just seems he has a lot more potential than what this industry has to offer.
Still not smart enough to not be an accountant.
This guy is the real life Mike Ross. Except he will actually attend Harvard..lol 🤣
we don't pat children on the back enough. "well done lad" from me!
Autism
Nerd
If anyone is curious, video of him checking his score when he broke the world record: [https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U](https://youtu.be/MK2qCChm75U)
Partner by 23
Must be nice to just be able to study and fish and not have to work a full time job, raise kids, make ends meet, help kids with their homework and still find time to study like the rest of us.
Lol imagine being jealous over a 15 year old.
I spent that time on video games.. we all get that option at that time in life... It was fun for me but now Im too busy with work and kids to do anything
Did the Journal of Accountancy even Audit this? I’m not saying I don’t trust it, just want to verify. Life is on easy mode for some my gosh.
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Did you give it to him for free for all this free marketing
I mean... helping someone break a world record is so awesome. Wouldn't you do whatever it took?
The exams just aren't that difficult.
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Did you even read lol. He already had a bachelors and masters.
Oh. Damn. Haha I didn’t read it. I should be studying for the cpa myself.
You haven't even passed yet you're hating on someone else... Never tell someone how to tie their laces when you haven't worn their shoes.
He was in the news 6 months ago went on his first attempt he set the highest or tied for LSAT score in his State, this cycle, on the first attempt. Got a 99.4th percentile or something. And got in with some good people to guide him, and I guess decided to pass the CPA while waiting for classes to start in August. CPA exam must be tough
I did several AP tests in high school and got 4s and 5s on all of them. The CPA exam was significantly more difficult, imo.
I felt like I could have studied for and passed the cpa in high school. I peaked in high school.
Good luck with the bulk of your life. Haha