Sam Irwin, CPA

When I sat in my high school classroom in the mid-1990s, I didn’t think much about why I was learning what I was learning. English, math, history, science—these felt like givens, as natural and inevitable as the building itself. Of course this is what school teaches. What else would it be? It wasn’t until much … Read more

In 1998, I graduated from high school without any idea how to manage money. No one had taught me how credit worked. I didn’t understand interest rates or what compound interest could do to a balance I let sit. I had no concept of budgeting, no framework for distinguishing between what I needed and what … Read more

Every American high school student learns the quadratic formula. They can label the parts of a cell. They know the causes of World War I and can identify the major themes in The Great Gatsby. These aren’t optional. They’re required—tested, graded, and treated as essential markers of an educated person. But ask those same students how … Read more

I have letters after my name. CPA, or Certified Public Accountant. I’ve held that license in influential corporate finance roles for many years. I’ve worked at one of the largest accounting firms in the world, at an investment bank in New York and London, and at two of the largest insurance companies in the world. … Read more

There’s a seven-year window in most people’s lives when they make more consequential financial decisions than they’ll make in any other period. It runs roughly from age 18 to 25. During those seven years, you’ll decide whether to take out student loans and how much to borrow. You’ll get your first real job and see … Read more

Here’s the thing about financial decisions: they don’t wait until you’re ready. Nobody asks if you’ve been trained before handing you a student loan application. There’s no prerequisite course before you can sign a lease or open a credit card. You’re just expected to figure it out. And by the time you realize you needed … Read more

So here’s something that might surprise you. I’m a CPA. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I’ve helped businesses handle their finances, worked through complex tax situations, all of it. But when I was a young adult, fresh out of college with an accounting degree? I had no idea how to manage my … Read more