When CPAs fall in love … with other CPAs

During busy season, what could be better for a CPA than to have a significant other who knows just what they’re going through because … they’re also an accountant! We asked nine CPA couples to describe how they met, how (in some cases) they work together, and what advice they would give to new CPA duos starting out. 

Jennifer Wall, CPA, and Chris Wall, CPA, were high school sweethearts, sort of. They went to different schools, but met at church in their small Georgia town. They dated each other for eight years while pursuing college (both graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University) and accounting goals, and they married in 1997. “We didn’t start out in college to be CPAs, but it fits our personalities,” Jennifer said. After holding various jobs over the years, the couple decided to set up shop in their hometown of Americus, Ga. Chris manages their practice, Wall & Wall CPA LLC, Jennifer markets the business, and both of them work with clients. Chris’s advice: “If you’re going to go the route of owning an accounting firm together, make sure you have a strong marriage and are willing to work hard.”

Gerald “Dean” Mills, CPA, and Clara Mills, CPA, wed 39 years ago, when neither of them was a CPA. It was “just plain luck” that they worked at the same public accounting firm, said Dean about meeting Clara, who became his life and business partner. They pursued their schooling and passed the CPA Exam, and in 1991 founded their own practice, Mills & Mills Inc., in Grove, Okla. “During tax season we worked extremely long hours, and therefore we each understood the necessity,” Clara noted. The couple recently sold the firm but are still working part time for the new owners. And their car license plates still read DEBIT and DEBIT2. Dean’s advice for CPA couples who work together: “Try to leave your work at the office and not take it home. Do stuff together that’s not accounting.”

— Cheryl Meyer is a freelance writer based in California. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Chris Baysden, a JofA associate director, at Chris.Baysden@aicpa-cima.com.