Accountant(CPA) or Financial Advisor/Planner?

[Tavis Moore]

Hello everyone, definitely need some advice and the forums have not let me down so far!

So let me start,

This week is my last week of school and I will be graduating with a master's degree. I am also currently in the negotiation process after receiving a job offer from an engineering firm in NC. So it's safe to say I'm heading in a pretty good direction than most my age.

Over the past few months, I have been meeting with local investors, banking VPs(senior mortgage originator), property managers, and real estate agents. While also reading multiple real estate books, a tax book, studying information on entities, and analyzing properties.

  During my meetings with those listed above, I have been able to share my business plan, thoughts, methods, concerns, and everything  I've learned so far from reading and studying. 

 I've studied and learned so much that all of them have said the same things at the end of our conversations: "You know all the necessary information and I see no missteps or flaws! So just start and I will be here to help guide you through your first few properties!"  

So it's safe to say that I have been blessed to be given great mentors/friends. 

However, with that multitude of knowledge I've gained (and still searching and learning) my biggest concern now is after I accept the offer, relocate, and start getting paid I want to ENSURE that I dont suffer from "Lifestyle Creep" and focus all of my money on preparing myself and my bank account for getting started in real estate investing.

So my question is this,

Should I seek a financial planner or an accountant to help me manage my finances to achieve my goals in real estate investing? 

I know most financial planners/advisors focus on stocks, bonds, etc because that is the only way they really can profit but personally I feel real estate is a 10x better retirement strategy if managed correctly.  

Its also important to me that the person would be capable of growing with me as I obtain more properties. 

Any thoughts or ideas?

[Daniel Johnson]

@Tavis Moore

It sounds to me like you are way ahead of the curve for your age. There are certainly details of your situation that a financial planner might be able to help you with, but I am going to guess that 99% of financial planner’s advice will not align very well with your personal goals.

My thoughts are, once you get settled into your new job, set a budget and do your very best to keep to it. Work on saving up for a house hack, then figure out what type of RE investing you want to focus on. Get your feet wet, get some experience, get yourself in stable financial condition then look to grow.

I’m in NC and we have a meetup in Winston Salem. If I can ever be of help, don’t hesitate to let me know.