127: Structuring the Totally Remote Career – Joseph Rugger CPA

Joseph Rugger, a CPA that has been able to structure his work life to be 100% remote, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go.

Getting Started

We start this interview in the same manner as most, with the story of Joseph’s early career.  Joseph started in public accounting, but only stayed for a few years.  As he states, the issue was “99% me, 1% public accounting.”  It just wasn’t the right fit for him.  He was fortunate though in that a friend’s family business needed an accountant, and through that connection he was able to make the move into industry.

Predictable, Baby Steps

After a few years with the prosthetics business, he decided to approach them about venturing into other interests while still ensuring his job got done.  It started with teaching a couple days at the local university, but then later moved into working remotely a couple days a week.  One of the keys to making the situation work for Joseph was that he outlined how he envisioned getting the job done with this employer, and did so in baby steps.  He did not attempt to go 100% remote all in one move.  It was a long and careful transition to get where he is today.

Doing Payroll From The Grand Canyon

As you’ll hear in the story, Joseph basically does the same typical accounting tasks that we all would normally do from the office, but he does them from his laptop in remote parts of the world.  This may mean while on a mission trip, or from the bottom floor of the Grand Canyon.  Sometimes (usually) it takes some flexibility and advanced planning to get the internet connection he needs, but that is just part of the advanced preparation.  Other than that, the work is pretty similar to any other accounting role.  One interesting fact that Joseph points out though is that it’s not 100% vacation like many people think it is.  When you are remote, you basically have to be plugged in all the time, so while you have location freedom, it’s that much more important for you to be accessible.  It’s something to think about if you decide to travel the world – that vital conference call could literally be in the middle of the night depending on your time zone.  Even such freedom has a few small trade-offs.

This was a wonderful interview with Joseph, and I appreciate that he made the time for it.  When you are 100% remote, practically everything is done through advanced scheduling, so for him to make the time for this interview truly was a gift to our listeners.

Other episodes you may enjoy:  Matt Malcolm, and John Garrett.

To listen in on this interview, please click the player below: