Adam operates his own CPA firm out of a trailer with his wife and works as a digital nomad. While he travels around the world, he provides accounting and tax services to small business owners, individuals, and other digital nomads. He specializes in helping others navigate the grey area that federal and state tax laws have for those that travel often.
“Different states have different rules on how they tax you. This leads to an absolute mess for the location independent individual or business. I step in and help folks interpret the laws of each state so that they can plan better.”
Taxfyle: How did you come up with the idea operating a mobile CPA firm?
Adam: I didn’t really come up with the idea. It purely has evolved. My wife and I saved up during our first five working years after college. Our goal was to travel around the world with no responsibilities, before we started the ultimate responsibility of raising a family. As we were preparing to leave, a buddy asked me to help him start a new business. I figured “why not?” and Nuventure CPA was born. As we traveled around the world, I was encouraged by tons of digital nomads operating their own business from anywhere. I wanted to try this too, so I committed myself to growing Nuventure CPA to help digital nomads and small business owners.
T: What are some of your favorite places to travel to?
A: Every place is different. We are currently in southern Vermont, and I really enjoy the unique village feel around the state. We lived in Thailand for three months and I really appreciated the digital nomad community that is a huge support network. Vietnam was incredibly special because it is so wild. Honestly, every place has it’s own unique touch to it.
T: How did you get interested in accounting and more specifically, in becoming a CPA?
A: I took accounting in high school, and became super interested in the idea of making the dollars I earned stretch further by just understanding how to track them properly. I feel the biggest catalyst to an individual or business’s financial woes are just not having an understanding of where your money is actually going. Accounting helps solve that mess by giving you clarity on where your dollars are being spent. When you know where your dollars are going, you can make steps of how to save them better or make other efficiencies. I got my CPA certification because it gives you street credit that you know what you’re doing about finances.
T: On your website, you state that federal and state laws regarding nomadic lifestyles are a bit of a grey area, could you elaborate a little more on that?
A: Different states have different rules on how they tax you. This leads to an absolute mess for the location independent individual or business. I step in and help folks interpret the laws of each state so that they can plan better. Federal rules need a lot of interpreting, because the nomadic lifestyle is such a fringe. I have to take laws that are typically created for the stationary individual and try to make sense of them for the nomadic person. It’s quite a challenge!
T: Since everything you do is digital, how do you build and maintain effective relationships with your clients?
A: I like to use casual language in my emails rather than using business language. like to help people out on a more personal level. I try to have a video call with my clients so they can see who I am and what I am about, and I try to maintain that video chat once or twice a year.
T: What are things your clients don’t know about you?
A: In the Spring of 2009, I biked across the country with a group called Bike and Build. We raised awareness for affordable housing. Also, my favorite snack is boiled peanuts.
Adam Nubern CPA, Digital Nomad, Explorer!
