15-year-old becomes world’s youngest CPA

July 2, 2023

Jimmy Chilimigras_Bryan Kesler_screen capture from Kesler CPA Review video1

World’s youngest CPA Jimmy Chilimigras, left, with his mentor Bryan Kesler. (Screen capture from Kesler CPA Review video)

When I was 15, summer was a fun time.

No school. The public pool was open. And I was getting driving lessons in anticipation of my 16th birthday when I could get my license. Yes, I am that old.

James Chilimigras has other plans this summer.

Sure, Jimmy, as he’s known, is doing some fishing around his Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, home. But the 15-year-old is also getting ready to attend New Orleans’ Loyola University law school in neighboring Louisiana this fall.

Yep. Going to law school at age 15.

A love for learning taxes and more: But wait, there’s more to Chilimigras’ story.

After graduating from high school at age 12, he got a bachelor’s at 14, and earned a master’s degree in six months. Next in his educational sights was the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), where he obtained that exam’s highest score in 23 states.

And, oh year, he’s a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In fact, he’s believed to be the youngest person to ever pass the CPA Exam.

The accounting knowledge should come in handy the young man he works toward his ultimate goal, becoming a tax attorney. That professional track, Chilimigras told reporters, “marries my two interests of accounting and law.”

For all his accomplishments, and the youthful enthusiasm he brings to the tax world, Chilimigras’ tender age of 15 earns this weekend’s By the Numbers honor.

You can read more about Chilimigras and his educational accomplishments in stories from the Journal of Accountancy, Our Mississippi Home, and Kesler CPA Review. Kesler is Chilimigras’ mentor.

While those articles make it clear that Jimmy really enjoys learning, here’s wishing him a fun summer of more traditional recreation before law school classes commence. I suspect he’ll graduate sooner than his 2023 1L classmates.

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15-year-old becomes world’s youngest CPA

Bryan Kelser