CAMP ACCOUNTANT HAS ARRIVED!!!

Note: Camp Accountant is postponed for now. The original planned weekend is two weeks after FinCon and the same weekend as the tax extension due date. A large number of accountants wanted to attend, but couldn’t due to the due date. There were also several complaints the event wasn’t in Wisconsin. Colorado is an awesome place, but a lot of bloggers promote Colorado; it was felt I should promote Wisconsin. We can satisfy all these issues by having Camp Accountant in West Bend, Wisconsin at the Cedar Valley Center & Spa the week following the Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp, a program I’ve been involved with in the past. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

The Event you have been waiting for your entire life had finally arrived! Camp Accountant is Here!

I don’t know about you, but I’m tingly all over. Camp Accountant is different from any camp you’ve attended in the FI community. All proceeds go to support the local Boys and Girls Club. In fact, all the registration money is collected by the Club. They pay for the cost of running the camp and put the rest to work serving the community. Everybody wins! Many of the venues are provided at low or no cost so more money ends up helping the Boys and Girls Club.

The first ever Camp Accountant is limited by the size of the venue so register early (details and links at the end of the post for registration and accommodations). First I need to share details. Read to the end for a special surprise!

Karen (she can share her full name if she wants) put this thing together. That means she did all the work. Please acknowledge her efforts. These things take time and cause stress so I am tremendously grateful for Karen’s efforts.

Karen and I have communicated during the planning process. She put together an information sheet so I’m going to cut and paste her words because she said it first and better:

 

Location – Salida Colorado — main location 419 D Street

 

Cost – $400 per person.

Participants – 30 people.

 

What this is all about –

 

Have a great time meeting like-minded folks, bike and hike around the Rocky Mountains in Colorado; learn cool stuff about accounting and how it supports our road to Financial Independence.

 

Keith from the Wealthy Accountant is hosting this event.

 

Lodging is not included in the event – it takes place in downtown Salida, Colorado.  Lots of camping and lodging nearby, all info provided upon registration. All lunches and most dinners are included in the cost of the ticket.

 

The camp will be a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County. This amazing program supports youth in a rural county in Colorado.

 

A bonus of supporting the Club is that Colorado residents attending the camp will receive a donation letter for $200 that will equal a $100 credit on their Colorado state taxes.

 

Boys and Girls Club

 

Salida, Colorado is a very economically diverse community. As a small town of 5,000 people, there is no other after school programs for working parents that are affordable, and no other enrichment programs for families of limited means.

 

This program supports our local youth in many ways. Kids are with staff for homework help. They join structured programs to follow interests as diverse as sewing to robotics, and have a chance to be physically active instead of home alone in front of a screen.

 

The Club needs its own building to guarantee its future, instead of renting space and moving every few years. The opportunity to get word out about supporting the Club through the Wealthy Accountant blog could help us get a building so that the youth served by this program will have a permanent home.

 

Link to the Club website – http://www.bgcchaffee.org/

If you want to donate – http://www.bgcchaffee.org/Donate (click green button to donate online)

This is what the FI community is all about. We share ideas to improve our own lives and pay it forward so the upcoming generation can enjoy the same.

Here are answers Karen provided to important questions:

 

FAQ’s

 

Can I come just for the day?

 

The space will only hold so many comfortably, so we will only have tickets for the whole event.

 

Where should I stay?

 

There is camping, Airbnb lodging, and a couple of B&B’s all near the site. Details of lodging and transportation will be sent upon registration. Most locations for lodging downtown are within walking distance of under a mile.

 

Is registration refundable?

 

No, but we will try to find a way to transfer tickets to people on a waitlist.

 

Who is hosting this event?

 

Keith from the Wealthy Account Blog is hosting the event.

Snap Pea (Karen), a longtime reader of the blogs and OG of the FIRE world, is helping coordinate all the logistics, and is crazy excited for the fundraiser for her local charity.

 

For profit event?

 

No. Information on the club is linked above.

 

Could I or Should I bring my rugrats?

 

While there is a lot to do in the area, the setup isn’t good for kids running around if the weather is bad. They would have more fun with a non-attending person around. If you do want to have kids and/or partners join for meals, please email for availability and rates to cover food costs.

If you have any additional question use the contact button on this blog. I’ll do my best to calm Karen down, ah, work with Karen to get you an answer.

Here is the planned itinerary.

 

Tentative Event Schedule

 

Thursday, October 11

 

5 PM

 

Intro: evening at the Salida Hostel.  Beer, wine and appetizers (enough for dinner) provided.

 

Friday October 12

 

9 AM: meet at 419 D Street for a bicycle ride or hike around the Salida area. There are mountain bike trails, road bike routes along low traffic county roads, and hiking trails all nearby.

This activity is dependent on weather – coffee and conversation at the site is the alternate plan.

 

Noon: Lunch at HQ

 

Intro talk by Keith, Q and A’s, etc. (I promise not to upset stomachs.)

 

4 or 5 PM: beer at the site or nearby park, happy hour, dinner on own downtown Salida.

 

Saturday, October 13

 

8:30 AM: Yoga with a volunteer leader – for those so inclined.

 

9:30 am: Event – talks, Q and A, discussion topics, power presentations, breakout discussions

 

Noon: lunch at site

 

1 PM: Event – talks, Q and A, discussion topics, power presentations, breakout discussions

 

5 PM: happy hour and BBQ. Volunteers from Chaffee Boys and Girls Club will be helping with the BBQ.

 

Sunday, October 14

 

10 AM: coffee and conversation, possible 5 min power talks, hanging out.

 

Noon: sandwiches and leftovers for lunch, organized event ends.

 

1 PM: Mountain bike rides and trip to local Hot Springs for those inclined. Car-pool organized by participants.

 

Afterparty –

 

The after-party will continue in Salida, Colorado –

 

Stay longer and come check out our volunteer coordinator’s business – www.salidainnandhostel.com The Inn is set up as a friendly and social place to continue the fun after the Camp.

Salida is near several hot springs, hiking and biking trails and just a cool little town.

I’m happy to do all the talking, but for this to work best we need participation from others. Taxes are always a hot topic, especially with the new tax law in effect. I’ll answer questions personally as well.

We also need volunteers to give short presentations. Topics should be of interest to the FI community. Those active in real estate should consider a short presentation on the real estate market, RE values around the country and rent rates. Frugal living and early retirement are always of interest. And don’t be afraid to step forward and share some travel tips. Just because a certain unnamed accountant prefers to avoid travel doesn’t mean other wealthy accountants feel the same way. (For the record your leader is a slightly nuts!)

Here is additional important information before I provide the registration links:

 

Lodging–

 

We recommend staying in the downtown area. Salida Inn and Hostel www.thesalidahostel.com the Palace Hotel https://www.salidapalacehotel.com/ and the Simple Lodge https://www.simplelodge.com/  are all within walking distance.  We also recommend Airbnb as many locations are within walking distance.

 

Camping/RVs – There is a lot of free camping just outside city limits on public land. There is also a nice private campground just on the outside of town, as well as a public pay campground called Salida East.

 

Transportation to Event

 

There is one bus a day to Salida — it leaves in the afternoon from downtown Denver, to get there from the airport you take light rail. It works best if your flight arrives quite a while before the bus leaves.

http://expressarrow.com/

 

Renting a car is highly recommended unless your flights really work out for the bus.

 

The Colorado Springs and Gunnison airports are much closer — you would need to rent a car from them.

 

I come from a small town so I’m excited about our venue. The boondocks are my home and anytime my tail is planted in the outback I’m a happy camper.

This is going to be such an incredible event. Registration is on Eventbright.

 

Register Here!

 

Now for the surprise! I’m donating all my time and all my travel and lodging expenses are coming out of my pocket so the Club gets more of the proceeds. Airfare between the Accountant farmstead and Denver is really, really cheap; like $100 or $150 per person. Buuuut, Mrs. Accountant and I are driving so we can spend more time checking out the sights along the way. And since I’m driving there is a strong possibility a case (or ten) of the world famous Spotted Cow beer only available in Wisconsin will be smuggled in the truck of a wayward accountant willing to share.

I’d say the first beer is on me, but we all know it’ll be more than one.

See you at Camp, kind readers. There will be loads of powerful information for you and a future for the kids. And that is what life is all about.