We are joined by the UK’s most qualified tax advisor, Rowan Morrow-McDade.
In this episode of Career Goals, Rowan Morrow-McDade takes us through his unique career journey as he shares his views on current financial trends, studying with Kaplan while working at one of the Big Four, deciding to move to a smaller firm, and his passion for tax.
Key topics discussed
How Rowan became the most qualified tax advisor
Kickstarting the conversation, Kelsey asks Rowan how he became the UK’s most qualified tax advisor.
Rowan talks about his eight accounting, finance, and tax qualifications while providing additional study tips that he follows such as voice recording his notes. In addition to this, Rowan explains how he enjoys studying and is determined to keep pushing himself.
“If I’ve got free time, why not spend it doing something productive.”
Studying with Kaplan
Rowan shares his experience studying with us at Kaplan, explaining how he frequently benefitted from the useful academic support team for guidance and advice before exams.
Kelsey asks Rowan what he enjoys so much about studying, leading him to explain how he enjoys pushing himself and being productive in his spare time. To Kelsey’s surprise, Rowan reveals that he once failed an exam due to a lack of preparation. However, this experience taught him a valuable lesson, and he’s never failed another exam.
Looking back on his own experience, Rowan suggests that if you can make short-term sacrifices like your social life, then it’s worth it long-term. But to balance his studying, work, and personal life, Rowan would aim to listen to his pre-recorded notes while driving, which helped him fit in extra study time during his commute.
Word association
Kelsey engages Rowan in a quick word-association game, listing words like tax, exams, finance, fear, and career, and asking him to share the first thing that comes to mind.
His optimistic outlook on life and appreciation for professional development are represented through statements such as your career being “a marathon, not a sprint.”
We also begin to understand Rowan’s competitive side, as he associates ‘fear’ with ‘failure.’ He states that he saw both of his parents as successful and wanted to achieve a similar level of success while ensuring that he didn’t fall behind his siblings.
Why a career in tax
If anyone is qualified to talk about ‘what’s so good about tax,’ it’s Rowan. He explains his role in simple terms, describing how he helps tax-payers work out how much they need to pay and if there are any legal ways to reduce their payments.
The conversation takes a deeper dive into Rowan’s experience and how he established that tax was the right area for him.
Dream commute
Commuting is a reality for many, but we asked Rowan to imagine his dream commute with no limitations. Rowan's witty response involves a hopefully future girlfriend and a short walk in the sun with a true crime podcast on.
Investing and cryptocurrencies
The discussion shifts as Kelsey asks Rowan if he does any investing, leading to his views on the rise of cryptocurrencies, new trends, and how some of his investments were unsuccessful.
The conversation touches on Rowan’s experience in crypto-tax, as well as his predictions regarding decentralised finance (DeFi) and how this will have a significant impact on society and how people borrow and pay debts. He also emphasises the considerable risks relating to this.
Big decisions: loan charge tax
When asked if he could go back and change any financial decisions that were not his own, Rowan talks about a controversial tax issue that caused significant disruption and affected many lives unexpectedly. His passion is further reflected in how he spoke about the issue at parliament.
Smaller firms or the Big Four
Rowan once worked at one of the Big Four but opted to move to a smaller firm. He highlights some of the key differences that he notices between the two, which include some positives of the Big Four, and some factors that he didn’t value as much.
The conversation moves onto the topic of work culture, Rowan describes his firm as being more collaborative, honest, and less competitive than bigger firms.
Rank these
Kelsey and Rowan play a game of ‘rank these,’ where she challenges Rowan to rank various career and tax-related scenarios, such as ‘apprenticeships,’ ‘university,’ or ‘online study,’ from most preferred to least.
The game leads to further insight into the qualities and personalities that can help to make a good finance professional. For example, Rowan prioritises social interaction as it’s suggestive that someone sociable will be a better communicator and, as a result, develop meaningful relationships with clients.
“Knowledge is the most important as no one can take that away from you.”
Final thoughts
Kelsey asks Rowan the closing question: what does ‘career goals’ mean to you?
Feeling inspired?
If you’re interested in starting a career in tax, browse through our qualifications or contact the team to find out more.