CPAGoldSF has become a recognizable figure around San Francisco, wearing dazzling gold costumes daily, before and after work as a Certified Public Accountant. When he’s not attending events like the Cherry Blossom Festival or neighborhood night markets, he’s seen around Union Square. This unique San Francisco character, who declined to provide his real name, believes in using his visibility to encourage others to pursue their dreams.

Many years ago, he graduated from a university in East Asia with a degree in accounting. He then immigrated to the United States and has lived in San Francisco ever since. Almost two years ago, he began to wear gold costumes just for fun and to make an online fantasy persona for his Instagram account, @cpagoldsf.

Golden Gate Xpress met CPAGoldSF at Union Square and spent a day with him to learn more about his mission and life as both an accountant and an eye-catching icon.

Q&A

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Why do you wear gold?

I wear gold to symbolize the journey it took to achieve my CPA license. The long hours, the sacrifices and the unwavering dedication. Gold, to me, represents excellence, the highest standard in accounting and a constant reminder of what I’ve accomplished and the level I strive to maintain. When I wear the color, it’s not just about what I’ve accomplished, but about inspiring others to chase their own dreams. I want people to see that with hard work, focus and belief in yourself, your goals aren’t just possible, they’re within reach.

What’s your message to accounting students?

To every student out there working toward their CPA, I want to say, keep going. The journey isn’t easy, and there will be times when you question if it’s worth it. But every late night, every setback and every sacrifice is building not just your knowledge, but your resilience. Earning your CPA is more than a credential; it’s a symbol of your discipline and your belief in your future. Hold on to your vision, trust the process, and remember: your dreams are valid and you are capable of achieving them.

Why did you become a CPA?

As a Certified Public Accountant, it shows clients that I have the highest skills in my profession. Accounting is the backbone of every business. If you study accounting, you can go into all aspects of business — strong job security, direct career paths. Accounting is in high demand.

How did this whole gold costume thing start?

It started with just a necklace and I wore a giant CPA medal. People started taking pictures because of my necklace and medal, so I decided to wear more.

How many gold costumes do you have?

Maybe five or six. I buy just a little by little when I see something interesting.

Are there challenges with maintaining a gold costume?

They’re disposable. If it’s dirty, I just throw it away and buy a new one. Like the shirts, I don’t wash — I just throw them away. They’re not expensive. I get everything from Amazon.

What’s your daily routine?

I work Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. When I wake up in the morning, I usually go to Starbucks and get my coffee. Then I come home and get ready for work. And I work until around 5 p.m. and go back home and watch videos, rest. And on the weekends, I dress up and I walk around. I go to street festivals and various events.

Do you come to Union Square every weekend?

Yes, because I live around here for Saturday and Sunday. Because I always pass by around here, many people think I dress up, come to Union Square every day, but I’m just on my way to work or on my way home or on my way to Starbucks. One Saturday, it was raining, so I went to get my lunch at the mall food court and a lady said to me, “It’s raining. How come you go to Union Square when nobody’s there?” She totally misunderstood me. No, I don’t go to Union Square — I live around here. That’s why I’m walking around.

What kinds of reactions do you get from people?

Many people totally ignore me. They don’t even look at me. They don’t say anything. Totally ignored. And some people say hi. Some people are so nice to me because I’m wearing an unusual costume. Kids wave to me. Many kids say hi to me, and also the kids’ parents say hi. Many people are nice to me when I wear this costume, but on the other hand, some people totally ignore me. And some people say, “You’re ridiculous.”

Some people think I’m asking for money. I don’t need any money. I’m not doing this for money. Sometimes, parents think I’m selling the gold bead necklaces, but I’m just giving them to kids as gifts. I don’t remember when I started to do it, but I thought I should pass something to kids.

What’s something important you want people to know about you?

I’m not promoting my business. Many people think I’m advertising my business. First of all, I don’t have my own business. I’m an employee, I work for somebody, so I don’t have to attract clients.

What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had while dressing up?

I met John Kerwin. You know, the TV host. I was supposed to go on his TV show. It was not on TV, instead it was for his internet — TikTok and Instagram. It’s not on TV, but it was a good experience. And it’s just like a talk show, you know? They had a desk, and I sat there, and he was asking questions.

Do you think accounting is a boring job?

Yes. It could be. Every day, we basically do the same things again and again. Like every year, tax season, and then June, July, August, September. September is when corporation taxes are due, second extension in October — personal income second extension. So basically, we do the same things tax-wise and also accounting. Even if you get a new client, what we’re doing is almost the same for the other clients.

What’s the most annoying part of your accounting work?

When clients don’t give us everything. For taxes, so many things are deductible. Property taxes, mortgage interest, — it depends on the client, but they don’t know what can be deducted. So, I always ask them, “How much did you pay property taxes? How much health insurance did you pay last year?” Most people don’t give us everything. And business clients also — they have bank statements, credit card statements, loan statements, whatever financial statements and they don’t give us everything. Every time I need to ask them, “You didn’t give us a credit card statement. Can I have it?”

What’s a tax tip everyone should know?

If you’re still under 24 and still in school, parents can deduct lots of things. So, kids shouldn’t file their own tax returns. This happened to my clients — like some college kids work during the summer or after school, and they get a W-2 form and they file their own. But actually, they shouldn’t do that. Parents can deduct their kids’ expenses a lot if they are still in school under 24. So I recommend if you’re still in school, you should talk to your parents. Don’t file your own taxes if you’re still in school and aged under 24.

What changes have you seen in San Francisco?

The biggest change, I guess COVID, and many stores were closed. It used to be so busy downtown — many stores, people walking around all the time. There’s less people downtown, less stores, businesses. That’s the biggest change, I think.

Any final thoughts?

I wanted to become a San Francisco icon to show our unique and awesome San Francisco community that people can accomplish their dreams, just like I did with my CPA journey.