The switch
Arrives planning to be an actuary; leaves in love with accounting. The numbers person finds his language.
About Mike
Thirty years in. Still picks up the phone.
Michael E. McCabe, CPA — Big 8 foundation, 11 years of Fortune 500 FP&A, senior finance across 500 stores — now fully devoted to Los Angeles business owners who need that depth and rarely get access to it.
Michael E. McCabe, CPAWest Hollywood · Los Angeles
The intro
Forty seconds, face to name.
The origin
Always a numbers person.
I’ve been a numbers person for as long as I can remember. I went to Fairfield University planning to be an actuary — and somewhere in sophomore year, accounting got me. Not the stereotype of it. The real thing: the way a set of numbers, read honestly, tells you exactly what a business is and what it could be.
That took me to Arthur Andersen — one of the top accounting firms in the world at the time — auditing manufacturing, retail, telecom, and financial services. The discipline and precision from those years shape everything I do today. Then eleven years at Colgate-Palmolive in financial planning & analysis, working directly with sales, operations, and strategy. Senior finance at Victoria’s Secret, overseeing 500 stores and $500M+ in revenue. Consulting for ADP, Sotheby’s, Scholastic, and Optum through MEMcCabe LLC, the firm I founded in 2002.
In 2023 I committed to this practice full-time, here in Los Angeles. Why? Because after decades inside big companies, I knew exactly who never gets that level of financial thinking: the business owner doing $250K, $500K, a million — working harder than any corporation and advised like an afterthought. Bringing the Fortune 500 lens to those owners isn’t a step down from corporate. It’s the point.
The 30-year balance sheet
Every line item, earned.
Swipe through the career that becomes your advantage.
Big 8 foundation
Audit across manufacturing, retail, telecom, and financial services — world-class discipline and precision, baked in early.
The FP&A decade
Financial planning & analysis beside sales, operations, and strategy. Where Mike learned to read numbers the way a CFO does.
Senior finance, at scale
500 stores. $500M+ in revenue. Retail complexity at a volume most CPAs never touch.
Out on his own
Founds the firm and consults for ADP, Sotheby’s, Scholastic, and Optum — two decades of corporate-grade problem-solving.
All in on owners
Fully committed to the private CPA practice in LA — bringing all of it to business owners who need it most.
Your business
The next line item on the 30-year balance sheet is the one you add. Fifteen minutes to find out.
Two columns, one person
Mike the accountant. Mike the man.
The accountant
Corporate-grade thinking, across the table
The training most CPAs simply don’t have — and you feel it in the work.
- Big 8 audit discipline: Arthur Andersen precision, applied to your books
- The FP&A mindset: reads your numbers like a CFO, tells you what he sees
- Coast to coast: New York’s velocity, LA’s creativity, 30+ years of both
- Diverse industries: consumer products, healthcare, entertainment, retail, professional services
The man
Genuinely personal.
Genuinely personal.
Genuinely responsive.
The relationship is the product. Everything else is a deliverable.
- You talk to Mike. No hand-offs, no junior staff, no voicemail black hole
- Same-day or next-day response — a standard, not a feature
- Proactive outreach: he calls you when something affects you
- World traveler, dog lover, community board member — a full life keeps an advisor sharp
Beyond the numbers
Travel keeps the advisor sharp.
Greece, Italy, the Caribbean — and the Serengeti before them. Next up: Amsterdam, Summer 2026. Different cultures, different systems — and an advisor who comes back more focused, empathetic, and adaptable.
Community & affiliations
LA isn’t just the market. It’s the neighborhood.
Belonging is credibility. Mike shows up for the communities that make LA’s business ecosystem work — and they know him by name.
The Strive CircleMember · curated LA business networking community
LA LGBT Chamber of CommerceMember
Pride Business LeadersMember · leadership group
Altadena GirlsBoard member · community involvement
= The bottom line
Let’s put a face to your finances.
Fifteen free minutes with Mike — the man and the accountant. See if it’s a fit; get a straight answer either way.
Step one
The Free Discovery Call
15 minutes. Your business, your questions, straight answers — and if it’s a fit, exactly what your first 90 days would look like.
= no cost · no obligation · no jargon
Prefer to write first?
Tell Mike what’s going on. He reads every message himself — same-day or next-day response.
Thanks— message received.
Mike reads these himself. Expect a same-day or next-day reply — that’s the standard, not a favor.
Rather talk it through? (310) 773-1964
About FAQ
The practical stuff.
Will I actually work with Mike — or get handed off?
You work directly with Mike. As the firm grows, that personal standard of access and communication doesn’t change — that’s a commitment, not a marketing line.
Do you work remotely?
Yes. Mike is based in West Hollywood and works with clients across Los Angeles, Southern California, and remotely — video calls, secure document sharing, and a phone that gets answered.
How fast does Mike respond?
Same-day or next-day. Responsiveness isn’t a feature of the service — it’s the baseline, year-round.
How often will we talk?
Quarterly at minimum — that’s the McCabe Method cadence — plus proactive outreach whenever a tax law change or planning opportunity affects you.