Bradley Brennan, a Dearborn resident and 2010 graduate of the University of Michigan – Dearborn’s College of Business, is believed to be the youngest certified public accountant in Michigan. Brennan recently was notified he passed all four sections of the challenging Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, the first time he took them, at age 20 and seven months.

While the state and national boards of accountancy cannot verify Brennan’s claim because records are not kept regarding age and test accomplishment, Eli Broad, billionaire businessman and philanthropist, has long contended he was the youngest person to become a CPA in Michigan. The Broad Foundations verified Broad was 20 years and 11 months when he passed the exam in 1954.

The CPA Exam consists of four separate tests: auditing and attestiation; financial accounting and reporting; regulation and business environment and concepts. In 2009, just over eight percent of first time test candidates passed all four sections on the first try, according to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.

Brennan holds a double major in financial accounting and finance.

 

Photo by J. Patrick Pepper/Times-Herald Newspapers