[Hidden-tech] Recommend an accountant?

[Wendy Marsden]

Joshua Mintzer wrote:

>  Lynn et al,
>
> I realize Holyoke isn't Northampton, but it's close enough I felt I 
> should pipe up. We went through several accountants, most in the 
> Northampton area who will remain nameless, who overcharged, and were 
> incompetant to the point of dangerousness.
>
> I really like our current accountant, David Temkin, who owns D&P 
> Business Services. He does good work, he is very meticulous and 
> detail/task focused (I see him putting in 80-100 hour workweeks during 
> tax season it seems.) and is surprisingly inexpensive for the quality 
> of work he does. He's at 256 Maple Street in Holyoke, and his number 
> is 552-0887. Please let him know I sent you if you call him.


A "good accountant" is like asking for a "good teacher".  It's got to be 
someone who works well with your style.  I have clients that I find very 
difficult to work with and their bill is always higher and usually it's 
a worse product, too.  The people who love me really love me, and the 
ones who don't, well, it's usually mutual.

Everyone will recommend their own accountant because, like a doctor, you 
have a stake in believing you've found the best.  A better idea is to 
check credentials.  For a sole proprietorship an EA (Enrolled Agent) is 
often a better option than a CPA: a CPA doesn't necessarily have  a 
specialty in taxes, and if they do it might be corporate versus sole 
proprietorships.  I'd stay away from the kitchen-table moonlighters: 
they're cheap but quickly get in over their heads, especially with 
things like home businesses.  You can look for EAs at either 
www.NAEA.org or http://www.natptax.com/.

Ask how they charge.  I charge by time plus a forms charge and/or 
e-filing fee.  The places that just charge by the form have to 
overcharge quite a lot because they never know when a Schedule D is 
going to require 8 hours of basis research versus being handed a 
schedule from A.G. Edwards to type in.  A client with a shoebox of 
receipts they try to add up in front of me is going to be charged an arm 
and a leg by my time basis, but I quickly get them trained (or send them 
home to try again.)

Ask how they work.  Do you mail in your stuff and never speak to them?  
Do they do an interview and spend an hour or so with you trying to nail 
down numbers?  Do they use email?  What works with your style?   During 
tax season I'm nearly impossible to get on the phone between 8 AM and 9 
PM as I'm with clients nearly the entire time, often with people backed 
up waiting for their appointment.  I can return email before work, after 
work, or in the stolen moments between clients (and you'll never know 
that it took me 5 minutes to finish a single sentence.  This email has 
been interrupted by three phone calls so far.) 

A good accountant is going to be busy.  I keep getting calls from people 
complaining that their tax accountant is too busy to see them.  Um, 
yeah, and what does that tell you?  We sell time.  I make most of my 
money in just ten weeks of the year.  I make an effort to get all my 
prior year clients scheduled, but I will fill up every available 
appointment slot so at some point I've got to accept new clients if 
people don't appear to be coming back. 

And that's the last issue: don't assume everyone is accepting new 
clients.  I'm only accepting new clients if they come with a good 
referral AND work in a business I'm most comfortable with AND I like the 
sound of them on the phone.  Otherwise I'm closed to new clients.  I can 
only handle about 350 people and it does a disservice to everyone - my 
350 clients, me, my family - if I take more than that. 

Wendy Marsden, CPA, EA
Tea & Taxes