Accountants are way more than the people who help us reduce our taxes. You want to be proactive, really, if you want to gain substantial benefit from working with an accountant.
Your Accountant - Your Best Friend and Then Some
We believe there are two kinds of accountants out there. The first is a reactive accountant, one that waits for you to send in your financial information and then prepares your taxes. The second asks you to come in and fill in annoying questionnaires about your life and so on. Believe it, this is THE accountant you want.
Don't settle on the first Joe Accountant you run into - look for a proactive accountant. A proactive accountant recognizes that the best way to cut tax bills is to plan ahead. They do not want to see you in April when it is time to prepare last years taxes. They want you in their office as early as January, where they can counsel you on different financial matters, including your future plans and how you see things for the year.
Don't be deceived by their appearance and their capabilities - accountants are human beings just like all of us. You must help yourself before they help you, and that means coming up with a game plan of your own for your taxes. Accountants are not culpable if they give you advice you do not follow - you are! To benefit from an accountant like you should, you should do your part of the bargain. By not procrastinating, you can stand to save up to tens of thousands of dollars, now isn't that neat or what?
But that doesn't really answer the questions of how and where to find a proactive accountant. You can search for one online or ask your friends and family's recommendations. However, the real clincher is the meet-up - it's one thing saying you're proactive and another thing to actually be proactive. Once you meet up with that accountant, ask him or her all sorts of questions, especially those regarding your taxes. If they make no mention of a review of your finances for the purpose of making recommendations, it is time to move to the next one.
There are two things, really, when it comes to benefiting from your tax professional. First, find a proactive one. Second, you must listen when they adjure you on financial matters.
Your Accountant - Your Best Friend and Then Some
We believe there are two kinds of accountants out there. The first is a reactive accountant, one that waits for you to send in your financial information and then prepares your taxes. The second asks you to come in and fill in annoying questionnaires about your life and so on. Believe it, this is THE accountant you want.
Don't settle on the first Joe Accountant you run into - look for a proactive accountant. A proactive accountant recognizes that the best way to cut tax bills is to plan ahead. They do not want to see you in April when it is time to prepare last years taxes. They want you in their office as early as January, where they can counsel you on different financial matters, including your future plans and how you see things for the year.
Don't be deceived by their appearance and their capabilities - accountants are human beings just like all of us. You must help yourself before they help you, and that means coming up with a game plan of your own for your taxes. Accountants are not culpable if they give you advice you do not follow - you are! To benefit from an accountant like you should, you should do your part of the bargain. By not procrastinating, you can stand to save up to tens of thousands of dollars, now isn't that neat or what?
But that doesn't really answer the questions of how and where to find a proactive accountant. You can search for one online or ask your friends and family's recommendations. However, the real clincher is the meet-up - it's one thing saying you're proactive and another thing to actually be proactive. Once you meet up with that accountant, ask him or her all sorts of questions, especially those regarding your taxes. If they make no mention of a review of your finances for the purpose of making recommendations, it is time to move to the next one.
There are two things, really, when it comes to benefiting from your tax professional. First, find a proactive one. Second, you must listen when they adjure you on financial matters.
