Your Perfect Match
Recently I went on a blind date. My matchmaker gave me the important stats: 5’11, blue eyes, CPA, successful, intelligent, and lives within a 20 mile radius. Per her, “we were a perfect match.” So when I arrived at the café and this bald, heavy set, blue eyed man got up from the table, hand outstretched (I was still a few feet away) and introduced himself I thought to myself, “really, were a perfect match?” How about you, are you and your tax preparer a perfect match?
There are basic qualifications that you should look for when selecting a tax preparer, for example are they licensed? Is their license in good standing? How long have they been in business? But are the basics enough for you to know that you two are a match?
My blind date was extremely intelligent. We sat through lunch chatting about accounting, politics, the current health care system and hypnotherapy. He definitely met my “basic qualifications” of being intelligent but was that enough? As soon as we starting talking about the things we enjoy doing we were definitely different. He is in a murder mystery book club and I take boxing lessons with my daughter.
The basics are a good tool to search for your ideal match, but there is so much more you should be looking for when choosing your tax preparer. Do they understand your type of business, profession, or industry? Are they conservative? Do they push the envelope? What sets them apart from their competition? And most importantly, how will they take care of you? Are you just another client with tax forms? Are they always looking for ways to help save you money on taxes? Are they ASKING you the questions?
Just as you set high standards in your personal life, it is OK to have high standards when choosing your tax preparer. You share an intimate relationship with your preparer. You bare all. If they meet your “basic qualifications” and nothing else would you feel comfortable putting it all out there?
After all of that I ask, are you and your tax preparer a perfect match?
