I became a Certified Public Accountant because I am passionate about helping people reach their financial goals. As you search for the right fit in an accountant, you will no doubt encounter professionals who have been CPAs all of their lives; that’s fairly typical. I have been practicing as a CPA for over fifteen years.

However, I also bring to the table a unique skill set acquired by working in non-accountant-type functions that allow me to see beyond the numbers. I served as a Chief Financial Officer of a management company, a private equity company, real estate development companies, commercial real estate properties and residential real estate properties. This experience permits me to see what potential investors look for in a company and determine cash flows. I’ve also been a banker, so I can see through the eyes of a lender.

As a Certified Public Accountant (including at a Big Four accounting firm), I bring a wealth of knowledge from practical experience as a financial advisor to families and businesses, a tax return preparer and reviewer, and a representative of the taxpayer before the IRS and other government agencies. I have also served as an officer or board member of three condominium associations, and as treasurer of the board for four not for profits and Chambers in my free time.

I received my CPA in 1990 after passing the examination on the first try. I also received a Masters of Science in Taxation degree from Northern Illinois University with a 4.0 out of 4.0 GPA. Nevertheless, my varied experience as a CPA advisor, board member service, and non-accountant positions within the financial world has helped me keep my feet on the ground, and not tied into theories that don’t make sense for my clients from an economic or cost benefit standpoint.

If you are interested, please see more about my past work experience, please go to LinkedIn.

My Firm’s Philosophy & Core Values

We understand our work is to meet YOUR needs, and we’ve revised the accounting firm model with one question always in mind: What do our clients value?

Availability

We believe responsiveness and availability to our clients is of the utmost importance, and we maintain a firm policy of returning calls and emails within 48 hours.

Confidentiality

We take every reasonable business precaution to protect your information including firewalls, anti-spyware and anti-spam software. Instead of emailing files, we have a secure encryption portal to send information (see the CLIENT ACCOUNTS tab above).

In those limited circumstances where a third party may be involved such as a cost segregation study, we will seek your permission.

Trust

We believe no commodity is more valuable than a client’s trust. We also recognize such trust must be earned, and is built over time. Through communication, under-promising and over-delivering, we hope to achieve your trust one step at a time.

We also understand that extension of trust does not end at our firm door. Ever heard a business person telling war stories and including the names of those people or businesses involved? We believe gossiping about clients not only is unprofessional, it is a violation of the trust you instill in our firm. Your financial information is personal, and will remain that way both on and off the clock.

Customization

We realize each client, family and company has a unique set of circumstances, and work within several accounting specialties to accommodate each client accordingly. Some of these include:

• Business owner advisory services
• Real estate owner advisory services
• Fiduciary accounting and compliance for trusts and estates
• Condominium associations
• Unmarried couple planning