What kind of services do you provide?
Our
role is to assist and support our clients' success. This means we provide you with the resources and services that
you cannot or do not wish to provide for yourself. We will teach you
how to do tasks and operations or we will perform them if you do not
have the staff to do it in-house. We want to be part of your
team, and make a contribution to your goal to be successful.
To be specific, our services include (but are not limited to) the following:
1. General business advice involving the successful conduct of business, including such topics as evaluation of business results, planning, tax reduction strategy, pricing strategies, and cost reduction.
2. Preparation of business and personal income tax returns, employment tax returns, and personal property tax returns.
3. Preparation of financial statements or internal and external use.
4. Payroll processing.
5. Bookkeeping.
6. Processing accounts payable (bill paying) for clients.
7. Analysis of your company's possible exposure to taxation in other states.
We have extensive experience in the construction, manufacturing, and automotive retail and repair industries. We also have broad experience in dealing with not-for-profit organizations.
We are also qualified to provide audits of financial statements for both profit and not-for-profit organizations. A copy of our latest peer review qualification is available upon request.
How do you charge fees?
Every
individual in the firm has a billing rate based on their education and
skills. Each task, project, or service may require one or several members of our staff, including review by a senior professional. The sum of these inputs and a review for value to
the client is the basis for determining the bill. We request that payment for our services be made
upon completion of the services.
Often, clients wish to be able to predict the amount of the fees that they pay us for budgeting purposes. We offer billing plans that allow our clients to pay us a fixed monthly amount, depending on the package of services that we provide. Periodically, the fixed monthly rate is adjusted for any change in circumstances, such as additional time required beyond what was originally estimated.
What is "personal financial planning"?
Our
service can either be an overall look at your goals, assets,
liabilities, income and development of strategies and tactics or we can
address a specific goal such as retirement, college funding or cash
flow and debt management. We do not sell any products and will work
with your investment, insurance and banking advisors or refer you to
advisors if you do not have a working relationship with anyone.
The
basic input for this service is development of an accurate personal
balance sheet and commitment to the achievement of goals.
How can you help with my estate?
Pre
death: We can assist in organizing your estate to accomplish your
wishes while minimizing taxes. This process requires an accurate
assessment of your assets and a projection of the future as well as a
clear articulation of your wishes. Strategies can then be developed
through gifting, the use of trusts, family partnerships and other
timely and appropriate transfers of assets. We will work with your
attorney in the drafting of your documents.
Post
death: We can assist your executor or trustee in the identification and
valuation of assets. The organizing and maintaining of records during
the period of administration is another important task we can do. Or,
we can assist your executor in setting up a system. We can also provide
the summary financial information for the court to close the estate. We
prepare the Form 706 Federal Estate Tax Return (not required for deaths in 2010) , the Form IH 6 Indiana
Inheritance Tax Return, as well as the 1041 and IT-41 Federal and State
Income tax returns. We will also prepare returns for out-of-state
residents or where there is an ancillary estate requiring returns.
I am a new tax client, what do I need to bring?
• A copy of your two or three prior years' tax returns.
• A copy of any carry forward schedule, the most common of which are:
• Depreciation schedules
• Amortization schedules
• Suspended loss carryovers
• The originals of W-2's, 1099's, K-1's etc. that are input documents for this years return. These will all be returned to you.
• Birth dates and social security numbers for you, your spouse and all dependents.
• A list of any questions you might have.
Do you offer e-file services for individual and business income tax returns?
Yes, we do. Due to the size of our business, we are required to e-file all individual tax returns. Increasingly, business tax returns are often electronically filed, as well.
How long does it take to get the work done?
Our
internal standard for turnaround is two weeks for a personal return and
three weeks for a business return. Our ability to maintain this
standard is dependent on two things we cannot control. The first is
your complete answers to our questions so we can finish the return. The
second situation that we cannot control is when clients bring the work
in. Certain times of the season are more hectic than others.
Why should you take care of my payroll operation?
The primary reasons businesses use our payroll services include:
• You don't want to keep up with the changing payroll tax laws.
• It is a job that must be done on a timely basis and your staff cannot ensure it will get done in a timely manner.
• You have a need to keep payroll information confidential.
• It is a job a small business owner can outsource easily and still maintain control.
• It is cost-effective.
• We can provide services such as direct deposit that are too expensive for you to provide by yourself.
• You won't be inconvenienced by your payroll clerk's vacations or sick days.
We also provide a unique payroll service to the elderly who have in-home nursing care.
Can you help me with my accounting software?
Our
firm is registered as a Quickbooks Pro Advisor. We can assist you in all aspects of setting up,
designing the system, developing reports and maintaining data
integrity. In addition, we will work with you to ensure the quality of
the information going into the system as well as reports coming out of
the system.
We are knowledgeable in many other brands of software, including Peachtree, and all aspects of information systems.
We are a startup company. What can you do for me?
Again, our role is to teach you, or perform for you, the typical activities of a startup business. These include:
• Assisting with the business plan.
• Preparing financial projections for loan applications.
• Applying to governmental agencies for identification numbers and registrations.
• Choosing appropriate accounting software and teaching you how to run it.
• Designing your chart of accounts and reporting system.
•
Being a resource for answers to many questions regarding Wage and Hour
Laws, personnel policies, office operations, employee benefits, etc.
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