Las Vegas Accounting Services - Accountant Firm

I want to take a minute to talk about Las Vegas accounting services that you receive from your CPA. Las Vegas CPAs often provide what we call "compliance services" such as: financial statements that are required for banks or other lending institutions, or tax returns which, of course, our government requires. But the accounting services that really mean the most to clients are those that aren't required, but that really add value to you and your life. Those services we call "value-added services".

And so when you're looking for a CPA and trying to decide how you're going to employ someone to do those things that have to be done (those compliance services) also find out from them if they have an interest in, or a history of, providing these "value-added services". These accounting services include: helping you plan for retirement, helping you look for ways out of your business, exit strategies, succession planning, those kinds of things, as well as how to take the money that you make in your business, in your life and retain it so that you can live the life that you like through your retirement years.

The important thing is to make sure that your accountant is offering you the services that are most important to you life. Keep this in mind the next time you meet with your CPA to discuss possible Las Vegas accounting services.

As a Las Vegas accountant, one of the things that I get asked a lot is, "What should you ask an accountant in Las Vegas if you are considering hiring one?". One of the most important things is there licensing (their credentials, exactly what they have other licenses in). You should contact their state board of CPAs and the American Institute of accountants to see whether or not there has been any disciplinary actions put against them, and also check out their licenses - they usually do have them posted in their offices.

One of the other things that you should ask a Las Vegas accountant about is their fees: how do they charge you, is it an hourly billing, is it a value billing, what exactly will they charge you for phone calls, what type of meetings can you have with them on a regular basis? You want to make sure that you understand that before you hire an accountant. Additionally, you want to ask them how you could reduce your fees. Do you charge me less or more if I bring in a box of receipts? Could I possibly do some of the work and keep my fees at a minimum? One of the last things that I would consider asking them is 'what their strategies are with their financial statements and their tax returns?'. Are they aggressive, or are they conservative? You want to hire someone who is exactly like yourself. If you're aggressive and you like to take an aggressive strategy on your tax return, you want to make sure that an accountant is willing to look at that without disobeying the laws.

I'm a partner at a Las Vegas CPA firm. Choosing a CPA can be a very complicated decision, however, there are some common factors that you should look at that all CPAs should have. One of those factors is: they should excel at working with people. Being a CPA is a "people profession". It's not just the numbers, you definitely have to be able to work with people; to be a good communicator and a good listener. A second thing a CPA firm should have is: they should be honest. They should be honest and have integrity well above and beyond what you expect. You should be able to be comfortable with the tax returns and financial statements that they're presenting, and that integrity is crucial.

They should also have a great network of other Las Vegas professions. You might need an estate plan or a will done; or maybe you need some investments. There should be some people they can refer you to in order to get your entire financial profile in order. They should be able to do what they say they're going to do. For instance: if they tell you they're going to return your phone call within 24 hours, they should return your phone call within that specified period of time. You want them to return your tax return within the specified time. Your fees should be exactly what you think they're going to be. Make sure they oblige by everything that they tell you. Those are some of the most important things that a Las Vegas CPA firm should have.