Saturday, February 6, 2010
3 Questions Everyone Should Ask When Evaluating An Accounting Firm
Posted on 8:58 AM by programlover
3 Questions Everyone Should Ask When Evaluating An Accounting Firm by Elle Wood
in Accounting (submitted 2010-02-05)
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When looking at an accounting firm it's important to ask the right questions in order to ensure that your needs will be met. Not all firms are created equal, and they certainly don't behave the same. It's your money, make sure you are choosing people to handle that money that you know you can trust and will serve you and your needs as best as possible. Here are 3 questions everyone should ask when evaluating an accounting firm.
The first question is simple, do they care? A company that offers plenty of information, especially for free, is more interested in helping and serving than they are in profit. Now everyone needs to eat and keep a roof over their head so we can't fault any company for wanting to make a nice profit. However, we can fault them for not caring. Take the time to ask questions and see how they respond and how willing and eager they are to help before they take your money. If it's a website there should be tons of articles and information that will help you gain a better understanding of what you need to know about for your financial needs.
What is their mission statement and purpose? Do they live by what they claim to be about? Most importantly of all is whether or not you even know what their mission and purpose is. You don't have to memorize what the mission is of any given accounting firm, however, you do need to be able to see it, find it, and evaluate whether or not the organization and people within that organization are living by that moto and creed.
Finally on our list of questions for evaluating an accounting firm are the services they provide. Obviously taxes are one of the biggest reasons for choosing a company like this. They need to be able to help you get the biggest bang for every buck you spend in terms of a return and write offs at the end of the year, but that shouldn't be the only thing they do and offer. A good company is able to help you better invest every penny you make in ways that meet your overall needs and goals. Be willing to ask about the services an accounting firm offers and how they can help you every day of your life.
The first question is simple, do they care? A company that offers plenty of information, especially for free, is more interested in helping and serving than they are in profit. Now everyone needs to eat and keep a roof over their head so we can't fault any company for wanting to make a nice profit. However, we can fault them for not caring. Take the time to ask questions and see how they respond and how willing and eager they are to help before they take your money. If it's a website there should be tons of articles and information that will help you gain a better understanding of what you need to know about for your financial needs.
What is their mission statement and purpose? Do they live by what they claim to be about? Most importantly of all is whether or not you even know what their mission and purpose is. You don't have to memorize what the mission is of any given accounting firm, however, you do need to be able to see it, find it, and evaluate whether or not the organization and people within that organization are living by that moto and creed.
Finally on our list of questions for evaluating an accounting firm are the services they provide. Obviously taxes are one of the biggest reasons for choosing a company like this. They need to be able to help you get the biggest bang for every buck you spend in terms of a return and write offs at the end of the year, but that shouldn't be the only thing they do and offer. A good company is able to help you better invest every penny you make in ways that meet your overall needs and goals. Be willing to ask about the services an accounting firm offers and how they can help you every day of your life.
