Look Online, But Verify Their Credentials

Online search is the best place to begin looking. Since Google search shows your results based on your zip code, you'll get a long list of CPAs in your area. If you reside in a small town, you may have to tweak the search radius to get CPAs near you.

During your search, make sure that the CPA is actually certified. A certified CPA is one who's passed the test and is given a license by the state. Moreover, CPAs should also fulfil the requirement of continuing education so that they're abreast with local, federal, and state tax laws. If you need them to prepare your business's taxes, ensure that they've got a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number).

Connect with a Reliable Professional

If you want to excel at something, look for a successful person in the field and emulate what they do. You can use this principle to anything. Want a good body? Get in touch with a person who's got a good body and learn from them.

Similarly, in your case, you can look for successful small businesses and connect with entrepreneurs. LinkedIn is a great place to start. Send them a follow request and drop them a message to start a conversation. What you'll learn this way is firsthand experience, and that's priceless.

Ask those entrepreneurs about how they went about finding a CPA and what financial advice do they have for you. There's a possibility that they might link you to their CPA and make your search easy. Always network!

Have an In-Person Meeting

A CPA will handle your money. Therefore, it's vital that you meet them in person. As you've put a lot of time and effort into establishing your business, you need a CPA whom you can trust. And the feeling of trust and reliability will only come with an in-person meeting. If the candidate is flaky about the meeting, cut them out from the list and look for someone else.

The meeting is all about gut feeling. Follow it.

Get Certified Public Accountants in Austin, TX

If you are a small business struggling with tax compliance and other accounting issues, get in touch with us, at Harmon/Harmon. We’re one of the CPA firms specializing in real estate operating in Austin, TX, that works with small businesses to assist them with tax planning and compliance. Get in touch to get your small business off the ground.

No matter how stoic you are, divorce proceedings are difficult. The emotional tumult can disrupt many other aspects of our lives, such as work. The mental stress can cultivate bad habits. And the financial implications can ruin a person’s life.

For instance, a case taken to its legal conclusion, can cost a person almost $15,000. However, divorce is typically even more expensive since this figure doesn’t reflect the effects of post-divorce financial arrangements. While consulting a divorce attorney is crucial, you should also consult a CPA to untangle the confusion surrounding finances and divorces. Here are some of those entanglements.

Property

There is not a set method of dividing property after a divorce. The separated parties can reach a compromise or agreement on how to separate property, or the state can issue a court order detailing the arrangement. In some states, community property laws prevail. These laws state that regardless of who acquired an asset during a marriage, the asset is considered a joint marital asset. These assets are divided equally between both parties. Other methods for dividing property include bartering and distributing the proceeds from the sale of property.

Debt

Figuring out how to distribute debt is one of the more vexing financial entanglements of divorce. The first thing to do is request your credit report and check your individual and joint accounts and debts.

Moreover, to prevent the debt from growing, make sure you cancel any joint credit cards you have. With this done, you can figure out how to resolve the debts. Ideally, you should pay off all your debts immediately.

If that is not possible, you can reach an arrangement on how to divide the debt up, such as exchanging debt for more property.

Taxes

Despite not being an immediate concern, the tax implications of divorce can turn costly if ignored. For instance, some of the questions you will need to answer include:

· Who can claim a dependent on their tax returns?

· Who can claim the Head-of-Household status?

· How will you avoid child support being non-deductible?

A CPA (certified public accountant) can help you handle these issues, since tax law is complicated, changing, and interdependent with other laws. If you need a CPA firm that can assist you with divorce financial planning and tax planning and compliance, get in touch with us, at Harmon/Harmon. We offer divorce financial advisor Austin TX and forensic accountants in Austin, TX, and we’ll help ease the financial difficulties of divorce for you.