If your organization is interested in this dynamic speaker, please contact our office as soon as possible. We are currently accepting engagements for 2008. Do you need a presentation made for you? Or, do you need to purchase a copy of one of Vicki's presentations? (Presentation on CD and the syllabi) for your own study or for continuing education within your office?

We are available to speak at your events. Please review our schedule below. If you wish to participate in one of the events, visit our Events Calendar in the Info Center for a detailed description of the times, locations, and event details.

Audit Services

Oh, no, they said the "A" word. Audit. Your heart rate increases a little just hearing the word, doesn’t it? And now, you’ve opened the mail and there it is-- The Internal Revenue Service, Federal Tax Board, EDD or Board of Equalization is requesting an audit. If we did your filings we will represent you at the audit, we stand behind our work one hundred percent. We will represent you at any and all audits or hearings required. It’s a part of our total commitment to our clients. “But you didn’t do the work”, you say. “A national chain does my taxes and now that it’s July, their office is closed.” “My bookkeeper did them, but she’s not comfortable with an audit.” Or even, “Uh, the guy who used to do my taxes is …um…doing two to five in a federal correctional institute.” No matter who prepared your paperwork, we can help you with an audit. Under federal law, only a CPA, an Attorney or an Enrolled Agent can represent a taxpayer to an IRS Collections Officer. And of the three, Enrolled Agents are the only tax professionals required by Federal Law to maintain their expertise through continuous professional education. You’re in good hands, Vicki not only attends classes, she teaches other professionals. (click here to read about Enrolled Agents and here to read about Vicki) We’ll review your filings to insure there are no obvious errors. We’ll talk with the agency ordering the audit to insure we have the necessary documentation. If we find errors or omissions we’ll take steps to correct them; filing amended returns, adjusting your record-keeping procedures or whatever we deem necessary to correct any problems we encounter. We’ll be ready to represent you at the audit. By the way, The IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 allows federally authorized practitioners a limited client privilege. This privilege allows confidentiality between the taxpayer and the Enrolled Agent under certain conditions. The privilege applies to situations where the taxpayer is being represented in cases involving audits and collection matters. Feel free to discuss the issue of privilege when you meet with Vicki. If you’ve received notice of an audit, don’t hesitate. Call our office and schedule an appointment.

Bookkeeping/Write-Up

We’re proud of our bookkeeping staff. We offer full service bookkeeping and payroll services. Whether it's for an individual or for a business, we’ll keep your books and prepare the necessary statements—accurately and professionally. Our financial statements are flawless. You’ll find them complete, concise and of a quality consistent with or more likely, higher than, industry standards. We leave no gray areas. Our statements can, without question, be used in any appropriate manner, be it submitting them to various government agencies, tax specialists or banking institutions. Our clients can rely on our expertise. Every member of our staff has been trained both here in the office and at professional seminars and meetings to keep up with the ever-changing world of tax and finance. We read the journals as well as the updates from the various state and federal agencies. Keeping current is just one of our many ways of better serving our clients. We are also proud of our state-of-the-art computer system and the skill each staff member has in utilizing them. Computer programs are only as good as the skills of those using them and it is a matter of pride with us to insure every staff member is computer literate. Our clients come to us for payroll because of the personal service, attention to detail, and lack of government notices. If you are in need of Bookkeeping and/or Payroll services, call us. We’ll be delighted to discuss it with you. We have many clients also come to us with those Quicken, Great Plains, Peachtree, and other accounting program reports that don't seem to be working right, or well enough for them. Please call us now to set a time that we may go over them with you.

Business Entity Selection

Choosing the form of entity of your business (e.g. "S" corporation, sole proprietor, limited liability company…) is a crucial decision that can have longstanding tax implications, positive or negative. We can assist you in evaluating the pros and cons of each entity type to help you determine the most advantageous form of business for your company.

Consulting Services

We gauge our worth by the personal and business successes of our clients. We can help your business identify areas negatively affecting profitability and growth and develop solutions that are practical and technically sound. In addition to acting as a sounding board for management, we provide comprehensive, flexible strategies that address the issues affecting your business. The following is just a few of the areas in which we provide consulting services: *Accounting software selection and implementation *Type of entity selection *Business valuations *Buying/selling a business *Computer systems *Financial & retirement decisions *Estate, trust & gift planning

Estate & Trust Tax Preparation

Effective estate and gift planning facilitates the orderly transfer of assets to your beneficiaries, provides security for your surviving spouse, and can reduce or eliminate the tax due on the transfer of your business and other assets. For business owners, providing for business continuity and succession of ownership is essential. We can guide you through the complex process of getting your financial affairs in order.

Enrolled Agent - IRS Representation

The Enrolled Agent profession dates back to 1884.  Because of many questionable claims for Civil War losses, Congress acted to regulate who could represent citizens in their dealings with the Treasury Department.  ”Enrolled” means licensed by the Federal Government. “Agent” means authorized to appear in place of the taxpayer before the IRS. EAs are advocates for the taxpayer, not the government.     Enrolled Agents are the only taxpayer representatives who receive their right to practice from the United States government,  CPAs and attorneys are licensed by the individual states.  Unlike CPAs and attorneys who may not specialize in taxation, EAs are required to demonstrate to the IRS their competence in matters of taxation and are considered The tax professionals.  In the entire United States there are fewer than 40,000 Enrolled Agents.  The title is not bestowed upon an individual, it is earned.  The field can only be entered in two ways: One, by taking a rigorous two-day exam administered by the IRS covering taxation of individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates, procedures and ethics. The test is given once a year, traditionally, only 1/3 of those who take the exam pass.  Those who pass this exam are then subject to a rigorous background examination, once that is passed; the individual is licensed as an Enrolled Agent. The second method is open to those who were employed by the IRS for five or more years who as a regular part of their job applied and interpreted provisions of the IRS code and regulations.  Enrolled agents, unlike CPAs and attorneys, are required by the Federal Government to complete a minimum of 72 hours of continuing profession education and to report it every three years to the IRS.  Members of the National Association of Enrolled Agents are further required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education each year.  Vicki not only attends, she is often the Instructor. Click here to read about her presentations. Finding an Enrolled Agent is as close as your telephone, mailbox or computer.  You can log onto www.naea.org. , click on “Find a Tax Advisor”, you can then search by state and zip code.  You can call the NAEA at 800-424-4339 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or you can write the NAEA at 200 Orchard Ridge Dr, Suite 302, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. For those of you in CA, you can contact the California Society of Enrolled Agents at www.csea.org., and click on “Find an Enrolled Agent”.  You can call toll free at 800-TAX-PRO5 or write  the CSEA at 3200 Ramos Circle, Sacramento, CA  95827 And/or you can call us!

Financial Planning

Financial Planners deal with one of the most important and personal aspects of people’s lives: their finances.  Trust must be at the heart of the relationship.  You must trust their competence, their integrity, and their objectivity.  You must trust that the planner will act first and foremost in your best interest.  Not everyone who uses the title Financial Planner is a Certified Financial Planner.  Only those who are licensed by The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. can use the title.  Members are required to maintain high standards of ethical professional conduct and competency.  A Certified Financial Planner must:  Disclose their professional background, including education, employment history, philosophy of service and their area of expertise. Disclose, in writing, any conflicts of interest that might effect the professional relationship or compromise the planners independence or objectivity Disclose sources and methods of compensation such as fees or commissions Never mix a client account with the planner’s personal or company account. Always recommend services needed and appropriate for the client, not for the benefit of the planner Stay abreast of all developments in the financial planning field through continuing education Never disclose confidential information about the client without their explicit consent unless in response to legal proceedings Provide advice only in the areas of their expertise Obey all laws and rules of all other applicable authorities Adequately investigate services and products before recommending them to the client How does one become a Certified Financial Planner?  They must complete a financial planning education at a college or university with a financial planning Curriculum.  (Vicki received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College in Camden, NJ)  They must pass a rigorous examination testing their knowledge of the various components of financial planning. They must provide evidence of work experience in the financial planning related positions.  They must disclose any prior disciplinary actions taken by any other regulatory agencies.  Finally, they must sign an affidavit stating they understand and agree to adhere to the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.  Only then can they use the title and the CFP mark.  To contact the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc, you can write them at 1660 Lincoln St, Suite 3050, Denver, CO 80264, call them at 303-830-543 or fax them at 303-860-7388.

Notary Public

Bring us your important documents for notarization.

Sales Tax Services

Many of our clients are responsible for collecting and submitting sales taxes in many different vicinities. We can assist your company in the compilation of information and preparation of sales tax returns in an efficient and timely manner.

Tax Planning & Preparation

Taxes.  They’re inevitable and unavoidable.  We can, however, plan for them, and we must file them; it’s part of the cost of living in modern society, and planning is an important way to decrease tax liability  Tax season is a busy time around American Financial and Tax.  The office becomes a maelstrom of activity; with days regularly becoming longer and longer as the April 15th deadline approaches and weekends become nonexistent.  We are dedicated to being here at times convenient to our clients and to providing the best tax preparation services available.  In California, over two million tax returns are prepared each year by Enrolled Agents.  Considering there are only 4000 EAs in the state, that’s an average of 500 returns per EA.  Most people receive their tax documents toward the end of January, effectively we have 75 days (allowing NO time off) to complete those 500 returns.  Factor in the intricacies of many returns and the fact that each return involves not only federal but state or multiple state returns and you begin to understand the complexities of meeting the deadline.   And remember, we have many out-of-state clients as well! Do I really need an Enrolled Agent?  Absolutely.  Enrolled agents are the only tax professionals who specialize in tax matters.  They are the only tax professionals who are required by federal law to maintain a stringent annual schedule of professional education in the field of taxation.  With tax regulations becoming more convoluted and confusing each time the government announces another “simplification” coupled with the enormous changes in tax laws and differences between state and federal requirements, can you afford not to use the services of an Enrolled Agent?  Whether you need to file as a partnership, a corporation (including S-Corps) or an individual return, we can handle it.  Because of our dedication to staying up-to-date on tax related matters, you can be sure you will get the benefit of every tax reduction, deduction or credit available under the law.  We are proud of our quality assurance procedures-every page of every return is checked and double-checked to insure for accuracy.  Our expertise applies to individual returns of only a few pages as well as enormously complicated corporate returns. Remember, We SpEAk Tax!  No matter how far we expand our days and hours of operation, every year we are forced to refer filers to other professionals; all too often those who could benefit from our experience and expertise wait too long to schedule an appointment. As with all other financial matters, planning is the key.  Call our office now to schedule your tax preparation appointment!  Also, start now organizing your files-- after all, we can only work with the information you provide.  In addition to the W-2's and 1099's you receive in the mail each year, there are a host of other documents that can benefit you.  Call our office, we’ll be more than happy to schedule an appointment and/or advise you of the needed and necessary paperwork. If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then a few minutes a week spent on tax paperwork preparations could be worth a great deal of tax savings to you!  Let us reassure you, we stand behind every return we prepare.  Should you ever receive notice of an audit/inquiry involving any item we prepared, we stand ready to represent you before the IRS, EDD, BOE or FTB. Our office is a full-service office; we are open twelve months a year, year after year.  We stand behind our work 100%, period.  And remember, Enrolled Agents are the only tax professionals licensed by the Department of Treasury to represent individual taxpayers before the IRS. Depending on availability of time, we usually offer a 30 minute free consultation.  You can get a lot of answers in 30 minutes!  Call our office, schedule your tax planning or tax preparation appointment today. Tax planning and preparation form a winning combination for our successful individual and business clients. Whether you are an individual or a multi-tiered partnership, our experienced staff can develop tax strategies that take advantage of new tax laws and legislation.