Before I say anything else, I want to clarify that I’m not advocating cheating or cutting corners, but I’ve found in my own experience that the difference between a good accountant and a bad one can cost you thousands of dollars. A good accountant recognizes all the costs of running a business, offers tips for good investments (in turn, reducing taxes), and offers advice on how best to grow your personal wealth. Bad accountants miss out on all those things and simply give you a large bill due every year — trust me, I’ve dealt with it.

Taxes are a necessary evil in the course of life, but core to doing business or growing your personal wealth. Rather than dealing with all the good and bad advice on the internet, having an accountant handle the complicated state of my finances reduces the stress I get from doing my own taxes each year and wondering if I did anything wrong. Leave it to the pros so you can focus on the thing you do uniquely well — but, finding a great accountant isn’t easy and after going through half a dozen myself, I’ve got some tips for finding the right one.

What’s the point of having an accountant, can’t I just use software and advice from the internet?

After doing my own taxes through college, I’ve realized that most of the off-the-shelf software out there will get you pretty good results. In fact, most average accountants won’t do much better than the software you’re probably using — if you’re happy doing your own taxes and can take the time to research the latest tax laws, you’re a better person than I. Good luck to you. Keep Reading