The following are the most asked questions I receive concerning my Consulting Services. Please read prior to contacting me.

How can I contact you?
If you do not already have my personal contact information such as a phone number, the only way to reach me is by email. Once we establish a professional relationship I can provide you with my 24 hour support cell phone number.

What is an independent contractor?
It's a person or other entity rendering services who is not your employee. As a general rule, an independent contractor receives an IRS Form 1099-MISC at the end of the year. An employee receives IRS Form W-2.

Will you do work as a 1099 or W2 Employee?
I am available for jobs on a 1099 basis as an independent contractor. Depending on the situation and job I will not rule out a W2 opportunity, though I prefer 1099 status.

Do you provide these services at our place of business?
Typically we perform the work at Accounting Group's office. Our clients can email, fax, express delivery or phone us the information and we respond promptly. With the Internet and reporting options via email or web pages, we are able to provide the same quality of service as if we were next door.

How much do your services cost?
Initially for new customers, we quote an hourly rate.

• $40 / hour : Day-to-day bookkeeping of accounts payable, cash receipts, bank reconciliations, report generation, and all other routine accounting functions.
• $60 / hour : Financial design and presentation, software installations, data conversions, computer consulting, training, and other non-routine items. Typically, work that you require to be performed at your businesses location will be charged at this higher rate.

Federal, State, Individual and Small Business Income Tax Returns are charged on a return basis depending on how much time is necessary to complete the tax return. All of our fees are negotiable in order to accommodate the needs of small and start-up businesses!

Do you perform work based on a fixed cost contract?
Yes, we would be happy to quote you a fixed price. After the initial month we will have a very good idea of the amount of work required to complete your businesses accounting tasks on a monthly basis. At that time, should you be satisfied with our work, we can arrange a fixed cost for all our services so that you can more easily manage your business expenses. This is the preferred arrangement with most of our clients. With a fixed price agreement, you can call us any time with questions regarding your account with the knowledge that you will not be charging extra for, reasonable, additional requests.

What accounting software do you use?
We have worked with a variety of accounting software packages.  The majority of our clients are setup on Peachtree or QuickBooks.  However, we have experience with several additional packages and we can accommodate your company's needs based on a wide range of software accounting options. 

Where are you located?
I am an American citizen, living in Bellevue, WA, a suburb near Seattle, WA, United States of America.

Are you available for travel assignments?
Yes, I am willing and able on a part time basis as the project requires. Though I will not commit to a full time travel or a re-location position. Performing work remotely and meeting with the client on a part time basis has not been a problem in the past. Obviously jobs close to Seattle, WA will make frequent client visits much easier.

Do you perform audits of financial statements?  
No, I am strictly an accounting, bookkeeping and consulting individual.  Obviously, I will work closely with auditors to minimize your costs.

Will you work for another consulting company?
Yes. However, I will not be taken advantage of and will need assurance that my wage is a fair percentage of the clients fees.

How do we get started?
First, provide me with a brief description of what requirement you have and then we can initially discuss it on the phone. In most instances I will then put together a detailed task oriented plan for the project and estimate the fees and resources that will be required to complete the first and/or only phase of the project. Often I will need to interview specific individuals within your company to accurately create a detailed plan.

What are the cost benefits of hiring independent contractors?
Businesses can usually save money by hiring Independent Contractors instead of employees. Savings are achieved by the employer not having expenses such as: federal payroll taxes, Social Security tax, federal unemployment insurance tax, state unemployment insurance premiums, insurance premiums, employee benefits such as health insurance, paid vacations, sick leave, retirement benefits and life or disability insurance, and office space and equipment.

Why has contracting specific projects become so popular?
By using contractors it provides management flexibility that can not be obtained with employees. You can pay an Independent Contractor to accomplish only a specific task, allowing your business to get specialized expertise for a short period of time. An experienced contractor can be productive immediately, eliminating the time and expense involved in training employees for shorter term projects.