Glen S. Eastman, CPA, Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Do you come out to a client's place of business or meet in your office?

A. I prefer to go to the client's place of business, as that is where the accounting software and records are kept.

Q. Do you prepare individual tax returns?

A. Yes, I also prepare partnership and corporate returns.

Q. What's the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA?

A. Generally, bookkeepers tend to perform daily tasks, like entering invoices and paying bills, while CPA's tend to perform annual tasks such as the preparation of income taxes and annual financial statements. Their services overlap when it comes to the preparation of quarterly statements such as payroll and sales tax returns. In addition, CPA's are required to have a 4-year degree, work in the industry for at least 2 years, pass a strenuous exam and obtain a minimum of 80 hours of continuing education every 2 years. Unless designated as an EA, bookkeepers cannot represent a client before the IRS.

Q. Why should I use your firm?

A. My work is backed by 20 years of accounting experience and you'll learn all kinds of things about taxes and accounting that you didn't even know you didn't know. I'll most likely save you thousands of dollars, my computer skills are tops in the industry, I can work any copy machine ever made and I'm also a pretty good guy … just ask my mom.

Q. Do you have a monthly fee, or do clients pay hourly?

A. I prefer to charge an hourly rate, as clients initially need my services more in the beginning of our relationship than they do in the long term. Once things settle down, a monthly or quarterly fee can be arranged.

Q. How much do you charge?

A. I currently charge $125 per hour, but call to find out about seasonal specials.

Q. Do you know anything about 1031 exchanges?

A. Yes, I've taken specialized classes and have access to a large number of resources on the subject.

Q. What kind of accounting software do you use?

A. Whatever kind the client uses. I work with Peachtree, Quickbooks and BusinessWorks all of the time. I've also used American Contractor, ACCPac, Great Plains, several industry specific software packages and many, many others.

Q. What about spreadsheets? Can you teach me?

A. I am quite proficient with Excel and Lotus and even wrote an entire accounting program using Lotus Macros. I do teach spreadsheet usage.