A CPA’s Take on How to Find the Right Financial Service Provider
Corp 1’s primary clientele includes small businesses and individuals. Barcelo’s objective is to benefit her clients by ensuring that they do not overpay on their income taxes. She helps them to create structure and ensure that their businesses are compliant.
Mirel Barcelo, founder and owner of Corp 1 Financial Services, LLC, is a Certified Public Accountant in Florida. Her company specializes in personal and corporate income tax services, IRS audit management and representation, tax preparation and accounting educational course programs, and sales tax compliance. Corp 1’s primary clientele includes small businesses and individuals. Barcelo’s objective is to benefit her clients by ensuring that they do not overpay on their income taxes. She helps them to create structure and ensure that their businesses are compliant.
CPAs reduce the workload of small businesses in various areas including minimizing tax liability, staying current on law changes and the latest tax benefits, and analyzing financial situations to plan, save, and make high-level business decisions. Barcelo states that one of the most important reasons to hire a CPA is for IRS audit support, where a CPA has full authority to represent clients in front of the IRS and execute claims on their behalf. Ultimately, CPAs provide peace of mind by protecting clients from filing and accounting mistakes, since running a business can already be extremely stressful.
Many people feel overwhelmed when it comes to their business finances and hiring a CPA. Proper research before hiring a professional is essential. Before hiring a CPA, Barcelo’s advice is to find out how long they have been certified or practicing and what industries they are familiar with. The state-licensing department will confirm if their license is still active or if they have had any disciplinary actions. CPA’s are comparable to lawyers and doctors in that they often specialize in one area of expertise. A CPA is the right fit for an individual or business when they offer services in the same niche.
Barcelo says, “A great place to start is by reaching out to a CPA to clarify the services they provide; can they assist with audits, financial advice, certain tax filings? It is critical to know whether or not the professional you are hiring can help with all of your company’s accounting needs.” She adds, “Some firms have multiple team members, so it is also good practice to know who you will be interacting with to manage your account. From there, determine fees ahead of time and ask for a breakdown on how fees are calculated; there is nothing worse than a surprise bill.”
Barcelo graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s in Accounting, as well as an Executive Master in Science of Taxation. Prior to owning and operating her own company, Barcelo acquired nearly a decade of work experience in tax services, first as a senior associate in state and local tax services at Grant Thornton, LLP., then moving up to a senior property tax consultant position at Ryan, LLC.
“The level of discipline and work ethic it took to work for a large CPA firm has translated into the same level of discipline and resilience required to make a business successful,” says Barcelo. “The training and resources I received during my years working for a large firm have been insurmountable when having my own practice.”
For more information, please visit https://corp1llc.com/