Charlie Burns – The “P” in CPA Should Stand For “Planning”

“I do not know of a firm of this size in the area that is solely owned by a female,” says Charlie Burns of Reid, Hanna, Johnson & Company CPAs LLC.

Three years ago, Ms. Burns became a partner and just recently she bought her partner out. “What an amazing and scary feeling,” Charlie admits. Being in the industry for over 20 years, Ms. Burns knows that she may be an expert but she needs her team of 15-18 professionals to support herself and the clients they serve.

Reid, Hanna, Johnson & Company specializes in tax accounting, payroll services, bookkeeping and business consulting. They serve a range of Rogue Valley businesses and have been doing so since 1984 when Reid and Hanna started the enterprise (they still work there). “The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-a-comparison-for-businesses) recently passed is the single biggest law change since 1986,” explains Burns.

“With the tax and accounting laws so vast, broad and changing daily, it is hard to focus on your financial needs when you are not an expert in that realm.” Charlie goes on to say: “A lot of business owners neglect certain needs like planning and then it is expensive to have them corrected on the back end.”

It is Charlie’s belief that there are fewer CPA these days but more are needed. Her firm focuses on a commitment to customer service and answering mid-year questions in a timely fashion. When asked if being a woman in the industry has advantages, she thinks it helps her to get emotionally involved with her customers in a positive way. She is not just looking at the numbers, but is genuinely excited to hear about people’s passion and commitment to their businesses and that caring comes through. Many business people do not realize that CPAs can be a beneficial part of strategic business planning. She recommends that owners and individuals alike assess their situations annually or every few years. Part of this assessment is to revisit the first vision of your enterprise or household and ask where you are at now? Where do you want to be at? And how can you get there?

Lately, Charlie reports she has many clients saying, “I can’t or don’t want to do things like taxes or payroll on their own anymore.” Who can blame them with the level of complexity and aggravation increasing? “Taxes are a lot like your health. You know that taking care of it will pay off in dividends but many are still reluctant or don’t know how to get started.” Her words of wisdom are plentiful: “We see a lot of small businesses that feel they have to cut costs and we understand, but at some point, you have to do catch-up and conducting planning on the front-end is so much better than on the back-end.”

And growth kills more businesses than stagnation.

If you are interested in finding out more about how Charlie’s firm can assist, you can schedule a free 30-45 minute consultation with Reid, Hanna, Johnson & Company LLC. Keep in mind as tax season progresses, these consultations will be more difficult to schedule quickly.

Here is a list of common pitfalls to avoid:
-Not staying ahead of the growth and budgeting
-Growth happening too quickly
-Not getting educated on budgeting
-Being self-conscious of financial mistakes and not wanting to seek out help as a result

Charlie Burns, CPA
Reid, Hanna, Johnson & Company CPAs LLC

1101 Siskiyou Boulevard
Ashland, OR 97520
541-482-3711
charlie@reidhanna.com

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