Have you ever thought, "Holy Mackerel! CPA's are expensive!" When I first started in the profession, I was appalled at how much a CPA firm would charge for an hour of their time, or a tax return to be prepared. Now, I'm a CPA and ... I get it. I see the valuable side and also the "why is it so expensive" side of the same coin. I've created an event to hopefully bridge the gap for the people who need accounting advice the most: those who can't yet afford a CPA.

The event, Ask An Accountant Anything, is a group Q&A session where anyone can come and ask their accounting and tax related questions for an affordable rate. For $20 per person (or pay what you can), you can stop by for any part of a three-hour group setting where all your questions will be answered. Or, the tax and accounting questions anyways. The BG William O. Darby VFW Post 8845 has agreed to host the event location. To align with their mission, this event is free to veterans and active military members. Thank you Darby VFW for hosting us!

I'll be honest, I don't know everything, but I have been doing public accounting work for over ten years. If I don't know an answer, I'll write down your contact info and get back to you.

And, I want to be clear: I'm not preparing tax returns or doing anyone's bookkeeping during this time. You can ask questions, and I'll help you out as best as I can, but it's advice during the session, not services.

What kind of questions? Literally any question is allowed. There might be questions about how to categorize a transaction in QuickBooks or an accounting software. Is my home sale taxable? Why is this "digital asset" question on the tax return, and what does it mean? Are insurance proceeds taxable? What are the pros and cons for an entity type for a small business? I got this letter from the government, can you tell me what it means? These are great questions and many, many more besides. Even though it is in a group setting and there's no expectation of confidentiality, there will be an opportunity to ask questions anonymously, if needed.
Also, there's no pressure or expectation for anyone to become a client of mine. This is purely an outreach program to get professional accounting advice to those who might need it the most: those who are starting a new business, or struggling with finances, or who prepare their own tax returns because they can't afford a CPA.

Are you interested? Here are the details of the event:
Time: Saturday, October 26 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Noon)
Location: The Darby VFW Post at 3005 Tilles Avenue, Fort Smith, AR
Cost: $20 per person recommended, or pay what you can (Free for veterans and active military)
Contact: Patrick@Probity.cpa
Call: (479) 262-3686

Come as you are.
Scared of accountants? Understandable, but I promise I don't bite. I'm here to help.
Know a friend who asks you for [professional] advice? Share this event with them and have a CPA tell them the same thing you would have. 😉