It’s almost tax time. It’s creeping up awfully fast. Even though I’m a money person, I don’t do taxes. I hire an accountant to work up the numbers and then I review. It makes me happy not having to worry about multi-state returns, rental house, K-1’s, self employment taxes, and adoption credits. I fill out the form that I get from Daniel Peterson’s office and then I get the filled out return a few weeks later. Gone are the days of filing form EZ-40 with my one W-2 and no dependents. Life is more complicated when you are married, have children, and you own property and businesses.

Last year, I sat down with Daniel Peterson and we talked about the changes that were coming to our family. We discussed how much to put in my husband’s work retirement, how much to put in our personal IRA’s, what to do with our HSA, how the adoptions would affect our income and taxes, what to anticipate with our health insurance, and how business income needed to be handled. It’s frank conversations like these that have helped us be financially secure. I like having someone to bounce ideas off with besides myself. Our accountant understands tax laws much better than I do and I appreciate him guiding me.

So, if you are in the market for an accountant, then review these tips on The Balance. It’s important to find someone that knows what they are doing. You don’t want the guy or gal that graduated bottom of their class. You want someone that knows their stuff.