I don't have the most complex taxes in the world but I had a few issues that I felt like I needed a…read moretax adviser. I got Kim's name from my financial planner who helped deal w/ some finance issues after my dad passed. Anyway, he didn't know Kim but someone on his team suggested Kim.
Scheduling was fine, I was able to get in relatively quickly. When I introduced myself, I said I got her name from my financial adviser. She asked me who he was, and when I said his name, she went on about how well she knows him, and it's great to work with one of his clients. I should've known she was a shyster then. I didn't say anything and just nodded my head, it was during work hours and I just wanted our mtg to be as efficient as possible.
Anyway, she looks over my statements, and looks up at me and says "well haven't you done well for yourself". Um, yeh, my dad died and left me some money. Aren't I lucky? I was pretty offended, it's like she was sizing up my financial situation in some sort of creepy, greedy way.
After reviewing my paperwork, she told me it'd be $1200 to file. I was shocked, but it was late in the season and I needed to get my taxes filed. She said "I'm not the cheapest, but I'm very good", actually, she should've said, "I'm a total rip-off but at least I fill out the correct papers and submit them on time."
I didn't learn anything new, I didn't save any extra money, I simply had the correct forms filled out and submitted on time. From looking at the other reviews, it's pretty clear that $1200 is her base fee, which is INSANE. I highly encourage anyone to look around even a little bit, and you'll easily find other CPA's that will give you great advice for a quarter of the price.
Oh, if you file taxes w/ Kim, you get a login to a website where you can upload additional forms. And you'll get to download your taxes at a later date. Wow, so worth it.