They have a habit of "having a question" on your return, and it will lead to extending your taxes, then it takes forever to get it finalized....sometimes months later when all your info was submitted. If you dont mind being forced into extensions so you can wait inline after they take care of large customers, it isnt a big deal. They finish it eventually and i've only had one issue with IRS filing with them. Going thru it now, unfortunately... read more

I didnt do a lot of shopping around before I chose this accounting tax firm. I went with them based on their reviews, location, and first impression. I have been using their services for a few years now and am impressed by their quick responses and excellent communication. I also started out w very messy accounting practices and they helped me clean up the books and find ways to streamline my process and adhere to tax code. They work with you to find the best solution to your business tax problems. Thanks Eric and Doug! read more

I was firmly in the DIY tax camp, doing my own taxes using various software products for many years. That stopped about three years ago when owning part of the company that employs me started to get more complicated than just inputting the data from the corporate K1 form into the computer. Doug is prompt, professional and extremely well organized. Extra star for being remote/internet friendly -- The really interesting fact is that I don't think I've been face to face with Doug since the first year I engaged his services. I've got a pretty hectic travel schedule and being able to swap documents via PDFs scanned to email or fax-to-email gateways has been fantastic. read more

I'm totally a member of the I Heart Doug club! Between a condo, renters, grad school fellowships, and a multitude of other accounts, things are just a little too big for my small financial brain to handle. Doug to the rescue! I know I'm not a complicated case, but letting him handle it all for me gives me peace (and piece!) of mind. And hey, supporting a local business owner is definitely within my mantra. It would be a little awkward for me to gush about my accountant here, but really, Doug is super professional, accessible, knowledgeable and friendly. Hooray for Doug! read more

I was getting really nervous a few weeks before my tax deadline, because I had been trying for months to make an appointment with another accountant who had been recommended to me. I finally realized I needed to try somebody else and ended up calling Doug Murstein. What a relief that he actually picked up the phone when I called! And returned my calls! I know it sounds like these are basic things, but they made a huge impact on me after being blown off by another local accountant. The great news is after a brief (no charge) meeting, Doug was ready to tackle my return and appears to have done a stellar job. I'm sure Doug is capable in lots of areas of accounting but as a small-business (Schedule C) owner I am prepared to endorse him as particularly knowledgable and capable. The fact that he's friendly and easy to communicate with are just icing on the cake. If you're stressing about finding an accountant, as I was, it's worth your time to give Doug a call. read more

I sent a concise but clear email with a request for a paid consultation to help me estimate how much I should be putting aside during my first year as an independent contractor. When I followed up the next day by phone, I was told to expect a reply the next day. I didn't hear back until eight days later, when I received a very long form email about his process, rates, etc, for people requesting tax return preparation. It went into detail about how he has a schedule and holds meetings (you don't say! Thanks for letting me know..) but didn't address anything about my query, answer any questions I asked, or even use my name. If this is how he rolls during slow season -- this was early August -- I can't imagine what January as his client must be like. No thank you. read more

I'm really surprised to see any negative reviews here (although looking closer- those who look to start their taxes in late March probably do find a more stressed out accountant). We found Doug- late November '08- through a combination of yelp and Angie's List and he's been great. He gave us advice for things we could do before the end of the year to help with taxes and generally, I found him to be really unstuffy (as opposed to the guy who did our taxes at H&R Block last year) and extremely helpful with our confusing taxes (self employment/home as office/out of state taxes/first time home buyers/and that's just the beginning of it). Doug helped us get the costs down to a manageable amount AND set up plans for next year as well as long-term. We'll definitely continue using him as our accountant. read more

I have referred a few clients to Doug and they have all been very happy with him. Doug is professional, knowledgeable, and always looks out for his clients best interest. Jonathan Stearns, Financial Advisor, Brookline MA read more

I'm a pretty anxious guy, and nothing makes an anxious guy more anxious than having to find a new accountant second week of March. Doug sort of saved my ass. Not only did he find a way to take me on as a client so late in the season, but he made the entire process about as painless as streamlined as it could be. Right out of the gate he emailed me a planner that helped ensure I gathered up the right information. His team was super-responisve when I had questions and extremely helpful throughout the process. The returns, which I picked up today, were ultra organized, and he also included a few pages of analysis that showed how I ended up vs. last year. Used him for both my personal and business taxes, and can't recommend him enough. read more

My fiance found Doug online. Having never used a CPA, I was skeptical; however, I will never return to TurboTax again! Goodbye computer, hello Doug! This man is fantastic. We bought a condo this year, had some inheritance stuff to sort out, and I'm freelance as well as a full time student. Needless to say, our tax picture seemed complicated. Well, not to Doug. He immediatly put us at ease, asked highly intelligent questions about our tax situations, and then worked his magic. We were thrilled and will continue to use Doug for as long as humanly possible. Moreover, we plan to recommend him to anyone who needs a CPA. read more

Doug is a numerical genius. Over the past 3 years he has sorted through all kinds of complicated accounting and tax issues for my husband and I. During this time we have started a business, bought and sold real estate and dealt with complicated stock sales. He not only did an amazing job helping us sort through the accounting of this - but he put it all in terms that made sense to us. He is a great combination of numbers and common sense. read more

This year is the first year I decided to pay someone to do my taxes. I was really nervous about it since I didn't know if it would be worth it, but I am SO glad I went to Doug. I took a chance based on the other Yelp reviews, since I live in Brookline and it would be convenient for me to stop by his office. He works out of his home, which put me at ease immediately. Don't be fooled, though--he's super professional, and when he looks over your paperwork you can tell he knows what he's doing (I think he's been doing this for 12 years, so he should!). Anyway, both the time and fee he quoted me were pretty much right on the money--2-3 weeks, and $270 with the first-time customer discount. And my taxes weren't the easiest in my mind, as I had both MA and another state plus graduate school to take into account. Overall I am more than pleased with Doug's work; he puts everything in an organized folder for your records and files electronically; a bonus if you're getting a refund (like me, thankfully). HIGHLY recommended! read more

Doug and his associates have handled the annual small business filings for my family for more than a decade. I first came to Doug because aspects of our LLC were challenging to other providers. After several years of confusion and amended returns from other providers, it was a different world with Doug. He explained what the other providers had overlooked, outlined a different approach, and described what our next steps were. My wife and I have never had a moment of anxiety since then. The various forms we need to file each year are prepared accurately and on-time, with no confusion and most of all no stress. I highly recommend Doug for anyone who has anything beyond the most basic tax situation. read more

I first reviewed Doug back in 2008, and sadly my experience has gone downhill. I'm not sure if the problem is that he has too much work now or what, but I'm looking for a new CPA now. He was fantastic, although he takes awhile to get things done. However this has cost me money! The first problem was that he took so long to do my taxes one year that I missed a refinance opportunity on my house because the rates went up (6 months)! The second problem was when the IRS sent a letter and Doug didn't respond to it, and then the IRS levied against me. I still haven't gotten this money back from the IRS (Doug claims I should get this back as soon as they review and see they are trying to tax me twice). read more

Doug has done my family's taxes for the last three years, and has been a huge help! From our initial meetings, he has been very approachable and friendly and has always been willing to answer any questions we have raised. I knew we had come to the right person the first year we saw him when he noticed an error in the tax forms my husband had filled out himself the previous year. He quickly explained to us what had been done wrong and offered to fix the mistake for us. What a relief it is to know that someone else is worrying about our taxes, so we can focus on things we would much rather be doing! read more

Doug's awesome. I'm a CPA who handles mostly Business Clients and I send all my small individuals to him. He'll treat you right.

Doug was the nicest and easiest to work with cpa I have ever encountered! He turned my complicated tax situation into a reasonable fee and a couple of signitures. I would reccomend him to any of my friends and family! And of course all of you on yelp, this guy is the best in the Boston area! read more

I feel compelled to write this after another extremely valuable (and easy to understand) interaction with my accountant, Doug Murstein. It's great... I email him my question, he replies (usually within 24hrs) and I call him to clarify any remaining questions. The best part... he thanks me for operating in this way as it gives us a chance to make sure we're on the same page. Doug has had the answer to all of my many questions so far and makes the process easy. I highly recommend him! read more

I was looking at getting around to doing my 2005, 2006 and 2007 taxes and found Doug via Yelp. I contacted him and got around to getting all my documentation to him. He was accessible, easy-going yet professional. When it came time for me to pick up my completed taxes, everything was well prepared and organized with instructions and explanations. Thanks Yelp!...and Doug too! read more

I picked him based on Yelp reviews and I am happy I did! We used him for the last 2 tax returns. The fee is relatively low (it depends on how much you have going on; you can ask for a quote before deciding) and they make it a very straightforward process. Their office has now several assistants and they are all great. Do not ignore Yelp's suggestions!!! Go with them. read more

Called Doug with some general questions and got great advice and perspective without going into his office. Basically, this guy is as honest, helpful and knowledgeable as it gets. I know it was just a phone convo (although he gave me 20 min of his time) but, IMHO you're not going to do better. read more

Having started a business in the new year, I was really nervous about self-employment tax issues. I put off doing anything about it until mid-year. Then finally self-referred to Doug based on his Yelp reviews. I met with Doug once for about an hour, exchanged a couple of emails with his associate Eric, and they worked out the whole program, saving me a ton of time, two tons of worry and thousands of dollars. Three months later, Eric reached back out to me suggesting I pursue a credit I had missed in a couple of past years. Gave me just the right level of instruction via email. It will likely be thousands more dollars of savings. Very, very highly recommended. read more

Perhaps we met Doug on an off-day, but it's hard for me to believe that we met the same person as some of the other very enthusiastic reviewers. We contacted Doug based on a very positive referral, as well as his great reviews on Yelp. Unfortunately my first impression of Doug was not positive--his manner was abrupt and clipped at best, and when he noticed a mistake that my husband had done with our taxes his attitude seemed disapproving and almost judgmental. His demeanor improved slightly when speaking with me, but I was already upset on my husband's behalf. I would imagine that for accountants, repeat business is a must, so treating clients in a negative manner would seem like something one would avoid. Other accountants with whom we have met (including some who charge as much or more) made much more of an effort to establish a rapport with us during the first meeting. The other complaint I had is that Doug's estimate of his services when we met was at least twice as much as we expected given our email and phone interactions. When we *gently* brought this up, Doug made it sound as if it were our fault that we didn't tell him our taxes were this complicated or that we didn't ask him more in detail about cost. (From our phone/email conversation we had his hourly rate and approximate time it would take). It would be understandable that there was a miscommunication, but we definitely did not appreciate his defensiveness and implications. Then when we showed hesitancy to move forward with him, he said, "Well, just so you know, if you don't go with me, I will bill you for my time." I know all accountants do things differently, but others that we have met with offered complimentary first consults. I would have made this review 1-star, but when I contacted Doug about billing us he decided to discount the rate ($60 instead of $120) for our meeting. Overall, I am sure Doug is a very knowledgeable and capable CPA, but I feel that he could improve his services in two areas: 1. Demeanor with clients: It would go a long way to picking up new clients to try to be personable, friendly and not defensive 2. Clear communication with clients. If his first interaction with clients is by phone, then it would be helpful if he had a set of questions to ask to give a more accurate estimate before meeting in person. And definitely if there is a miscommunication I hold to the old adage that 'the customer is always right.' Defensiveness or implying that the fault lies with the client is a definite deterrent. Even though what Doug quoted us was more than we expected we might have gone with him, had it not been for his demeanor toward us. read more

Doug is the best. "Savvy," whoever used it, is the best adjective to describe his (and his staff's) services. I won't be using him for my annual personal taxes anymore since my tax situation has clarified and simplified greatly, but Doug one year waded through nearly a half-dozen W-2s and 1099s, deductions, and so on, for me -- and helped me to a large return. Plus he gives thorough, accurate, and clear reports every year. I used Doug for four years and haven't had one complaint. read more

I've been using Doug for 4 years and the process has always gone smoothly. He takes the time to meet with you if you want to (we did our first year) but also does a great job if you just drop off your forms with a few notes in subsequent years. Around tax time there is always someone in the office evenings and weekends which makes dropping off paperwork easy. His staff also does a great job clarifying small questions by email. I also like that he has a staff that does some of the more routine work (that he later reviews) and keeps the costs low compared to having a CPA do all the work himself. I've recommended him to friends and family and everyone has been happy with his work. read more

I can't recommend Doug more highly. He handled our taxes for the first time this year. We'd been all over the place last year-- a bunch of different jobs, partly in another country, and I was afraid we would have to pay all of our money to the IRS, forever. I sent an inquiry email and we had a brief phone conversation in which he asked a few questions to make sure he could help us--that's me and the husband. We had one initial meeting, in which we gave him all of our documents and answered more questions-- the consultation itself was free despite the fact that we had to meet in the evening after work. And a few weeks later, he mailed us our completed returns, just like that. Throughout all of our interactions he's been professional, knowledgable, and exceedingly pleasant to work with, offering to make himself available at any time to answer any questions or concerns we might have had-- though his process is so organized and thorough that we found it clear and pretty self-explanatory. I would also add that in the past, I've dealt with some accountants who were pretty condescending to me as a woman who knows exactly 0 things about taxes. Doug throughout has been nothing but professional and patient, not condescending, just friendly and helpful. In short, he's great. We will definitely be coming back next year. Plus, he has an amazingly adorable dog. read more

I called Doug and left him a vague message explaining that I had a few questions about my tax return. He called back promptly. It was probably evident to him within the first 2 minutes of our conversation that 1) I did not need to itemize my return and 2) I was absolutely clueless about all things taxes. Even after he knew I would not be a paying customer, and even though be probably could have convinced me otherwise, he spent a good amount of time patiently, knowledgeably, and honestly answering my questions. So although I have not yet employed his accounting skills, I would definitely recommend him based on our interaction. read more

We've been working with Doug for the past couple of years, and he's been great. Initially, I contacted him because we made a big mistake on our taxes and we were trying to get it straightened out. He went through all the confusing (to us) documentation and explained where we had gone wrong. He didn't charge us anything for that visit, which was awesome. So we've been going to him ever since. read more

I highly recommend Doug. He is professional, knowledgeable, and his rates are reasonable. I've emailed Doug to ask his questions and he's always responded with an email or call. It was a pleasure working with him. read more

Doug is great. Professional, extremely knowledgeable, and willing to find the right solution for you. After spending 6+ agonizing hours with tax software trying to figure out my taxes, I was ready to give up and called Doug for help. Rather than just signing me up for an appointment, Doug was up front about how much it would cost and that he would have to file an extension for me given the timing. Doug then proceeded to tell me that he thought I was on the right track on my own and answered some questions I was unsure about. Doug is the man and I will definitely be visiting him (much earlier next year) when it comes tax time! read more

I've met Doug only once, and I'm not sure when I'll need to go back to him again (my taxes are pretty simple), but if I need more tax advice I will go straight to him. He made time for me at a busy time of the year, and was gracious, pleasant, and willing to describe the intricacies of how to deal with the IRS. Plus I was happily greeted by his cute dog the moment I walked in! I would highly recommend him. read more