"I LOVE TAX TIME!", said no one ever. Ever. Unless you're an accountant. And even an accountant can get snippy if you're rolling up on them on April 14th talking about, can you squeeze me in buddy? Yes, I hate tax time. For years, year after year, I always ended up having to pay. And every time I got that bill and looked at all the money I managed to save up and how it was all about to go to the taxman... OK, yes, I acknowledge that like 50% of the time, it was totally my fault that I owed. But you know what? The other 50% of the fault is due entirely to the accountants I used over the years. They either forgot to explain something to me that I needed to do. Or they straight up messed up my paperwork. Or in one unbelievable instance, the guy actually [expletive deleted] forgot to file my [expletive deleted] taxes (which actually set off a series of unfortunate events that took me 2 years to fix). You had one [expletive deleted] job and you actually [expletive deleted] it up!?! I absolutely, positively [expletive deleted] hate tax time. So I will never be an easy customer to work with. Two tax seasons ago, I decided to work with someone at the company I worked at. She was the comptroller of the company and worked at a big retail accounting store nights and weekends. I thought since she basically gave me my W2, that she could have my taxes handled right away. 2 months go by and I got nothing but excuses. Then suddenly, it's April and I'm getting really upset because like I said, I'd just fixed all those "unfortunate events" and absolutely needed to file on time. No extensions, I was told. I tried to be nice, but nah. I fired her [awwwkwwward] and called a bunch of CPAs in my 'hood. Three said no, but the last one pointed me to Fradelakis. I went to the office and met Joe right away, no waiting. I explained to Joe my situation (which somehow always turns into a therapeutic vent-a-thon as I recount all the bull[expletive deleted] I've had to deal with over the years). Joe says, no problem, can you get me everything you got in the next day? I said, yes. He tells me the price, which I found extraordinarily reasonable. He told me it was a discount actually. I'm like, did you just diffuse me?! And we shook hands on it. Later that day, I emailed him my paperwork and within 48 hours, he had everything ready for me, including this: Al, although you're entitled to a $2,500 refund (YESSSS!!!) you were penalized $2,700 for not having health insurance under Obamacare. Huh?! Come again? I'm like, I knew I'd get penalized, but I thought it was only going to be a few hundred bucks like the prior year. And he said, Nah, it grows every year you don't have it (What the actual living [expletive deleted]?!? Did the taxman literally come up with yet ANOTHER [expletive deleted] tax to [expletive deleted] me in the [expletive deleted] just when I finally got my [expletive deleted] together?!?) Anyway, that was April 2016. The very next day after that conversation with Joe, I signed up for my company's crappy insurance, maxed out every allowance possible on my tax forms, and saw my paycheck shrink even more. Fast forward to April 2017. Ring, ring. Joe, can you take care of my taxes again this year? Sure thing, Al, send it over. I gotta charge you a little more than last year, but still within reason. Word. Let's do it. I sent it over and 48 hours later, boom, it's all done. This time, since I had health insurance in 2016, I didn't get penalized. Word. So far, so good. But since I've also had to deal with those "unfortunate events", I call the taxman to find out where I am with my tax bill: "Um, Mr. Berrios, I'm seeing you are at zero balance." I'm like, What? Yeah, you're paid in full. I'm like, What? Our system is showing you've paid the remaining balance on what you owed from your 2016 refund. And actually, we're sending you a check for $___ for overpayment. I'm still like, What? The tax man had to laugh. I don't think he'd ever made a taxpayer speechless from good news. Or even delivered good news, for that matter. I've certainly never heard something like that from them in all the years I've been a tax-payer with poor judgement. I always wait until the last minute. I always find the most expensive accountants. I always get the worse service. And I always have to pay. Always. Except this year. Thanks to Joe Fradelakis. And that's why he's getting this review. Go use him. read more