Don't be surprised if they go above and beyond your expectations!!
I seldom write Yelp reviews (I've only written one prior to this). When I do, it's because I've come across an exceptionally outstanding business whose level of service I truly appreciate and want others to know about.
I was part owner of a business in downtown San Jose (a restaurant). Soon after starting the business, my partners and I came to the realization that many other business owners do; we didn't have the knowledge or time to do the accounting and the tax filings required for running a business ourselves. (In fact, the very idea of taking on these additional tasks ourselves was downright nerve-racking; I'd literally lose sleep thinking about it!) Rather than risk doing things incorrectly, we decided to seek outside assistance for our accounting, tax preparation and tax filing needs. This would allow us to focus on the day-to-day tasks and growing the business.
There are many firms providing tax and accounting services located in my immediate area that we could have gone to for assistance (there are at least 4 on my street alone). After meeting with a handful of them, I felt they were limited on how they could assist us. Specifically, I came away from those meetings feeling that they wouldn't understand our specific situation and therefore, wouldn't be able to provide the best guidance and service we desperately needed. To us, having two-way, effective communication with someone helping us in this area of our business was of the utmost importance and up to that point, didn't feel we found the right people to help us.
Then, I came across Javier Melendez, Marketing Director at Palma Financial Services, through a colleague of mine, who was also an existing client of his. My business partner and I set up a meeting with Javier at our place of business.
During our initial meeting, I noticed right off the bat that Javier was very personable and professional, and learned he had been in the industry for some time. He could tell that the idea of doing the bookkeeping and taxes ourselves made us extremely nervous (we had a great fear of doing things incorrectly, and that things would come back and bite us later down the line). I had several questions for him that day in which he either addressed himself or said he'd present to the actual CPA to obtain the answers to.
As the initial meeting ended, I thought to myself, "I think we've found the right person to help us". He really put a lot of my worries at ease due to his ability to listen and ask questions; I felt he had the sincere desire to help people in our situation. Because of this, we ultimately decided to move forward with him after we received a quote for the services (later that day).
A few months later (earlier this year), we unfortunately had to close our business due to personal reasons. This caused a shift in what had to be done with our accounting and tax filing - instead of our focus being on planning ahead, we now had to focus on "closing the books". Javier took this change into stride and assured us we would be okay in these important areas.
Fast-forward to a few weeks ago (late October) when we needed to file our business tax return. It was during this time we worked directly with Miguel Palma, the CPA at Palma Financial Services. Upon meeting Miguel, the first things I noticed about him were, much like Javier, he is very personable and displays a high level of professionalism. I really felt at ease because of his demeanor, and really began to just know we were in very good hands.
We had a few follow-up phone meetings in which we discussed not only the business' taxes, but also our individual tax returns (for my wife and I), as they relate to the business. (In addition to handling the business taxes, my wife and I hired him to do our individual tax return as well). During one of the calls, he offered to speak to my wife and I to ensure we both fully understood the options. In doing so, he helped us narrow down the option we were most comfortable with.
It was during these meetings that I learned that Miguel, like myself, has a family of his own, and it was apparent that his approach to helping people like me was to comprise the best options that would best suit my family's financial wellbeing.
It is extremely reassuring to know, that while most people may listen to you just enough to be able to respond, there are those still around that actually listen to you in a sincere attempt to really try to understand you. With this being said, Miguel and his team are definitely professionals who take the time to comprehend your situation and concerns, then provide you with the best options and services based on your individual needs.
We're grateful for Palma Financial Services' consultations, expertise and experience. We undoubtedly chose the right firm to be in our corner. I'd highly recommend them to anyone needing accounting, financial planning or tax services. read more
