This firm went from exceptional to completely unprofessional overnight…read more I stayed with them for years solely because of Sam, who provided outstanding service. After the ownership change, it's clear that level of care is gone. What replaced it is a rigid, impersonal system that treats clients like transactions rather than relationships. They failed to notify clients of a major policy change regarding tax extensions until just days before the deadline--putting me at risk of non-compliance. When I raised concerns, their response was essentially: "This is our policy now, and if you don't like it, go somewhere else." No accountability. No attempt to fix the situation. No access to leadership. Just scripted responses from a support team. For a firm that benefited from years of loyalty and referrals, this is an incredibly poor way to treat clients. Avoid. UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO OWNER : Your response proves my point. After years of automatically handling my extensions, you changed the process right before a deadline, offered no real support, and told me to pay $240 or figure it out myself. Had I not followed up, I could have been penalized -- and now you're trying to turn it around and frame it as my fault by calling me "not engaged." After years of loyalty and referrals, this wasn't a transition -- it was a downgrade to a transactional model.

Chris at FlexTax has been my tax advisor for about three years now, and I can't recommend him…read morehighly enough. He's incredibly thorough and detail-oriented - he double and even triple checks everything to make sure your return is accurate and that he has all the right information. He's also very responsive and flexible with scheduling, which has made it easy to fit tax meetings around a busy workday. Chris really shines with more complex situations. He specializes in startups and equity compensation (ISOs, RSUs, etc.), as well as investment portfolios, so if you work at a startup or have a more complicated tax situation, you're in great hands. He takes the time to walk through everything, explains complex issues clearly, and makes the whole process feel much less stressful. He goes above and beyond by looking at prior years and making amendments if necessary to put you in a better position for future tax years. I originally started working with Chris based on a friend's recommendation, and after three years as a client, I'm very glad I did. If you're a startup employee or founder, or anyone dealing with equity and investments, I highly recommend Chris at FlexTax.

Akemi claims efficiency, but what really defines her approach is an unforgiving attention to every…read moredetail that too many so-called professionals miss. I don't praise easily, but she tore through our tangled financial mess like it was nothing, giving us clarity where there was chaos. Her speed is not a breath of fresh air; it's the baseline anyone should expect. If you want someone who will treat your financials like a personal challenge rather than a routine task, Akemi is who you call.

Akemi has helped me from the moment I incorporated my company in 2014 and has been an amazing…read morepartner throughout all those years. She is extremely capable, delivers very quickly and is just a joy to work with. On top of that, she is also incredibly thorough and doesn't make any mistakes. Akemi is always able to answer questions and take the time to explain things. I cannot rate her highly enough! Give her a call, you'll be happy you did!

I would strongly caution anyone considering this firm. We paid for tax preparation services and the…read moreexperience was a nightmare from start to finish. After submitting payment for their services, communication essentially stopped. We had to follow up repeatedly just to get basic updates on the status of our filing, and phone calls consistently went unanswered. We eventually confirmed they had filed our Federal return, but they never filed our state filings, despite us paying for full service. After multiple attempts to reach them by both phone and email, they stopped responding entirely. No explanation, no resolution, nothing. We were left to sort out the mess ourselves. We ended up paying another preparer just to review their work, and that review turned up multiple errors. As a result we had to pay again for an amended Federal return and pay again for the state filings, services we had already paid this firm to complete. Based on this experience, I consider this firm completely inept and unreliable. We're also filing a complaint with the California Tax Education Council. If you're looking for a tax preparer you can actually depend on, keep looking elsewhere.

Another great Tax year with Kaizen Accounting in the books! The process was so smooth and…read moreeffortless. They have awesome social distancing protocols in place. From scheduling a last-minute appointment, to uploading my documents to their secure file portal, to using Google Meet everything was so straight forward, and user friendly. This year Don Brown did my taxes, with his help and expertise I came out ahead that year!!! Thank you!

I've been a happy client for many many years. I highly recommend Peter Sarkis Professional Tax…read moreService for all your accounting and tax needs.

Made an almost $9K mistake (overstating capital gains income) on my taxes that he was paid to…read moreprepare, I emailed about the mistake and didn't even apologize but told me to check the return before signing it. If you have stock transactions or even above average than usual complexity to your taxes, steer clear of this guy. He did not account for some of my stock transactions being under an ESPP, so did not adjust the cost basis to reflect this discount. For any accountant I'd expect them to go through the W2 in detail and ask questions, but he did not, catching that you have an ESPP discount reflected on your W2 is 100% something any competent accountant preparing your taxes should catch. See the screenshots for more details about the scenario.

We've been using Edward for several years, so this review is long overdue. He handle's our S-Corp…read moretaxes every year. We've been in business for almost 15 years in Berkeley and are so happy we've finally found Signature CPAs. Edward is not only knowledgeable, but takes the time to explain any questions we have. The advice he has to offer is excellent. His attention to detail is 11/10. We've been with several other CPAs over the years (why is it so hard to find a good one?!). Edward gets it, and gets it done quickly! Highly, highly recommend. Thank you Sig CPAs!!

This review specifically pertains to Cecily. I was not happy with the service I received recently…read morewhen I went in seeking advice on a letter I received from the IRS. Despite the fact that Cecily provided some useful information (hence the 2 and not 1 star review), her attitude and personality was abrupt and, some might say, hostile. I was stressed about the letter, and rather than try to put me to ease and reflect an attitude that "we would be able to figure it out," she was very aggressive and demanding in her questioning. I felt like I was being interrogated and this was not AT ALL what I wanted or needed as someone who was relatively new at filing my taxes and receiving my first letter from the IRS. She honestly had zero bedside manner and even if I had made a completely egregious error on my filing, I did not feel as though her approach was appropriate or skilled in any way. It's very possible that I misread Cecily and that she was trying to be helpful and this was her way of doing that but I honestly think she might want to know that her clients may very well have this reaction to her given that she likely deals with a large client base. To be fair, I will say that I was with my Fiancé during the meeting and she did not have the same intensely negative reaction as me, however I usually do not feel this way after receiving face-to-face services and therefor feel compelled to write this review. I was also not prepared for the $135 she charged me for a 22 minute meeting. She was not up front about this prior to the meeting when I spoke with her over the phone. I understand now that this is her consultation fee but was confused because I know that places like H&R Block meet for free in advance of services agreed upon during the consultation. This was the worst customer service I have received in a very long time.

Gwen and her company have been serving my tax, and small business accounting needs (Randy's…read moreJanitorial) for over ten years. She assisted in the inception of my business in 2019, and prior to that she served my personal tax/financial needs. Quality, knowledge, and integrity is what you should expect when hiring her and her team.

GWEN BROUSSARD IS OUR MIRACLE WORKER AND THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS!…read more This is an extremely long review, but please read it unto the end: We were currently living in a beautiful, convenient, brand new downtown Oakland apartment. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were given a 90 days' notice to vacate! A dear church member put us in touch with a mortgage lender who qualified us for enough to make a purchase and we were given one of their real estate agents to work with. Being new to the entire process and not knowing that we could use the lender for funding, but select our own agent was traumatic at best! The agent soon dropped us and we were left dead in the water, with now less than 60 days to vacate our unit! We came to Gwen under the direst of circumstances and implored her real-estate prowess for assistance. She gave us a timeline and said "Stick with me and WE WILL FIND YOU A HOME." She was thorough, efficient, patient and no-nonsense (in working w/the seller's agents). She held our hands and walked us through EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS! From going out to look for homes daily, on down to explaining all the ins and outs of the contracts/agreements, to connecting us with the finest network of agencies, (i.e. home and pest inspectors, etc.) to assist us in the purchasing process. She is a down-right maven, an authority and expert in all things real estate! I can't imagine NOT having had her to be our agent for purchasing our first home! She encouraged us until the very end. There were MANY times we wanted to give up. We were facing this incredible deadline and didn't know if we should just throw in the towel and rent an apartment for $2200/month or to keep searching. She made the entire ordeal something we could totally conquer and wondered why we hadn't sought out her services sooner! We got an offer accepted on our new home about a month before we were mandated to be out of our apartment. She made it possible for the deal to be expedited and we were able to move out of our apartment and received the keys to our beautiful new home on the same day! Our mortgage is several hundred dollars below what we would have given away in rent. Our home is absolutely amazing and perfect for our little family; our neighborhood is cute and the neighbors are friendly. I recommend Gwen not only to YOU but to anyone! As a matter of fact, I recently did recommend someone to her. I had the opportunity to share with her how easy the entire process was with Gwen and how her knowledge and understanding of real estate is a must have and just how REALLY DOABLE the home buying process is with a fantastic agent. She not only took my suggestion and contacted Gwen, but do you know SHE TOO just received the keys to her new home and her deal was completed in even less time than ours! I myself was amazed at how quick the transaction happened from start to finish! I'm telling you from my own personal experience, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A REAL ESTATE AGENT - DO YOURSELF A FAVOR - GET GWEN!!!! You'll thank me that you did and soon be sending my invitation to the housewarming party for YOUR new home! Thanks Gwen Broussard for making a lifelong dream our present day reality for our family.

She knows the tax laws and was able to help me with my accounting practice to better track my…read moreexpenses for deductions on repairs.

Sheila is absolutely amazing!!! My family has been going with her for over 25yrs. I have personally…read morebeen going with her for the past 18yrs. (Not sure why It took me so long to leave a post) Sheila is extremely amazing at her work, very talented and such sweetheart to work with. I actually look towards a yearly appointment more than a tax appointment I consider it a yearly catch up. I do consider Sheila a family friend after so many years.

They were very helpful. The entire office was very friendly and accommodating. My tax professional…read moreexplained everything clearly and understood my situation well. Thank you, Deborah H. so much!

Thank you Deborah for always being so awesome! She has been doing my husband and I's taxes for the…read morepast few years and she is always so clear, concise, and breaks down what she is doing for us. Thank you always Deborah!