Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Finch.
Sandra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I went to junior college at night while I worked full time, then studied for the CPA Exam on the weekends. I passed it in 1986, and in 1989 started my own private practice in accounting and tax.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not smooth. Although I passed the CPA exam, I didn’t have a bachelors’ degree so I couldn’t get my CPA license. I couldn’t go back to school because I was working full time, and raising 2 daughters with an absentee father. So, in 1988 I took the Enrolled Agents’ exam – which is a 3 day exam just on taxes and has a very low pass rate. When I started my first practice, it was as an Enrolled Agent. Most people had never heard of an enrolled agent, nor knew it meant you had superior knowledge/skills in taxes. However, I networked a lot and built an entire firm based on customer referrals and hard work.
I sold that firm in 1998 and then went back to school to get my Bachelor’s Degree. But – University of Houston said I would have to start all over and wouldn’t allow any of my previous 67 hours at all (except P.E.!) I asked if I could get ANY kind of degree and still get credit for my hours, and they said I could get a degree in Adult Education in the College of Technology, bringing in my previous hours as a “core” that I would ultimately teach.
After finally graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in 2003 (yay!), I called the Board of Accountancy and they said the rules had changed in the ’90s and now I would need a master’s degree.
By now, I had been a national speaker to CPA’s teaching them taxes, had an article published in The Practical Accountant magazine, and built and sold my own firm, yet I still couldn’t claim that license!?
So, I went to work at a vocational school and taught accounting. I loved that job and my students, and it was they who suggested I go back into practice. One day, I decided to see what the Masters’ Degree requirements were, so I was looking at the Texas Board of Accountancy website, and landed on a page that basically said I was grandfathered because I passed the test before the Master’s Degree requirement existed. I called them to see if I was dreaming, and the man said “Where should we send your license?” Soon after getting my license, (19 years after passing the exam), I started my second practice.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Finch CPA Firm – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We have a unique CPA firm, in that we only work with businesses, and we work with them to plan and reduce their taxes as much as possible. Because I am also a Certified Financial Planner (since 1995), I really enjoy looking at the business owner(s)’ entire life and financial situation. Many times, we can save $20,000 or more by using tax strategies specific to their situation, while simultaneously increasing their wealth and retirement nest egg. We talk about next year’s tax return this year, while we can still design it for an optimized outcome. Once tax season comes, there aren’t many surprises, and we can start talking about next year again. It gives the business owner a greater sense of control and removes the mystery of taxes. Since I got that degree in adult education, I find I can explain to them, line by line, what’s going on with their taxes and which tax laws might be the best fit for their situation. We also find creative ways for exit strategies and/or passing the baton to the next generation.
I’m really proud that we aren’t just typing last year’s books into the tax return because I think that’s just data processing. We feel we owe our clients the opportunity to utilize all of our knowledge and best ideas, long before tax time.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I’m a native Houstonian, and so I tend to be biased, but I love that Houston is a place where any entrepreneur can make a good living as long as they are honest, qualified, and provide good customer service. Houston has always been business-friendly. I also love the people because there’s something for everyone in a city this big.
I dislike traffic and driving downtown. Thank goodness for Uber!
Contact Info:
- Address: 8900 Eastloch
225, Spring, TX 77379 - Website: www.finchcpafirm.com
- Phone: 281 379 1040
- Email: sandra@finchcpafirm.com
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