General Info:
My passion - as nerdy as it may seem- has always been taxes! I've been in accounting my entire career, filling various roles in mid-sized to large companies, from cost analyst to Controller. This has really broadened my knowledge and background in all aspects of managing a business. I started doing taxes in 2002, while I was a student at College of the Ozarks, for a very well respected "Mom & Pop" tax office in Branson, MO. This is where I learned not only what to do, but the right way to do it. My mentor had a few sayings that have stuck with me - "We don't want to be a fly-by-night tax office" and "We're not out to commit highway robbery, we just want to provide an excellent service at a reasonable price". I then graduated with my Bachelors degree in Accounting and went on to obtain my MBA with an emphasis in Finance at Missouri State University (back then, SMS!) This gave me the education credits I needed to take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, which was awarded to me in 2007. During my graduate school, I prepared taxes for another small office in Springfield - where I learned how NOT to do it! I won't name the company, although, they have since gone out of business! They were all about how much money they could make off of people who just didn't know any better. It was very frustrating for me - I didn't fit in! I would encourage people to do what was best for them, not the company...so I only lasted one tax season there. After graduating, I had to get a "REAL" job and the local CPA firms only wanted to hire me as an auditor. That was the last thing I wanted to do at the time - I just wanted to start in tax! Apparently, that's just not how it works in the accounting world....so being the stubborn individual I was (and, honestly, still am) I chose a different path entirely. However, I still enjoyed tax.... So for years, I did taxes on the side for family, friends and their family and friends. I stopped in 2014 because my family had grown to include six children and I was still working a full time job! I continued to stay involved with tax laws as much as I could through the continuing education that is required of CPA's to maintain their licenses. Each year, I've done the Annual Federal Tax Update course and several others. This year, I have decided to go all out and pursue my dreams of having my own "Mom & Pop" accounting office. One that I hope maintains a reputation of integrity and excellent service to my clients. I hope that I will have the opportunity to serve you, your family and your friends. I am happy to provide any other details you wish to know about me to ensure you are comfortable with my capabilities and ethics as a professional accountant. Thanks for taking the time to read! I look forward to hearing from you! God Bless, Stephanie Fletcher, CPA