Stetz, Belgiovine, Manwarren & Wallis, P.C.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of Bit by Bit. We’re a full-service computer consulting company in New York City servicing small to mid-sized businesses in the metropolitan area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stetz, Belgiovine, Manwarren and Wallis, P.C.?

We needed a company to handle and file our taxes. As well, we wanted advice on the best ways to save money by utilizing and working within current tax laws.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stetz, Belgiovine, Manwarren, and Wallis, P.C. prepares our taxes, keeps our books, and consults us financially. Their team communicates any updates on tax laws and any steps for us to take to boost our returns.

We start our engagements at the beginning of the tax season. They give us a general date of when they’ll start the paperwork. Once they start on our taxes, they work on them consistently and give us advice on how to treat certain expenses or income. They also helped us during a sales tax audit.

What is the team composition?

Primarily, we work with one of the partners throughout the year. Occasionally, we also interact with their team members for tax distribution and filing tax forms at the end of the season.

How did you come to work with Stetz, Belgiovine, Manwarren and Wallis, P.C.?

At one point, they shared an office with an attorney who referred them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

They bill anywhere from $3,500–$5,000 a year typically. We operate multiple companies that their team works on separately.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together about 15 years ago, so around 2005. We continue to hire them at the beginning of the tax season.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They helped us with a few projects such as tax credits for research and development for software products that we developed internally. Their team also helps us to take advantage of write-offs. They look out for us and do a good job at a reasonable rate.

How did Stetz, Belgiovine, Manwarren and Wallis, P.C. perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a good job of producing our tax returns. Their team works late hours, which accountants do during the tax season. Once they get started on our taxes, they work through to completion in a relatively short period of time.

I’m fairly knowledgeable, so we don’t communicate with them that often throughout the year. We communicate once every two months when questions arise on our side. During tax season, I talk to one of their partners regularly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s personable and knowledgeable. It’s easy to talk with them. They’ve been good to us, giving us referrals to other small businesses, which has been good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing really comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If they want to enlist their services, it’s beneficial for them to start at the beginning of the season. It’s also beneficial to have your previous returns, which gives them a basis for your business. At some point, it’s important to explain how your business runs as well as to express what you’re looking for in terms of producing your financial statements.