When youve decided its time to hire a CPA either for your personal finances or for your business, you want to know youre making a wise decision in the person that you hire.
There are some places to start to help you make that decision.

Since you will be placing a lot of confidential information along with faith in this individual, it makes sense to do your homework, doesnt it? First you need to know what the letters mean behind their names. CPA means certified public accountant and thats a person not only with an accounting degree but one who has passed exams certifying that he knows what hes doing and he does about 40 hours of extra training per year. CPE means hes doing that. Once youve honed in on a few names, do a little search on them before you even set up a meeting. You can do a google search for your State Board of Accountancy, and that will show you if the CPA has any litigation against them, if theyre in good standing or if there have been censures against them. Then call them up and ask for references. You want to know both the positive and negative things about them and while it may take a little digging, it will be worth it. Honest CPAs will be very transparent about their business and their reputation. Theyd rather you hear things from them than from others. If you live in a smaller town, one thing you can do is phone up the Better Business Bureau and check them out. You can find how long theyve been around and all sort of information. Ask family and friends who they use.
You may find one that is especially good or one that specializes in your particular field.

You should also ask yourself once again - even if you already have - if you really need a CPA. Are you financial matters simple enough that with some software you could do it yourself. CPAs are fantastic, but they are also expensive, and you need to make sure you can afford them and that the money is worth it.

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