The old Greek saying that art imitates life is something San Francisco is very familiar with. We are a city of art and life mingling together in a colorful dance along the bay (yes, you are on a CPA firm blog, not a Substack poetry feed).
Sometimes while we speak with clients and discuss their taxes, we hear things that bring a tune into our heads. For example,
- And you may ask yourself, “How did I get here?”
- And you may ask yourself, “How do I work this?”
- And you may ask yourself, “Am I right, am I wrong?”
- And you may say to yourself, “My God, what have I done?”
Yes, we know the lyrics are not in that order, but these are common comments when talking with our San Francisco clients about their taxes. These lyrics come from “Once in a Lifetime,” and it’s the Talking Heads’ most famous song. The last time San Francisco heard David Byrne sing it live was December 6th, 1983 at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium. It’s now called the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. It was part of their final concert tour and is still on a lot of today’s playlists.
We may not be able to carry a tune or play an instrument, but we are skilled at taxes. And that Talking Heads tune plays in the background as we answer those questions.
“How did I get here?”
Our San Francisco CPAs are familiar with the look of confusion on new clients’ faces. They’ve worked at being organized and diligent about their financials, but when tax season rolls around, they can’t make sense of it. And that’s a common thing because San Francisco locals have complicated financial lives. We’ll show them how they got here and help create a new plan for where they need to be.
“How do I work this?”
We are a city of leaders and trailblazers in all industries. A San Francisco man or woman who’s seen as the expert in their field may have a hard time acknowledging their struggle with managing taxes. And may think they can consult with us and go on to finish the tax returns on their own. But that’s a mistake. We are experts in our field, and our CPA’s can make quick work of complicated taxes such as international taxes and multi-state taxes.
“Am I right? Am I wrong?”
Clients who’ve tried to keep up with recent state and federal tax requirements get confused over what items they can and cannot write off. The team at our CPA firm is a daily consumer of tax law and continuously learn new ways to leverage financial gains. We’ll help them discover where to minimize their losses and increase their returns.
“My God, what have I done?”
These are the frequent comments from clients who come to us after they’ve gotten in hot water with the IRS. Maybe they meant to file and missed the deadline. Maybe they made a mistake with their tax returns and are about to receive an IRS audit. Whatever the reason, our CPA firm can get San Francisco locals back in good standing with the IRS.
Our experienced Safe Harbor CPA team is here to help San Francisco locals develop a proactive tax strategy. We believe in building long-term, upbeat relationships with our clients!
