If you are looking to become a full-service client (for ongoing tax preparation, advice, counsel and telephone and hourly-meeting support) of David B. Robinson, CPA, please go to the “Becoming a Client” tab now.   

 

If you are looking for me to prepare tax returns (overdue, amended or future), please go to the “Becoming a Client” tab now.   

 

If you are looking for me to provide ongoing future advice and counsel, please go to the “Becoming a Client” tab now.   

 

However…

 

Some people are hard-line, definite “I always prepare my own return and nothing, no, not-nothing is going to change that.”  And I respect this—very much.

 

In the four decades I’ve been preparing returns professionally, I’ve seen a lot of self-prepared tax returns and how they often differ from professionally-prepared returns.  And I have worked with people who just want to brainstorm with me and have their questions answered that they have always wanted to ask in a “no commitments” manner.  In other words “use me for advice and then do what you want with your own self-prepared returns.”  I’d like to think that my experiences, my ethics, my opinions and my professionalism to answer your questions done in a non-judgmental way will help you prepare BETTER (or better-for-you) self-prepared returns.

 

If you are 100% certain that you ONLY just want to spend some time with me to draw on my experiences, my ethics, my advice, my opinions and my professionalism to answer your questions, look over some recent self-prepared returns and to attempt to generate ideas for you to think about BUT NOT ever prepare any returns, keep reading because…

 

“Becoming NOT a Client” might be for you.

 

“Becoming NOT a Client” is for people who are certain they will be preparing their own returns (for whatever reason) and do not want me to ultimately prepare their returns.

 

“Becoming NOT a Client” is for people who just want to meet with me to receive general advice about scenarios that they want to present to me without any commitments to me, including, but not limited to any “what ‘ifs’” or ethical dilemmas about unusual situations involving tax matters.

 

In short, “Becoming NOT a Client” is for people that want to have some of David B. Robinson, CPA but not make any commitments because no commitments are made by either of us.

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When Can People “Become NOT a Client” ?

 

Between June 15th and January 15th of each year I usually have time to meet with people who are 100% certain that they want to prepare their own returns, no matter what circumstances exist or what I might advise or what I might say in response to matters discussed.

 

And I will take such a meeting to provide my experience, my advice, my ethics, my opinions and my honesty in a “no judgments” kind of way.   

 

And the very interesting thing about “Becoming NOT a Client” meetings is that you don’t have to take or act on my experience, my advice, my ethics, my opinions and my honesty.  I’ll give them, but you don’t have to take them.  And I’m not a policeman.  And I don’t require or insist that you do anything as a result of what we discussed, because I know that I won’t be ultimately preparing your returns.  And I will keep what we discuss confidential (except for a lawfully-issued subpoena).

If me NOT preparing your returns is of interest to you…

 

I charge a flat $395 fee for:

 

• An up-to-one hour in-person meeting to discuss what you want to talk about.  Internally, I call this the "Becoming NOT a Client” meeting and I only do these meetings live and in-person at my Richmond, Virginia office. 

 

$395 Payment for the meeting is required on the day of the meeting by check, cash, or through VENMO.  So be prepared for this. 

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“Becoming NOT a Client” meetings are scheduled only by having a telephone conversation (please call 804.359.1330 during normal hours) to make sure we have a match, talk about what you will want out of the meeting and so that we can agree on a specific day and time to meet at my Richmond, Virginia Office.  At the beginning of your call, please state that you are interested in scheduling a “Becoming NOT a Client” meeting so that there will be no confusion with a “Becoming a Client” meeting, which is for tax-preparation clients, which you would not be.

 

What to expect at your “Becoming NOT a Client” Meeting:

 

I'll be enthusiastic about immediately looking at a printed copy of your most recent Federal and State returns while we begin to get to know each other.  Doing this immediately tells me things about you.  I'll look for things that "pop-out" as unusual that I can make observations about in hopes of raising meritorious suggestions.  If I see something that is strange or unusual or might not have been handled thoroughly or properly, I'll make observations.  As this happens, we will be exchanging questions (and answers) back and forth.  You can present “what if” scenarios.

 

As the meeting progresses, and I ask questions about what I see in the prior returns, you'll begin to introduce questions and ideas.  My goal for this meeting is that we will not judge each other with what we see and hear.  I want our time to be friendly and not adversarial.  I promise to respect the fact that you are 100% certain that you will be preparing your returns yourself and that I’m only to provide you with my experiences, my observations, my advice and recommendations, my ethics and my professionalism to answer your questions, look over the returns, letters or scenarios you want me to and to attempt to generate things for you to think about BUT NOT prepare any returns for you.

 

Things to bring to your “Becoming NOT A CLIENT” Meeting:

 

1. Your printed copies of at least your most recent Federal and State Returns (you can bring me up to three years, but I will focus first on the most recent year's).

2. Your Printed Copies of any letters recently-received, if applicable, from taxing authorities.

3. A list of questions for you to ask me (you will use this to keep us on-track in the meeting to make sure you get what you want).

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Additional Things to Know about “Becoming NOT A CLIENT” Meetings:

 

1. I won’t be retaining any copies of any documents that you bring to the meeting – I will be handing them back to you after looking at them.

2. I won’t be retaining any permanent information in my files about you.

3. $395 Payment for the meeting is required on the day of the meeting by check, cash, or through VENMO.  So be prepared for this. 

4. By having a “Becoming NOT a Client” meeting, you will, in fact, not be a client for tax preparation or ongoing advice and counsel.

5. Everything we discuss will be, of course, kept confidential as Certified Public Accounting ethics require.  The only exception to this would be any lawfully-issued subpoena.

 

“Becoming NOT a Client” meetings are scheduled only by having a telephone conversation (please call 804.359.1330 during normal hours) to make sure we have a match, talk about what you will want out of the meeting and so that we can agree on a specific day and time to meet at my Richmond, Virginia Office.  At the beginning of your call, please kindly state that you are interested in scheduling a “Becoming NOT a Client” meeting so that there will be no confusion with a “Becoming a Client” meeting.