An Accounting Service that Rises Above the Bottom Line...

When a single mother dies, Suzi White's intimate knowledge of her client's business affairs helps alleviate a tragic outcome.

One of Suzi White's accounting services clients was a dynamic, single mother who owned a successful clothing boutique franchise in several states that comprised stores, holding companies and partnership entities. Suzi was involved in all aspects of the business: preparing financial statements and bank reconciliations, tracking transactions, preparing payroll and sales and use taxes for the multi states, acting as controller to certain stores on behalf of the owner, consulting with store managers on financial issues, and even paying the owner's personal bills. Suzi was privy to information in her client's life insurance policies. She also accompanied her client to attorney and bank meetings since the client felt Suzi's professional opinion and input into the business was a valuable asset.

That knowledge and unique hands-on relationship paid off for the family when the owner died in a tragic car accident, leaving two teenage daughters, a significant personal estate, and a financial empire. Suzi worked with the owner's attorneys, trust administrator and personal representative to wind down the estate. One of our tax partners helped orchestrate the sale of the various stores, consulted on general business planning and prepared the estate tax return. Suzi continues to disburse the girls' allowances, pays their outstanding bills and fees, and tracks the investments the attorney makes on their behalf. Suzi is more than an accounting service professional. She talks regularly with the girls, who are now comfortably settled with relatives, and provides a sympathetic ear and motherly advice when requested. Suzi's client wasn't just a client, she was also a friend, which is how Suzi treats all her clients.