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accountant

Q&A: When to report an unresponsive accountant

July 6, 2026 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Dear Liz: In a previous column, you answered a question from someone dealing with an unexpected bank levy by a state tax agency. The accountant who prepared the tax returns wasn’t responding to emails or calls. If an accountant ignores a client, then a complaint should be filed with the state’s board of accounting. If the accountant is licensed, the state board will likely follow up.

Answer: That’s a good suggestion. As mentioned in the previous column, many tax pros struggle to keep up with client communications during the busy tax season and may back-burner questions they don’t see as urgent. But if the ignored client still hasn’t heard back from their tax pro at this point, making a complaint to the board of accounting could be a reasonable response.

Filed Under: Follow Up, Q&A, Taxes Tagged With: accountant, complaints, consumer rights, ghosted by accountant, tax pro

Q&A: How to find an accountant and a financial planner

February 8, 2021 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: Can you offer advice on finding the right accountant for someone doing taxes for the first time after divorce? My husband always handled this. Also, same question for a financial planner for a newly divorced person? It’s all so overwhelming.

Answer: It is, and you’re smart to reach out for help.

You might consider hiring a personal financial specialist. This is a designation earned by CPAs who handle not just taxes but financial planning as well.

A CPA-PFS is a fiduciary, which means they’re committed to putting your best interests first. Also, many are working virtually now because of the pandemic, so you should be able to find several candidates to interview even if you live in a more remote area. You can start your search at the website of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Filed Under: Banking, Q&A Tagged With: accountant, financial planner, q&a

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