@malwaretech It is EXTREMELY normal for people to show up to accountants with huge piles of receipts and spreadsheets and be like "oh god, what is this, make it be taxes".
Not an expert but I have hired a tax preparer and a financial planner. My understanding is:
- tax preparer turns documents into tax forms
- bookkeeper makes sure your businesses' income/expense records are kept knowledgeably
- tax planner helps you structure your income/expenses to minimize your tax bill
@malwaretech - financial planner helps you figure out what to do with the money in your life; how to save/invest it to reach your goals, wtf is the difference between the different types of retirement accounts, actually a whole lot of stuff there
It sounds to me like you want to START with a tax preparer, because you said exactly that! i.e. that you have taxes and don't know how to do them. You can ask them if having a few hours a month of an accountant would help going forward.
Andromeda Yelton
ZiggyD