I’ve always had a natural desire to help people, particularly those who’ve dealt with some adversity in their lives. I also happen to have a lot of compassion toward individuals with tax debt. I do believe this empathy stems from being a business owner myself, and also being raised by a self-employed father.
Business owners are the ones who have a tendency to fall behind on their taxes more than anyone. Employees, on the other hand, typically have their taxes taken out of their paychecks automatically so it’s not as easy for them to slip up and owe down the track. If and when business owners get stuck in tax ruts, it’s almost never their intention to do so. It generally happens because they don’t understand the tax process in terms of what expenses are allowed and what the filing requirements are, or because they’re barely scraping by and must choose between feeding their families or paying Uncle Sam. In my experience, business owners – and most self-employed taxpayers – are very smart. They just don’t always have the experience necessary to tackle and maintain their finances properly because, let’s face it, this is a job in and of itself. It’s easy when you have HR and accounting departments taking care of all the numbers, but for those who are self-employed, it’s a whole different ball game.
Impactful Years
After graduating from the University of Southern California (USC) with a dual accounting and finance degree, I started my own accounting firm that focused specifically on nonprofit organizations. The firm’s primary objective was to help these organizations manage their finances better by assisting them with things like budgeting and accounting. Later on, started a transitional housing facility for people who needed a fresh start. Once again, I’ve got a soft spot for individuals who haven’t had their lives handed to them on a silver platter.
What I’d begun to notice in my work with people from all walks of life was that IRS tax debt was a huge burden for taxpayers across the country. This is particularly problematic because IRS debts aren’t always bankruptable. Even within my friendship and family circle, I was witnessing people suffer from sleepless nights and debilitating stress, all stemming from tax debts owed. Unfortunately, once tax debts start to mount up, it can feel just about impossible to get out from under them. Meanwhile, everyday bills must somehow still get paid.
Encountered a Big Problem
At this point, I realized just how many Americans fall behind on taxes that they owe for reasons they sometimes have no control over. Yet still, when they do the responsible thing and ask for outside help, they’re faced with absurd upfront fees, all the while living from paycheck to paycheck. It didn’t (and still doesn’t) make any sense to me that these debt settlement companies are essentially trying to rob these people, preying on their desperation. It’s not fair.
Analyzed problem and possible solutions
One day, I was asked by a family member for help with settling an IRS debt, so I sought out to find a company that could assist. All of the companies I contacted wanted anywhere from $7,500 to $15,000 upfront just to help with the process. I thought this was absurd considering the people seeking help from these companies were already struggling financially. Most people who can’t afford to pay their taxes don’t have this kind of money floating around. I ended up helping this family member settle the amount owed myself for less than 10% of the total amount owed.
Started a company to solve the problem
I wanted to start a company to help Americans resolve their IRS debts for fair, reasonable fees that they could afford, and I also wanted them to be able to work with someone who actually cared. I have a genuine concern for the wellbeing of my clients, and I want to help them move forward without losing sleep over how much debt they’re in. It’s been my experience that settling debt, particularly tax debt, has the ability to transform lives. It allows people to finally move forward, and the most rewarding part for me is to witness the relief my clients experience when the weight of their debts is taken off their shoulders.
Honest, Trustworthy and Dependable
I’m a very honest and straightforward person by nature. It’s how I was raised. We only take on clients that we believe we can truly help after doing an initial consultation and review. If we do take on your case, we will clearly see your financial picture and do everything that we can to make the financial fees work, whether that means a low cost payment plan, pro bono work or similar. We make sure our fees are affordable and ideally have them paid off in three installments throughout the process which generally takes 8-12 months. Finally, I’m a firm believer in karma – if you do good and help people who need it most, it will come back to you in the end.
