Jeffrey Anton Tax & Business Services

A free first meeting is how this practice on the San Francisco Peninsula likes to start. The firm, which now trades on its site as the Office of Jeffrey Anton, is led by a CPA and works with California registered tax preparers from Belmont. Its clients are private individuals, business owners, senior executives and freelance professionals along the Peninsula, from Belmont and San Carlos through Redwood City, San Mateo and Burlingame to Hillsborough, Atherton, Woodside and neighboring towns.

What the first meeting covers

Clients are asked to bring last year's returns, this year's documents and a list of questions. The meeting reviews past and current tax positions, looks at ways to reduce tax going forward and offers a second opinion on earlier returns, which also helps the firm spot potential savings. Typical questions it raises include where to find money for exercising stock options, how much to put into a 401k, IRA or SEP IRA, whether a business owner is operating under the right entity, and whether beneficiary designations on financial accounts fit a long term tax strategy.

Returns for individuals, companies and estates

Returns of every level of difficulty are prepared here, whether for a household, a company or partnership, or an estate or trust. It says tax savings come from planning properly and responding wisely to financial surprises, and its site promises to help clients make the most of deductions and credits through planning, compliance and preparation. One on one guidance for managing risk and improving performance is offered to business owners, and the firm describes its work as efficient, affordable and discreet.

Calling before acting

The firm uses the phrase financial anxiety for the moment when something strange happens with money. Its advice is to call or email before doing anything, so that a client always has someone to ask. Once a client is on board, the current year's return is entered into the firm's system so that a tax organizer can be sent in January, which keeps people on schedule and reminds them what is needed.

Planning topics it writes about

The firm's earlier writing covered subjects such as changes in the rules for inherited retirement accounts, which now generally require the heirs to withdraw and pay tax within ten years. The CPA also holds a California insurance license, which the site mentions alongside his accounting work.

Jeffrey Anton Tax & Business Services, which now presents itself as the Office of Jeffrey Anton, is a tax, accounting and business consulting practice in Belmont, California. It prepares and plans taxes for households and businesses in Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, San Mateo and other towns on the Peninsula.

What Jeffrey Anton Tax & Business Services does

• Tax preparation: simple and complex returns for individuals, business entities, and estates and trusts.
• Tax planning: reviews of past returns and plans to reduce tax in later years, including retirement savings and stock options.
• Business advice: guidance on choosing the right business entity and on deductions for owners.
• Personal asset protection: planning around beneficiary designations and long-term tax position.
• Ongoing reminders: a yearly tax organiser sent in January to keep clients on schedule.

Customers and markets

The practice serves individuals, business owners, executives and independent professionals across the Peninsula.

Key facts

• Based in: Belmont, California
• Team: Jeff Anton, a CPA, working with California Registered Tax Preparers
• Licences: Jeff Anton also holds a California life and health insurance licence
• Areas served: Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, San Mateo, Burlingame, Hillsborough, Atherton, Woodside