• Since birth? I'm a 3rd generation accountant! My grandfather Virgil Nordstrom prepared income tax returns during the 70s and 80s. My father, Bruce Nordstrom, recently retired from a 50-year career in public accounting. It was a dream come true working with him for about 12 years before he retired from the profession. He single-handedly taught me 80% of my skill set. Once he retired, I went on to fulfill another goal: to be an entrepreneur and help my clients in a more detailed, full-service fashion. Family legacy notwithstanding, accounting comes naturally to me, and I’ve been working full-time in public accounting since 2005.

Q&A with Jen Nordstrom

Thanks for expressing your interest in Jen Nordstrom Accounting! This page covers common questions about who we are, what we do, and how we work. I hope you'll find this info helpful as you determine what kind of help you need for tax, accounting, and advisory services.

WHO WE WORK WITH

  • Most of our clients are small business owners or rental real estate investors. However, our service packages work for anybody who strongly desires to improve their financial lives. We have unmarried clients who want somebody to help them navigate and be informed about their financial decisions. We have retired clients who wish for somebody to help them connect the dots between all their different professional advisors.

    No matter what your situation or size, you can be a great client as long as you are a heck-yeah when it comes to wanting a better financial future for yourself. If you are a heck-no or an um-maybe, then the timing isn't right—but the door is always open. The one constant in life is change, and taxes are no exception.

  • We work best with people who desire to learn and improve their financial lives. We can guide you on what you need to do, but your responsibility is to follow through on things. We work best with people who desire to do things right, control their money, and are open to new ideas. We expect you to provide us with all the information we require within our agreed time frames and make time available to attend to any aspect of the assignment you’ve agreed to complete.

  • We want to get to know you and ensure you are an excellent fit for our services before beginning any work. The new client proposal and onboarding process take about 3-6 weeks from “hello” to “up and running." There isn't enough time during tax season to give you the attention you need to ensure we understand your situation and prepare a complete and accurate tax return. We will be retaking new clients each Summer. We keep a waiting list and encourage you to get in touch immediately if you are interested in establishing services for this year.

  • We’ve worked with just about every industry. All income is taxable unless specially excluded by the Internal Revenue Code. This provision of the law allows us to be an expert in many things. There are a few areas that we choose not to expand our services and wouldn't be a good fit (e.g., foreign reporting, businesses that sell in all 50 states, the Cannabis industry, compiled/reviewed/audited financial statements, human resource functions, utility companies, mining/oil/gas extraction).

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT

  • If there’s one thing I’d really like you to know, it’s that we are so much more than just an income tax return preparer. We provide a full-service year-round service for clients that include tax planning, strategies, IRS representation, and a tax projection. It's a strategic partnership that integrates into your financial life. It's like having a personal CFO in your corner year-round!

    Our process is very different from a typical tax prep firm. Instead of focusing on the tax return, we focus on tax planning and strategy. The real value is having an advisory team in tune with your tax situation and goals. If we do our job right, the tax return should be a known quantity and a compliance item.

    We are here to support you and help you explore options regarding any financial decisions that come your way. We are proactive, and we will keep in touch with you. We have newsletters, updates, and reminders to keep you informed on various matters throughout the year. Additionally, we don't bill by the hour. That means you can contact us anytime something comes up and get your questions answered.

  • The difference is profound. Traditional tax preparation is a transactional relationship. We take it beyond transactional by integrating our expertise into your financial life year-round. We are proactive, and we bring forward ideas to you. You are going to hear from us outside of tax season. It is a strategic partnership with professional support. It's an improved experience. We help you grow and evolve.

  • No. I'm a Certified Public Accountant with a specialty in income taxes. The beauty of it is the Internal Revenue Code says all income is taxable unless expressly excluded within the tax code. Keep in mind the tax code is over 10,000 pages long! That makes CPAs an expert in many financial topics because, in one way or another, all money received might be taxable.

  • Having a financial advisor or planner makes you a perfect candidate for our services. We partner with your financial pro to help you explore more strategies and carry out even more tax savings ideas. We can even attend your meetings with you and your financial pro to help you better understand the connection between your investments and your income taxes.

  • We offer payroll services for S-Corporation owners with no employees other than themselves. If you have non-owner employees, hiring a payroll company that can help you navigate all the nuances of the human resource laws (employment agreements, fringe benefits, sick time, maternity leave, etc.) is well worth your time. Human resource is a complex area of tax law, and the stakes are high for non-compliance.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK WITH US

  • Instead of starting at the year-end with a focus on tax preparation, we begin as soon as your prior year's taxes are completed with a tax planning and strategy focus. You get clarity of the engagement and an understanding of the process, expectations and timelines are set, and you enjoy peace of mind with:

    –IRS and state tax agency monitoring

    –price certainty for the given scope of work

    –communication and a plan in place

    –proactive reminders for quarterly estimated tax payments and confirmation of the amount due

    –clarity on what to pay and when

    –guidance/understanding of how any changes affect your plan

    Once our engagement begins, we will be available to you as a resource regarding various topics related to your financial situation. We don't bill by the hour, so you are free to reach out anytime any questions come up. It's like having a personal CFO…a pro in your corner year-round.

  • The basic service plan starts at $350/month for individuals and $450 to $550/month for individuals with businesses or rentals. You get tax planning, tax strategies, an annual income tax projection, and income tax preparation for your business and individual taxes. You also get IRS representation included in this package. If you get any notices from the Federal or Arizona agencies during the year, we will automatically handle them on your behalf. We also monitor your account with IRS each year to ensure all your tax payments are posted correctly, and everything is fine with your account.

    Our services can seem expensive to some but price is relative. Most people don't realize that financial trouble is the underlying cause of stress and anxiety. More than anything, we want you to gain control of your financial life and reduce stress. Working with us means we have your back and you can rest easy knowing all the ins and outs of tax planning, preparation, and payments are handled.

  • Absolutely! The more you ask for help, the more we can help you! We are available year-round as your resource. It is a concierge-type service. We intentionally keep our client list selective so that we can give our attention to our clients year-round. You are so much more to us than a number in our books or the numbers that make up your books. Please keep in mind our focus is to incorporate advanced tax strategies into your long-term financial situation. The benefits occur over time so we can't guarantee there will be immediate tax savings for everybody.

  • Yes, they do. In the event they don’t it’s usually because their situation has changed (i.e., they moved, married, sold their business, retired, etc.), and they no longer need our services.

  • Absolutely! We would be happy to arrange introductions for you to hear more about what it’s like to work with us directly from our clients.

  • Fantastic! The next step is to schedule a 30-minute discovery call so we can get a better idea of your specific situation. Then we will put together three customized service plans for you. This part of the process generally takes about three weeks.

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