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I'll commit the cardinal sin of not reading the article before posting, but even if it is written there it's worth repeating. See a tax accountant before you d

I'll commit the cardinal sin of not reading the article before posting, but even if it is written there it's worth repeating. See a tax accountant before you do anything. An hour of the accountant's time will almost certainly save their fee many, many times over. I'm in Japan, but I don't think US tax law is any less complicated ;-) When I started my company I waited until after talking to the lawyer and doing all the legal paperwork to engage an accountant. Big mistake! There were a lot more options than I knew about (and that my lawyer told me about). Even engaging my accountant when I did, he still saved me his yearly fee in about 5 minutes. I think it's not a stretch to say that he's saved me about 10% net year to year.

tomc1985 9y ago
For those without much of a network, how do you recommend finding one to talk to?
- mikekchar 9y ago
  As strange as this sounds, my wife actually found our accountant by googling. That got her to a referral service and they set up an interview with someone in our area. The account pays the referral service and offered to consult with us for an hour or so for free. Based on that, we hired him. I spent quite a long time (probably 20-30 hours) reading Japanese tax law so that I understood the basics. I also spent and equivalent (or probably longer, actually) learning dual entry accounting and practicing it. That way, when I got to speak the the accountant I had at least some idea for judging his competence. I asked to see some examples of his work and also chatted to him about his style, etc. Pretty much like any job interview ;-). It's been 3 years now, and although he was the first and only person we talked with I'm very happy with my choice. However, remember that it's a buyer's market and you do have a choice. Try to make sure that you have plenty of time to set up your company because you don't want to rush through these things. Accounting and taxes is important. Also, I would also advise not to judge primarily on price. Good accountants are worth a lot, so pay them appropriately. However, you can also get accountants that attempt some slimy practices and leave you on the hook if it all goes wrong, so make sure the person isn't over promising. Get them to show you what kinds of actions they will take. It should be pretty clear how they do things.
- pc86 9y ago
  Google. If for some reason you don't trust yourself to filter out the bad or mediocre folks, find a professional association in the area and ask them for a referral.
dzink 9y ago
Who would you recommend?
- mikekchar 9y ago
  If you are in Shizuoka prefecture Japan I can give you a good contact :-) Otherwise I'm afraid I don't know. If you do happen to be in Japan, definitely ping me (or anyone else for that matter) and I'll be happy to give you whatever advice I can.

tomc1985 9y ago

For those without much of a network, how do you recommend finding one to talk to?

mikekchar 9y ago
As strange as this sounds, my wife actually found our accountant by googling. That got her to a referral service and they set up an interview with someone in our area. The account pays the referral service and offered to consult with us for an hour or so for free. Based on that, we hired him. I spent quite a long time (probably 20-30 hours) reading Japanese tax law so that I understood the basics. I also spent and equivalent (or probably longer, actually) learning dual entry accounting and practicing it. That way, when I got to speak the the accountant I had at least some idea for judging his competence. I asked to see some examples of his work and also chatted to him about his style, etc. Pretty much like any job interview ;-). It's been 3 years now, and although he was the first and only person we talked with I'm very happy with my choice. However, remember that it's a buyer's market and you do have a choice. Try to make sure that you have plenty of time to set up your company because you don't want to rush through these things. Accounting and taxes is important. Also, I would also advise not to judge primarily on price. Good accountants are worth a lot, so pay them appropriately. However, you can also get accountants that attempt some slimy practices and leave you on the hook if it all goes wrong, so make sure the person isn't over promising. Get them to show you what kinds of actions they will take. It should be pretty clear how they do things.
pc86 9y ago
Google. If for some reason you don't trust yourself to filter out the bad or mediocre folks, find a professional association in the area and ask them for a referral.

dzink 9y ago

Who would you recommend?

mikekchar 9y ago
If you are in Shizuoka prefecture Japan I can give you a good contact :-) Otherwise I'm afraid I don't know. If you do happen to be in Japan, definitely ping me (or anyone else for that matter) and I'll be happy to give you whatever advice I can.