You have to know at least some things yourself when talking to an accountant or tax adviser. When I was looking for a CPA, I met with several with good reputati

You have to know at least some things yourself when talking to an accountant or tax adviser. When I was looking for a CPA, I met with several with good reputations before deciding on one. What I found was that all but one was deficient in some of their knowledge when it came to my specific situation, despite all of them having years of experience in small business accounting. One gave me outright illegal advice as a "tax optimization" strategy. So I would say it's essential for the business owner to have some knowledge before going to meet a financial professional (or any other kind of professional, really).