When you invest in an accountant you are not only paying money for that professional to complete work on your behalf, but most importantly you are empowering that accountant to manage and advise on your finances that in turn determines the life you lead for you and your family. Hiring a Birmingham based accountant therefore is an important decision to get right, but how do you know what makes a good accountant from a bad accountant?

The fact is that anybody can call themselves an “accountant”, with no requirement to achieve a specific qualification. Many accountants therefore base their expertise on experience, and with that comes huge risk because you are simply judging this accountant on their word. Statistics show that on average an accountant will only claim 70% of what a client is entitled to via tax allowances and reliefs. So how do ensure you pick an accountant that beats this average?

Well at James, Stanley & Co were are registered as Chartered Accountants based in Birmingham, meaning that we are regulated and monitored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). The ICAEW Chartered Accountant qualification is one of the most advanced learning and professional development programmes available, valued around the world in business, practice and the public sector.

We are regularly reviewed by the ICAEW to ensure we maintain the highest standards of practice and professional conduct, meaning our team are of the highest competence and technical knowledge, therefore ensuring your financial affairs are accurate and ethically tax efficient. Evidence of this regulation is our continued investment in technical training (known as CPD). This is essential for an accountant, especially in areas such as taxation whereby failure to keep up-to-date with the continuous changes to tax law lead to expensive penalties imposed on clients for filing errors, as well as the underlying risk of not claiming the maximum amount of tax relief available.

In addition as part of the ICAEW we have a support body behind us whereby as a client, not only are contracting James, Stanley & Co to manage your numbers but also you have access to an advisory body encompassing a worldwide wealth of technical experience.

For any business owner deciding on what accountant to choose there must be trust, and through our membership and qualification with the ICAEW we are able to prove right from the start that by investing in us, we will deliver the highest standard of service the accountancy industry offers today.