5 Reasons To Fire Your Accountant

How do you know if the accountant you’ve hired is really worth it? A good one will save you money, help organize your finances, and if you run a business, can help you make better-informed decisions. However, a bad one can cost you a small fortune, waste your time, and even get you into some serious legal trouble. So how do you know if you’ve hired someone trustworthy and skilled or someone who pulls off a sock to finish counting? Here are signs that you may need to look elsewhere for someone to handle your financial documents.

Poor Communication

Okay, you may have to cut your accountant some slack. People attracted to this profession aren’t exactly social butterflies. But small talk and pleasantries aside, they are still professionals and should be able to explain their work clearly to you. If you need information or can’t understand a task that has been performed, and they should be able to go through it with you and explain his purpose and intentions. If you find you’re just getting a lot of excuses, vague explanations and too much jargon, or are just met with a blank stare, they are not doing their job properly.

Unhelpful

Sure, it is your business, but a good accountant can be invaluable in assisting you with some financial guidance. A poor one will stick with the number crunching and be unable to offer you any advice. It isn’t always their fault, as they must deal with a variety of clients from different backgrounds, but it might be useful to search for one who has specific experience within your primary industry, as they will be sure to have plenty of insight into the business.

Absent

Suddenly have a big emergency banking error and need some assistance now? A good accountant will be reasonably available. As they are often tied to multiple clients, it may not always be at your convenience, but if you find that the professional you choose is completely inflexible about meeting your time needs or assisting you in times of emergency, there are better professionals out there.

Sloppy

You can’t hold messy handwriting against them, but it is easy to see when someone is disorganized and sloppy. If you ask them for a copy of a document it should be able to be produced with little efforts. A poor professional will not be good at keeping track of records, and if he can’t even manage that imagine what he might be doing with your finances!

Cheat

After developing a working relationship with your selected professional, everything may be going smoothly, and then suddenly you find yourself getting hit with an audit. Not every audit or other problem will necessarily be the accountant’s fault, but there are some cheats and sneaks around who might even think they are giving you a hand by fudging some numbers. Trust is important especially when dealing with large amounts of money and in many cases, your livelihood. Don’t hire a cheat or you will be cheated.