Shortly after I moved to Seattle, Boeing lost the SuperSonic Transport contract and laid off one hundred thousand people. Someone paid for a billboard on the outskirts of town that said, "Last one out, please turn off the lights." It was a grim time. The only available jobs were for bookkeepers. So I went back to school to study accounting. I managed to get a job with Mr. Maier, CPA, through the University of Washington student employment service. I didn't know what a CPA was, but I soon found out that I was good at bookkeeping and preparing income taxes. Mr. Maier encouraged me to take the CPA exam. It took me ten years to get enough confidence to do so but I passed all four parts. My CPA license number is 13092.

By the time I passed the exam, the economy had turned around and the Seattle area was growing rapidly as Californians sold their homes for enough of a profit to pay cash for a house in Washington. Obviously, this was a long time ago. As a result, I had the opportunity to work for General Contractors (both spec and contract) and Subcontractors (concrete, framing, painting, insulation.) There was a time when lumber prices were going up every day. The spec builder needed to know every day that he was still within his budget. While the spec builder had some flexibility in pricing the houses he built, he had to be careful to keep the home affordable. The custom contractor was working with a set contract price and had to watch his costs or he could lose all his profit within a few days. Fortunately, accounting programs for the construction industry helped all contractors to stay profitable.

Now residing in Palm Desert, I have become a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor. I enjoy training individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations how to prepare financial statements that will help them make sound business decisions.

Conveniently located in Southern California, in the heart of the Desert Cities of the Coachella Valley. Serving Cathedral City, La Quinta, Coachella, Thousand Palms, Indio, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage.