I Am an Enrolled Agent
After college in 1989, I had to move back in with my parents because, let's face it, who is going to hire a 21 year-old with no experience being part of a team? And my degree was in communication, a double-whammy when it came to corporate governance in the 90s. I was feeling sorry for myself, ... Cheryl Williams, EA
The Road Less Traveled
My tax journey started in 2008. I was 29 years old, and living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near my hometown of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, working in student services at the University of Pennsylvania. I was a student leader in college, both during undergraduate and graduate studies at the Un... Thomas A. Gorczynski, EA, USTCP
Planning for the Future
When I was young—18—and attending my local community and state college, I also had a part-time job typing financial records for Stanford University. These documents listed every location on the university’s campus with corresponding columns of numbers and totals. Accuracy was paramount. T... Jean Nelsen, EA
My Path to Becoming an EA
So how does a woman with a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering become an enrolled agent (EA)? As I often remind people, your school decisions at 18 years old should not lock you in for life. Mine did not. After spending years as an engineer, I decided to... Beth Logan, EA
The Power of Building Relationships
My entrance into the tax industry began like so many others, in that it really was not my chosen field. My college education was in business computer information systems. After college, I went to work in the retail industry never utilizing my passion and skills. During the year prior to enter... Timothy W. Adams, EA
More than Initials Behind My Name
My enrolled agent (EA) journey began in 1995. At the nudging of my wife, I took a basic income tax course at a local box retailer. The topics, mainly the calculations, intrigued me, and by the end of the course, my confidence in tax preparation was high. I worked at the retailer f... James Roberson, Jr.
We SpEAk Tax
Our meeting with the Internal Revenue Service agent was wrapping up. Sitting in the chair next to my husband, our two-year-old on my lap, I felt helpless. I knew it would take us years to pay the balance, especially with penalties and interest. All of the horror stories I had heard about ... Kesha M. Dawson Harris, EA, NTPIF, Mrs. Harris
My EA Journey
For me, like many others, becoming an enrolled agent was a second career. It started with a part-time seasonal job preparing taxes while I continued my full-time career as an elementary music teacher. I began studying for the SEE exam and became an enrolled agent the following summer. Membership in NAEA and par... Lori Carpenter, EA, CPA
The enrolled agent’s life is one to live! Pick a life and jump in.
My enrolled agent career started in 1987 when I received my master’s degree in accounting and finance from Regis University. Working at my own practice, JCP Financial, Inc., has been a wonderful ride of helping people with the many questions that arise on how to file their ... Carlton P. Johnson, Jr., EA, MBA
My EA Journey
I started on the path to becoming an enrolled agent (EA) in 2004 when I took an H&R Block tax training course. I was newly married and had purchased my first house, so I thought that taking a tax preparation class would help me to understand my own financial situation better. I fell ... Steven Heeley, EA
Governors From 22 States Issue “Enrolled Agent Week” Proclamations
GOVERNERS OF 22 STATES ISSUES ENROLLED AGENT WEEK PROCLAMATIONS By John Michaels Every year, representatives from NAEA state societies across America ask the governor from their respective state to help kick off filing season by issuing a proclamation declaring the first week in February “Enrolled Agent Week.” We ask for these proclamations in an effort to help educate the public about th... John Michaels
How I Got Into Tax and Why I Love It
When I was in high school, my 11th-grade English teacher noticed that I wrote really well and loved to read, but I was getting a D in her class. She determined that I was bored and wasn’t being challenged. So, I was moved to Honors English. My first day in Honors English we were given the assignment to write a short story. At the time, I was reading a lot of Clive Barker novels, and I wrote a 25-page story called “Meat Loc... Craig W. Smalley, EA
Educating America Growth of a Movement
As with most great ideas, the idea to promote the enrolled agent (EA) license to students and administrators at two and four-year colleges did not begin with one person. When several NAEA leaders independently recognized the high demand for licensed tax professionals, they also recognized that this required additional education for current college accounting majors to ensure that they could fill this demand. This created the perfect opportuni... Andrew “Andy” Stadler, EA
My EA Journey
I think I truly fell in love with taxation my sophomore year of college. At this point, I had already declared accounting as my major at Montclair State University. After years of working with my mom during tax season and after my first “Taxation of Individuals” class with a near perfect GPA, I was convinced that I would follow in my mom’s footsteps. Taxation was the career path I would choose. I decided after my four years at Mon... Brianna Antonelli, EA