a better way to do your taxes
The Class 5 Story
So have you noticed the rafting references? Yeah, it's no coincidence.
I spent many years as an outdoors guide, mostly whitewater rafting, and initially got into tax preparation as a good way to make money in the off-season. But somewhere along the way I realized I enjoyed the balance this career brought to my life. (I still get away to the wilderness and lead a few rafting trips every summer to maintain that balance.) I've always been great with numbers and logic problems, and there's no shortage of opportunities to apply those skills in interpreting tax rules. But I also enjoy providing people with great service and helping them accomplish their goals--whether it's in the great outdoors or in their financial lives
In time, I came to see the parallels between what I did as a guide in the wild and what I did as a tax preparer. When I first launched Class 5 Tax I used the slogan, "If you can trust me with your life, you can trust me with your taxes." Both professions require people to place considerable trust in me. And I've seen the parallels can run even deeper. A good guide educates and empowers people. I believe a good tax preparer can do the same thing when it comes to people and their tax situations.
I have spent many years in a traditional paid preparer role, doing people's returns from start to finish. I have also spent several years supporting people using do-it-yourself software as an advisor answering individual tax questions. Through my exposure to both approaches of doing taxes, I came to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both. That inspired me to consider if there was a way to combine the strengths of both models. What I came up with was the Professionally Guided Tax Preparation model that is the cornerstone of Class 5 Tax.
I can't promise you Class 5 will make doing taxes as exciting as rafting a whitewater river. But I can promise you that with Class 5 you will only work with highly trained and experienced professionals. Class 5 Tax "guides" will go out of our way to provide you with the highest level of service. We will do everything we can to save you money in the current year, answer all of your questions, provide planning and strategy for the future, and provide you with absolute peace of mind about your taxes.
Thank you,
Devin Martin, E.A.
Founder
Class Five Tax
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Class 5 Tax
1300 Clay St, Suite 600
Oakland, CA 94612
What our clients say...
"You are very clear, knowledgeable and competent... AND very kind and patient when I obviously have little or absolutely no clue sometimes with the simplest of things involving numbers and finances. Thank you..."
-Sonja
"That advice [resulted in] an $8K swing to a refund from a tax debt. After reading your detailed rationale, I felt even more confident that the service that I was getting was the service that I needed."
-Anthony
Over $75,000 in Savings Found in 2011 for Registered Domestic Partners and Same-Sex Spouses!