A Certified Public Accountant or CPA is a very valuable professional to have, especially during tax time. With the right CPA, not only will you have a far lower risk of ultimately being audited because of a silly mistake. Not only will you be able to collect a larger refund or a smaller bill than you would otherwise have. If you go with a great CPA, you will also be able to plan your finances more carefully for next year, so you will not have as many problems as you do now. However, a great CPA is sometimes difficult to come by, meaning you have to actively search for some particular traits. The following are a few of them.

A Keen Eye for Detail

Details escape a lot of people everyday, and a lot of times nothing bad comes of it. Unfortunately, when you deal with an accountant of the highest caliber, every detail counts for a lot. This is your money, after all. More than that, even, this is potentially your ability to earn more money and keep what you have worked so hard for. While a bad accountant may leave you thinking you did well, a great accountant will nonchalantly mention things you might never have even considered before. While it might not sound like that much at first, reinvesting even part of the money you get back will grant you massive rewards over the long term.

The Skill to Research

 No one will ever have tax law totally memorized, no matter how long they practice the art of doing taxes or how skilled of a professional they may be. While the notion of having everything memorized may sound great, it simply is not feasible to do this. So a great CPA is the kind of person who can do a lot of research in a quick time period and make it useful even faster. This research can end up saving you a small fortune, and can even help your business do better at the same time. More efficiency with cash tends to result in more overall success.

A Pleasant Demeanor

Your accountant does not need to be your best friend, but there is also no need for your accountant to create unnecessary enmity. When you and your CPA can get along reasonably well, the entire interaction will pass far more pleasantly, and more useful information can come to you. If there is any tension, the relationship will not be the only thing strained. Ultimately, your finances will be less effective for the lack of communication, as well.