We’re a small team of bookkeepers and tax preparers based in Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon.
We help make your finances more organized, effective, and awesome. Do you have a small business? Trying to figure out Cost of Goods Sold and balance sheets? Perhaps you’re making plans to get your personal finances organized so you can achieve a goal such as international travel, debt consolidation, higher education, buying land, or starting a downtempo electronic duo. Maybe your small non-profit is swimming in ongoing compliance regulations and wants to focus on running a fundraising campaign. We can work together to make your accounting dreams come true!
Our favorite part of this work is listening to you, hearing about what motivates you to do the awesome things you work on, and supporting you to be organized, file your taxes, and stay productive.
Services
Tax Preparation & Compliance
We focus on small business taxes and compliance, and personal income taxes. We’re experienced in tax preparation for individuals; couples, families, and other relationship formations; sole proprietors, partnerships, LLCs, and S-corporations. Taxes and compliance can be intimidating. We’ll find a process that will get you squared away and set up for success!
Bookkeeping & Accounting
There are lots of good ways to keep your books and make sure everything is correct at the end of each month and year. We want to help you find out what will work best for you. We have experience creating custom spreadsheets in Google Sheets to track finances for individuals and sole proprietorships. For more complex finances, I like to use QuickBooks Online or Xero. These services can integrate with e-commerce platforms and payment tools such as Shopify, Paypal, Square, Stripe, or Etsy, as well as importing data from bank accounts, investments, and credit cards.
Financial Consulting
This branch of our work focuses on developing strong systems for financial and managerial success. We help individuals set financial goals and create the structure they need to achieve them. We’ve worked with small food and manufacturing businesses as well as health care providers, other professionals, and artists to improve operations, compliance, and quality assurance. Offerings include:
– Financial strategy and projections for stability, growth, and fundraising
– Compliance for entities such as LLCs, partnerships, corporations, and non-profits
– Cost of goods calculation, analysis, and strategy
– Document and spreadsheet creation and digital organization
– Profit First Accounting Methodology
Rates
Our rates are on an income-based sliding scale. We bill based on the complexity of work and value of the services provided.
Average price ranges:
- Bookkeeping: $250-500 per month
- Business tax prep: $500-1,000 per return
- Individual tax prep: $350-700 per return
- Business compliance support: $150-300 per month
- Payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, custom reports: $150-300 per month
Many clients with low income or simple returns will qualify for lower sliding scale rates. Our primary goal is to support your process — if these rates present a prohibitive financial barrier, we can discuss creative alternatives that meet our mutual needs.
What to Expect
– Free 20-minute initial phone or email consultation
– For tax prep, we’ll share documents securely via google drive, and have a 1-hour meeting to get your taxes done (or nearly there!)
– For bookkeeping services, we’ll set up a monthly, quarterly, or annual schedule
– For financial consultation, we’ll have regular meetings and correspondence, as well as a shared google drive folder and/or other resources
– You’ll have my support to find documents and statements or connect log-in info with bookkeeping software
– We can meet in person at my office in Oakland, though most meetings are via Zoom
About Me
Jae Starfox
I’ve been working as an accountant, bookkeeper, and financial consultant since 2015. I love tea, yoga, getting outdoors, chocolate, community-based art, and bike riding. I live in Oakland, California. I help manage two projects — a community arts space in a warehouse in West Oakland, and a teahouse that travels to special events. My goal with my accounting work is to help my clients take care of all this financial life admin stuff so that they can focus on what matters most to them.
The two most important aspects of my work are my technical proficiency and my commitment to service. I don’t think there is a single right way for everyone’s finances to be organized — rather, they should make sense to you! I want to listen to your stories, plans, and methods, and find a way for us to cooperatively achieve your goals. I will patiently find the best flow for you. I want YOU to understand and feel comfortable with your finances. My first priority is to caretake a working relationship that will remain true to your needs and values.