Valerie Colin, CPA, MST
Tax Department Head, Tax Shareholder
EXPERIENCE
Valerie helps her clients optimize their tax situations with a particular emphasis on recognizing income and deductions for tax purposes, maximizing available employment credits and other incentives such as R&D credits and manufacturing deductions. Her specialties include estate planning, tax compliance, management and financial consulting, personal financial planning, and financing of businesses and mortgages.
Valerie’s clients include individuals and private closely-held businesses in various industries such as manufacturing, retail, wholesale distribution, importing, apparel and textiles, professional services and real estate leasing.
Recent successes for her clients include:
- Saving an estate over $2.5 million in GST tax
- Saving a tech client over $85 thousand in personal income taxes from R & D credits
- Assisting a wholesale client with the structure and negotiations of the sale of their business and saving the acquirer over $4 million in depreciation and amortization deductions and the seller hundreds of thousands in employment taxes and income taxes.
ACTIVITIES/MEMBERSHIPS
Valerie is currently the head of the tax department at the firm. Committed to the advancement of the accounting profession, Valerie dedicates many hours to the Loyola Marymount University Accounting Department, where she was on the advisory board. She is also very active in the community and is involved with a number of charitable and professional organizations. She is a member of CalCPA and one of the original founders of the Los Angeles Chapter ABC event; she is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Valerie is the current treasurer and a past president of La Primera Group, a not-for-profit organization; the treasurer and member of Business Exchange 100 and member of Provisors and the Textile Professional Club. She is also a current board member and treasurer of her HOA.
Valerie enjoys ballroom dancing, golf, movies, playing cards and traveling.
ARTICLES
- 3 Tips For a Financially Successful Second Marriage, August 2015
- What is AMT?, June 2015
- 20 Triggers Making You an IRS Target, January 2015
- Consider Your Options Before Borrowing from Your 401(k), October 2014
- What to do When You Receive a Letter from the IRS, June 2014
- Understanding the Home Office Deduction, March 2014
- “Basis” is an Important Tax Concept, April 2014
- Avoid Costly Early Retirement Withdrawal Penalties, October 2012
- Charitable Contributions and Tax Deductions, July 2012
- Predicting Product Cycles, May 2012
- Understanding IRA Rollovers/Avoid Costly Early Retirement Withdrawal Penalties, October 2012
- Surviving an IRS Audit, July 2012
EDUCATION
M.S. in Taxation, Golden Gate University
B.S. in Accounting, Loyola Marymount University
Personal Financial Planning Designation, University of California, Los Angeles