I see Tax Practice News as an opportunity to bring the latest tax information into the hands of the professionals that need it. As I will be writing many articles and guiding the content that is released, I wanted to formally introduce myself.
Hi, I am Liz Mason. I am a giant nerd, a technology enthusiast, a CPA and tax accountant by background, a mother and wife, an adventure sports addict, and an outgoing, optimistic soul. I am the CEO and Co-founder of an accounting firm called High Rock Accounting, a tax firm called TheDepartment.tax and a few other related brands.
I started in public accounting when I was 19, in Reno, Nevada, at Grant Thornton. I worked in the tax practice as an intern to start and was preparing returns off a shelf, from shoeboxes, binders, and envelopes. I automated a piece of my paper-based tax preparer job that landed me an opportunity in the National Tax Process Group at Grant, which moved me to Phoenix. I helped that team implement paperless tax processes and tools. I then accepted a position at RSM McGladrey in their corporate tax department, working on multi-state, consolidated returns, income tax provisions, merger and acquisition consulting, and whatever random tax jobs got dropped on my desk. It was phenomenal experience and I worked for several partners that mentored me and molded me into the CPA that I am today.
Fast forward a few years and many lessons, I founded High Rock Accounting. I had a vision to utilize cutting edge technology to build a culture of healthy work-life integration and to build close, valuable relationships with clients. I decided to scrap the traditional model for value billing, automation, and a sincere focus on humans. It has been working. We registered officially in 2014 and will end 2019 with 25 employees and hundreds of clients. This is only phase one, so stay tuned for complete world domination.
I have a drive to share the knowledge I have learned, work with other tax professionals to share what they have learned[1] and build a community of collaboration within tax practices. I am honored and excited to curate content to help everyone grow better businesses and help our clients do the same.
[1] If you are interested in contributing, please submit your information here
