|
|
|
Q & A with Bill:
Q: What attracted you to accounting and consulting?
I graduated in accounting because it came easy and I needed one more class for a major. It was either an accounting class or one in political science, but by that time I had soured on law school. I wasn't excited about the prospects of such a "dull" profession but my mind changed quickly when I came to really understand tax planning and consulting. Alas, there was room for creativity in this profession and clients actually wanted you around, unlike in auditing.
Q: What is it about your favorite client that most impresses you?
My favorite client is a fast-food franchisee. What has most impressed me is her ability to overcome obstacles along the way. From a rocky start purchasing three existing stores, two of which were in desperate need of turnaround, to a very bad partner relationship, there seemed to be insurmountable challenges at every turn. She persisted and battled her way over each hurdle and has arrived today, a tremendously successful business woman who now provides jobs/ careers for nearly her entire family and many, many young people in our community. The lesson is to not give up when you have solid goals and believe that you can achieve them.
Q: What is one area of tax law you would like to see changed?
The AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) is unfair in almost every way. First, the average taxpayer who is subject to it doesn't realize it or begin to understand it. Second, the AMT was intended as a last resort to capture tax from the mega- rich who were avoiding it because they could shelter their income in ways unavail- able to those of lesser means. Today the AMT has been allowed to drift so far off course (by a gutless con- gress) that it has become a major revenue stream; catching millions of unin- tended tax-payers in its grasp. The AMT should either return to its roots or be eliminated while restructuring the basic taxing mech- anism to make up for some of the shortfall. |
|
|
"I believe the goal should be not to be the best at what you do... but rather to be the only one who does what you do! |
|
 Getting
personal...
Q: Where did you grow up? What was it like then or how has it changed?
I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska which was and is known as a great place to raise a family. It's a mid-sized city with con- servative, honest values and very friendly people. It also happens to be the home of the fabled Nebraska Cornhuskers and their many, many football national championships.
Q: Describe your very favorite vacation...
I'm staying at a very exclusive, small, unknown-to-most bout- ique hotel in Paris. During the day I'm literally walking all over the city which I know like the back of my hand, visiting favorite places for the umpteenth time. At night I'm dining in world-class rest- aurants followed up by hours in the jazz clubs and other hot spots. And after a month of that I hit the beach in Southern California.
Q: What was your first job?
My first job was as a busboy in a nightclub, the East Hills Supper Club. They had a very classy restaurant that brought in "not quite the big name" entertainment; mostly names on the down turn, like the lounge acts in Vegas, but they were still big names to me. After a couple weeks of bussing, they were short a waiter on a Saturday night (panic) and forced me to fill in. I was terrified. Turned out to be a great thing for me; there was no time to be my normal shy self. I had fun, met some nice, influential people who helped me later in life and made great money. They created a monster and let me finish out the summer as a waiter but since I was underage I couldn't handle drinks and that was a hassle for them so next summer it was bussing again but I added life- guard to my resume which opened up a whole new world. |
| |
