Guy Finocchiaro, CPA Founder’s Mastermind Member Spotlight
Not many people start out in tax resolution. Everyone has a story how they ended up representing taxpayers before the IRS, and Guy Finocchiaro is no different. His journey into tax resolution began in 2005, when he graduated from St. John’s University with a master’s in accounting. He landed a job in one of the Big 4 accounting firms and was doing financial statement audits but didn’t like that, so after a couple of years, he left and went to a mid-size CPA firm in Garden City, New York. “That’s where I began my tax education,” Guy says. “I started in January, having no tax knowledge. By October, I had the biggest client in the office, who was averaging $450 million in gross income on his 1040, and I managed that client for about five years.” Eventually, Guy moved on to a smaller firm so he could gain experience with smaller businesses. In 2015, he moved back to a larger firm, but it ended on a low note. “They hired me in January, and I got fired in October,” he says. “I think they hired me just for the season. A month later, I found out my wife was pregnant with our first child, Gaetano.” With a baby on the way, Guy decided to start his own tax and accounting practice in partnership with his wife, Annamaria, who is also a CPA. That first year was very tough. “I literally had five clients, most of them my family and friends,” Guy says. “We did Google SEO and a lot of networking face to face. We went from five to 50 clients in the second year.” About that time, Guy recalls hearing about tax resolution and someone named Michael Rozbruch. Guy said he kept getting emails from Rozbruch
we spend half the time, or even a fraction of the time, and charge higher fees.” Sending out newsletters, mailing referral letters, and doing face-to-face networking is what is working best for Guy to bring in new tax resolution clients. He received a $22,000 fee from a referral after he had coffee with a local CPA he met via LinkedIn. Guy shares that eventually, he’ll want to implement radio and other types of marketing. For now, he and his wife are happy with slow and steady growth, because with the birth of their third son Domenico, two years ago, the couple is very busy keeping up with three boys under age 6. Guy has helped a wide variety of clients, using methods he learned from Roz Strategies. They include a Sports Illustrated model with a $35,000 levy that Guy was able to have released and an audit reconsideration that could save her another $80,000 in deductions. In another case, Guy used the Cohan rule to help an independent consultant who owed $70,000 estimate reasonable expenditures for his business. That client is now paying only $24 a month via an installment agreement to resolve his remaining debt. As the Finocchiaros continue to build their practice, they hope to have time to resume their hobby of traveling. Before COVID-19, Guy and Annamaria traveled all over the world visiting many places, including Tahiti, Paris, the French Rivera, Rome, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, and Jamaica. They plan on traveling again, but with three boys, it will be a different kind of travel. “We promised the boys we’d take them to Disney World. That’ll be a workout!” Guy laughs.
and just deleting them. “No offense to Michael,” says Guy, “but I thought, ‘This guy, he’s not real.’Then after maybe the 10th email, it said, ‘Register now for a quick, 10-minute video on how you can double or triple your revenue.’” Guy decided he could invest 10 minutes to hear what Michael had to say. Afterward, he and Annamaria talked about it, and a couple of months later, they invested in Michael’s Tax Resolution Domination System & Toolkit and delved right in. “We were struggling to get clients,” Guy recalls. “Michael put everything into place with his 8-week program where you get your first client. I got at least two clients within a month or so.” By this time, Guy and Annamaria were the parents of two boys, as Massimo had joined the growing family. Running a typical tax practice was difficult, especially during tax season. They made a decision to focus more on the tax resolution side of business. Guy discovered Michael was right and says, “We can get a tax resolution client where
4 • www.rozstrategies.com
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