CHRIS CHURCHWELL, CPA, CTRS, ELP Mastermind Member
For Chris Churchwell, CPA, CTRS, ELP, of Churchwell Hedman Tax Group in Joplin, Missouri, tax resolution is a family affair. Chris has supported his family as a successful CPA for almost 40 years, and 20 of those include tax resolution work. But it wasn’t until his daughters, Caley and Cejay, joined their dad in the practice over two years ago that he decided to make tax resolution a full-time venture. After earning her MBA in 2014, Caley obtained her Enrolled Agent license. She continues to expand her technical expertise in the field of tax resolution and enjoys working with clients to relieve them of their tax problems. Cejay is the case administrator and marketing director for the practice. She handles case management, sales and marketing, and administrative duties for the firm. About the same time Chris and his daughters decided to focus full-time on tax resolution, they also joined Michael’s Mastermind group. Chris says attending meetings with his daughters has paid big dividends for their firm, both in new ways to market their services and in expanding their knowledge base. “After every Mastermind meeting, we’re able to walk away with ideas that make us money,” he says. “After our first Mastermind group, we implemented the Audit Protection Plan and made an extra $42,000. After our next meeting, we felt confident enough to double our tax resolution fees. We’ve walked away with a series of ideas that have improved our practice after every Mastermind meeting.” Throughout his career, Chris has been interested in helping his clients who have tax problems. One case in particular stands out because it was an Offer in Compromise Effective Tax Administration case, typically a difficult case to prove. “We had a client who had lung cancer. He had plenty of assets, which is always a big hurdle to get over,” Chris explains, “but he had limited income because he had to retire. He owed about $150,000, and we settled for $1,500.”
moved down here from Alaska with no records, and the IRS had assessed him $200,000 for not filing a return,” Chris says. “Luckily, with the Offer in Compromise program, we didn’t have to go back and file back tax returns and correct all the substitutes for returns.” Chris and his wife, Christine, have seven children, all adopted, five of them from Korea. The three youngest children are still at home. The Churchwells also have two dogs and two cats sharing the family’s historic home in Joplin, Missouri. “Our house was built in 1889, so obviously there’s a lot of upkeep involved,” Chris adds, “but with it being a three-story home, there’s lots of room for everybody.” It seems all of the Churchwells have a focus toward accounting. Christine is involved in the business and handles the accounts payable and collections. Their oldest son is an Enrolled Agent working in Enid, Oklahoma, and Chris describes their youngest son as a “math whiz,” saying, “I have high hopes that Carter will end up going into practice with us when he graduates from college.” When Chris isn’t busy with his practice, he and Christine enjoy traveling with their family. He also plans to earn his certified tax planning certificate in the coming year.
In another case, Chris and his team settled a $200,000 liability with a $196 Offer in Compromise. “The individual
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