Most accountants charge by the hour, assign less experienced staff to your job, and expect you to train their staff. Because the auditors are working within tight time constraints, they make frequent demands on your staff’s time to locate documents or answer questions. The typical audit can be very stressful for the auditors and for your staff. I understand those pressures, because I worked under those conditions for much of my career.
My approach is very different.
I believe the audit should not disrupt the daily operations of your office. My approach is more cooperative than challenging. Before audit fieldwork even begins, I spend more time in my office analyzing your results, deciding what areas need more attention, and resolving routine questions.
My audit is based on a thorough understanding of your operations, regulatory requirements, and current developments. I use this knowledge to focus attention on the significant aspects of your operations, providing an efficient, quality audit. I plan each audit to take maximum advantage of the strengths in your accounting system and, when necessary, to devote extra effort to "higher risk" areas.
As a result, when I arrive at your office, I know exactly what I want to examine. Because I usually do not bill by the hour, I have the freedom to spend more time on areas that I think deserve more attention, and I never surprise a client with an invoice for "over-budget" time.
I communicate my findings - early and often – but I won’t waste your time with a laundry list of irrelevant comments from a book of boilerplate "management letter comments." I will prepare a management letter to inform the Board of significant matters identified in the audit, and recommendations for improving controls.
This is a "hands-on" firm with a practical businessman's approach offering extraordinary technical experience and research capabilities that few small firms can match. I maintain a full research library, "on-line" database access for research on tax and trade issues, and consulting relationships with other specialists. I sponsor an extensive website to educate my clients about tax and accounting issues of importance. I maintain strategic alliances with other CPAs, lawyers, and consultants, to ensure that you have access to whatever resources you need.
Background:
John Cheek graduated from Duke University; worked with Ernst & Whinney for almost 10 years, and has significant audit experience in labor organizations and ERISA plans, construction, nonprofits, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and banking. He has served individual and business tax clients across the USA, and overseas, from Iraq to Australia.
He was chairman of the Employee Benefits Committee, chairman of the Committee on Cooperation with Bankers, and an active member of the Accounting and Auditing Committee and the Computer Usage Committee (NYSSCPA-Nassau Chapter), and chairman of the Committee on Cooperation with the Bar Association (NYSSCPA-Rochester Chapter); served as a faculty member for the Center for Professional Education, located in Broomall, PA; lectured on audit planning, risk and materiality, audits of employee benefit plans, and numerous other topics, and authored the textbook, "Preparing Form 5500."
