Member of the Month Program
Member of the Month July 2009 Member of the Month - Marilyn H. Ayers, CPA
New Jersey Chapter President, Marilyn Ayers, has worn many hats while generously contributing her expertise and energy to NATP. As a strong supporter of NATP and an advocate of NATP education, Marilyn has also diligently served as Chapter VP and Secretary, along with chairing numerous committees. Marilyn's enthusiastic devotion to helping NATP and its members is outstanding! Congratulations Marilyn & thank you for your
dedication to NATP! Q. Please give a summary of your background in the tax industry – how you got started, if you were in another line of business before, etc. Include current tax-related activities and areas of specialization. If you have a tax business, please let us know where it is located/how many staff you employ/any other information you think is pertinent. A. I earned my accounting degree from Rider College in 1978 and received my CPA designation in 1990. My first job out of college was with an insurance company as an internal auditor. My father had his own tax practice and I grew up "in the business." Actually, I am the third generation of tax professionals; my grandfather also had his own tax practice! So I left auditing a short time later and joined my father in his tax practice in my hometown, Brick, NJ. I have loved taxes as long as I can remember! My father retired long ago and I took over the practice in 1989. I have three employees. My practice specializes in individual taxes and small businesses. This past filing season, we completed over 1,000 1040 tax returns and nearly 200 corporate, partnership, and fiduciary returns. Q. Please give a summary of how you found out about NATP and what benefits you find the most valuable – include any NATP activities you've participated in (Education, Mentoring, Instructing, etc.). A. Many years ago I attended my first NATP 1040 Tax Seminar and thought it was the best seminar I had ever attended! I continued going annually and finally became a member in 2000 when I attended a New Jersey Chapter State Tax Seminar. The education that NATP has to offer both on the national and chapter level is superb and keeps me coming back every year! I believe that NATP is the only organization out there that looks out for the small tax professionals – whether you are an EA, CPA, or un-enrolled preparer. NATP works tirelessly on our behalf! Five years ago I became a Director for our New Jersey Chapter. I have made wonderful friends and have received much more than I have given. Becoming active in my local Chapter was the best thing I ever did and I would recommend it to all! For the last two years, I was Vice President in charge of education in the New Jersey Chapter. Education has always been a top priority for me and my staff and I brought this love of education to the New Jersey Chapter. Q. What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing tax professionals today? What could NATP do to better prepare them for those challenges? A. The ever-changing tax code is certainly a challenge for all of us. But, I believe the competition (not from our peers) is the biggest challenge we face. The online tax preparation software programs available and individuals with a financial or a legal background who prepare returns "on the side" are true threats. I believe that licensing all tax preparers, either as registered preparers or enrolled preparers will eliminate those individuals who are unscrupulous and shouldn't be practicing or the preparers who don't have the background or education to do a good job. A test without the requirement of continuing education serves no purpose. Anyone can pass a test, but a true tax professional is committed to education. As for NATP's role, I believe that the education offered by NATP, and the work of our great organization with Congress regarding licensing and other issues, puts NATP membership at the top of the list. I firmly believe that education is the key to the success of our great profession. If all professionals are committed to education, it benefits each and every one of us. And what better place to get that education than NATP! Q. What are your future career goals? A. I love what I do. Taxes are the most fascinating career. Besides the ever-changing laws, the technology that pushes our profession forward is incredible. The advances made during my adult life are amazing. My goal is to continue to grow my practice, to become paperless, and most importantly service my clients. My clients' best interests are always my top priority. One of the areas I believe we all need to become more familiar with is estate and trust taxation as the population in our country ages. Q. Did you ever have a "defining moment," an embarrassing moment, or another memorable experience related to your career in the tax industry? A. I am so blessed to have had a father (and grandfather) who mentored me in the tax business. Because I knew at the age of 18 that I wanted to be an accountant, I entered college as a minority back in the 1970s. Very few women were in the program. What I remember most was one particular professor who believed that all women should be home and not in his accounting class and he voiced his opinion loudly to all! Luckily, the world is a different place today! Q. Please share any information that you'd like about your family, hobbies, community involvement, etc. In other words, your life outside of the tax industry! A. I have been married to my husband, Damian, for over 30 years. We have two sons, Damian Jr. and David – no, neither one wants to be an accountant! We are active in our church and I am also active in other professional organizations. I donate my services to several nonprofit organizations. Both my husband and I were born and raised right here in Brick, New Jersey, the Jersey Shore. For the last 15 years, we have vacationed regularly each summer in Maine. I love to read, do counted cross-stitch, and am currently hooked on Sudoku! Q. Any other information/concerns/suggestions you'd like to share with fellow tax professionals? A. I believe the most important thing we can do for ourselves and our clients is education. It is imperative that we keep up with the ever-changing tax laws, especially in today's climate. It is also important that we continue to support NATP because NATP understands our concerns and the problems facing our profession more than any other organization out there. And don't forget to support your local NATP chapter – they work hard for you. You can contact Marilyn at mhacpa@comcast.net.
NATP's Member of the MonthDo you know someone who has been a loyal NATP member for at least three years? We want to recognize these members by featuring a biography on them in NATP's Members Only section! Do you know a member who fits this description? Maybe it is a coworker, or the person who introduced you to NATP, or maybe it's a member who recently retired from the tax profession who you feel receives some type of recognition for all those years as a tax professional. Submit as many people as you would like. You don't need to find the person with the most volunteer experience or the longest tax preparation experience. Applications are very simple to fill out. Basically, we need the name of a person and why you think they should be Member of the Month. - Click here to download the nomination form in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf).
- This is a fill-in form. Please fill it out by entering the information while you have the form open in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Save your completed form and e-mail it as an attachment to chrisd@natptax.com (if you use Adobe Acrobat Professional)
- Or, you can print the form off and fax it to 800.747.0001
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