Hi!
I'm Richard Burt, CPA. This page was created to let you get to know me a little better. Although I consider myself a fun-loving guy, I take my occupation of over 25 years very seriously.
I wasn't always an accountant. In my earlier days, when I was a student of Westport High School, I decided on a career in Biology. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, I accepted a Biochemistry Research position researching Muscular Dysgenesis, one of the 40 Muscular Dystrophies.
After a couple years in Biochemistry, national budget cuts were being made to balance the Federal budget. Since I was paid under a National Institute of Health grant which was cut, I lost my job. I needed a more stable career. The old joke I tell is that I didn't want to be a mortician, so I went into taxes instead!
In reality, my wife, who periodically worked with accountants in her job, suggested I would make an excellent accountant. After asking her what an accountant did, I decided to try a college summer course in accounting to see if I liked it. Well, I aced the class, took more courses and the "GMAT" exam, and entered the Master of Science in Accounting program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Within two years, I had graduated, passed the entire two and a half day CPA exam on the first attempt, received the Dow Jones Award, and found myself having to select among eight job offers, including seven of the top accounting firms in the world. This was a far cry from my job being cut by budget constraints! So it was with great excitement I shifted my talents from the sciences to the business world.
I selected Coopers & Lybrand's Springfield Massachusetts tax department as my new employer. Coopers & Lybrand, now known as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLC, is an international accounting firm, to which I am ever grateful for the excellent knowledge and work experiences they provided. However, eventually I was itching to start my own practice, which I first began in 1993.
I have advised companies both small and extremely large (and all those in between) over the years, and find the challenges fulfilling. However there is no better satisfaction than helping a small to medium business owner succeed in today's challenging business environment. When an accountant knows, I mean really knows, a business, it is amazing what the partnership can accomplish. Today too many accountants care more about their own business than they do about their client's business and personal needs. That, in my opinion, is a mistake.
So here I am, some twenty-five plus years after making the career change, and I find myself living in paradise - Florida. Since I love sunshine, wildlife, the ocean, day hikes and canoe excursions, Florida is a "natural" for me. Personally, I couldn't think of a state in which I'd rather live.
I hope this page has allowed you to know me better. Please, if you wish to contact me, visit the "Contact Us" page, use the link below, or call me directly. I'd love to hear from you!
Rick
We serve the entire United States! Although our firm is located in DeBary, and services clients principally located in the cities of DeBary, Orange City, DeLand, Deltona and Sanford, Florida, many of our clients are located out of state. We are able to serve your tax needs in all 50 states!
