Somerset Tax Partners, LLC

From a young age, I have been interested in numbers, calculations and forms. In high school, I took an accounting class for the first time, and in college, I took five accounting classes as part of my major. In my junior year of college, because I was interested in law school, I applied for a legal secretary job at a tax and estate planning law firm. I ended up working for the same attorneys for 15 years and ultimately worked my way up to the rank of senior paralegal. My specialty included tax research, preparing legal documents to carry out tax-related decisions, reviewing tax returns, preparing correspondence to the IRS, communicating with accountants we engaged, fiduciary accountings, and gathering documents for audits and examinations. Not going to law school is one of my biggest regrets from my youth. 

Beyond ordinary tax matters, three key tax topics in which we specialize are Marketplace Premium Tax Credits for health insurance, real estate investments, and cryptocurrency. I started my own practice in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act was new, and to understand the new law, I sought out as many continuing education classes as I could find. We have carved out a name for ourselves locally as a problem solver for health insurance tax issues. We have taken bold and creative (but legal) positions on tax returns to help clients navigate the complexities of health insurance and reduce their tax burden. Our work has held up under IRS examination.

Cryptocurrency is especially complex because of ongoing attacks by the federal government and the nature of the transactions. Again, we strive to stay on top of changes in tax law as well as court cases to help our clients remain compliant on tax returns. Real estate investments are also complex because they are often used specifically to generate tax deductions. However, the rules are complex, and deductions are easy to miss.

Joe is an active Advisory Board Member for the Accounting Program at Haywood Community College in Waynesville, NC, contributing his expertise and insights to the development of the next generation of accounting professionals.

Also, during tax season, we offer free tax clinics for senior citizens and low-income households in the Murphy and Hayesville, NC communities.

Joe also founded and operates Zacchaeus Financial Counseling, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to making financial counseling and planning services available to households that need it most but may not be able to afford the services.

Today, Somerset Tax Partners, LLC serves individual, business, and fiduciary clients across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Guatemala, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Washington state, and beyond. Joe’s dedication and expertise have built a practice that clients can trust for their tax planning and financial counseling needs.

Joe enjoys a range of hobbies, including kayaking on Lake Junaluska, hiking, automotive mechanics, carpentry, and traveling. He is a Volvo enthusiast and a member of Volvo Sports of America and Volvo Club of America. His passion for preserving old Volvos is evident in his collection, with two of their vehicles boasting over 300,000 miles.

We will provide to you a Tax Organizer which includes a questionnaire. The Tax Organizer document will help you gather the documents necessary for tax return preparation.

At Somerset Tax Partners, LLC, we are committed to providing personalized, professional service to help our clients achieve their financial goals.