Tax & financial services · Louisville, KY

Reduce taxes. Increase profits. Achieve your dreams.

Imagine an accounting firm that prepares your taxes while also teaching and empowering you to grow your business to places you never dreamed possible. That’s the team at Associates in Accounting, CPA.

  • Six partners including a CPA and three Enrolled Agents
  • Small business owners are our specialty
  • Year-round communication and accessibility
Rick Fields, CPA, Partner
Rick FieldsCPA
Sandy Fields, Partner
Sandy Fields
Cheryl Gabele, EA, Partner
Cheryl GabeleEA
Jordan F. Hayes, EA, Partner, Operations Manager
Jordan F. HayesEA
Melissa Hayes, MBA, Partner, Business Manager
Melissa HayesMBA
Irina Zlatin, EA, Partner
Irina ZlatinEA

Proud members of

  • The Chamber of Jeffersontown
  • Kentucky Society of CPAs
  • American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)

Our promise

Six things we promise every client.

Our experienced CPAs and accounting professionals want to partner with you to remove your financial hassles, enabling you to do what you love.

The Associates in Accounting team gathered around a conference table
  1. Create personal relationships to fully understand your needs and goals.

  2. Customize our services to your unique situation.

  3. Address past and present tax and financial needs to help plan your future.

  4. Provide consistent communication and year-round accessibility.

  5. Educate and provide information to explain what we do and why we do it.

  6. Work with you as a team to provide the highest quality service.

Services

Accounting, advisory and tax services for business owners.

See all 15 services

Taxes, prepared and planned

Cost-effective preparation that streamlines your data and takes the hassle out of the tax cycle — plus planning during the year, and an advocate in your corner with the IRS.

  • Tax Preparation
  • Tax Planning
  • IRS Representation & Preparation

Books, payroll & software

Bookkeeping at your office through remote access or off-site at ours, payroll every pay period or after the fact, and software your team actually knows how to use.

  • Bookkeeping
  • Payroll Services
  • Software Consulting
  • Financial Statement Preparation

Planning for your business

Business goals that reflect the owners’ personal goals — from starting or fine-tuning a business to how key people are paid and how it eventually changes hands.

  • Strategic Planning
  • Business Planning
  • Succession Planning
  • Compensation Planning

Planning for you

A financial blueprint unique to your needs — budgeting, retirement timing and tax consequences, and plans that help owners save and reward long-time staff.

  • Retirement Planning
  • Retirement Plan Selection & Administration
  • Financial Counseling & Budgeting
  • Personal Financial Planning

How we plan

A good tax plan is built in four parts.

Tax planning can’t be done in a vacuum. Chasing a lower bill “at all costs” can work against your company’s goals — so we build the plan from the ground up, one layer at a time.

  1. Part 1 · Structure

    Evaluate your business structure for tax efficiency.

    Many businesses aren’t set up as tax-efficiently as they could be. Fortunately, this can often be corrected.

  2. Part 2 · Owner pay

    Review how the owners receive benefit.

    For most owners it’s a combination of compensation, fringe benefits and profit distributions — and the mix can greatly affect the taxes the business and its owners pay.

  3. Part 3 · Deductions

    Review your deductions — including the “soft expenses.”

    Many businesses aren’t aware of everything that can be deducted. We review every expense to make sure all of them are being deducted and the “soft expenses” aren’t missed.

  4. Part 4 · Techniques

    Add tax planning techniques that fit.

    Retirement and other benefit plans, perks for owners and credit programs can make tax payments smaller — always in line with your company’s goals, so the tail never wags the dog.

“Knowing your results before the year ends is an excellent goal.”

Rick Fields, CPA · Senior Partner

Meet our team

Six partners. One team behind you.

You’ll work with people who know your file — partners and client managers who build a personal relationship with your business, backed by accountants, processors and client excellence coordinators.

About the firm
  • Rick Fields, CPA

    Rick Fields, CPA

    Partner

  • Sandy Fields

    Sandy Fields

    Partner

  • Cheryl Gabele, EA

    Cheryl Gabele, EA

    Partner

  • Jordan F. Hayes, EA

    Jordan F. Hayes, EA

    Partner, Operations Manager

  • Melissa Hayes, MBA

    Melissa Hayes, MBA

    Partner, Business Manager

  • Irina Zlatin, EA

    Irina Zlatin, EA

    Partner

And the people who keep it all moving

  • Kerry BeachClient Manager
  • T. Greg Clark, MAMarketing and Sales Director
  • Emily GabeleClient Excellence Coordinator, Assistant Operations Manager
  • Jarrod HayesClient Excellence Coordinator
  • Kimba JohannigmeierClient Excellence Coordinator
  • Allison Pique’Client Manager
  • Julie ShirleyProcessor
  • Heidi ThorneClient Excellence Coordinator
  • Debbie ThornsberryClient Excellence Coordinator
  • Deepika Shukla, EAAccountant
  • Jayesh PanchalAccountant
  • Jay PrajapatiAccountant
  • Rahul SaxenaAccountant

Questions

Good questions, straight answers.

Don’t see yours? Call the office — we’re glad to talk it through.

Call (502) 451-8678
Do I need a CPA for my small business?

It depends. Every business needs a way to keep score — accurate books, filed taxes and a clear view of profit. Owners who want to pay less tax and run more efficiently benefit most from a CPA firm that focuses on small businesses and is consultative in nature, which is how we work.

What goes into a good business tax plan?

Four parts: evaluate your business structure for tax efficiency, review how the owners receive benefit (compensation, fringe benefits and profit distributions), review deductions including “soft expenses,” and add tax planning techniques such as retirement and benefit plans, owner perks and credit programs.

What services does Associates in Accounting, CPA offer?

Tax preparation, tax planning, IRS representation, bookkeeping, payroll, software consulting, financial statement preparation, strategic, business, succession and compensation planning, retirement planning and plan administration, financial counseling and budgeting, and personal financial planning.

Can you help if I get a letter from the IRS?

Yes. We provide IRS representation as an advocate for our clients and take their place at many of the necessary meetings with IRS officials. Our free Government Letters Guide is a good first read when a notice arrives.

Can you do my bookkeeping at my office?

Yes. We can keep your books at your office through remote access, or off-site at our office — whichever works best for your business.

How do I receive my completed tax return?

Through our secure client portal. You receive your tax returns as soon as they’re completed and can view, print and save your documents anywhere you have internet access.

Free discovery session

Let’s talk about where you want your business to go.

Tell us about your business, your taxes and your goals. We’ll show you how we can help — no cost, no obligation.

Call (502) 451-8678 Book a free discovery session

9405 Mill Brook Road, Suite 102, Louisville, KY 40223
Monday–Thursday 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. · Friday hours vary