If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that getting by nowadays isn’t easy with so many financial hurdles facing hard-working individuals. Every cent counts, but to truly get the most out of each and every dollar you make, it takes the talents of a knowledgeable and caring professional, and that’s where the experts at Miller & Company, LLP come in.
Miller & Company is a top-notch Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm with offices in Manhattan, Queens, Nassau County (Manhasset and Syosset), Florida (Fort Myers and Sarasota) and Washington, D.C. They are a full-service, peer-reviewed CPA firm offering auditing, tax preparation, consulting and business advisory services that goes the extra mile for their clients.
Miller & Company expertly serves its clients not only by crunching numbers during tax season – or any other time that they’re needed – but also by offering what owner and founder Paul Miller lightheartedly refers to as “financial therapy.”
“Yes, I would call it a ‘financial therapy’ firm, but it’s an accounting firm by license. People need financial therapy today, I’m telling you,” he said. “We’re a boutique accounting firm with 50 to 60 employees, and we do everything from paying people’s bills to doing certified audits and everything in-between. But when it comes to understanding the client’s needs, that’s really an emotional place that needs to be equally addressed.”
Miller would go on to elaborate on what being a “financial therapy” firm means to him, both professionally and personally.
“Accounting is boring by nature, right? Everyone knows what we do. I look at numbers very differently than other people. Numbers tell a story. Can you read the story? Can you understand what’s going on and can you communicate that to the client? How can I help people save money and live a better life?” he said. “Everybody wants that formula. I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t want that. I mean, who doesn’t want to pay less taxes? Have a better quality of life? And to have someone who can help you with that, someone you have confidence in, someone you can trust. I’m honest, I’m not going to lie to my clients, and I believe that you always have to be positive.”
Miller & Company, LLP owner and founder Paul Miller.
Miller brings 35 years of business acumen to his firm, first starting in the accounting field at the tender age of 23. Before that, the only numbers he initially aspired to deal with were zeroes and ones as a computer programmer before eventually pivoting to accounting at the suggestion of his future wife.
“My wife and I have been married for 36 years, and we were boyfriend and girlfriend for about seven years before that. Early on, she was working at PricewaterhouseCoopers on an internship, while I was studying computer science,” he said. “I first worked in a deli for a number of years, first to help support my family, and then while I was in school. The owner of the deli was a great mentor to me, and he encouraged me to go to college and hang out with smarter people, so I was the first generation in my family to go to St. John’s University and finish my degree.”
However, computer science proved to be a demanding industry and ended up being a huge drain on his time. Noticing his frustrations, Miller’s then-girlfriend suggested he try the field she was in at the time – accounting – instead.
“My wife suggested that I try accounting because she knew I was good at math and solving problems, and accounting today is really just about solving problems. She gave me good advice, as one would expect,” he said. “I first did part-time accounting work in my teens, collating tax returns after school. Later, while studying for and passing my CPA exam, I continued working nights. The money was great for the amount of work I was doing, so I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
Miller started out at a few small to medium sized firms and finished his public accounting career with a firm named Mahoney Cohen & Company – which was later acquired by CBIZ, Inc. – that worked extensively with the garment industry, with high-profile clients such as Ralph Lauren, among many others.
But in 2000, he decided to strike out on his own and opened his own eponymous firm; initially he had just one employee, but as his reputation grew and business began rolling in, he began to expand to additional offices – as well as snapping up several other firms along the way – and currently boasts five locations and an employee roster numbering at nearly 60.
Looking back over his successful career, Miller said that he’s very blessed to have lived the fulfilling life that he has, as well as having carved out a good living thoughtfully and sensitively helping people navigate the choppy waters of the financial ocean we all find ourselves floating in.
“God’s been good to me…I have great kids, a great wife, and a great business and clientele. And you know, those are all positives, right? You can always find the negatives if you’re looking for them, but I like to look for the positives,” he said. “I have an excellent staff…my average employees are with me 10 years, and my longest for 30 years. They’re the face of the firm, and they represent me incredibly well. I just want to treat people well, be they my employees or my clients.”
To find out more about Miller & Company, LLP, please call 718-767-0737 or visit their website at http://millercompanyllp.com.
