Ive lived in Virginia for thirteen years doing business nationally, as well as locally.

There came a time when I had some major tax issues, lingering after a divorce, with little understanding of, or experience with, the IRS. The common knowledge available to me was; they must not be trifled with or you will promptly face Armageddon; in any case, be prepared to receive aggressive treatment; and, therefore, find the best professional help you can.

My lawyer referred me to two accounting firms with IRS experience. As it happened, Firm A needed cartons of records before they would devise a plan. That sounded reasonable to me at first, until six months went by and they kept asking for more, hard-to-find, historic information. I then consulted with Firm B. They told me that it was too late in the game for any serious negotiation with the IRS. I was worried, really worried.

Fortunately, I shared my woes with an important business client (turned good friend) in Denver. He empathized and said he thought he knew from personal experience, the right professional for me and my situation, right downtown in Denver. I was introduced to Mrs. Beverly Medina at Colonial Tax Consultants, over the phone, and she took me on as a client.

What a breath of fresh air! She knows the IRS inside-and-out and top-to-bottom. But she made me feel, always, that she was on my side of the desk, looking after my interests. She explained all that we had to do, every step of the way. She was totally honest about what outcomes we could realistically expect from different approaches we might take, including the nature and extent of any possible risk. And, as it turned out, she was right, every time. Of course, she also knew my financial situation and capabilities and, with Colonial, took all that into consideration when setting my fee schedule. In a short phrase, Medina and Colonial are totally professional.

In my situation, the resolution came about after a process called, an Offer in Compromise. Thats perhaps, when I learned my greatest lessonhat contrary to the common wisdom, the IRS is much less an ogre than I was taught in my innocence. They do have their business model and their hurdles to leap, like most of the rest of us. But, when the offer is used appropriately their choices can narrow in favor of the client, sometimes considerably. And, I believe, they are pleased when that happens.

Enter Mrs. Medina. My final result was shockingly better than I ever expected. Were I asked to evaluate Medina and Colonial on the most important issue of trust, with my financials, I would assign a measure of 10 on a scale of 10 to both. So, it wont surprise that I have no reservation about recommending them highly, to anyone, in any location, no matter the amount of money involved or the complexity of the situation.

Howard Tobias
McLean, VA