Bellingham, WA

At VSH we are a CPA Firm in Bellingham WA with One Goal: Help you keep your money!

Everything else we do revolves around that concept. How do we help the residents and business owners in Bellingham and Whatcom County keep their money? Time. It's as simple as that!

We invest the time it takes to ensure every accounting detail is analized.

We don't assume anything. By knowing the right questions to ask we are after that last penny that you worked hard to earn.

VSH is: RESOURCEFUL

Whether you are seeking to start a new business or are an established entrepreneur, VSH provides business consulting and coaching to help you achieve success.

Bookmark this page and check back often to find updated tools, information and resources for your business.

New Entrepreneurs

• Follow these Steps to Starting a Business
• Apply for the BIG Idea Lab accelerator program for technology companies

U.S. Business Owners

• Create a custom Cash Flow Analysis and Forecast tool for tracking your business performance.
• Determine how your business compares within your industry.
• Our business advisors will help identify your Key Performance Indicators to help you make the right decisions for your business.
• Contact VSH for more information about these business advisory services.

Canadian Business Owners

• Canadians looking to expand to the U.S. should consider these decision points and tax requirements to determine the best structure. Check out this PDF for more information
• For information on Canadian individuals and corporations looking to invest in U.S. real estate click here.
• Additional Business Tips
  
• Don’t Make Resolutions, Set Goals For Your Business in 2012.
• How Long Must You Keep Financial Records?

VSH is: EXPERIENCED

You may know where you want to go, but do you know where you are? Accurate tracking, management and continual review of your finances is imperative to your personal and business success. VSH can help you:

• Develop bookkeeping and accounting systems
• Set up inventory tracking to manage cost of goods sold
• QuickBooks ProAdvisor support

VSH is: SKILLED

VSH wants you to be successful – whatever success may look like to you. Whether you’re a small, family-owned retailer, a software technology startup or an international manufacturer, we’ll analyze your business as well as your books and help guide you through the decisions that effect your financial goals.

Learn more about our specialties here:

• International Taxation
• Tax Compliance & Planning
• Business Consulting
• Accounting & Bookkeeping
• Business Valuations
• Audits
• Estate Planning
• Forensic Accounting
• Divorce Financial Analysis

VSH is: GLOBALLY-MINDED

Traversing your business across the border is exciting, but can be daunting when you aren’t sure about financial implications of the decisions you make in that process.

Our cross-border team is well-versed in international taxation, business formation and establishing the appropriate structure to successfully run a multi-national company.

We can guide you through the complexities of international tax law including:

• Establishing new operations or joint ventures
• Integrating global operations
• Identifying sourcing opportunities with exceptions to reduce U.S. withholding taxes
• Assisting cross-border service providers in reducing withholding and obtaining treaty benefits
• International taxation including both inbound and outbound transactions of U.S. and foreign businesses and individuals
• Avoiding double taxation
• Implementing tax-efficient repatriation strategies
• Establishing tax-effective operating structures
• Addressing transfer pricing issues between entities
  
  
  

  VSH is: FORWARD THINKING

  VSH accountants help you plan, prepare and file all of your tax requirements. Whether you are an individual or business, domestic, multinational or just living abroad, we have the experts on staff and within our partnership to handle your filings.

  In addition to tax preparation and filing, the VSH staff:

  • Proactively engages you in tax planning
  • Looks at alternative business decisions
  • Explores opportunities to minimize tax liability
  • Researches credits, benefits and exceptions
  • Ensures compliance for tax filings for international activity (IFRS)
  • Analyzes multi-state filing requirements
  • Provides merger, acquisition, reorganization and liquidation advice
  • Reviews incentive stock option planning
  • Facilitates Cost Segregation Studies on real property (through our BDO partners)

VSH is: PROACTIVE

VSH is a 30-person firm led by partners Kathy Varner, Robert Sytsma, Kathy Herndon, Chris Sullivan and Wendy Wixson. Each bring to the table their own specialties and areas of expertise, but all are spirited entrepreneurs with the savvy to run a successful CPA firm.

When was the last time you looked at what’s behind your bottom line? How do you track and manage cash flow? Do you know how your business practices drive those numbers? How accurate is your profit forecast? What are your key performance indicators? Are you positioned to do business in the global marketplace: Is your business structured to reap optimum tax savings?

These are just a few of the broad range of domestic andcross-border business advisory services we provide.

Business owners often don’t realize how decisions they make today can have long-term financial and tax implications. We are here to help you navigate those decisions, working proactively to help you plan ahead for personal financial health and a profitable business forecast.

My name is Tim Bento and I wrote this blog to encourage you to consider using VSH as your CPA Firm in Bellingham WA.

My wife and I are back home, in Bellingham, after our annual jaunt down to Oaxaca, Mexico. Secret: We missed the big winter snow and wind storm that took place here in Whatcom county. Oaxaca is near Guatemala, so almost to Central America. We love it in the city and we have made some fine friends among the Mexican people since we have been going there for four years now.

We enjoy the color, the sounds and the lively atmosphere. The environment is anything but bland. The public square or zocalo is full of poinsettias in bloom, people in bright clothes, vendors with handmade wares, women balancing heavy loads on their heads as they walk (you see some of that in the video) and lots of music.

This video I shot on the spot is an example. My wife and I were walking home from the zocalo, after dinner, and we ran into this joyous wedding procession, complete with a marching band, about 9pm in the center of town. That is much of the fun of visiting this city, you never know what you might see next.

Bellingham shows up as No. 2 , on The Washington Post's rankings of America's best cities for fostering entrepreneurial business. Mount Vernon comes in at No. 17. The only other Washington city listed was Longview.

"Locally-owned businesses are at the heart of the American economy," the article says on the paper's Web site. "They create jobs, boost local economies and add vibrancy to nearby communities — and that is particularly true in the 25 cities on our list. These metropolitan areas, which range from bustling New York City to towns in central Oregon, are hotbeds for small businesses and local entrepreneurs."

They say that Bellingham: "is encouraging residents to chime in with their ideas for a revamped downtown using an online survey on the city's Web site. The city will share its plans with residents early next year."

If you have any questions or want to see any Bellingham Real Estate feel free to email me at or give me a call at 360-739-6981

My wife often tells me that I am in hot water. Actually, in most cases, that is an expression that refers to my poor behavior versus anything to do with water.

However, in the course of doing home inspections in Bellingham and Whatcom county, I often find water heaters that are set too hot -- the water temperature set so high as to lead to a high probability of a scalding burn.

In this photo, the water is almost 137 degrees F. To reduce the probability of a scalding burn, water should be set no higher than 120 degrees F. In order to get a burn, at 120 degrees, it takes several seconds. However, the higher the temperature is, over 120 degrees, the less exposure it takes to cause a serious burn that will require medical attention.

Water temperature can vary, depending on how recently the tank heated, so homeowners should check the hot water periodicially with a meat thermometer and have it adjusted so as to never exceed 120 degrees F. Usually, with a gas hot water heater, setting the temperature is as simple as turning a dial. At an electric water heater, a person is potentially exposed to high voltages at the internal thermostats, so setting such a tank should be done by a qualified person.

Below is a graph showing Bellingham home prices quarterly since 2005. The Average List price, Average Pending Price and Average Sold Price are graphed. One can easily see the downward trend as well and the season cycle with the 1st and 4th quarters being lower and 2nd & 3rd quarters being higher.