Business: Things add up for accountants

Trevor Young (left), Rochelle Minnell and Lance Green make up Adept Accountants. Photo/Stuart Munro

A new Wanganui accounting practice does not hold to the maxim that bigger is better.

That is why Lance Green and Trevor Young have teamed up under the banner of Adept Accountants Ltd, believing being smaller means they are better able to identify with clients.

The pair bring close to half a century of experience in accounting, taxation, business and farming affairs to their new company which is operating out of offices at 184 Glasgow St.

Front office administration will be in the hands of office manager Rochelle Minnell.

Before setting up Adept Accountants, Mr Green and Mr Young were both associates with a local accountancy firm.

Both men bring a strong practical background to the practice. Mr Young farms a 486-hectare property at Parihauhau, off State Highway 4.

"It means I've definitely got an affinity with farming clients and that means providing not only accountancy advice but also a practical point of view," he said.

Mr Green has co-ownership of a local retail business, as well as interests in rental and development properties.

"Having these interests outside accountancy, we believe that we have got the hands-on experience to add value to an enterprise," he said.

It was the desire for a closer affinity with clients that was behind the partnership.

"The trend in accountancy seems to be bigger is better, and a number of local practices have merged or been purchased by other firms. To our knowledge, there has not been a new accountancy practice set up in Wanganui for a number of years," Mr Young said.

Adept will undertake all the usual accounting assignments, including annual accounts, tax returns, payroll and PAYE processing, GST return completion and business and farming advice.

"But we also want to develop our involvement in trusts as the professional trustees," Mr Green said. "With the upcoming changes proposed to the Trustee Act, more and more traditional professional trustees indicate they want to step away from this role. Obviously, it means there's a growing need to have a replacement trustee involved to ensure the survival of trusts as viable entities."

Mr Young says they are determined their company will challenge the long-held belief that accountants can be boring people. "Those who already know Lance and me will appreciate that we prefer to not adopt a sombre persona when dealing with clients. We hold the view that a visit to the accountant should be a win-win situation for both parties."

As for the company's name, Mr Green said a check in any Thesaurus would highlight the synonyms for the word "adept".