NEW SERVER - Accounting Estate Planning Tax Planning Carolyn L. Mora CPA

Tax Strategies

Now we offer you the latest in tax tips and strategies. From Financial strategies to Business strategies, this new section offers excellent insights on how to get the most out of your earnings.

Tax Tips

Each month you can click on my "Newsletters" link above and you'll get new and useful tips on tax planning and financial strategies.

Carolyn L. Mora is a native of El Paso and a graduate of The University of Texas at El Paso. After graduating with honors from UTEP in 1984, she accepted a position with the Houston office of the international accounting firm of Arthur Andersen & Co. and became licensed by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy in September 1986. She returned to El Paso in 1990 to accept the position of Corporate Controller at Columbia Healthcare System and continued in that position through 1994. Ms. Mora resigned from Columbia in order to become more involved in the financial area of her family's restaurant business, Chico's Tacos. In working with her family, she determined there was a tremendous need for financial expertise in the small and medium size business market, and as a result, she established her own accounting and tax practice in April 1995. In order to better serve her clients' diverse financial needs, she completed the licensing process necessary to add financial planning services to her practice. Her next professional goal is to obtain the Certified Financial Planner designation through completion of the study and exam process.

Ms. Mora says that she thoroughly enjoys serving the small business market and has developed solid relationships with her clients. She strives to serve as a business and financial consultant to her clients, and not just a "bean counter". She realizes that in most client situations she a key advisor and is often one of the few objective people her clients can confide in.

Carolyn has provided consulting services to many start-up business owners and prospective business owners. She encourages new business owners to talk to a financial professional early on in the development process by offering free consultations. In certain cases, she believes her role is to play "devil's advocate" in helping prospective business owners through the many important decisions that must be made before committing to the responsibilities of starting a new venture.

Carolyn has also assisted existing and prospective business owners by serving as a speaker at the Women in Business conferences conducted in El Paso in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Attendance at the conference hit an all-time high in 2001, with approximately 400 participants in attendance. She has consistently served as a panelist at UTEP's semi-annual Franchise Development Program Conferences and has made presentations to displaced workers considering business ownership.

She contributes a bi-weekly column to The El Paso Times Personal Finance section and believes that this is an excellent means of communicating financial issues to business owners and individuals alike. Carolyn often addresses financial issues unique to women and encourages women to be more proactive in family financial matters. She responds to many questions from readers and welcomes the opportunity to share her financial and business expertise.

Carolyn was recently recognized by the Small Business Administration for her commitment to the small business community, she was named Regional Accountant Advocate in May 2001. She was presented an Award of Excellence by the Small Business Consortium in 1998 in recognition of her success as a "Minority Owned Small Entrepreneur".

Ms. Mora stays abreast of industry issues and their effect on small businesses through her memberships in the American Institute of CPA's, the Texas Society of CPA's, the Financial Planning Association, the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the Better Business Bureau and National Federation of Independent Business. These organizations serve as a strong voice in Washington and alert members to important business-related political issues. Ms. Mora makes it a practice to communicate her concerns to the political representatives in our area.

In 1997, Carolyn completed the Leadership El Paso program sponsored by the El Paso Greater Chamber of Commerce and credits the program for encouraging her to get more involved in the community. She currently serves as Treasurer for the El Paso Diabetes Association and the Center on Domestic Violence/Shelter for Battered Women, and is a new board member for the American Cancer Society. She was appointed by Bishop Ochoa to serve as a board member overseeing the Priest Retirement and Disability Trust for the Diocese of El Paso and to serve on the Board of Directors for the newly formed Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso. She is currently working with the Bishop and other diocesan board members on a nominating committee focused on placing more women on the Foundation Board. Carolyn serves as a lector and eucharistic minister at Saint Patrick Cathedral and Immaculate Conception Church and assists with the Confirmation program for Saint Paul the Apostle Parish.

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