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Team member spotlight: Josie

Today we want to introduce Josie, a Tax and Accounting Specialist, that has rejoined our team! Josie is a licensed CPA and will be helping our clients with accounting and taxes. 

Why did you decide to become an accountant?  

I was always good at math growing up, and I enjoy when things are digitally organized. A long time ago when I was working in my first professional field (electronics), I approached the payroll department to talk about an issue with my paycheck. They fixed the issue, but I was left with this intense lingering envy. That’s when I knew!

When were you hired for TL;DR?  

November 1, 2021. If my last name looks familiar, it’s because I used to work for this same company before I began my gender transition.

What made you decide to want to work for TL;DR?  

I met Toni long before she started this company, back when we were both employees for a different company. When I found a job posting for TL;DR Accounting, I got so excited and happy for her for starting her own company. Through her company, she is embodying the change she wants to see in the world

What do you enjoy most about TL;DR?

I enjoy the inclusiveness, the kindness we show to each other, and the feeling that we’re a team together. In my experience, a truly inclusive accounting firm is an exception in the field.

What is a typical work day like for you? 

I start off by exercising at home (High-Intensity Interval Training every other day), then I make some oatmeal with nuts (cashew, almonds, pumpkin seeds) and grab a caffeine source, often loose-leaf yerba mate or a homemade energy drink from my SodaStream. After that, I’m ready to work! The first order of business is to make sure my clients and coworkers are taken care of, after which I dive into my tax and accounting work. During my lunch hour, I meditate, and during the tax off-season I wrap up work in the afternoon.

What is your favorite tip for small business owners?  

It’s critical to start good habits early on in the operation of your business. If it’s too late for that, then the best time to start is now! I recommend that you:

  1. Establish a tax savings account and regularly pay into it
  2. Have someone check into your company books at least once a month.
  3. Outsource work if you don’t want to do something or if you don’t feel confident. There’s no shame in outsourcing. You’ll probably be glad you did!

How do you stay informed about developments and changes in the accounting world?  

  • I take Continuing Professional Education classes for my CPA license.
  • Our team shares new developments internally through chat. (Don’t worry, we also put this information in our blog posts!)
  • I fill in any remaining knowledge gaps by using our multiple forms of tax advice software or through careful web searches.

What is your biggest achievement to date – personal or professional?  

I’m going to bend the rules and pick three: Traveling the world! Aside from the US, I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, England, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, The Netherlands, Thailand, Singapore, Bali, South Korea, and Australia.

My travel bucket list includes Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Argentina, Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Iceland, Denmark, Vietnam, and Japan, and that doesn’t even count countries I want to revisit!

I understand that, unfortunately, transgender acceptance varies greatly around the world. Some of the places I’ve been and places on my bucket list are not safe for me to visit, and this sort of thing often changes with time and is hard to measure. All of my travels up to this point were before I started my transition, when I enjoyed the benefits of several privileges that are no longer available to me.

What do you do outside of work?  

My hobbies include Magic: The Gathering, tabletop board games, video games, thrift shopping, writing, reading, playing with my kids, mellow hiking, watching bad fiction movies and good documentaries, and sort of playing the ukulele.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?  

Mystique from the X-Men

Ever since I was little, I’ve always been fascinated by shapeshifters. Maybe it has something to do with being born in the wrong body…but that’s just conjecture, right? I always wanted to know what the world would look like from a taller or shorter eye-level, how it would feel to walk and climb if my limbs were a different length, how the rain would feel on different skin.

If I were Mystique, I could use her powers of transformation to discredit agents of hatred and divisiveness without harming anyone. I feel like that could bring a lot of good into the world.

Do you have any advice for those interested in entering the accounting field? 

My advice is to start working in some kind of accounting capacity as early as you can. Consider pursuing an early job as an accounts receivable clerk or entry-level bookkeeper, or look into volunteer work. The context you gather from real-world experience can help you to retain the things you learn later on.

We welcome Josie back to the TL;DR: Accounting team!

P.S. Want to learn how to manage your money better as a therapist? Now you can learn directly from Toni Cameron, CPA with our new on-demand webinars! Check out our most popular webinars here.

Khaled - TLDR

Khaled Albadawi, CPA

Principal & CEO

Khaled joined TL;DR as Principal in December of 2022, and has quickly hit the ground running offering a fresh new perspective for the TL;DR team and clients. He’s a natural entrepreneur & leader, starting his days at 4 AM with a nice cup of coffee to get a jumpstart on projects before the business world wakes up. His one piece of advice to business owners? Ask yourself if you are creating just another job or a business. Ideally, you should be building something that doesn’t require you to be there 40 hours a week!

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