Lisha T.

10+ yrs CPA Experience

10+ yrs CPA Experience

I'm Lisha! I'm a licensed CPA with 10+ years client service experience and 1 year of professional tutoring experience. I have and MBA and B.S. in Accounting.

In its simplest form, my role as a CPA involves problem solving. In reality, that involves translating complex financial and tax accounting regulations to simpler and digestible material for the client and/or incoming staff. As such, I've spent the majority of my career marrying these two responsibilities - learning to quickly and effectively teach complex matters.

I utilized tutoring throughout my academic career as performance optimization. Whether the intention is to improve grades or increase understanding, I think particularly with accounting, there is a benefit to be gained by partnering.

My Ideal Student
I believe strongly we all learn differently. My strong skill set is being able to accommodate those learning differences and meet people where they're at. I am relentless about connecting with students in a meaningful way - sometimes together we learn how the student learns best, and they're able to utilize that to their advantage in future courses. That being said, I am fond of students who are taking ownership of their academic career and responsible for their learning. (See how that translates in my sessions below).

PARENTS: Generally, after our first point of contact, I maintain communication with the student directly.

CPA Exam Prep
Our sessions are tailored to meet your needs! We review key concepts and how they translate on the exam and tie into the AICPA Blueprint. We will practice multiple choice questions and break down task based simulations to solidify your understanding. I LOVE helping candidates prepare for the CPA exam!

Financial accounting (Principles and Intermediate)
I know several colleges currently utilize e-learning systems, such as Pearson's MyLab or McGraw Hill's Connect. I work with students to first introduce or reinforce the material for the chapter and then work though completing homework problems. Lastly, we complete a flashcard review study session, highlighting for the student concepts they are familiar with (and need to continue studying) versus concepts they know. The goal of our sessions is to provide the student with the skillset and confidence. I value academic honesty and am therefore unable to sit in on quizzes or exams.

Tax Accounting (Individual and Corporate Taxation)
I work with students to understand certain broad concepts (i.e., individual taxation, corporate, partnerships, estates/trusts) or more specific concepts (i.e., QBI deduction or calculating E&P). I will work with students to complete practice problems or comprehensive problems to reinforce or facilitate learning. I generally have some cheat sheet summarizing key learning points that I'm able to share and can provide access to a test data bank for additional concept and computation based problems.

Case Studies
The nature of case studies generally requires some sort of advance preparation. I am reading through your fact pattern, pulling relevant guidance, and creating a blueprint for your assignment. I walk students through how we write for technical memos and the analytical process. I am not completing the assignment for you, but instead giving you the tools and resources to create a deliverable that represents your own thoughts and conclusions.

Housekeeping
Integrity. I value honesty. I do not sit in on exams or quizzes or complete assignments. My goal is to provide you with the skill set or resources to be successful.

Tutors are supplements not substitutes. Your success in a course over a period of time is directly attributable to your effort. When we discuss something, and you gain an understanding, you will still need to study / practice to retain what you've learned.

Have realistic goals. I probably can't teach you a semester long course or complete 50 homework problems in one hour. I can give you my recommendation of how long I anticipate it will take to complete. I will ALWAYS ask for a copy of what you're working on prior to our session. If you're limited on time, be prepared to highlight the concepts/questions you would like to focus on.

Ask for a break, if you need it. Throughout the session, I'll ask how you're doing. But don't hesitate to give me feedback. Some people are overwhelmed and / or frustrated with learning new things. If nothing is making sense, ask to take a quick break, give yourself an opportunity to refocus.

Be kind. If we exchange phone numbers, I am invested in your success. Please respect professional boundaries.