Stories of Our Community

I retired in January. This season I want a tax season where I can just do tax returns and do what I do best.

I'm trying to educate clients as much as I can. Everyone is good at golf on a tour. The problem is ounce your life changes that weekend, what are you going to do with that money?

I love how accounting always has to work. Debits have to equal your credits. There’s no gray area, in a sense. Everything is black and white which, if you know me, is my personality.

I’ve had the ability to work with fantastic girls and help guide them as they grow into girls of courage, confidence and character. They truly do make the world a better place, and this experience is core to their empowerment as future leaders.

The accounting profession was good for me, and it can be for others also. I am a man of color and a migrant and if I can do it, anyone can do it.

I want to have a purpose-driven practice where I can give back. That's very important.

I am the first out of my immediate and extended family who has graduated college in the U.S.

I've had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients, for example, working with construction companies and doing inventory observations. I was up on a crane looking at the observation tower at Newark Airport.

A lot of my jobs have been with wonderful women who have really helped me get ahead in my career as a woman. That was very instrumental to me.

I really liked auditing, particularly risk assessment. But you should always be aware of the job market. You always need to be prepared.

I’ve always been black and white about the numbers and like having a set of answers for everything.

For me, it was very cool to present Cyndi Lauper with her million-subscriber button. That's an accounting function!

I have a right hand and if somebody needs something done, it goes up. It’s just my nature.

We get to watch live music in our Orchard offices almost every week (smaller artists trying to break out). That is probably the most fun to watch a band perform at 4 p.m. on a Thursday and then go home.

Studies have shown that, on average, 700 kids (in New Jersey) are diagnosed a year with a critical illness. Our goal is to reach every one of those kids.

I wanted to make a career move to go in-house where I could see the full lifecycle of my work play out.

I felt the timing was ideal and opportunity abundant so I said, 'I'm going for it.'

Our profession is now able to attract all of those next-generation professionals who embrace technology.

Because we have an international footprint and sell CytoSorb all over the world, we have five foreign subsidiaries. We have to deal with five different currencies in preparing our consolidated financial statements.

I really like teaching intermediate accounting because that's the foundation. If you don't get that, you are lost. I love having the responsibility to make sure they get it.

I had no intention to build that classroom skill; it indirectly kept happening.

I had to track these guys down and get the money back.

Most lawyers do not like taxes. I took the classes and I liked them, so I started taking more.

Math was always easier for me since I was just learning the English language. Little did I know that accounting is a whole new language.

The client-relations side of governmental accounting is very exciting. It’s tough to find an industry that is more openly relatable to people than paying taxes.

I like being the guy who helps people figure out their problems so they can go and execute on what they need to do.

I work with everybody...from people on a plant floor, to data engineers and developers, to sales and marketing staff, to our finance departments all over the world.

Where can you go where you know everyone and know everything about a company before you switch positions?

One of the most memorable events was singing in front of Pope Benedict XVI in Rome in 2005.

There is truth in the adage often used in the not-for-profit world of 'no margin, no mission.' My role is to bring a consistent business perspective to the everyday and strategic management process...

And if my sons choose to operate their own business like my brother and I do now, the accounting background and CPA license help to steer through all types of financial turbulence.

I came home and said, "I can do what these guys do."

I like to be someone who's asked to be there at the meetings and help clients solve problems.

I had to work and do tax returns listening to his piano playing.

My kids basically saw my back for months. It was definitely grueling, but I had the goal in my mind. I wanted it done.

There are two sides of my life. Just taking care of the animals is relaxing in and of itself. While it's work, it's pleasurable work.

Once I obtained my CPA license, I realized I could accomplish anything. If I can do it, you certainly can.

I had to confer by phone with the prosecutor and articulate why I believed the cash was derived from illicit means.

I can dig my teeth deeper into the financials. Here, I can see how we're doing and how I can help with different expenses...

As much as music is a lot of fun, there's a lot of hard work and hard parts about it....The more I did it, the lifestyle was not for me.

What I was seeing in corporate accounting was not what I was seeing in the community where I lived.

You need to know what is your pace and figure out how you are going to get there.

When an opportunity comes up to speak, it's great to be able to give back.

There are lots of connections between forensic accounting and law. Both rely on a "questioning mind."

That's the thing that keeps you going in this business. You can really see the impact you've had on clients' lives.

The accounting firm offered me an internship. I laughed at them saying, "I don't want to be an accountant!"

Whenever I have a challenging task, I know that I can press through because I’ve been able to accomplish things I thought I could never do with my body.

They said, 'We are big fans of your work and we want to feature you on a trading card.' It was an honor to be part of the sports card set. I was flattered.

We were brothers in the backroom, and now we're brothers in the boardroom. It's come full circle, in a much different environment.

Even when things get stressful, I always try to keep a positive attitude and stay enthusiastic.

My parents wanted me to be a doctor. So I left India promising them that I would become a doctor in the United States. But I knew in the back of my mind I would never be a doctor.

It really was like the movie The Wolf of Wall Street back then. I flew on private jets, wore power suits and had a red Porsche.

At my practice, I deal with a lot of divorce, death and financial ruin. That makes me want to enjoy life, have a good time and share my home with family and friends.

Not only did the NJCPA scholarship lessen my financial burden for that semester, but it afforded me the opportunity to meet and connect with a partner at Deloitte. Today, I am a senior auditor at the company. I would not be where I am today without the scholarship.

My hobby complements my profession because they both gravitate toward precision and accuracy. You need to put in the time to get the right results.

As the first child in my family to attend college, I certainly didn’t want to let my mom down, but I also didn’t want to disappoint the NJCPA members who had helped lead me through the scholarship process.

Being good at math, I thought the accounting profession would be a nice use of my logical thinking. So, I began an accelerated M.B.A. program at Rutgers for non-business majors.

Financial security was always a concern for me, primarily because I was raised by my grandmother, now 90 years old, who had no financial means of her own. The scholarship allowed me to focus on my education, rather than the amount of student debt I was accruing.

I think my biggest mistake was trying to implement suggestions of many well-intentioned people. As an entrepreneur, you have to stay focused on your products and do what you feel is right.

I get a lot of satisfaction from helping convict someone who’s engaging in human trafficking or preventing money from going to criminal organizations.

I moved to the United States at the age of 18, when I left my family and home country of Hungary to attend college in New Jersey. I chose to pursue accounting because it was something that came easy to me even though I had not yet mastered the English language.

Woodcarving is clearly different than my day job; there’s a precision and creativity there that’s also present in accounting. It’s been interesting developing that part of me.

I've located one descendent who was the focus of a 1700s article in Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia Gazette and another relative who, while selling his goods in town, was apparently chased by some British Redcoats.

You build a collection, but don’t need room in your house to store it. And you get the thrill of the hunt without the killing. Plus, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful places and connected with nature.

I thought joining the Harley Owners Group (HOG) would be a good way to meet like-minded people, plus I thought it would be more fun to ride with others.

I got a new piano teacher who was a hippie. He introduced me to The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John and other rock musicians, and it renewed my interest in playing.

About this time in 1986, an attorney and NJCPA member who administered a charitable trust, came forward with a check for $20,000. The final count was just over $148,000, and we awarded 22 scholarships in 1986. But, the success did not end with the term of my office. Each year the support has continued.

One of the great parts about the NJCPA and the various student programs, is the opportunity it provides young professionals to meet other CPAs and develop their network. As a student and fresh out of school, I was amazed at how much exposure I had to CPAs and CPA firms through my involvement in the organization.

I have an aunt (78) to this day who says, 'Chris, right?' and I say, 'No, it's Jesse.'

Breathing the clean air and seeing such scenic landscapes, fly fishing is such a peaceful, relaxing experience. It's the perfect antidote for a stressful tax season.

The boating's fantastic; it's a jumping-off point to many other great places. I wouldn't be surprised if my daughters captain their own boats one day.

I can appreciate this incredible bonding time now and hopefully have a long career at the firm — so what's six weeks in the grand scheme of things?

I get to interview athletes, the media and sports executives. We all have a story to tell.

We have judges, doctors, business people and others who share their success stories with the kids. Our first year, the school had no African-American kids in the National Honor Society. By the time this group graduated high school, there were nine.

Through politics, I get to meet a diverse group of people and get access to decision makers who can positively impact programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

My college education got me to where I am today. I donate to the NJCPA each year. I believe every individual with drive and ambition deserves the chance to soar towards the sky and only stop when they want to, not because they can't afford it.

It's amazing to be able to share the stage with these dedicated artists whose movements are so beautiful and fluid. It's really a wonderful way to express oneself without speech.

I remember in the immediate aftermath how quiet it was and all of the debris around. We've been through storms and floods in South Jersey before, but nothing like this.

My success was founded on an inspiring teacher who took the time to mentor me and on the dollars from the scholarship that allowed me a path to a quality higher education.

Prior to the trip, my wife made a felt heart and cut it half. She gave half to Myles and I brought the other half with me. When I got to the summit, I took it out and it brought tears to my eyes.

I grew up knowing that if I wanted something, I'd have to pay for it — whether it was a cell phone, a car or a college education. College is expensive and it is extremely daunting when your family cannot alleviate some of the financial burden. Receiving the scholarship eased some of this pressure, and I am now paying off less student loans.

I wanted to gain more coaching experience so I could one day coach at the high school or college level. Princeton Day School is small, but the staff and parents are very supportive and the kids are great.