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About Us

About Our Firm

James D. Howard, MBA, CPA is the owner of the firm. Jim has provided accounting, tax and consulting services to McDonald's Owner/Operators and other clients since 1975.

Jim is a Nationally recognized expert in McDonald's taxation and was a speaker at the 2001 and 2003 McDonald's National CPA Conferences. Jim was a member of McDonald's National Team of Experts, and his client Canterbury was chosen as the lead case in McDonald's Corporation's successful challenge to the IRS disallowance of franchise cost amortization (see Canterbury v. Commissioner T.C. 223).

Jim is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Society of California Accountants, and the Scholastic Honor Societies of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi.

Jim is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Franchise Consultants and Accountants (NFCA). NFCA is an association of nine top U.S. CPA firms specializing in providing professional services to McDonald's Owner/Operators. NFCA member firms are dedicated to sharing best practices in an effort to provide the finest level of service possible to their clients. James Howard is a proud member firm of NFCA!

Jim is the past President, former Treasurer and a founding member of the Orange County Ronald McDonald House Board of Trustees. Jim is the past Treasurer and former member of the Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, a non-profit corporation containing the Los Angeles, Orange County and Loma Linda Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, and the Community Grants Board. Jim is also the former Chairman and a founding member of the McDonald's Charities Investment Program (McCIP).

We are a proud member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Membership in the AICPA requires that our firm successfully complete periodic peer reviews of our accounting practice in accordance with standards established by the Peer Review Board of the AICPA. We are proud of the fact that we have passed each successive review with flying colors!