Lawrence E Pelzner & Associates - Burlingame, California

Michele P.

I have been a client of Pelzner and Associates for the past 20 years. As a woman-owned small business, I have greatly valued Dave and his team’s expertise, support, and availability for all my business and personal needs. I highly recommend their services.

Shelley C.

David Pelzner did my/ex-husband’s taxes for 13 years when I was married. I’m divorced now and could have filed single for 2022, but agreed to file taxes jointly for 2022 to help speed up the financial aspect of the divorce settlement. I graciously and in good faith used my 2022 business deductions and shared capital gains exclusion from our house sale (that I received no income from) in the 2022 filing to allow my ex-husband to reap 10s of thousands of tax savings for that year. I received no financial benefit from filing jointly.

Our tax bill that year was $4,500k, and I was advised by my attorney that I should only be liable for a percentage of the bill based on relative incomes for 2022, which mine was 1% of my ex’s. I paid my percentage to the accountant January 2024 and explained why it was 1%. I did not receive any protests or emails from this accountant asking why the small payment. I did not receive any correspondence the entire year about this bill until Wednesday December 11th, 2024, asking both me and my ex-husband why the remainder of the bill had not been paid. My ex-husband paid nothing and apparently did not communicate anything to the accountant. I reminded the accountant why I paid the 1% of the bill along with greater context of the situation.

His (or someone in the office) response to me was misogynistic, belittling, shaming and unprofessional. He was “insulted” that I paid a small portion of it. He insinuated I lied to my attorney about what I paid, that my attorney must be awful to advise that amount, that I wasn’t “being fair” and not being “honest with myself” and that somehow, I’m trying to undermine their work. Acting holier than thou, like he’s my parent and he’s knows best, and I don’t know anything. And then threatening us with sending us to collections in two days, when I had no idea my ex had not paid the bill! And while he’s busy shaming and belittling me, says nothing to or about my ex, why he hasn’t paid, if they’ve been in communication. Nothing.

Now I have my attorney involved again, along with our divorce mediator, to get my ex-husband to act! While David was a great accountant for many years (hence the two stars), I'm thankful I stopped using this newly whiney and unprofessional accountant once I started filing single in 2023.

WEI C. T.

Chuck M.