Thelen FinancialModern CPAs.
Old-school service.
Tax, accounting and financial statements for closely held businesses and the people who own them. When you call, someone who knows your file picks up.
Peter and Esther answer the phone.
No call center, no two-week wait.
Start here
What do you need help with?
Pick one and we’ll take you straight to it.
Services
Everything an owner needs from a CPA, under one roof.
Business Tax
Entity returns, estimates and year-end planning.
Learn moreIndividual Tax
Personal, trust and estate returns for owners and families.
Learn moreBookkeeping & Statements
Clean books plus reviews and compilations your lender accepts.
Learn moreBusiness Advisory
A second set of eyes before the big decisions.
Learn moreWho we serve
Built around how your business runs.
Closely held businesses, real estate, manufacturers, nonprofits
One CPA for the business and the owner.
Your business return and your personal return affect each other. We prepare both, so a planning move on one side shows up on the other.
- Business and personal returns together
- Entity and payroll review
- Year-end tax planning
- Succession planning
GCs, builders, HVAC, landscaping, specialty subs
Statements your lender and surety trust.
Contractors make up a big part of our client list. We know how construction businesses run and what a bank or bonding agent looks for in your numbers.
- Reviewed and compiled statements
- Agreed-upon procedures
- Business and owner tax returns
- Equipment and hiring decisions
IT firms, attorneys, consultants, dental practices
Ask a question without watching the meter.
A five-minute question gets a five-minute answer and no invoice. Year-end planning comes with the relationship.
- Business and individual tax
- Bookkeeping and reporting
- Tax projections
- IRS and state notices
Why clients switch
What changes when you move to Thelen Financial.
We pick up the phone.
No two-week wait for a callback. You talk to the people doing your work.
No nickel-and-diming.
A quick question about your 401(k) won’t show up as a $75 bill.
Planning is included.
Year-end tax planning comes with the work. You won’t see it as an add-on.
A real office.
Our team works from Alpharetta every day. Meet us there, by Zoom or by phone.
Real conversations
We sit down with you and explain the numbers.
Some clients like to meet in person once a year. Others never leave their desk. Either way, you talk with the CPA who did the work, and you leave knowing where you stand.
Meet the teamHow we work
Getting started takes one conversation.
- 1
We talk
A short call about your business, your books and what you need.
- 2
You upload
Send prior returns and statements through our secure portal.
- 3
We agree on scope
A clear engagement letter and fee before any work starts.
- 4
We stay on call
Year-round answers, before decisions instead of after them.
In their words
“I started working with Peter in December and it looks like he is going to get our small business and personal taxes done without having to file an extension. We were previously using a firm that was so busy they had to file an extension every year.”
“I’ve always appreciated his desire to understand all perspectives of a problem, before working toward a solution. He’s a true problem solver, and financial guru, and a pleasure to work with.”
“He cares about his clients and customers and will always do the best job he can for them.”
“Peter Thelen is an extraordinary leader with high integrity… A true pleasure to work with.”
Questions
Before you call.
Still wondering about something? Call (678) 526-6883 and ask.
How much will it cost?
Do I have to come to the office?
How do I send you documents?
Do you only work with contractors?
I got a letter from the IRS. Can you help?
Referred by a client? Start with a quick call.
Talk with PeterServices
Tax, accounting and advice from one firm.
Seven services, one team. When the same people handle your business return, your personal return and your books, planning on one side shows up on the other.
Tax preparation
Business tax returns
We prepare federal and Georgia returns for S corporations, C corporations and partnerships, then plan with you before December so April holds no surprises.
What’s included
- Entity returns, federal and Georgia. Prepared and reviewed in-house by our team.
- Owner K-1s on time. Your personal return doesn’t wait on the business.
- Quarterly estimates. We calculate them and remind you before each due date.
- Owner pay and entity review. We check that your structure still fits how the business runs.
- Notices handled. If the IRS or Georgia writes, we answer.
Your business tax year
Tap a date to see what happens.
Dates for calendar-year businesses. A weekend or holiday can move a due date.
Tax preparation
Individual, trust and estate returns
Personal returns for business owners, families, trustees and executors. We coordinate them with your business return so a choice on one side helps the other.
What’s included
- Individual returns (Form 1040). Federal and state, including K-1 income from your business.
- Trust and estate returns (Form 1041). For trustees and executors who want it handled right.
- Rental and investment income. Real estate, brokerage accounts and partnership interests.
- Tax projections. Know roughly what you’ll owe before the year ends.
- IRS and state letters. We read them, explain them and respond for you.
What to send us
Check off what you have. Upload it all through the secure portal.
0 of 8 ready
Tax planning
Year-round tax planning
Preparation looks back at last year. Planning works on this year, while you can still change the outcome. It comes with the relationship, with no add-on fee.
What we plan around
- Owner pay and distributions. The mix of salary and distributions that fits your numbers.
- Retirement contributions. How much to put away, and in which account, before the deadline.
- Equipment and big purchases. Timing and depreciation, so the deduction lands in the right year.
- Estimated payments. Set to what you’ll owe, so you avoid penalties and big April checks.
- Entity choice. Whether your current structure still saves you money.
Looks at last year
Goal: file accurately
January to April
Looks at this year
Goal: owe less, legally
All year
A planning year with us
Pick a quarter.
Accounting
Bookkeeping and accounting
Clean, current books every month, so tax season and lender requests never turn into a scramble. You focus on the business. We keep the records.
What’s included
- Monthly bookkeeping. Transactions recorded and categorized on a set schedule.
- Bank and credit card reconciliations. Every account tied out, every month.
- Payroll records. Kept in step with your books and tax filings.
- Financial reporting. Monthly or quarterly reports you can read in five minutes.
- CPA review. The people who prepare your taxes look at your books all year.
Your monthly close
Your monthly package
Accounting
Financial statements
Compiled and reviewed statements, plus agreed-upon procedures, prepared to the standards your bank, surety or partners expect. We’ll help you figure out which one you need.
Who usually asks for them
Compare the three
We put your financial information into properly formatted statements. We don’t test the numbers or give assurance on them.
- Often used for
- Smaller credit lines, internal use, some sureties
- Assurance
- None
We ask questions and run analytical procedures to check that your statements make sense. You get limited assurance from a CPA.
- Often used for
- Larger loans, bonding programs, partners
- Assurance
- Limited
Agreed-upon procedures: you and the requesting party pick specific steps, and we report exactly what we found. Useful when someone needs one area checked.
- Often used for
- Lender covenants, contract compliance, specific accounts
- Assurance
- No opinion, findings only
Advisory
Business advisory
Call us before the decision. We’d rather help you plan the move than explain the tax bill afterward.
What we help with
- Decision planning. We run the numbers on a purchase, hire or new location before you commit.
- Growth and operations. Pricing, cash flow and where the profit is going.
- Entity structure. Setting up a new company or changing an old one.
- Succession planning. A timeline and tax plan for handing the business to family, partners or a buyer.
What are you thinking about?
Pick one to see what we’d look at with you.
Representation
IRS and state notices
A letter from the IRS or the Georgia Department of Revenue is stressful. Send it to us. We’ll tell you what it means, what it will take and how long you have, then handle it.
Letters we see often
Every notice has a response deadline. Send it to us as soon as it arrives.
From letter to closed
- 1You get a letterDon’t call the number on it yet.
- 2Send us a copyPhoto or scan is fine.
- 3We explain itWhat it means, the deadline, the likely outcome.
- 4We respond for youLetters, calls and representation with the IRS or Georgia.
- 5We confirm it’s closedAnd fix whatever caused it.
Not sure what you need? We’ll sort it out on the first call.
Talk with PeterOur Firm
A small firm, on purpose.
Peter Thelen founded the firm to give Main Street business owners the kind of guidance bigger companies get. We grow by hiring when the work fills up, so the person who answers still knows your file.
The team
The people you’ll work with.
What we value
Integrity, service and stewardship.
Integrity
We tell you what the numbers say, including when it isn’t what you hoped.
Service
You get a call back from someone who knows your business.
Stewardship
We treat your business like it’s meant to last, because you built it to.
Visit us
Our office is in Alpharetta.
The whole team works from the office. Stop by, or meet us on Zoom or by phone.
6250 Shiloh Rd, Suite 235
Alpharetta, GA 30005
Legal
Privacy Policy
Thelen Financial, Inc · Published October 15, 2023
At Thelen Financial, Inc, accessible from https://thelenfinancial.com/, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by Thelen Financial, Inc and how we use it.
If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us.
This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collected in Thelen Financial, Inc. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the TermsFeed Free Privacy Policy Generator.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
Information we collect
The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information.
If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.
When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect in various ways, including to:
- Provide, operate, and maintain our website
- Improve, personalize, and expand our website
- Understand and analyze how you use our website
- Develop new products, services, features, and functionality
- Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes
- Send you emails
- Find and prevent fraud
Log Files
Thelen Financial, Inc follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services’ analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users’ movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.
Cookies and Web Beacons
Like any other website, Thelen Financial, Inc uses ‘cookies’. These cookies are used to store information including visitors’ preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users’ experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors’ browser type and/or other information.
Google DoubleClick DART Cookie
Google is one of a third-party vendor on our site. It also uses cookies, known as DART cookies, to serve ads to our site visitors based upon their visit to thelenfinancial.com and other sites on the internet. However, visitors may choose to decline the use of DART cookies by visiting the Google ad and content network Privacy Policy at the following URL: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads
Our Advertising Partners
Some of advertisers on our site may use cookies and web beacons. Our advertising partners are listed below. Each of our advertising partners has their own Privacy Policy for their policies on user data. For easier access, we hyperlinked to their Privacy Policies below.
Advertising Partners Privacy Policies
You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of Thelen Financial, Inc.
Third-party ad servers or ad networks use technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on Thelen Financial, Inc, which are sent directly to users’ browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.
Note that Thelen Financial, Inc has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
Third Party Privacy Policies
Thelen Financial’s Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.
You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers’ respective websites.
CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)
Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:
- Request that a business that collects a consumer’s personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.
- Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.
- Request that a business that sells a consumer’s personal data, not sell the consumer’s personal data.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
GDPR Data Protection Rights
We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:
- The right to access. You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.
- The right to rectification. You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.
- The right to erasure. You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
- The right to restrict processing. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
- The right to object to processing. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
- The right to data portability. You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
Children’s Information
Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.
Thelen Financial, Inc does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.
Contact us
Thelen Financial, Inc · 6250 Shiloh Rd, Suite 235, Alpharetta, GA 30005 · (678) 526-6883 · info@thelenfinancial.com
Founder & Principal
Peter Thelen
Peter started Thelen Financial so Main Street business owners could get the same strategic guidance larger companies pay for.
Peter believes a CPA should be the first call an owner makes before a big decision. He takes the time to learn what you’re trying to build, then looks for ways to get there. He’d rather find the path to yes than tell you why a deal won’t work.
He works mainly with closely held businesses and their owners, with deep experience in construction, contracting and service companies. He also serves professional firms, real estate businesses, manufacturers, nonprofits and entrepreneurs, on tax strategy, growth, succession, financial reporting and day-to-day operating decisions.
Clients say he explains complicated tax questions in plain English. He serves on the Board of Directors of the North Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Society of CPAs and mentors local business owners.
Outside the office, Peter is a husband and father of four. You’ll find him at his kids’ volleyball and softball tournaments, on the golf course or with his church community.
- Role
- Founder & Principal
- Focus
- Closely held businesses and their owners
- Industries
- Construction, contracting, service companies, professional firms, real estate, manufacturing, nonprofits
- Leadership
- Board of Directors, GSCPA North Atlanta Chapter
- Values
- Integrity, service, stewardship
Senior Tax Associate
Esther Salim
Esther prepares business and individual returns and helps clients sort out IRS and state tax questions.
Esther has more than seven years in public accounting and bookkeeping. She prepares returns for S corporations, C corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates, nonprofits and individuals, and handles payroll, financial statements, bank reconciliations and tax projections.
She enjoys untangling messy records and turning them into numbers an owner can act on. Tax rules change every year, and she likes keeping up with them.
Esther joined Thelen Financial for its personal service and long client relationships. She values open communication and wants every client to feel they have someone in their corner.
Away from work she travels, tries new restaurants, reads, and heads to the mountains for fall weekends and winter hikes. She will always pick sushi, and tea over coffee.
- Role
- Senior Tax Associate
- Experience
- 7+ years in public accounting and bookkeeping
- Returns
- S corps, C corps, partnerships, trusts and estates, nonprofits, individuals
- Education
- MS in Accounting, Western Sydney University
- Membership
- Georgia Society of CPAs
How We Work
What working with us looks like.
Five steps, from the first call to a CPA you can reach all year.
We get to know each other
A short conversation about your business, your current accounting and tax setup, and what you want to change. By phone, on Zoom or in our office. We’ll both know quickly if it’s a fit.
We review where you stand
You upload prior returns, financial statements and books through our secure portal. We look at your structure, payroll and bookkeeping for errors, missed savings and extra work you don’t need.
We build your service plan
We pick the right mix of tax preparation, tax planning, accounting, financial statements and advisory. Scope and fee go into an engagement letter before any work starts.
We become your CPA
Call us before you buy equipment, hire, buy real estate, start a company or sell one. We’d rather help you plan than explain the tax bill afterward.
We support you all year
Planning, compliance, reporting and advice as you need it. Your CPA doesn’t disappear after April.
Step one is a phone call.
Talk with PeterContact
Let’s talk.
Answer a few quick questions and we’ll reach out shortly. Current clients can call us directly any time.