Biography

I am a “transplanted New Yorker” having been born in Brooklyn and raised in the Rockaway section of Queens, New York (but I lost my New York accent years ago). For those of you who don’t know it, Rockaway (also known as Belle Harbor) is a little beachfront community about 5 blocks in width, very similar to Ventnor, Margate, and Longport at the Jersey Shore.

After graduating from Poly Prep, a private high school situated in the shadow of the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn, I attended the University of Pennsylvania where in 1973, I earned a bachelors degree in Economics with a major in Accounting at the Wharton School. Since graduating from Penn, I have resided in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area.

I began my career at the international accounting firm of Laventhol & Horwath in Philadelphia, where I worked from 1973 to 1979. At L&H, I was a supervisor on the accounting and audit staff and conducted certified audits of both publicly and privately owned clients in a variety of industries. I “cut my professional teeth” at Laventhol, and many of the philosophies, skills, and practices I follow today were heavily influenced by my first six years in public accounting. As much as Laventhol taught me to be an expert accountant technically, my time there also molded my approach to dealing with people, both clients and staff, and very much impacted how I run my own practice nearly 35 years later.

In 1979, I left public accounting and went to work in Atlantic City's fledgling casino industry. I joined the development team at Bally’s Park Place Casino Hotel (then a Laventhol client), where I helped develop and open the second casino in Atlantic City. From 1979 to 1993, I was employed by the Bally’s organization first as a Director and then as a Vice President. I had overall responsibility for the internal audit function at all of Bally’s gaming facilities in New Jersey and Nevada. Over the 14 years I spent at Bally’s, I became intimately familiar with the controls and exposures of both the gaming and non-gaming areas of casino hotels, and I conducted audits of virtually all aspects of gaming establishments. Today, in addition to my tax and accounting practice, I continue to provide specialized consulting services to gaming companies and gaming regulators throughout the world.

While employed full-time in the gaming industry, I never completely gave up my public accounting roots, and I always maintained a handful of clients “on the side”. In 1993, after 14 years in private industry, I decided to return to those roots, and I formed Howard S. Levine, CPA, a public accounting practice. Although tax preparation and representation are a primary focus of my practice, I offer a full array of services to individuals and businesses ranging from problem resolution to estate and trust administration, to business start-ups, financial statement preparation, audits, and forensic accounting. That is what I now do full time, with the gaming consulting “on the side”.

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Philosophy & Commitment of My Practice

My accounting practice is based upon the simple concept that clients not only need technical expertise, but also personal attention to their particular situation. I recognize the importance of superior client service that is prompt, personalized, and thorough. I offer service you can count on – personal, expert, experienced, trustworthy, and above all, ethical. In short, your services are personally provided by me. This is not a “Block” type of tax service where you are in and out quickly, and you don’t know who is doing your return from year to year. This is a personalized tax consulting service where I am in touch with my clients, and I am available for questions throughout the year.

By taking the time to understand your needs and explore all the options, I seek to take advantage of deductions and credits you may be missing. I put the latest in tax law changes to work for you, and I look for tax reduction and financial strategies to fit your needs. My job is to minimize your tax burden from both a business and personal perspective. This is often best accomplished through “one-stop shopping” where I handle all your business and personal tax and accounting needs. In essence, I look out for your interests and treat you and your financial affairs no differently than I would if they were my own.

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Peer Reviews & Education

My commitment to providing the highest quality technical expertise is underscored by the results of the five “peer reviews” that my practice has undergone since inception. All accounting firms, particularly those that conduct audits and reviews of financial statements, are required to maintain a system of quality control which, if followed, provides assurance that the firm is conforming with all the professional standards required of CPAs in public practice. A system of quality control encompasses the firm’s organizational structure and all the policies and procedures in place to ensure conformance with the professional standards.

The peer review program is administered by the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA) on behalf of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in accordance with standards established by the AICPA Peer Review Board. It encompasses an examination of a firm’s quality control system including tests for compliance with that system, by another examining CPA or team of CPAs.

My accounting practice has undergone five peer reviews since inception. In each review, I received a clean report from the examiner that my system of quality control does, in fact, meet the quality control standards established by the AICPA, and that I complied with that system in providing attest services to clients. Although not directly covered under the AICPA peer review program, it is important to understand that I use the same quality control concepts in providing tax related services to clients as the mandated quality control standards I am required to use in the accounting and auditing side of my practice.

In addition to a peer review every three years, I keep up with the latest in tax law changes and changes in accounting and auditing standards by attending various professional continuing education courses throughout the year. They include courses in accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and taxation.

Professionally, I am presently a member of both the NJSCPA and the AICPA as well as the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce.


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Industries & Professions Served

Over the years of my professional practice, I have had the opportunity to serve both individual and business clients in a wide ranging array of industries and professions. I am proud to be able to offer services to the following:

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Testimonials

Here are some of the comments made by clients over the years after completion of my services for them:

“’Thank God for Howard’ is my new motto”

August 20, 2012 GS, Cherry Hill, NJ
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“Words cannot possibly convey my appreciation for your time, compassion, and generosity.”

August 12, 2012 BR, Delray Beach, FL
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“Thanks for expediting our request so quickly. We both appreciate your excellent service.”

June 5, 2012 PM, Ocean City, NJ
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“Thank you for your trustworthy services over the years. We really appreciate it!”

May 9, 2012 JR & CC, Philadelphia, PA
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"I thought your bill was very, very reasonable. If it had been my prior accountant's bill, I'm sure it would have been more than triple."

December 28, 2011 by ML, Cherry Hill, NJ
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"I just wanted to say Thank You for all your help and support. When I first met you, I had a feeling you were honest. Now I know you are a real Mensch! I wish I had met you 10 years ago."

December 26, 2011 by EM, Cherry Hill, NJ
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“You make the most horrendous event pleasant.”

April 2, 2011 FC, Voorhees, NJ
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“We can’t believe it has been so many years. Thank you for all of your trouble and for caring.”

March 23, 2011 EC & MC, Delran, NJ
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"We want to thank you for making a burdensome task very pleasant."

January 4, 2010 by ZJ. Cherry Hill, NJ
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“Thank you for handling our tax audit and for attaining the excellent outcome in our favor.”

November 15, 2009 by Sandy M., Jacksonville, FL
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“Howard is the best. Our prior accountant just didn’t pay attention to our needs and was impossible to get a hold of. We couldn’t be happier with his services.”
April 16, 2009 by Thomas V., Philadelphia, PA
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“Thank you for really understanding my business, giving the proper advice, and trying to save me as much money as possible!”

December 17, 2009 by Marc S., Medford NJ
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“We are blessed to have found Howard to help us with our tax problems. Being devout Christians, we knew that G-d would send someone to help us.”

December 8, 2009 by Keith W., Deptford, NJ
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“OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!! I have worked with Mr. Levine for the past 10 years or so. He is EXTREMELY meticulous and professional in ALL aspects of his profession. It gives me great peace of mind working with him, because I NEVER have to worry about anything below the table or questionable, and because of this, I am never worried about any audits. All filings are completely accurate, and I receive a folder containing everything that was filed on my behalf upon completion. As long as I am alive, whether I move or not, I will be working with Mr. Levine.”

February 16, 2009 by Patrick W., Sicklerville, NJ
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