Why WK
Williams-Keepers LLC is a regional certified public accounting and business consulting firm with offices in Columbia and Jefferson City.
With 15 members, more than 55 Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and over 100 total associates the firm offers a variety of audit, assurance, accounting, tax and business consulting services to individuals and businesses that represent a variety of industries.
Our History
Williams-Keepers LLC has a rich tradition of providing exemplary client services to clients located throughout Missouri and the surrounding region. In 2018, the firm was named to Inside Public Accounting as one of the Top 300 public accounting firms in the United States, most recently being named #211. Since its formation in 1923, WK has grown to include office locations in Columbia and Jefferson City and become one of the largest independently owned firms in the state of Missouri.
We built our practice on traditional audit, accounting and tax services, but we have much more to offer our clients. We provide estate planning, employee benefit consulting, business valuations, litigation support, cost segregation studies and numerous other services. WK serves the needs of clients in a variety of industries, including financial institutions, real estate developers, construction companies, healthcare organizations, governments, agribusinesses, not-for-profit organizations, higher education institutions and family businesses.
WK is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Allinial Global, an association of legally independent public accounting and consulting firms.
Do you work with an accountant or a
trusted business advisor?
If your business is small and relatively uncomplicated, hiring an accountant who prepares your tax return and assists with basic accounting functions might work well. However, if your business is growing quickly, has more legs than an octopus, and faces multiple challenges each day, you might need something more – a trusted business advisor.
WK’s vision is to cultivate high-trust relationships with our clients so we can serve as your most trusted business advisors. We want you to view your WK advisors as helpers who can guide you whenever you are wrestling with an issue, no matter what it is. With the depth and breadth of resources we have at WK, it’s likely we can help you. But if we aren’t the best source of assistance for your problem, we can refer you to a banker, insurance agent, business broker or other consultants with the expertise you need. Our most fulfilling work comes from solving our clients’ problems in whatever way we can.
An accountant looks back, an advisor looks forward.
An accountant could be viewed as a historian, looking backward to help you understand what already happened. Your tax return is a picture of the previous year. Financial statements describe assets and liabilities from prior periods. Bookkeeping functions report activity that has already occurred.
But a trusted business advisor can help you look ahead to future opportunities. How can you minimize your tax liabilities going forward? What can you do to plan for growth, or to plan for the succession of your business? How can you structure your various business entities to minimize risk? We can work with you to ensure you make business moves with intention and advance planning.
Being proactive instead of reactive can save you time and money.
For example, we have spent months helping one client unravel an accounting mess, which we are happy to do when it’s needed. But we’d much rather help clients set up their accounting system the right way from the start, so you’ll have the accurate information you need to make better business decisions.
The traits of a truly beneficial trusted advisor relationship
- We encourage face-to-face contact with our clients whenever possible. While we are never afraid to utilize technology to aid in communication with our clients, we think that direct contact is the foundation that best supports the trusted advisor relationship. Seeing you at your workplace and learning about your organization first-hand equips us to help you more efficiently and effectively.
- We provide frequent interactions with our clients throughout the year. We like to see our clients more than just once or twice a year. We like to keep in constant contact with our clients because we know that their concerns constantly change. We want you to feel comfortable contacting us when you need advice, no matter the size of the problem or when it arises.
- We ask questions, and we listen. When we get together with our clients, we typically like to start by asking, What keeps you up at night? We want to know the issues you are most concerned about so that we can help address them and help mitigate your fears.
- We bring ideas to you. By staying abreast of trends in your industry and the latest legal and regulatory changes, we can help you take advantage of available tools. Whether we’re communicating in person, by phone, or via our Client Alerts and newsletters, we want you to be aware of what’s new. More than once we’ve heard a new client say, “You’re the first person who has ever mentioned this to me.”
Let us match you with a WK advisor.
The members and associates at WK are passionate about the work we do. We derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from helping our clients be the best they can be. By helping you fulfill your needs as a business owner, we find fulfillment ourselves. So, if you are ready to work with a trusted business advisor, let us know a little about you, and we can match you with the WK advisors that best fit your industry, your needs and your personality.
Email us, or call (573) 442-6171 or (573) 635-6196. We can’t wait to get started!
