Finding a good accountant

I have thrown in the towel on trying to figure out the ars*-hatted US expat tax rules on my own. Work stress, moving stress, immigration stress - at this point I'm willing to pay to hold onto what's left of my sanity.

I'm looking for a company, if such a thing exists, that will not ask me to communicate with them via an online form. I've shopped around for different expat tax services, and the forms they use to gather a client's financial information seem scarcely less complicated than the IRS forms themselves, which strikes me as a monumental waste of money. Is there an accounting firm anywhere that uses the old-fashioned shoe-box method whereby you hand them your stuff, answer a few rudimentary questions, and let them deal with it? I'm currently in Bristol but work in London and will be living full-time in London in a few months.

I don't know if recommending specific firms here in the forum violates any talkboard policy, but if so, please feel free to contact me directly with any suggestions. I would be immensely grateful for any advice.

Cheers,
fals

I'm in the exact same boat as my friend who posted above. If anyone can contact me as well I'd be extremely grateful.

Thanks,
Dan

I work in the financial services sector, and I know that financial advisers are required to do a fact-find before providing financial advice.

I think it might be the same with accountants. I guess many of them find an online form to be faster and easier than asking you everything in person. (And saves you time and money).

An accountant can't really give you the best advice without knowing your individual personal situation.  You and I could have the exact same income but what is best for you might not be best for me.

What about using the appropriate US regulatory bodies for accountancy to find UK based American accountants?

The US embassy lists a few on their website.

There is a thread somewhere on the taxes forum about finding a UK/US tax adviser.