Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About International Staff
Is my information being "outsourced" to a third-party company?
No. Your tax returns and other information is processed entirely in-house by our firm. Your data is not being sold, shared with, or processed by any external vendors or unrelated third-party agencies.
Do you use international staff to process our information?
We have one staff member who is located in South Korea, Daniel Choi. He used to live in the United States (U.S.) but returned home to South Korea to be with his family. Daniel is the only staff member who works interntionally.
What is your relationship with Daniel?
Daniel is a good friend of mine that I have known since college. After graduating, we both worked as accountants and kept in touch. Daniel joined me in servicing my clients sometime after I began my firm.
What is Daniel's role within your team?
Daniel is our primary first-level preparer.
Will my information be sent outside the United States?
Your information will only be stored on servers within the United States. If Daniel, our international staff, processes your information, he will be viewing them exclusively within servers in the United States. Information may be viewed, but not transferred or otherwise downloaded, out of servers within the United States to servers located within another country.
How does Daniel, who is in South Korea, process our information without having to transfer our data outside the United States?
Daniel views client information similar to how you could view your email or access your online accounts, such as investment brokerage accounts, while traveling abroad, or how an employee would access a company's servers while connected through a VPN.
Technically, Daniel uses a virtual remote desktop that is completely managed and controlled by private servers within the United States, so your data is never saved or stored on servers outside of the United States. He is merely viewing a graphical rendition of documents and information on his computer screen, but files and other data are not transferred to his computer.
We have IT security protocols in place to prevent the transfer of data out of our servers, whether to somewhere located outside or even within the United States.
Who will have access to my information?
Access is strictly limited to our staff members. No other parties have access to your information unless you provide your consent to share your information with another party. Final review, approval, and filing of tax returns are always performed by Joe Wu, the principal of the firm.
What happens if I choose not to sign the consent form to allow international staff to process my information?
Signing is voluntary. If you prefer that your data not be accessed internationally, we are happy to prepare your return entirely with members of our team that are located in the United States. However, please note that this may result in higher pricing and a longer turnaround time due to the increased workload and cost of our U.S.-based staff.