The firm

A small Portland firm doing careful work since 2004.

We started Mitchell & Associates with a simple thesis. Most small businesses and high-net-worth households want a CPA who picks up the phone, reads their full situation, and says something they can act on. We have spent twenty years proving that thesis is right.

01 · Origin

The firm began with one client and a desk on Morrison Street.

Daniel Mitchell left a top-twenty national firm in 2004 because the audit-and-bill model did not fit the work he wanted to do. The first year was three clients, all referred. By 2007 it was thirty. The firm has grown deliberately ever since, never faster than we can hire senior people for.

02 · Partners

Two partners. Six senior accountants. No revolving door.

Every engagement at our firm is led by a CPA with at least eight years of experience. We do not push work down to a pool of first-years and review it at the end. The same person who builds your tax plan in October is the one signing the return in March.

03 · How we work

Fixed-fee engagements. Quarterly check-ins. Plain English.

Hourly billing punishes the client for asking questions. We quote a fixed annual fee for every engagement, broken down by service line, so you know what a year of working with us costs before you sign. We meet quarterly with active clients whether there is news or not. If there is no news, the meeting is short.

Leadership

The two people whose name is on the door.

  • Daniel Mitchell, CPA, PFS

    Founding Partner

    Twenty-three years in practice. Lead on tax and financial planning engagements for owner-operators and high-net-worth households. Previously a senior manager at a top-twenty national firm. University of Oregon, 2001.

  • Elena Aoki, CPA

    Partner, Business Services

    Sixteen years in practice. Leads the bookkeeping and payroll practice and oversees multi-state compliance for business clients. Joined the firm in 2012 from a regional firm in Seattle. University of Washington, 2008.

How we work

Four commitments we have not changed since 2004.

  1. 01

    You get a senior accountant. Every time.

    Your work is not pushed to a junior pool. The CPA who knows your situation is the one doing the work.

  2. 02

    Fixed fees. Quoted in advance.

    You will never see a bill for a phone call. You should be able to ask us anything without watching the meter.

  3. 03

    Plain answers.

    If we cannot explain it to you, we do not understand it well enough. We translate the tax code, we do not hide behind it.

  4. 04

    We say no when we should.

    If a strategy crosses a line, we say so. If we are not the right firm for you, we say that too.

Come in or call

Our office is in downtown Portland. Coffee on us.

1220 SW Morrison St, Suite 800. Open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM. Saturday hours added in tax season.