Meet The Team

SIMON JONES 

Simon is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and Principal of the firm. After spending a number of years in one of the 'big 6' accounting firms in Melbourne he established Simon Jones & Co in 1994 with a view to providing the same level of service and quality advice to small business owners in regions including  Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and the western suburbs of Melbourne.

Simon takes great pride in delivering ongoing personalised service and is genuinely interested in helping his clients succeed. Simon has observed, “Clients come to us looking for solutions to their tax, management accounting, succession planning and cashflow problems and we speak a language our clients understand. We aim to help business owners understand their numbers, improve their results and help them spend more time working ON their business rather than working IN their business”.

Simon is particularly passionate about business start ups and has literally mentored hundreds of clients through the process. He says, “Starting a business is like a game of chess and to succeed you need to make the right opening moves. I think one of the secrets is to ‘start with the end in mind’ and make sure clients have the right business structure, adequate insurance coverage and use the right accounting software that matches their business needs with their level of bookkeeping skills. Assisting clients in the vital early stages of start up with the most appropriate business structure, asset protection strategy and bookkeeping program can avoid difficulties later. It can also reduce the cost of compliance which is part of our client brief".

Simon's ability to put himself ‘in his client’s shoes’ has ensured successful outcomes for a number of his small business clients, some of whom have been clients for close to two decades. He says his personal goal is “to make sure that clients feel that we care about their goals, both financial and personal, not just that we helped them save some tax”. His broad portfolio of clients stretch across a wide range of industries and he attributes the success of the firm to their ability to recruit and retain quality staff. Simon says, “We invest in our people so our clients have access to technically sound advice from professional people who care about their success”.

Simon’s objective with his clients is to solve their tax and financial problems, help them to capitalise on opportunities and ensure they avoid the pitfalls through the life cycle of their business. “Our team goal is to be very knowledgeable about our clients’ businesses,” he says. “We want to understand their business and their specific industry issues. This helps us develop strategies and select the right tools to help them with financial reporting, tax planning, wealth creation and other business issues.”

Simon’s specialist technical skills include tax planning, business structures, consulting, business valuations and business planning. He is passionate about the success of his clients and specialises in succession planning, asset protection, cash flow management and business analysis. His 20 years experience in public accounting has  given Simon a deep understanding of the compliance and taxation needs of clients in the small business sector.

Professional Qualifications & Memberships

·  Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
·  Financial Planner - Authorised Representative of Financial Wisdom
·  Public Practice Certificate
·  Registered Tax Agent
·  Member of the CPA Australia (CPA)
·  Member the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)

Outside the office Simon can be found road cycling with his mates in the early hours of the weekend and relaxing at the movies or going out with his wife of over twenty five years and running after their three teenage daughters.

ASHLEY WHITTLE

Accountant

Ashley Whittle joined Simon Jones & Co in June 2002 after he received his Bachelor of Commerce degree at Deakin University. With over 11 years experience in taxation and general accounting services, Ashley provides advice in all aspects of business including:

• Taxation
• GST
• Capital Gains Tax
• Business Structuring
• Self-Managed Superannuation

He has gained considerable experience over a vast range of areas including:

• Preparing and reviewing Income Tax Returns and Financial Statements for Individuals, Companies, Partnerships, Trusts and Superannuation Funds
• Preparation of Business Activity Statements
• Advising clients on effective Tax Planning Strategies
• Business Structures for Small Business and Investments
• Capital Gains Tax planning and accessing Small Business Concessions
• Cashflow Budgeting

Ashley offers advice and support to his clients across a broad range of businesses and industries including:

• Medical Practices
• Primary Production
• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Retail Trade

Ashley is a member of CPA Australia and is a registered Tax Agent

TRACEY WALLS

Office Manager

Tracey joined Simon Jones & Co in February 2013 having previously worked for 10 years for a private Consulting firm as Office Manager / Bookkeeper. Prior to that Tracey worked with one of the big 4 Banks at a Senior Level specialising in Human Resources Administration and major projects for 21+ years.

Tracey’s passion in the work environment is “best practice” and using technology to achieve this. Her focus is always on customer service both to the Accountants within the practice as well as the clients.

Outside work Tracey enjoys cooking, watching Murder Mysteries and is an avid reader of Crime Novels.

ALISON GARIMORT

Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) Manager

Alison joined Simon Jones & Co in 2004 having previously worked for KPMG and later with a small business practice. Alison received her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and his been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia for over 25 years.

With many years of experience in taxation and general accounting services, Alison is also our SMSF manager. She has spent over 10 years in this field and from both professional development and experience is our most skilled SMSF accountant.

She and her team are able to provide advice and support in all areas of SMSFs;

• setup advice
• investment regulations
• contributions
• pensions
• lump sum benefits
• accounting
• tax

Simon Jones & Co utilizes BGL software to prepare all the accounting, tax and trustee secretarial requirements of a SMSF and liaises with an external auditor Kris Borisov, Borisov Accounting Services, to ensure the SMSFs comply with the legal regulations of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act.

SARAH BONELLO

Accountant

Sarah commenced her career in 2005, after graduating from La Trobe University with a Bachelor Degree in Commerce (Accounting Major).

Following 2 years experience with a medium sized accounting firm in Essendon and a stint as a Financial Accountant at Manheim Fowles, Sarah joined Simon Jones & Co in September 2007.

With over 7 years experience in taxation and general accounting services, Sarah provides advice in:

• Taxation
• GST
• Capital Gains Tax
• Business Structuring

She has gained considerable experience over a vast range of areas including:

• Preparing and reviewing Income Tax Returns and Financial Statements for Individuals, Companies, Partnerships, Trusts and Superannuation Funds
• Preparation of Business Activity Statements
• Business Structures for Small Business
• Cashflow Budgeting

Sarah offers advice and support to her clients across a broad range of businesses and industries including retailers and real estate agents.

Sarah is a member of the Institute of Practicing Accountants (IPA Australia)

KAI LU

Accountant/Tax Agent

Kai joined Simon Jones & Co in May 2013. Prior to joining Simon Jones & Co Kai was with two other accounting firms for 5 years. Kai received her Bachelor of Accounting degree in 2008.

Kai has provided tax and business advice to a variety of clients. These include individuals, family owned businesses, private clients, including professionals. In additions, she provides advice in:

• Taxation
• GST
• Capital Gains Tax
• Business Structuring

She has gained considerable experience over a vast range of areas including:

• Preparing and reviewing Income Tax Returns and Financial Statements for Individuals, Companies, Partnerships, and Trusts.
• Preparation of Business Activity Statements
• Advising clients on effective Tax Planning Strategies
• Business Structures for Small Business and Investments
• Capital Gains Tax planning and accessing Small Business Concessions
• Cashflow Budgeting

Kai offers advice and support to his/her clients across a broad range of businesses and industries including:

• Medical Practices
• Primary Production
• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Retail Trade