Doug J. Murstein, CPA

I picked him based on Unilocal reviews and I am happy I did! We used him for the last 2 tax returns. The fee is relatively low (it depends on how much you have going on; you can ask for a quote before deciding) and they make it a very straightforward process. Their office has now several assistants and they are all great. Do not ignore Unilocal’s suggestions!!! Go with them.

I’m a pretty anxious guy, and nothing makes an anxious guy more anxious than having to find a new accountant second week of March. Doug sort of saved my ass. Not only did he find a way to take me on as a client so late in the season, but he made the entire process about as painless as streamlined as it could be. Right out of the gate he emailed me a planner that helped ensure I gathered up the right information. His team was super-​responisve when I had questions and extremely helpful throughout the process. The returns, which I picked up today, were ultra organized, and he also included a few pages of analysis that showed how I ended up vs. last year.
Used him for both my personal and business taxes, and can’t recommend him enough.

I sent a concise but clear email with a request for a paid consultation to help me estimate how much I should be putting aside during my first year as an independent contractor.
When I followed up the next day by phone, I was told to expect a reply the next day. I didn’t hear back until eight days later, when I received a very long form email about his process, rates, etc, for people requesting tax return preparation. It went into detail about how he has a schedule and holds meetings (you don’t say! Thanks for letting me know.) but didn’t address anything about my query, answer any questions I asked, or even use my name.
If this is how he rolls during slow season — this was early August — I can’t imagine what January as his client must be like. No thank you.

Doug’s awesome. I’m a CPA who handles mostly Business Clients and I send all my small individuals to him. He’ll treat you right.

I called Doug and left him a vague message explaining that I had a few questions about my tax return. He called back promptly. It was probably evident to him within the first 2 minutes of our conversation that 1) I did not need to itemize my return and 2) I was absolutely clueless about all things taxes. Even after he knew I would not be a paying customer, and even though be probably could have convinced me otherwise, he spent a good amount of time patiently, knowledgeably, and honestly answering my questions. So although I have not yet employed his accounting skills, I would definitely recommend him based on our interaction.

I feel compelled to write this after another extremely valuable (and easy to understand) interaction with my accountant, Doug Murstein. It’s great… I email him my question, he replies (usually within 24hrs) and I call him to clarify any remaining questions. The best part… he thanks me for operating in this way as it gives us a chance to make sure we’re on the same page. Doug has had the answer to all of my many questions so far and makes the process easy. I highly recommend him!

Doug was the nicest and easiest to work with cpa I have ever encountered! He turned my complicated tax situation into a reasonable fee and a couple of signitures. I would reccomend him to any of my friends and family! And of course all of you on Unilocal,this guy is the best in the Boston area!

Used Doug personally for my taxes. I always got the max out of my returns. I now own a real estate company and still use Doug and have never been disappointed.
Worked with many CPA’s in the past and he has far and away been the most professional and savvy.
I would recommend him to anyone and have.

Doug has done my family’s taxes for the last three years, and has been a huge help! From our initial meetings, he has been very approachable and friendly and has always been willing to answer any questions we have raised.
I knew we had come to the right person the first year we saw him when he noticed an error in the tax forms my husband had filled out himself the previous year. He quickly explained to us what had been done wrong and offered to fix the mistake for us. What a relief it is to know that someone else is worrying about our taxes, so we can focus on things we would much rather be doing!

I’m really surprised to see any negative reviews here (although looking closer– those who look to start their taxes in late March probably do find a more stressed out accountant). We found Doug– late November ’08– through a combination of Unilocal and Angie’s List and he’s been great. He gave us advice for things we could do before the end of the year to help with taxes and generally, I found him to be really unstuffy (as opposed to the guy who did our taxes at H&R Block last year) and extremely helpful with our confusing taxes (self employment/​home as office/​out of state taxes/​first time home buyers/​and that’s just the beginning of it).
Doug helped us get the costs down to a manageable amount AND set up plans for next year as well as long-​term. We’ll definitely continue using him as our accountant.

Perhaps we met Doug on an off-​day, but it’s hard for me to believe that we met the same person as some of the other very enthusiastic reviewers. We contacted Doug based on a very positive referral, as well as his great reviews on Unilocal.Unfortunately my first impression of Doug was not positive – his manner was abrupt and clipped at best, and when he noticed a mistake that my husband had done with our taxes his attitude seemed disapproving and almost judgmental. His demeanor improved slightly when speaking with me, but I was already upset on my husband’s behalf. I would imagine that for accountants, repeat business is a must, so treating clients in a negative manner would seem like something one would avoid. Other accountants with whom we have met (including some who charge as much or more) made much more of an effort to establish a rapport with us during the first meeting.
The other complaint I had is that Doug’s estimate of his services when we met was at least twice as much as we expected given our email and phone interactions. When we *gently* brought this up, Doug made it sound as if it were our fault that we didn’t tell him our taxes were this complicated or that we didn’t ask him more in detail about cost. (From our phone/​email conversation we had his hourly rate and approximate time it would take). It would be understandable that there was a miscommunication, but we definitely did not appreciate his defensiveness and implications. Then when we showed hesitancy to move forward with him, he said, «Well, just so you know, if you don’t go with me, I will bill you for my time.» I know all accountants do things differently, but others that we have met with offered complimentary first consults. I would have made this review 1-​star, but when I contacted Doug about billing us he decided to discount the rate ($ 60 instead of $ 120) for our meeting.
Overall, I am sure Doug is a very knowledgeable and capable CPA, but I feel that he could improve his services in two areas: 1. Demeanor with clients: It would go a long way to picking up new clients to try to be personable, friendly and not defensive 2. Clear communication with clients. If his first interaction with clients is by phone, then it would be helpful if he had a set of questions to ask to give a more accurate estimate before meeting in person. And definitely if there is a miscommunication I hold to the old adage that ‘the customer is always right.’ Defensiveness or implying that the fault lies with the client is a definite deterrent. Even though what Doug quoted us was more than we expected we might have gone with him, had it not been for his demeanor toward us.

I was firmly in the DIY tax camp, doing my own taxes using various software products for many years.
That stopped about three years ago when owning part of the company that employs me started to get more complicated than just inputting the data from the corporate K1 form into the computer.
Doug is prompt, professional and extremely well organized.
Extra star for being remote/​internet friendly — The really interesting fact is that I don’t think I’ve been face to face with Doug since the first year I engaged his services. I’ve got a pretty hectic travel schedule and being able to swap documents via PDFs scanned to email or fax-​to-​email gateways has been fantastic.

I was looking at getting around to doing my 2005, 2006 and 2007 taxes and found Doug via Unilocal.I contacted him and got around to getting all my documentation to him. He was accessible, easy-​going yet professional. When it came time for me to pick up my completed taxes, everything was well prepared and organized with instructions and explanations. Thanks Unilocal… and Doug too!

I highly recommend Doug. He is professional, knowledgeable, and his rates are reasonable. I’ve emailed Doug to ask his questions and he’s always responded with an email or call. It was a pleasure working with him.

I’m totally a member of the I Heart Doug club! Between a condo, renters, grad school fellowships, and a multitude of other accounts, things are just a little too big for my small financial brain to handle. Doug to the rescue! I know I’m not a complicated case, but letting him handle it all for me gives me peace (and piece!) of mind. And hey, supporting a local business owner is definitely within my mantra.
It would be a little awkward for me to gush about my accountant here, but really, Doug is super professional, accessible, knowledgeable and friendly. Hooray for Doug!

Doug is a numerical genius. Over the past 3 years he has sorted through all kinds of complicated accounting and tax issues for my husband and I. During this time we have started a business, bought and sold real estate and dealt with complicated stock sales.
He not only did an amazing job helping us sort through the accounting of this — but he put it all in terms that made sense to us. He is a great combination of numbers and common sense.

My fiancé found Doug online. Having never used a CPA, I was skeptical; however, I will never return to TurboTax again! Goodbye computer, hello Doug! This man is fantastic.
We bought a condo this year, had some inheritance stuff to sort out, and I’m freelance as well as a full time student. Needless to say, our tax picture seemed complicated. Well, not to Doug. He immediatly put us at ease, asked highly intelligent questions about our tax situations, and then worked his magic. We were thrilled and will continue to use Doug for as long as humanly possible. Moreover, we plan to recommend him to anyone who needs a CPA.

I have referred a few clients to Doug and they have all been very happy with him. Doug is professional, knowledgeable, and always looks out for his clients best interest.
Jonathan Stearns, Financial Advisor, Brookline MA

I was getting really nervous a few weeks before my tax deadline, because I had been trying for months to make an appointment with another accountant who had been recommended to me. I finally realized I needed to try somebody else and ended up calling Doug Murstein.
What a relief that he actually picked up the phone when I called! And returned my calls! I know it sounds like these are basic things, but they made a huge impact on me after being blown off by another local accountant.
The great news is after a brief (no charge) meeting, Doug was ready to tackle my return and appears to have done a stellar job. I’m sure Doug is capable in lots of areas of accounting but as a small-​business (Schedule C) owner I am prepared to endorse him as particularly knowledgable and capable. The fact that he’s friendly and easy to communicate with are just icing on the cake.
If you’re stressing about finding an accountant, as I was, it’s worth your time to give Doug a call.

Until I bought my condo I had always prepared my own taxes. Suddenly it became a labyrinth of forms, boxes and numbers that I no longer felt capable of handling on my own.
Doug Murstein is my go to guy for when I am stressing about my taxes. He takes all of my worry away with his efficient and organized manner. I handed him a folder and a bag full of stuff and within three days he had made sense of it all. Phew!
He’s ultra organized – as you would want your accountant to be. He’s also personable and friendly which helps when you don’t have any idea what it is you’re supposed to be doing.
He has an office in Brookline and an office in Bay Village, both of which are T accessible.
Give him a call, he’ll help you out.