Collins Barrow Victoria Ltd.

Letter to Doug DavisWe, the beneficiaries of Billy Zacharias’ estate would like to thank Doug Davis, an accountant and partner at Collins Barrow, for his fine work in taking care of the estate.Charging $1,200 for helping Bill 2 years prior to his death was a prudent move! We know that you had said that you were simply acting as a friend at the time, but what friend would not want to be paid for helping a disabled person who was hospitalized. Your invoice did not mention your hourly rate for friendship, but I’m sure it is more than reasonable for the expertise that is included. Perhaps if you were to publicize it, others would make use of your service. Although, by my estimate, at North of $200 per hour, your hourly rate is likely a little too steep for most.Charging $1,158.61 to “manage” a couple bank/investment accounts was likewise a prudent move. Sending in the request to sell the stock in the investment account alone was probably worth the price. The paperwork over 14 months of management would have been daunting.Speaking of 14 months, this estate, which consisted of 1 car, zero property, zero household goods, a couple bank accounts and an investment account, must have been very taxing. It took 14 months to make the initial distribution to beneficiaries. The balance was cleared up in only 12 months for a total time of two years and 2 months. Thank goodness Billy’s estate only contained a few accounts and one car.We are very thankful that it was a professional accountant in charge of this estate. With all the complexities of this estate we only had to correct Mr. Davis’s reimbursement numbers twice. I can only imagine how many errors would have occurred if a non-professional was in charge of adding up receipts and keeping track of payments! Kudos to Zack with his grade 12 education (grade 6 twice) for catching the errors.For those looking for an executor to help ensure that your loved ones are quickly and properly taken care of, you can contact Mr. Davis at Collins Barrow Victoria Ltd. where he is currently a partner.