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Behind Every Successful Business is a Sharp Accountant

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Let Us Solve Your Financial Puzzle

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Serving Businesses and Individuals in Southern Illinois

LEARN MORE

Behind Every Successful Business is a Sharp Accountant

LEARN MORE

Let Us Solve Your Financial Puzzle

LEARN MORE

Serving Businesses and Individuals in Southern Illinois

LEARN MORE

Based in McLeansboro, IL, Bowling & Associates, CPA Firm, serves business owners, independent professionals and individuals in southern Illinois with all facets of accounting, tax planning and preparation.

OUR SERVICES

Some people work to live, and some people live to work. Whether you’re in business for yourself or you work for someone else, accounting for your money and complying with government regulations takes an experienced and modern CPA firm. Whichever career path you choose, Bowling & Associates, CPA Firm can help guide you to financial independence, legally and responsibly.

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Bookkeeping & Accounting
BOOKKEEPING AND ACCOUNTING

Whether you want someone to handle the daily and weekly bookkeeping tasks or you need accounting help compiling financial statements and evaluating the health of your business,we can help. 

Tax planning and preparation
TAX PLANNING & PREPARATION

Tax laws are complicated and constantly changing. Who has time to keep up on all of it? We do! We love simplifying it for you and making sure you are taking advantage of all the deductions and credits you are eligible for.

Auditing
AUDITING

Only a Certified Public Accountant, CPA, has the qualifications to exam financial records and business transactions to conduct an audit. We primarily focus on audits forgovernmental entities.

Payroll taxes
PAYROLL TAXES

Figuring, filing and paying payroll taxes can be complicated and time-consuming. We can do it all for you and keep you compliant.

Managing cash flow
MANAGING CASH FLOW

Don’t know where all your money is going? Let us track it down and recommend ways to put more of it in your pocket.

Business entities
BUSINESS ENTITIES

LLC’s, S & C Corps – They all have their own unique set of complex rules.  We can keep it all straight for you.

ABOUT US

In 2014, Cara Bowling, CPA, acquired a highly regarded CPA practice. Along with Lynn Smith, CPA, the firm’s top priority is helping clients be successful.

Cara Bowling

 Achieving a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), and owning a CPA Firm takes drive, determination and direction – qualities of the type of CPA a business owner wants on his or her team. Cara Bowling, CPA, has the qualifications and the vitality to help you manage your money responsibly, whether you’re a business or an individual taxpayer.

Born and raised in Streator, Illinois, Cara Bowling earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2000 from Eastern Illinois University. After graduating, she worked for Country Financial based in Bloomington, Illinois.

Upon completing her MBA from Illinois State University in 2008, Cara married Jeff Bowling and moved to McLeansboro, Illinois and began working for the accounting firm of Little & Associates. Realizing that she had an affinity for managing facts and figures, Cara completed additional accounting classes at the University of Southern Indiana and passed the CPA exam in 2013.

Cara began Bowling & Associates, CPA Firm, in 2014. 

Outside of hustle and bustle of the office, Cara enjoys the quiet of living in the country with her husband and two children. 

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Lynn Smith

A native of Hamilton County, Illinois, Lynn Smith is a Certified Public Account with two Bachelor’s degrees – one in Accounting and the other in Finance – another high-achiever you’ll want on your accounting side. A graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and Hamilton County Senior High alum, Lynn has an innate local business perspective that is rooted in the farms and small enterprises that comprise the southern Illinois economy.

With her interest in tax codes, her bookkeeping acumen and her desire to help guide clients on the road to financial freedom, Lynn began working with Bowling & Associates, CPA Firm, in the fall of 2014. Soon thereafter, she received her CPA certification in January of 2017.

In between tax seasons, Lynn enjoys reading, crafting, gardening and sports. She and her husband, Kane, have one child and reside in McLeansboro, Illinois. 

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The Bowling Philosophy

Cara Bowling, CPA accounting philosophy

Honest Accountancy – We Are Ethical

Paying taxes is a good thing. It means you’re making money. How much you pay in taxes is our responsibility. Bowling & Associates will help to minimize your tax liability – legally and ethically. Through continuing education, our CPAs stay up to date on the latest tax codes, tools and programs to keep your money working for you. Our CPA firm is founded on honest practices and strong values.


Focused and Organized – We Meet Deadlines

The ability to manage and meet deadlines, especially during tax season, requires a strong work ethic, healthy habits and disciplined organizational skills. Our clients don’t like extensions, and neither do we. Bowling & Associates provides a tax planner to help you organize income and expenses to make tax season less taxing.

Testimonials

Tax Planning for Agricultural Businesses

“Year-end tax planning, equipment depreciation and cash flow planning are adrenaline rushes for Cara. She has an innate talent for grasping financial figures and connecting them with tax codes. She’s sharp! If she’s not 100% sure about an issue, she’ll research it until she gets her answer.”
-Van Henning, Landowner

Payroll Deposits

“Lynn has a trained eye for detail. I don’t have time to prepare payroll taxes and run my business, too. Lynn takes care of paying the bills, paying my taxes and paying attention to details. She saves us time and penalties!”
-Name, Business

Creative Accounting

“People say that I have a “creative eye” for photography. Cara has an “eagle eye” for numbers. She can spot opportunities or errors in a snapshot. And, her tax knowledge has helped me develop good business practices like saving for tax estimates.”
-Danielle, Photographer

Meets Deadlines

“Bowling & Associates doesn’t like extensions, and neither do we. If we deliver our information to her on-time and in an organized manner, we expect our accountant to do the same. Bowling’s tax preparation performance is prompt and accurate.”
-Name, Business


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Bowling & Associates, CPA Firm
202 S. Washington St.
McLeansboro, IL 62859
Phone: 618-643-3320

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