Stephenson Accountancy Corp. · Colton, CA · Since 1987
Every investment decision, checked against your tax return — before it’s made.
That’s the advantage of one roof. Douglas P. Stephenson has prepared Colton’s taxes since 1987, and he holds both the CPA and the CFP® — so your return and your financial plan are read by the same eyes, in the same office, before anything is decided. No hand-offs between firms. No surprises the following April.
Call (909) 824-1623 Send Us a Message
Call or send a message — Jane will get you scheduled. Mon–Thu 9–5 · Fri 9–2 · weekends by appointment.
- CPA since 1989
- CFP® since 2006
- Enrolled Agent on staff
- In Colton since 1987
Outside the office on La Cadena Drive — his name has been on that sign since 1987.
Complete Business Accounting Income Tax Preparation Individuals Partnerships Corporations
Both Sides of the Ledger
Every big decision lands on two desks. Here, they’re the same desk.
Most people keep their tax preparer and their financial planner in separate offices — and each one makes decisions the other finds out about the following April. Pick a moment from real life, and watch how it reads on both sides of this office at once.
The combined next step Start that conversation →
Illustrative These are educational examples — the shape of the conversation, not advice for your situation. Your numbers get their own meeting.
Services
Two houses. One roof.
Everything on both lists happens at 645 North La Cadena Drive, with the same people, from the same set of books. That is the entire strategy — and it has been since 1987.
The Accounting House
Tax · accounting · payroll — the practice Colton has walked into since 1987.
- Income Tax PreparationIndividuals, partnerships, and corporations — prepared by the office that already knows your whole picture.
- Tax PlanningThe tax impact of every decision, considered before the decision is made — not discovered after.
- Complete Business Accounting & BookkeepingYour books kept current all year, so your return and your plan are built from the same true numbers.
- Payroll Tax ReturnsPrepared and filed in-house, alongside the books they come from.
- Financial Statement PreparationStatements drawn from books we keep — numbers you can hand a lender with a straight face.
- Accounting Software Setup & TrainingQuickBooks set up for your business and taught to your people, by a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
- Tax Resolution & Agency DisputesHelp with the IRS, the EDD, the Secretary of State, and the county assessor — handled by the office that holds your records.
The Planning House
Retirement · investments · insurance · estate — every move checked against your return first.
- Retirement Planning & Withdrawal StrategiesWhen to retire, what to spend first, and what each choice costs in tax — decided in one conversation.
- Tax-Intelligent PlanningOur doctrine, applied to every plan: consider the tax impact of every decision before it is made.
- Workplace & Business Plans401(k) planning · 403(b) planning · profit sharing plans · money purchase plans.
- College PlansEducation saving folded into the family’s whole plan, not bolted onto it.
- Estate & Legacy PlanningCommunity-focused planning for what you leave, and who you leave it to.
- Cash Flow ManagementKnowing what comes in, what goes out, and what each is for — in working years and retired ones.
- InvestmentsBrokerage accounts · bonds · common stock · government securities · Treasury bills & notes · variable annuities · Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE & Educational IRAs.
- Insurance & Family Risk ManagementLife insurance · disability income insurance · long-term-care insurance — the protection side of the plan.
The join One roof: 645 N La Cadena Drive. One conversation: yours. See how the two houses answer together →
Meet Douglas 
The man on the sign is the man who does the work.
Douglas P. Stephenson began practicing accounting in Colton in 1987 — and the office has answered to the same name, on the same street, ever since. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1989. Then he did something most CPAs never do: he went back for the credential on the other side of the desk, earning his CFP® certification in 2006.
That pairing is the whole practice. When Douglas builds your retirement plan, he already knows what is on your return — because he prepared it. When he prepares your return, he already knows what your plan needs next. Nothing gets lost between two firms, two philosophies, or two filing cabinets.
His roots are California ones: a B.S. in Business Administration, with an emphasis in accounting, from California Baptist University in 1981. He is a member of the AICPA and the California Society of CPAs, a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and a California-licensed life insurance agent.
- 1981B.S. Business Administration (accounting), California Baptist University
- 1987Opens the practice in Colton
- 1989Certified Public Accountant
- 2006Certified Financial Planner™ professional
- TodayPresident & CEO — your taxes and your plan, under one roof
“Making a difference in your financial future” — the line under our name since the beginning.
Our Team
A small office, on purpose.
Three people run this practice. The people on this page are the people who will answer your call, prepare your return, and know your name.
Enrolled Agent · Financial Services Representative Assistant
Melinda Barron, EA
Melinda has prepared tax returns at this firm since 2014 — income tax and payroll tax returns, tax planning, and bookkeeping support. When a client is sideways with the IRS, the EDD, the Secretary of State, or the county assessor, Melinda is the one who helps untangle it. She also serves as financial assistant to our planning practice. As an Enrolled Agent, she holds the IRS’s own credential for tax professionals — federally authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS.
Office Manager
Jane Cason
Jane’s is the first friendly voice you hear on the phone, and the first smiling face you see when you walk into the office. She is your contact person to help you get your questions answered and your appointments scheduled — along with making sure your accounting and income tax work is completed and moving.
The record
Credentials you can check, in one person.
- Certified Public Accountant — Douglas P. Stephenson, licensed in California since 1989.
- Certified Financial Planner™ — the same man, certified since 2006.
- Enrolled Agent on staff — Melinda Barron, EA, preparing returns here since 2014.
- AICPA & California Society of CPAs — memberships held by the firm’s principal.
- Registrations current — securities and advisory registrations held with Cetera Wealth Services and Cetera Investment Advisers since September 2025.
- One address since 1987 — 645 North La Cadena Drive, Colton. Come see the sign.
Questions, answered straight
Before you call, the honest basics.
Can one office really handle both my taxes and my financial plan?
Yes — that is exactly how this practice is built. Douglas P. Stephenson holds both credentials himself: CPA since 1989 and CFP® since 2006. The accounting side prepares your returns, keeps your books, and files your payroll tax; the planning side handles retirement, investments, insurance, and estate planning — and each side reads the other’s work before decisions are made. Securities and advisory services are offered through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, as the disclosures at the foot of this page describe.
How do I become a client?
Call us at (909) 824-1623 or send a message through our contact form. Jane Cason, our office manager, is the first friendly voice you will hear — she will get your questions answered and get your appointment scheduled. We book by phone and message rather than an online scheduler, because the first conversation is where we learn whether your taxes, your plan, or both need the help.
Where are you located, and when are you open?
Our office is at 645 North La Cadena Drive in Colton — the storefront with the green-and-gold sign, on the same street since 1987. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM; and Saturday and Sunday by appointment.
I received a letter from the IRS. What should I do?
Do not ignore it, and do not guess at an answer — every notice names what it is about and the date it wants a response by. Bring the letter to us, or call with it in hand, before that date. Tax resolution and agency disputes are part of our work: we help clients resolve matters with the IRS, the California EDD, the Secretary of State, and the county tax assessor.
Do you work with businesses, or only individuals?
Both — it has been lettered on our window from the start: income tax preparation for individuals, partnerships, and corporations. For businesses we also handle complete accounting and bookkeeping, payroll tax returns, financial statement preparation, and QuickBooks setup and training, plus business retirement plans such as 401(k) and profit sharing plans. Most of our business clients keep their personal taxes and planning with the same office.
Who will actually do my work?
Douglas P. Stephenson, CPA, CFP® — the president of the firm — leads the practice. Melinda Barron, EA, has prepared income tax and payroll tax returns here since 2014 and assists with tax planning, bookkeeping, and tax resolution. Jane Cason runs the office: your first call, your appointments, and making sure your work is completed. It is a small office on purpose — the people on this page are the people you will talk to.
Visit Us
The storefront with the green-and-gold sign.
We are at 645 North La Cadena Drive in Colton — the same office, on the same street, since 1987. Walk-ins meet Jane; appointments are hers to schedule.
“Our mission is to make a permanent difference in the financial lives of individuals by providing awesome service to you, our selected clients.”
Office hours
| Monday – Thursday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Friday | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Saturday – Sunday | By appointment |
Stephenson Accountancy Corporation
645 North La Cadena Drive
Colton, CA 92324
Phone: (909) 824-1623
Fax: (909) 824-8021
Email: [email protected]
One conversation, both sides of the ledger
“We help you grow the life you want.”
That has been our headline for years. It starts with a single conversation that covers your taxes and your plan together — call, or send us a message, and Jane will find you a time.