TaxAct Launches ProAdvance Website to Fuel Growth for Professional Tax Preparers

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA--(Marketwired - Nov 10, 2015) - TaxAct®, the value leader of professional tax preparation and filing solutions, today announced the launch of TaxAct ProAdvance™, an online resource center designed to help professional tax return preparers boost productivity and grow their businesses. ProAdvance provides a variety of valuable tips, information and special offers from industry experts to help tax professionals successfully navigate the unique challenges of owning and operating their practice. In addition, tax professionals can leverage the content and services available on ProAdvance to help their clients with business-related needs.

"Tax preparers often wear multiple hats, serving as practice owners as well as trusted advisors to clients who are starting, building or growing a business," said JoAnn Kintzel, TaxAct president. "TaxAct ProAdvance connects tax professionals with valuable resources to advise clients, while driving top- and bottom-line growth to enhance their own practices."

TaxAct ProAdvance is a one-stop shop for a multitude of resources from best-in-class product and service providers. With convenient access to ProAdvance's pool of valuable information, tax professionals can apply new strategies to their own practice and guide their clients on important topics. While the subject matter included on ProAdvance will continue to evolve, the portal launched with content targeted to common challenges tax preparers face.

Funding sources for small business loans

ProAdvance includes contributions from Biz2Credit, the leading online platform for small business funding. Biz2Credit matches borrowers to financial institutions based on each company's unique profile. The online application and ongoing credit monitoring process is safe, efficient and price-transparent.

"We are pleased to be one of the first companies to contribute to TaxAct ProAdvance," said Rohit Arora, chief executive officer for Biz2Credit. "Like TaxAct, we are dedicated to helping tax professionals and small business owners alike succeed and grow." 

Payment processing solutions 

ProAdvance shares valuable information about payment processing challenges through contributions from BluePay. A leading provider of secure, comprehensive payment processing solutions to fit the needs of tax preparers, BluePay provides physical POS, online, and mobile interfaces, as well as accounting software integrations. The company processes credit card and ACH payments while providing real-time settlement, reporting, and reconciliation, along with robust security features such as tokenization and point-to-point encryption.

Online payroll services

As a trusted source of easy online payroll services and solutions, SurePayroll's presence on ProAdvance helps tax professionals identify options for managing 401(k) plans, health insurance, workers' compensation, employee screening, and more. The company helps payroll practitioners and their small business clients nationwide.

Continuing education for tax professionals

An industry leader in continuing education for CPAs and other financial professionals, Surgent gives tax preparers access to a variety of platforms for ongoing learning, such as webinars, self-study courses, and live seminars. Additionally, Surgent offers coursework to help prepare professionals for the IRS enrolled agent exam.

Strategic marketing support

ProAdvance partner Webiquity provides dedicated marketing managers who construct and manage complete online presence campaigns for tax professionals, including mobile-friendly websites, SEO, social media and local presence marketing. The technology hub of the service, Webiquity's small business online management Platform as a Service (PaaS) for small business owners, allows Webiquity to offer expensive agency-style services within budgets that individual practice owners can afford.

Financial Services

A leading independent broker-dealer, HD Vest Investment Services(SM) has pioneered a unique model of empowering tax and accounting professionals to provide comprehensive investment planning services. Since its inception in 1983, HD Vest Financial Services® has supported an independent network of tax and non-tax professionals who provide comprehensive investment solutions including securities, insurance, money management services, and banking solutions. HD Vest Financial Services® is the holding company for the group of companies providing financial services under the HD Vest name. Securities offered through HD Vest Investment Services(SM), Member SIPC, Advisory services offered through HD Vest Advisory Services(SM).

About TaxAct

TaxAct is a leading provider of affordable digital and download tax preparation solutions for individuals, business owners and tax professionals. Its mission is to empower people to navigate the complexities of tax and finance with ease and accuracy at a fair price. TaxAct was one of the top three visited online tax preparation destinations last tax season.⁽¹⁾ The company has assisted with approximately 60 million e-filed federal returns since 2000. To learn more about TaxAct, a business of Blucora, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOR), visit www.taxact.com.

⁽¹⁾ According to collective week end reports for taxact.com released by Compete Inc.