Our Spotlight series sheds light on the careers and lives of tax professionals around the world. This week’s Spotlight is on Jason King, Chartered Accountant and Senior Executive at DMJ & Co., PLLC. King, who joined the Durham, North Carolina firm in 2011, has worked with tightly held S corporations and partnerships, sole proprietorships and high net worth individuals.

As a senior executive, King says one of his most important jobs is taking care of his team, especially when it comes to having a work-life balance. “We all know the state of our profession,” he says. “The outlook isn’t great in terms of outflow versus the influx of people doing what we do.”

King manages to find time to enjoy the coastal lifestyle in Surf City, NC with his wife and 2-year-old daughter. The family is expecting a second child this month, “which is the perfect time for a practicing accountant,” he says.

What is your official title and what does it mean? Senior manager. Officially, it means former director. Informally, I see it as a responsibility to be a good leader who facilitates a desirable environment for my team by being selective about which clients we choose to work with and encouraging them to leave at 5 p.m. on Fridays during peak season.

Free time: book, audiobook or podcast? Book. I’m a product of a generation that was rewarded with Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas for reading books when I was a kid in elementary school. While not the healthiest award, it sparked a passion that, nearly 30 years later, still burns.

Taxation is a big subject. What is your particular area of ​​interest? Currently, anything related to employee retention credit. For my sanity, I hope Congress learns to legislate relief in a way that doesn’t go through CPAs/taxes. But it has been the highlight of my career working on these lucrative credits for clients in need. Shout out to Dan Chodan and #TaxTwitter for the think tank and for working in the gray areas.

What is the last movie or show you watched and liked (DVD, Netflix or at the cinema)? My wife Emily and I watched “The Amazing Race”. The Holderness family (who were crowned winners of Season 33) hail from North Carolina, so we were supporting them.

What college did you attend and what did you study? Campbell University. I planned to go to pharmacy school until organic chemistry brought me to my knees. I moved on to accounting and the rest is history. Go camels!

Pick up: Coffee or tea? Tea. Unlike the Southern tradition, I prefer it unsweetened over ice.

What is the best tax or financial advice someone has ever given you? Wise Greg Miller, partner in charge of our Wilmington office, says, “You don’t make money counting paper clips. The point being, if it makes you more efficient, invest the money in the process, the technology, or the person. You’ll be better off for it.

If you weren’t in the tax field, what would your dream job be? Astronaut.

If you had the option of making one change in the tax world — an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever — what would it be? The educator expense deduction for teachers should be 10 times the amount currently allowed. I say this not only because my wife is a teacher, but also because it is the least we can do for those paying out of pocket to make sure children learn.

Favorite food, snack or treat during tax time or another busy time? Hot apple cake!

What tax news or ruling has had the most impact on your practice or clients in the past year? Employee retention credit has moved the needle more than anything else.

If you got a big tax refund check right now, what would you do with it? Buy a 23ft Grady White center console boat and name it “Tax Sea-vasion”.

You can find King on LinkedIn and at Twitter.

Learn more about the law firm King, DMJ & Co. PLLC, on its website.

If you would like to recommend a tax professional to be listed, send your suggestion to [email protected] with subject: Spotlight. Please include the following information: name, title, email address and geographic area (city/state/country) of the tax professional.