Of Counsel

Harvey Bookstein, CPA

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Of Counsel

Meet Harvey

Harvey has more than 40 years of public accounting experience and specializes in providing tax, accounting and business consulting services to clients in the real estate and high net worth areas. Harvey’s clients include land owners and developers, residential and commercial builders, property managers, investors, commercial and residential building owners, architectural firms, general contractors and construction companies.

He works with high net worth clients and closely-held businesses, and specializes in estate planning, charitable giving, and family financial issues. He has developed a new way to approach our profession titled “Therapeutic Accounting®,” a holistic approach which is also the basis of a book he authored.

Harvey oversees a wide range of accounting services, including entity selection and structuring, negotiating and structuring acquisitions and dispositions, pre-acquisition due diligence, property repositioning strategies, succession planning, and tax-free exchanges. But as a Therapeutic Accountant he often addresses issues beyond the tax code and deep inside his clients’ personal life, which is why he has such a devoted base of long-time clients.

Harvey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Northridge and is a graduate of Leadership Los Angeles. Harvey also received an honorary doctor of humane letters from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 2016. Harvey continues to support his alma mater through philanthropic efforts.

Harvey established the Harvey and Harriet Bookstein Chair in Taxation within the California State University, Northridge, College of Business and Economics. This endowment also funds the Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation (Master in Taxation program).

In September of 2016 Harvey and his wife, Harriet Bookstein, presented CSUN with a gift to support the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which offers low-income families assistance with tax-preparation. The gift was also used to establish the Bookstein Distinguished Chair in Real Estate Endowment in the Real Estate program and to form the Bookstein Leadership Endowment (Master’s in Real Estate).

Contact Harvey Bookstein

Experience

Professional History

Experience

  • Kenneth Leventhal

Associations

  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • California Society of Certified Public Accountants

Education

  • California State University, Northridge

Honors/Awards

Community

  • Board of Directors for The University Corporation of California State University

Q&A
Q. What is it about accounting and consulting that first drew your interest?
Well it was the family business in my case. My parents were accountants and had their own firm. By the time I was nine years old, I was helping out around the office. By high school I was splitting my time between classes and learning the accounting profession at my parents’ office. It was a career I was destined for and it’s a naturally built in passion for me.
Q. What law or regulation in the accounting industry would you like to see changed?
The entire tax code needs an overhaul. It’s overloaded with amendments that amend other amendments. Many of the rules are 50 to 60 years old and haven’t adapted to the modern business environment. I’d love to see the entire code rewritten to be more understandable and relevant to the modern economy.
Q. Without naming names, tell us about your favorite client and why you enjoyed working with them.
Often you build a relationship with clients over the course of many years. That’s the case with my favorite client. He always gives our team challenging work and appreciates what we do. It’s a relationship built on respect of one another’s abilities and talent. A connection like that motivates you to really care about your client’s needs.
Q. What’s your proudest moment?
Starting my own firm.
Q. Who is (or was) the most influential person in your life
My father. He showed me that hard work pays off and he was a major influence on my career in accounting. He would always tell me to do my best, even when it’s not expected and no one’s looking.
Q. If you could pass on a nugget of wisdom to aspiring accountants or consultants, what would that be?
Be yourself. Don’t try to copy somebody else’s style. Learn from your colleagues, but develop your own style.
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Industries Served
Harvey's Thought Leadership
Blog articles
Article
A Holistic Approach to Transitioning Wealth
A good wealth transfer plan enables benefits to accrue to you and your heirs while you're around to enjoy them, and hel...
Blog articles
Article
Therapeutic Accounting: Sometimes It Is Good to Change
Most of us live our lives in a very routine manor, usually out of habit. I have my consistencies, but I still love the ...
Blog articles
Article
Therapeutic Accounting: Defining Success
Success can be defined in many ways, but it is generally looked at in terms of dollars (profit). In reality, businesses...
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