Understanding Today’s Financial Environment
Welcome, I’m Michael A. Chester at Mesa Verde Consulting, Inc., a tax and financial service company in Costa Mesa, California. We provide personalized services to meet your Accounting, Tax, and Financial Goals based on your needs, wants, and objectives.
Whether you require assistance with your financial and retirement needs, tax preparation, business consulting and planning, we will customize our services to your needs.
We have been serving Southern California for over 26 years and look forward to working with you through all stages of your life.
Please review our list of services and the other educational and information areas of our website. Give us a call at 714-557-0992 or send us an email (mverde114@aol.com) to help us get started.
Helpful Content

Best-Performing Asset Classes
Bonds may outperform stocks one year only to have stocks rebound the next.

Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
Exchange-traded funds have some things in common with mutual funds, but there are differences, too.

Does Your Child Need to File an Income Tax Return?
When your child has income, there’s a good chance that he or she will need to report it and pay taxes.
How Financial Advisors Are Compensated
Read this overview to learn how financial advisors are compensated.
How to Make the Tax Code Work for You
When you take the time to learn more about how it works, you may be able to put the tax code to work for you.
Understanding Marginal Income Tax Brackets
An inside look at how marginal income tax brackets work.
Stop Wasting Money
One way to find money is to examine your current spending habits and eliminate money wasters.
Data Thieves from Outer Space
Learn about the dangers of internet fraud with this highly educational and fun “pulp” comic.
Countdown to College
Preparing for college means setting goals, staying focused, and tackling a few key milestones along the way.
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Assess Your Life Insurance Needs
This calculator estimates how much life insurance you would need to meet your family's needs if you were to die prematurely.
What's My Potential Estate Tax?
This calculator helps estimate your federal estate tax liability.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
Capital Gains Tax Estimator
Use this calculator to estimate your capital gains tax.
Should I Buy or Lease an Auto?
This calculator compares the financial impact of leasing versus buying an automobile.
Self-Employed Retirement Plans
Estimate the maximum contribution amount for a Self-Employed 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, or SEP.
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Retirement Plan Distributions
There are a number of ways to withdraw money from a qualified retirement plan.
Tax Management Strategies
Learn more about taxes, tax-favored investing, and tax strategies.
Protecting Those Who Matter Most
The importance of life insurance, how it works, and how much coverage you need.
Keys to Investing for Retirement
There are some key concepts to understand when investing for retirement
Your Cash Flow Statement
A presentation about managing money: using it, saving it, and even getting credit.
5 Smart Investing Strategies
There are some smart strategies that may help you pursue your investment objectives
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The Power of Compound Interest
Learn how to harness the power of compound interest for your investments.
A New Way to Look at Your Bucket List
That big list of dreams and goals isn't the only way to look at your bucket list.
Safeguard Your Digital Estate
If you died, what would happen to your email archives, social profiles and online accounts?
The Cost of Procrastination
Procrastination can be costly. When you get a late start, it may be difficult to make up for lost time.
Surprise! You’ve Got Money!
Here’s a quick guide to checking to see if you have unclaimed money.
The Real Cost of a Vacation Home
What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?