About

Mr. Barnes has been a CPA for more than 45 years. A graduate of The College of William and Mary, Mr. Barnes was associated with PricewaterhouseCoopers for eight years in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1977 he established the present firm of Barnes & Associates, CPAs. He is licensed in Florida and Virginia.

For more than 25 years Mr. Barnes has served as chief editor for the tax book "Common Questions Asked By Foreign People About U.S. Taxes and authored Economic Forecast for South Florida Residential Real Estate Market 2008 - 2013 a prescient analysis that in February 2008, forecast the depth of the present crisis in the South Florida real estate market.

Active in MSI Global Alliance for more than 20 years, Mr. Barnes served on the Management Board and as an Area Representative in North America and has travelled extensively in connection with that worldwide organization which has member firms in more than 100 countries.

He is a past chapter president of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and served on the Board of Governors of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also served as a Federal Congressional Key Person Coordinator for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and for 15 years as Campaign Treasurer for a South Florida congressman.

Mr. Barnes' special interests include tax services for closely held businesses, estate planning, international taxation, real estate taxation, tax planning for foreign investors in the U.S., franchises, private charitable foundations, the construction industry, import-export businesses, e-commerce, retail businesses, manufacturing and the broadcasting industry. He also specializes in corporate acquisitions and liquidations of closely held businesses. In addition to tax services he has many years of audit experience in these industries.

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

Amy Preston is a Florida licensed Certified Public Accountant with over 15 years of accounting experience, and is the President and founding member of Barnes Preston Global CPAS P.A.

Mrs. Preston specializes in advising international taxpayers, especially inbound investors to the United States. She works closely with attorneys to develop corporate structures and estate plans for global and domestic clients. In addition, she has a strong background in preparation and review of international and domestic income tax and disclosure forms, pre-immigration and estate planning, transfer pricing, FIRPTA, and IRS audit defense.

Mrs. Preston is also an experienced public speaker and document editor. She has attended and presented at numerous international conferences, in locations as far away as South Africa and closer to home in Toronto.

She and her team are committed to providing individually-tailored client service and always delivering a timely and comprehensive work product.

In her “down time,” Mrs. Preston serves on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida and participates in many other charitable causes. She enjoys spending time and travelling with her husband and two children.

Education

Master of Taxation – Florida Atlantic University

Bachelor of Business Administration, Major in Accounting – Florida Atlantic University

Licenses/Affiliations

Certified Public Accountant, FL No. 43444

Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA), and American Women’s Society of Certified Public Accountants (AWSCPA)

Speaking Engagements

MSI Global Alliance (Munich ‐ 2013) – Technical Session: Updates in U.S. Transfer Pricing

MSI Global Alliance (London ‐ 2010) – Member Showcase: Transfer Pricing: U.S., Brazil, and Caymans

MSI Global Alliance (Alexandria, VA ‐ 2009) – Involving New Staff in MSI and Business Development

Women’s Council of Realtors (2007) – FIRPTA and Reduced Withholding Applications

FICPA Gold Coast Chapter (2005) – Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Casualty Losses and Other Tax
Impacts

Florida Atlantic University (2005) – FBAR/TDF 90‐22.1: Who, What, When, Where, and Why?

Eliwar Decarvalho has 13 years of service with the firm and a total of twenty years of experience in corporate and individual taxation as well as internal and client bookkeeping. Originally from Brazil, Mr. Decarvalho is fluent in Portuguese.