Francine Cornaglia, CPA/PFS

This is a big step for me. In my 35 years in business, I have never marketed, advertised, nor even listed my business phone number. My clients have come to me exclusively by referral.  Now, I am tasked with writing a CV for a website!

Here is a bit about my professional and personal journeys.

I started my professional career in the Boston and New York City offices of the accounting firm now known as KPMG.  I moved to Connecticut for personal and professional reasons where I was an internal auditor for The Stanley Works. This was a job where they sent me to exciting places like France, Italy, and New Zealand, and less exciting places like York, PA.

During this time, I found an ad: house for sale $5000 - must be moved and fully restored.  This unlikely project (where I acted as general contractor) introduced me to wonderful tradesmen and future friends and neighbors in the charming village of Chester, CT.

Wanting to work closer to home, I jumped at the opportunity to become controller of a publicly held company’s Old Saybrook division.  When that company was sold, it went private and the executive team, including yours truly, was replaced.

Losing that job was one of the best things that ever happened to me.  I founded my own CPA tax practice. I was in the vanguard of using a home office to save time and to provide a personal connection with my clients.  Business was growing and I needed more room.

On our first date, my future husband, Mark Borton, designed a gorgeous home office addition where I still work and meet with clients. We still live in the 1845 house where we raised our daughter, Rebecca.

I am so pleased to have Timothy Richardson on board and so impressed by his progress from college student, to professional, to colleague.  He is the reason I can accept new clients again.

For fun, I love walking around town. I am lucky to have an active partner in Mark. We hike in our local woodlands, boat on the Connecticut River, and visit our family camp in the Adirondacks. I am taking horseback riding lessons again and studying French and Italian. Creative endeavors (in addition to tax strategies) include cooking and annual Martha Stewart projects which I define as taking 100 hours to sew a $20 tea cozy. My piano is beckoning me to come back and play. I expect to have more time to do so!

I look forward to meeting new clients and serving my current clients for years to come.