A Donovan, Sullivan & Ryan CPA in conversation with a business owner at a long table in a bright, modern meeting room.

Westwood & Boston CPAs · Since 1979

Small-firm attention. Big-firm depth.

Tax, accounting and advisory for Massachusetts businesses, insurance agencies and families, from partners trained at national firms who will still meet you at your office.

Book a free consultation Call (781) 329-1690

Credentials & memberships

  • Certified Public Accountants
  • Master of Science in Taxation
  • AICPA
  • Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
  • Mass. Association of Insurance Agents

We have been owned and run by business owners since 1979. That keeps our advice practical, your numbers current, and the conversation going all year, not only in April.

Two practices, one firm

Two practices. One standard of care.

Insurance agencies get a team that works inside their management system every month. Owners and families get CPAs who look at the business and the household together.

An insurance agency principal explaining something to her accountant across a standing table in an open-plan agency office.

Agencies & brokers

Your agency’s back office and CFO, in one

Outsourced agency accounting, commission reconciliation, valuations, mergers and succession, from CPAs who work in Applied Epic, AMS360 and PartnerXE.

See the agency practice
A couple in their sixties laughing on a sofa during a meeting with their advisor in a bright lounge.

Owners & families

The business and the household, planned together

Monthly books, year-round tax planning and advisory, plus the complicated returns: trusts, estates, foreign accounts and life abroad.

See our services

Where it usually slips

Where the numbers slip, and how we catch them.

Decisions end up running on last quarter’s numbers because nobody closed the month.

  • Monthly closes and reconciliations in QuickBooks
  • Financial statements while they still matter
  • A secure portal for documents, from anywhere

By filing season, the moves that would have lowered the bill are already gone.

  • Tax projections before year end, not after
  • Business and personal returns planned together
  • Local, state and federal filings handled

Direct bill, agency bill and producer splits drift away from the management system, month after month.

  • Commission downloads, imports and statements recorded
  • Producer statements reviewed before payment
  • Monthly financial statements for agency owners

A trust, an estate or a foreign account is where generalist preparers get cautious, or miss something.

  • Trust, estate and gift tax returns
  • FBAR, FATCA and FIRPTA compliance
  • U.S. and state returns for Americans abroad

When money is contested, you need numbers that hold up under questioning.

  • IRS audit representation and tax resolution
  • Forensic accounting and business valuation
  • Expert testimony and report review
An accountant in a charcoal suit seated by a tall window with a laptop, turning toward a client mid-conversation.
At your office or ours Meetings at your place of business or at our Westwood office, weekly or monthly, whichever you prefer.

Services

One firm for the business, the owner and the family

Choose one service or hand us the whole picture. Every engagement starts with a consultation and a plan fitted to where you are.

  • Accounting & bookkeeping

    Monthly closes, reconciliations and financial statements, kept current in QuickBooks all year long.

    • Payroll
    • Audits, reviews & compilations
    • QuickBooks setup & training

  • Tax planning & preparation

    Business and personal returns at every level, with projections done before the year closes, not after.

    • Tax projections
    • Business entity returns
    • Personal & family returns

  • Advisory & outsourced CFO

    Budgets, cash flow and the big decisions: financing, acquisitions, entity structure and succession.

    • Cash flow & budgeting
    • Valuations & due diligence
    • Succession planning

  • Trusts, estates & family wealth

    Trust and estate returns and gift strategy for families who want to pass on what they built with care.

    • Trust & estate returns
    • Gift tax strategy
    • High-net-worth planning

  • Foreign & expatriate tax

    Compliance for foreign accounts and property, and U.S. and state returns for Americans living abroad.

    • FBAR & FATCA reporting
    • FIRPTA
    • Getting back into compliance

  • IRS & litigation support

    Representation when the IRS writes, and financial analysis your attorney can take into the courtroom.

    • Audit representation
    • Forensic accounting
    • Expert testimony

Industries

Clients whose books look like no one else’s

Agencies sell products they never own. Practices bill insurers. Partnerships split income many ways. We have spent decades learning how each of them keeps its books.

Talk about your industry

  • Insurance agencies & brokers

    Independent agencies · Brokers · Agency clusters

  • Professional services

    Law · Consulting · Financial & investment firms

  • Medical & dental

    Physician practices · Dental practices

  • Real estate

    Owners · Professionals · Investment partnerships

  • Manufacturing & distribution

    Manufacturers · Retail · Distribution

  • Families & individuals

    High net worth · Trusts & estates · Americans abroad

How we work

Communicating. Caring. Collaborating.

Founded
1979Owned and run by business owners
Offices
2Westwood and Boston
Agency systems
3Applied Epic, AMS360, PartnerXE
Practicing since
1976Michael B. Ryan, CPA, in public accounting

For insurance agencies & brokers

Think of us as your agency’s CFO.

Agencies sell and service products they never own, so their books look like no one else’s. We work inside your management system, reconcile every commission stream and send financial statements every month.

  • Applied Epic
  • AMS360
  • PartnerXE

Active members of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents

  1. Onboarding

    We learn how your agency runs, design a turn-key process and match you with the right DSR team.

  2. Procedures

    A written work plan shows every step of the engagement, so nothing depends on memory.

  3. Documents

    You route documents securely through our client portal or your management system.

  4. Bank transactions

    We pull and reconcile transactions from your bank sites and follow up on anything missing.

  5. Commissions

    Direct bill and agency bill, recorded from downloads, imports and statements. You review producer statements before payment.

  6. Financial statements

    Delivered to agency owners every month.

Two accountants reviewing an agency's figures together at a shared desk. Talk to our agency team

Client words

What agency owners say about working with us

Mike Ryan and his associates at Donovan, Sullivan & Ryan have assisted us through a number of complex business situations. From IRS audits and a tax-free reorganization to acquisitions of other agencies, they have served as trusted advisors who understand insurance agencies.

John W. Keefe President, Corcoran & Havlin Insurance Agency, Inc. · Wellesley, MA

We have relied on Donovan, Sullivan & Ryan’s tax and management advice related to corporate and estate planning problems we encountered during a management change at John T. Burns Insurance Agency. They were able to provide us with creative, workable solutions.

Lucille J. Burns President, John T. Burns Insurance Agency, Inc. · Newtonville, MA

Our people

The people on your file

CPAs trained at national and regional firms, working from a local practice in Westwood, with the depth to take on the complicated work.

  • Christopher M. Ryan

    CPA, MST · Partner since 2014

    Began at PricewaterhouseCoopers, earned a Master’s in Taxation at Northeastern, and works with insurance agencies, professional firms, family businesses and high-net-worth families.

    • Insurance agencies
    • Partnerships
    • FBAR, FATCA & FIRPTA

  • John F. Marino

    CPA · Partner since 2005

    A CPA since 1979 and a former controller and CFO, John advises on planning, budgeting, acquisitions, sales and mergers, with particular strength in professional services.

    • Professional services
    • Mergers & acquisitions
    • Budgeting

  • Michael B. Ryan

    CPA · In public accounting since 1976

    Mike helps business clients lower their overall tax burden and advises insurance agencies on mergers, acquisitions, valuations and tax-efficient purchase structures.

    • Agency M&A
    • Valuations
    • Tax strategy

  • David E. Andelman

    CPA · Manager since 2016

    Licensed since 1992, David brings national, regional and local firm experience to closely held businesses and high-net-worth individuals across many industries.

    • Closely held businesses
    • Individuals

  • Joyce A. Foley

    Accounting · With DSR since 2005

    In accounting since 1987, Joyce helps individual and business clients with accounting, bookkeeping, tax returns and QuickBooks.

    • Bookkeeping
    • QuickBooks
    • Tax returns
A DSR CPA walking the shop floor of a precision manufacturing company with its owner.

How we start

We start where you work.

The first conversation can happen at your place of business or at our office. From there, the rhythm is yours.

  1. Consultation

    We review your recent returns and past plans, and ask about your personal and business goals.

  2. A fitted plan

    We match the services and the team to where you are, not to a fixed package.

  3. Your rhythm

    Weekly or monthly check-ins, current numbers and a secure portal for documents.

  4. All year

    Projections before year end, and a call from us when something changes.

Book a free consultation

FAQ

Questions we hear first

Something else on your mind? Call (781) 329-1690 or send us a note and we will get back to you.

Ask us directly

No. Agencies are a specialty, but we also serve closely held businesses, professional firms and families across Greater Boston, along with individuals who need personal, trust or estate returns.

Yes. We meet at your place of business or at our office, whichever suits your schedule.

Applied Epic, AMS360 and PartnerXE. We work with access to your agency management and accounting system, the way an in-house CFO would.

Yes. We prepare U.S. and state returns for Americans abroad, file the FBAR (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts), handle FATCA and FIRPTA matters, and help people who have fallen behind get back into compliance.

Through our secure, password-protected client portal, from anywhere at any time. Agencies can also route documents through their management system.

As often as suits you. Some clients prefer weekly contact, others monthly, and our support runs all year rather than only at tax time.

Yes. We represent clients in IRS audits and tax resolution, and support attorneys with forensic accounting, valuations, damage calculations and expert testimony.

We review your recent tax returns and previous plans to spot weaknesses and opportunities, and talk through your personal and professional goals. The first consultation is free.

Book a consultation

Let’s look at your numbers together.

Tell us a little about your business, your agency or your family’s situation. We will call to set up a free first consultation.

  • (781) 329-1690
  • info@dsrcpa.com
  • Westwood One University Avenue, Suite 2A North, Westwood, MA 02090
  • Boston 1280 Soldier’s Field Road, Boston, MA 02135

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