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Rene Schaefer
CPA - MST - Tax - Manufacturing - Distribution - Accountant
Professional Background
Rene Schaefer is a highly regarded principal in the tax practice at Clark Nuber PS, where she leverages her 30 years of extensive experience to provide innovative tax solutions for a diverse array of industries. Her professional focus encompasses manufacturing, distribution, technology, family businesses, and professional services, making her a versatile asset for clients looking to navigate the complexities of tax regulations and strategies.
Throughout her career, Rene has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in developing rewarding strategies tailored to her clients' unique business needs. One of her notable successes includes restructuring a manufacturing company, which resulted in a staggering tax savings of over $400,000. Additionally, she has excelling at disputing IRS penalties, such as successfully waiving a $120,000 penalty which showcased her deep understanding of tax law and effective negotiation skills.
Rene's career is marked by impressive achievements in managing IRS audits as well, having completed several audits with no resulting changes, which is a testament to her thorough preparation and strategic insight. Her expertise extends to structuring acquisitions and sales, which have generated significant tax savings for her clients, further solidifying her reputation as a leading tax strategist in the field.
Prior to her pivotal role at Clark Nuber, Rene spent 16 years at SVA Certified Public Accountants, S.C., where she also served in a principal capacity. Her experience includes key positions at respected firms, where she honed her skills and enhanced her understanding of taxation on both private and public companies. This robust path has equipped her to address complex tax challenges effectively, helping her clients to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Education and Achievements
Rene Schaefer's educational foundation is rooted in a robust understanding of accounting and taxation, beginning with her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting (BBA-Acctg) and a Master of Science in Taxation (MS-Taxation) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – Lubar School of Business. This strong academic background has been crucial in developing her analytical skills and technical proficiency, which she applies in her professional life.
From her high school days at Hamilton High to earning her advanced degrees, Rene has consistently prioritized her education, ensuring that she stays at the forefront of the taxation field. Her commitment to continuous learning is reflected in her professional certifications; as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a Master of Science in Taxation (MST), she possesses the credentials and knowledge necessary to operate effectively in her role.
Significant Career Milestones
Rene has enjoyed a prosperous career with many notable milestones that showcase her expertise and dedication to her clients. Her positions have included roles at prestigious firms such as Price Waterhouse Coopers and Harnischfeger Industries Inc., where she functioned as a Senior Tax Analyst specializing in international taxation.
Some key roles in her trajectory include:
- Principal at Clark Nuber PS: Leading client tax strategy and fostering growth across various industries.
- Principal at SVA Certified Public Accountants: Delivering tax solutions and advising clients for over 16 years.
- Tax Manager at Sattell, Johnson, Appel & Co. S.C.: Managing complex tax issues and leading tax compliance.
- Senior Tax Analyst - International at Harnischfeger Industries Inc.: Focusing on international tax matters, demonstrating her breadth of knowledge.
- Tax Senior at Price Waterhouse Coopers: Gaining vital experience at one of the world's largest audit and consulting firms.
Rene’s dedication to her profession and her outstanding results illustrate her commitment to excellence, and she continues to be a leader in the tax industry. Her involvement in various organizations further reflects her dedication to enhancing the tax landscape for her clients and the community at large.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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