TESTIMONIALS

Paulina at Ratio CPA is a consummate professional. I have used a number of CPA’s in the past and was serially underwhelmed with their churn & burn, do paperwork and then collect fees attitude. Ratio is a completely different world of service AND results. We developed a personalized strategic tax plan over multiple meetings with all questions answered, client education, and ready availability. I have learned more about taxes with Paulina and Eli at Ratio in a few months than I have in the 10 years of adult life before that. They stand by their service at Ratio, and literally in the first year doing my taxes TRIPLED my return. They expect they will do even better next year with time to plan and strategize and I can’t wait to see it! THANK YOU, PAULINA!

Douglas Walled, MD

Radiologist | Educator | Entrepreneur

I was first introduced to Eli from my good friend and business lawyer, Matt. He spoke highly of him and thought he’d be a good fit for me. I had been struggling some with getting my accounting and paperwork sorted out and organized. When I first spoke with Eli, I immediately felt relieved and almost instantly, knew I could trust him. I also knew that I wanted him on my team to help get my business where it needed to be. His services are incredibly valuable and have saved me time, energy, and most of all, unnecessary headaches. Eli is kind, knowledgable, accessible, and most of all patient. There were times I needed to track documents down, or go through processes I didn’t quite understand. He is always there to answer questions, guide me through things, or provide resources. I highly recommend Eli as your go-to CPA to add to your team. He is one of my most valuable team members. I look forward to a long and rewarding relationship. Thank you, Eli!

Benjamin Warsinske

Chief Executive Officer at BrandedWorld, Inc.

Eli has been very helpful and detail oriented in assisting my family with tax planning, tax consulting and tax return preparation services for several years. In particular, his services have been beneficial in advising us regarding how to plan for tax minimization as our financial situation has changed over the last few years. He is great at creating a plan at the beginning of every year, keeping in touch regarding the plan and then responding to any questions that arise throughout the year. I would recommend Eli for any and all tax planning, tax consulting and tax return preparation services.

Adam Haussermann

Attorney

Paulina and Eli have been great! I am a new physician with a PLLC that needed assistance organizing, bookkeeping, and preparing taxes. They came to me as a referral from another physician and they do not disappoint. They have been quite understanding of my demanding schedule and have gone above & beyond to accommodate my needs. I feel like they work hard to understand my individual situation and play to my best interests. I am grateful to have found them and recommend them to others too!

April Carr, DO

Internist

I have worked with Eli and the team for two years now. I started with tax strategy and filings for one company in the first year, and now, I have given them all my businesses. Very professional and clear in communication.

Aksh Gupta

Co-Founder and CEO at Occasion

Paulina, in her capacity as a Tax Reduction Advisor, has introduced me to useful tax saving techniques previously unknown to me. I have found her to be professional, courteous and promptly responsive.

Khaled Elraie

Gastroenterologist and Startup Founder

Paulina is amazing , she is excellent to work with and very highly recommended . She gave me valuable tax reduction advice that will save me significant amounts of money in the long run I can’t recommend her enough . She is knowledgeable, very professional , organized and very readily available for advice and to walk you through all the steps
Mohamed B Tom

Neurologist

Eli and Paulina are absolutely fantastic to work with. They are very quick to respond to emails and always address my questions and concerns in an organized and comprehensive manner. Their level of enthusiasm and professionalism is evident in their work, and I am definitely going to be a long-term customer. They are honest, completely online, informed regarding physician related issues, and are always looking out for your best interest. Thanks!
Dr. Varun Chowdhary

Musculoskeletal and Nuclear Medicine Radiologist & Hepatology

Paulina and Eli are real professionals with wide knowledge in the tax arena especially as it relates to the medical profession. I wish I had consulted with them much earlier- tax knowledge is powerful but it is unfortunately not common knowledge for most professionals.
Albert Huho, MD

Darmatopathology

We were fortunate to work with Paulina this year for our taxes and she did an amazing job! She is prompt, professional and extremely competent!
Syed S. Hasan, MD, MPH

Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Eli has advised me and prepared the taxes for two trusts for which I have been the trustee. The estates were complex, requiring federal and state returns (multiple states) as well as for foreign beneficiaries. Eli is very clear and thorough, but still gets the work done on time. I recommend Eli highly for any tax work, especially if it is complex and requires care.
Rick Blackwell

IT and Process Improvement Initiatives

Eli is a very detail-oriented, hard-working and honest professional. I trust him with all my accounting needs and value his financial advice. He is an excellent listener, really cares about his clients and thinks outside-the-box to find the best solutions to problems. I highly recommend him to other professionals who need an accountant they can trust.
Pamela Bernat Shabaz

General Counsel in Information Technology and Professional Services

I highly recommend Eli based on several things. First he is a professional in every sense of the word, high integrity, great connector and truly cares about his clients. Second, I personally experience his CPA accounting expertise and was blown away. In all the years that I’ve worked with accountants I’ve never seen such a through preparation of my personal tax return. If you want to work with an accounting professional that truly gets it, then Eli is your man. You won’t be disappointed!
Robert Lambert

Founding Partner, Samurai Business Group

Eli Keren provided outstanding advice and timely accounting for my company, 5 after 9, LLC. Making the transition from contractor to company was very challenging at the end of our first year. Luckily year two was much easier after meeting and working with Eli. I’ve started 2009 not dreading bookkeeping because if I have questions about best practices for accounting, he’s only a call or email away.
Arlene Hedgecock

Owner & Principal at 5 after 9, LLC

Eli is an extremely talented and reliable accountant and the type of person you want as part of your Business Team. 
Ray Stoeckicht

Director at Faye Business Systems Group, Inc.

Eli is a hard working, friendly, and reliable CPA who always responds within a timely manner. He has helped answer many business and tax related questions. He was recommended to me by a friend, and I would definitely recommend him to others!
Laura Engel

Professional Services / Consulting

*Note: Ratio CPA, LLC had previously been doing business under the name of SmartCloud CPA, LLC. You may see our former business name in older reviews.
Eli Keren has been my accountant for the past 15 years and I believe that this length of time by itself speaks volumes. I have a tremendous amount of trust with Eli’s work, especially since he and his team go far beyond my expectations in providing proactive, insightful, and valuable tax, accounting, and financial support. In particular, through the implementation of accounting software and improved procedures, Eli has streamlined my entire accounting system, freeing up our time to concentrate on building the business. I think every company, large or small, can rely on SmartCloud CPA, for their tax, accounting, and financial needs.
Steven Gan, CPA, CEE

Commercial Credit Insurance Specialist & Credit Risk Management Consultant, Stellar Risk Management Services, Inc.

Eli is a joy to work with. He led my company through a complicated topic and handily addressed some errors which had been made by our previous accountant. He made suggestions about accounting practices to make our daily and annual book keeping easier. I have worked with him for over a decade now and when he opened SmartCloud CPA, I was thrilled at the level of technology he embraced. Paulina is a welcome addition to what I think of as “My guys” (because everyone is a “Guy” in Chicago), a critical part of my professional network. They are warm and interesting people as well, and I always look forward to our meetings.
Doug Reitz

Owner and Principal, 5 after 9, LLC

Eli at SmartCloudCPA is a pleasure to work with. For many years, Eli has supported the accounting & taxation needs for both our investment advisory firm and personal finances. He always delivers great work with solid communication.
Sean Naismith

VP, Global Solutions - Platforms, Experience and Enablement at TransUnion

I have worked with Eli Keren from SmartCloud CPA since 2016. Eli is easily the most responsive and proactive person I work with regarding my US business. He is well-informed, gives good advice, and always presents options – this makes it much easier for me to make good decisions quickly. Eli could give seminars in how to provide outstanding customer service. I recommend Eli and SmartCloud CPA unreservedly. Eli is simply the best!
Angelo Pressello

CEO of Directpl

Professional and very Helpful! We are looking forward to doing more future business with them =)
Jason Smith

Owner, Wicker Park Chiropractic Health

My taxes are a little more complicated than what I felt comfortable doing myself using a Turbotax type of program, but not so complicated that they require a large accounting firm. I’d recommend SmartCloud CPA to anyone who is in this in-between area. They were very responsive and professional throughout the entire process. And the price was fair.
Munib Sana

Radiologist

I am a busy physician, Paulina connected with me on Linked, initially i was hesitant to work with Eli & Paulina. But then I was very satisfied with the results. I would recommend SmartCloud CPA to medical professionals who want to save on taxes and receive both basic and advanced tax reduction strategies. They even spoke with me on a Sunday. They are very easily reachable and seem to give you great advice.
Jayanta Mukherjee

Cardiologist, Multimodality Cardiovascular Imager, Clinical Researcher, Innovator, Entrepreneur, Artificial Intelligence

I connected with Eli and Paulina of SmartCloud CPA via LinkedIn and I have already received an endless amount of information and support. All of my questions are answered promptly and they are very easily reachable by email. The advice they gave is priceless and was not offered by my previous CPA. Being an independent contractor does have a lot of benefits, and the SmartCloud team is helping me to actually see those benefits. I am confident that all of the tax savings are legal and will not be an issue if I were to be audited. I look forward to working with them more and seeing how all of the changes come to fruition. Thank you SmartCloud!
Tobie Okoronkwo

Board Certified Anesthesiologist

Paulina worked with me on tax planning and tax preparation for my personal tax return. She did such a great job – so much better than my previous accountant!!! I was also able to save on taxes beyond what I had been deducting in the past. I really recommend Paulina and Eli and their services!!!!
Athanasia Theokas

Personal Trainer

I have worked with Eli Keren and Paulina on income tax and consulted with them on tax reduction strategy. In the past couple years, I have realized that as a W2 employee, “it isn’t what you earn its what you keep” and a lot of what I earn I found I do NOT keep! Doctors are notoriously bad with money, but for the savvy physician who is employed by a hospital network or owns a private practice, Eli and Paulina are for you. For my personal situation, my wife owns a business and I am a W2 employee. If you think there is nothing that can be done to lower your taxes as a W2 employee you are wrong. Eli and Paulina have some advanced strategies that are legal and ethical. Who knew you could do positive things for the environment and save money on taxes? The fact of the matter is, the incentives are there because Uncle Sam wants you to participate in them, but most people can’t because too many large income earners don’t pay enough in taxes. These are people in business and real estate (classes of people the government already gives incentives to). You can get incentives too for investing in various arenas, but you have to be connected and in the know. Eli and Paulina can do this for you. Do your own vetting, but I am finding that the connections they have given have already extensively gone through this process. Even if I didn’t enact the more advanced strategies, the small business tips for my wife would have paid SmartCloud’s fee a few times over in year one. And if you don’t like what they offer, they will refund your consulting fee. Yes, there are scams out there, but SmartCloud is not one of them. You will be leveraging experienced professionals to save you money and increase your bottom line. Eli will put his name on your tax return with these strategies and they have been nothing but supportive of the many questions anyone would have been doing their due diligence in this process. You build businesses with honesty and reputation, and SmartCloud is doing just that. In short, do you want to be like everyone else, or do you want an edge that allows you to build generational wealth for your family or just more discretionary income? Eli and Paulina can help get you there, and I have been very impressed with their product and service. They have put the work into creating a sound business model in a market that needs it (physicians), and its up to you to take a small leap of faith and let them help you too.

Erich Mussak, MD

Staff Diagnostic Radiologist

SmartCloud works only with doctors, so as a physician it was a no brainer for me to seek their help with my taxes and tax planning. They explained useful and physician-relevant strategies for reducing and preparing taxes. Paulina and Eli are professional, very knowledgeable, and friendly. I highly recommend this company for income tax preparation and tax reduction.
Joshua Martin, MD

Physiatrist

I sought out a CPA online after writing a check to Uncle Sam this year following the loss of classic popular tax deductions in 2018. Eli and Paulina were amazing in introducing this already tax savvy medical professional in helping me lay out a feasible tax reduction plan. Not only is SmartCloud CPA well-organized, tech savvy and professional, this company is very kind and trustworthy. I highly recommend them for all high income professionals! You’ll wish you met them sooner!
Sandy Valino Doyle, DO

Family Medicine Physician

Eli Keren has been my CPA since 2014. He’s been doing business accounting for my medical practice and other businesses I own. One of the things that I want to mention is how much money Eli has been saving my business, both with tax planning and maximizing deductions. As a business owner, one of my biggest expenses is income tax. Doctors like us… we focus on taking care of patients and often we do not take the time or have knowledge as far as tax planning and tax reduction strategies are concerned. That is where Eli Keren and SmartCloud CPA, LLC come in. He’s very helpful! Thanks to him I’ve saved thousands and thousands of dollars on taxes. I would advise everyone to give him a chance. If you have the opportunity to meet or talk with him, I’m sure he’ll provide the same services for your medical practice!
TJ Ahn, DPM

Founder, TJ Ahn Coaching and Consulting, LLC

Eli and Paula are wonderful. They helped my medical office business tremendously. Both of them work well as a team. The cost of the services is reasonable. I signed up with them for personalized business advice on how to save on taxes. I am so impressed with their knowledge that I hired them to do my taxes. I recommend Smart Cloud CPA without any reservations.
Haris Turalic, MD FACC

Owner and Cardiologist at Premier Cardiology Care

Eli is a professional CPA who has been able to prepare my tax returns effectively and timely. In addition, his knowledge and experience has helped me in addressing tax planning and issues that I found valuable. He takes the time necessary to make sure that I understand the solution being recommended. I have recommended Eli to friends and family.
Edward Minnier

Retired