"We do so much more than prepare your tax return; we’re here to help you meet your financial goals. The tax return is just a check to see how we did."

Founding Partner Judy Hamilton says the key to helping clients achieve their financial goals—whether they include minimizing tax liabilities or maximizing profits—is knowing what questions to ask. With her extensive experience and deep expertise, Judy skillfully interviews her clients and quickly gains an understanding of their specific circumstances. Armed with relevant information, Judy then helps her clients make financially advantageous choices when they’re facing complex issues like ownership transitions, stock options and awards and real property exchanges. She specializes in tax planning and compliance for high net worth individuals, small business owners, and corporate executives and offers specific expertise in executive compensation, real estate, and M&A transactions.

In addition to her robust tax practice, Judy also provides business consulting and advisory services. Under that umbrella, she has helped clients navigate a variety of challenges, from entity set-up to accounting process optimization to succession planning. Helping her clients achieve their financial goals and position themselves for financially sound futures is Judy’s passion, and she particularly enjoys the forward-looking aspect of her work.

Judy founded Hamilton Accountancy Corporation (predecessor to Hamilton Tharp LLP) in 1980 with a desire to work with smaller companies and individuals after spending several years serving large real estate developers, manufacturers, hospitals, and airlines as an auditor and consultant for Arthur Young & Co. She started her firm with one client and through consistent, high-quality, personalized service, grew it to the diverse, 1,000+ client base she oversees today.

Judy earned an MBA and a BA in accounting with distinction from San Diego State University, where she later taught courses in taxation. She is a licensed CPA in California and a member of the AICPA. She also holds a Series 65 license and is a Registered Investment Advisor. Actively involved in serving her local community, Judy has served on various boards and currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Center for the Arts and the Budget and Finance Committee of the City of Solana Beach. She was the first recipient of the San Diego “Women who Mean Business” award in accounting. Judy loves sports. In fact, she has played basketball and soccer for most of her life. She holds season tickets for San Diego State football and basketball games, and when it comes time to read the newspaper in her household, Judy always grabs the sports page first. With a personal passion for athletics and knowledge of the multi-state taxation issues professional team players face, Judy founded the Sports & Entertainment division of Hamilton Tharp in 1981. She has since enjoyed providing financial, accounting, and tax services to professional athletes, agents, and coaches in baseball, football, basketball, and volleyball.