We have a true passion for making
your financials do the work for you.
Our team is made up of a unique group of professionals committed to providing
you the best financial information to inform your decision-making,
Sharon L. Aks, CPA, MBA
Owner & Founder, SIMPLY Financials PLUS
As Owner and Founder of SIMPLY Financials PLUS, Sharon’s entrepreneurial roots run deep. Her passion for helping small businesses was kindled in her childhood, when her family owned several businesses, including bookstores and women’s dress shops. Today, Sharon provides her small and mid-sized business clients with CFO and controller-level services that she fine-tuned over the years from experience she gained in her family businesses as well as working in blue-chip companies like Mobil, General Electric, and Ernst & Young.
Sharon has a sixth sense when it comes to the issues and opportunities facing her small business clients. She has overseen many projects such as daily general ledger accounting, cash flow improvement, inventory logistics, QuickBooks training and installations, a QuickBooks-to-PCLaw conversion for a law firm, new reporting systems, and government regulatory filings. She has helped companies in industries such as manufacturing, services, clean tech, legal, banking, telecom, oil and gas, nonprofit, and many more.
Prior to starting her own company, Sharon served as a controller for a publicly-held clean tech firm and VP Finance of a nonprofit. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of financial positions from auditor to planning manager at top-notch companies, including Mobil, General Electric, Phelps Dodge, and Ernst & Young.
Sharon is a CPA, has earned a BS in Accounting from Syracuse University, and received an MBA in Finance from Pace University. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Connecticut Society of CPAs.
When Sharon is not working, she enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, and traveling. One of her favorite trips was visiting Tuscany where she practiced yoga on the beach.
Bernard Roesch
Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Bernard brings to the SIMPLY Financials PLUS team his unique perspective in his understanding of the intricacies of complex environments and applies his knowledge to companies of all sizes, in all industries based on his background in the manufacturing and defense sectors. Bernard has designed integrated performance measures for long-term forecasting, cash flow valuations and development of long term plans and effective business processes for a myriad of businesses.
With more than 20 years of consulting experience and multiple Intuit ProAdvisor certifications, Bernard possesses the high-level skills to “pull it all together” with an emphasis on business application integration.
Bernard holds an MBA from Harvard University in Finance and Operations Management. He also holds an undergraduate degree from Ecole Polytechnique in Math and Physics. He is a native of France, loves to travel and is an avid road cyclist in addition to his passion for QuickBooks.
Sue Mariano
Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Sue is passionate about helping our small business clients streamline their financial procedures. Her motto is “Keep it simple!” With over 25 years of experience in small business, corporate, and public accounting, Sue assists SIMPLY Financials PLUS on special projects as well as staff coordination.
Sue brings a strong knowledge of the QuickBooks software as well as tax preparation, sales tax reporting, payroll reporting and technology integration skills to SIMPLY Financials PLUS. She is able to clearly see the whole financial picture and is known for her attention to detail, her sharp organization skills, and the ability to contribute great ideas working in a team setting.
When Sue is not working, she enjoys reading, singing and playing tennis.
Lesly Burns
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Lesly is a bookkeeping professional who takes care of the daily accounting for many of our small business clients. She keeps your receivables, payables, general ledger and bank reconciliations up to date so you can see where you stand.
Lesly has prior experience in the services industry, serving as bookkeeper for a law firm and a promotional firm. She also spent 14 years at IBM serving in various accounting roles, most recently, Financial Analyst, where she was in charge of a $400M development budget. She frequently presented various departments’ financial results to upper management.
Lesly earned a BA in Finance from University of Massachusetts and an MBA in International Business from Pace University. Her interests outside of work include spending time with her family, reading, playing tennis, and knitting.