Elena Vasquez, CPA, MBA

About Elena

Elena Vasquez is a CPA (Certified Public Accountant, California) and holds an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. She spent 6 years as a Senior Manager at Deloitte Tax in San Francisco advising technology startups and small businesses on entity selection, payroll taxes, and state nexus issues, before launching her own CPA firm serving freelancers and solopreneurs.

Elena is a certified SCORE mentor — the SBA-affiliated nonprofit for small business counseling — and has advised over 400 small business owners through free mentorship sessions. Her practical experience with IRS audits of self-employed individuals informs everything she writes. Her small business tax guidance has been cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc., and The New York Times small business desk. At MONEYlume, Elena covers the full tax lifecycle of self-employment.

Areas of Expertise

• S-Corp vs. LLC tax structure optimization
• Quarterly estimated tax payments & safe harbors
• Home office & vehicle deductions
• Payroll taxes & contractor vs. employee classification
• Small business retirement plans (SEP-IRA, Solo 401k)

Featured In & Cited By

• Entrepreneur Magazine
• Inc.
• The New York Times
• Accounting Today
• Journal of Accountancy

Career Background

• Deloitte Tax LLP (Senior Manager, San Francisco, 2010–2016)
• Vasquez CPA (Founder, Self-Employed Practice, 2016–present)

Education: MBA, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business · BS Accounting, UCLA · CPA License, California Board of Accountancy

Editorial Standards

All content by Elena Vasquez, CPA, MBA is written according to MONEYlume's editorial standards. Facts are verified against primary sources including the IRS, Federal Reserve, CFPB, and peer-reviewed financial research. Articles are updated when regulations or market conditions change significantly.