Williston · Rutland · St. Albans, Vermont Proactive tax, audit & advisory — since 1990
Davis & Hodgdon CPAs · Est. 1990

Tax planning and Tax Preparation are not the same service.

We founded this firm in 1990 on the first one. Proactive strategies, made while they can still change the outcome — that is how we provide financial confidence to businesses, families, and nonprofits across northern New England and upstate New York.

Schedule a Free Consultation Take the Fit Check

A member of our operations team will reach out to you within 24 hours.

  • Since 1990
  • Three Vermont offices
  • Part of the Davis & Hodgdon Advisory Group
Portrait of Bret L. HodgdonPortrait of Matthew S. ClearePortrait of Mandy BradleyPortrait of Ryan Black-DeeganPortrait of Donna London
Our partners — Williston · Rutland · St. Albans Best Places to Work in Vermont 2026
The Davis & Hodgdon Advisory Group

One house. Three doors.

Most firms hand you off. Ours is one house: your CPA team, your accounting department, and your wealth advisors under a single roof — so a tax decision never gets made without your whole picture in the room.

Door one

Davis & Hodgdon CPAs

Proactive tax planning & preparation, audits, reviews and compilations, business consulting, and succession planning — the firm John Davis founded in 1990.

Explore CPA services →
Door two

Convergent Accounting

Our client accounting department: bookkeeping and monthly financials for a fixed monthly fee, reconciled by the 15th, with Pulse reports on the numbers that run your business.

See how Convergent works →
Door three

Copper Leaf Financial

Fee-only, fiduciary wealth management: financial planning, retirement, estate planning, and investment management, with no commissions.

Copper Leaf Financial is an affiliated and separately registered entity. Start with a conversation →
Are we a good fit for you?

The Fit Check: six questions to the right door.

Answer six plain questions and we will point you to the door of the house that fits — and the partner who would lead your first conversation. It takes about a minute, and there is no wrong answer.

The Fit Check is a first-conversation guide, drawn from how our own team routes new clients — not financial advice, a quote, or a promise of results.

Services

Six lines of work. One proactive standard.

Every line runs the same way this firm has run since 1990: plan ahead, stay ahead, and never let a client be surprised by their own numbers.

Tax & Compliance

Tax planning and Tax Preparation are NOT the same service. Preparation reports history. Planning changes it — and planning is the work we do all year, so your filing holds no surprises.

  • Proactive planning & preparation — corporations, partnerships, LLCs/LLPs
  • Individuals, nonprofits, trusts & estates, and gifts
  • Tax authority representation
  • Entity structure, credits & deductions, estimates and withholdings
How a tax relationship runs
  1. Introduction & DiscoveryWe get to know you and your situation — in person or virtually.
  2. Deep DiveWe assess your overall financial health and confirm you are complying with tax law.
  3. Recommendations & Ongoing SupportReturns prepared with today — and future years — in view.
Schedule a Free Consultation
Convergent Accounting

An accounting department, without hiring one.

Convergent is our in-house client accounting team — your books closed, reconciled, and reported every month for a fixed monthly fee. Three tiers, matched to how much of the work you want off your desk.

Strategic

The essentials, done right: accurate books and monthly financials you can trust, on time, every time.

Our most popular

Proactive

Everything in Strategic, plus KPI Pulse reporting and a team watching your numbers with you — not just recording them.

Collaborative

Our team works inside your rhythm: closer support, more touchpoints, a department that feels in-house because it acts like one.

  • Fixed monthly fee — no surprise invoices
  • Reconciled by the 15th — every month, every account
  • Pulse reports — the KPIs that run your business
  • Payroll support and 24/7 real-time access to your data

“Davis & Hodgdon has exceeded our expectations. Thanks to the accounting services through Convergent Accounting our monthly financials are accurate and delivered on time; both Matt and Zach are available to answer any questions that come up!”

Chuck Siegel · President/Owner, REPRO
Portrait of Matthew S. Cleare
Your Convergent lead Matthew S. Cleare Partner · CPA, CGMA Talk to our team
Client success

In our clients’ words.

“Davis & Hodgdon has exceeded our expectations! They were invaluable during the Pandemic helping us procure Employee Retention Credit (ERC) stimulus funds. They also helped us “right size” our business to deal with our loss of revenue. I don’t make any important financial decisions without talking to Matt first, and I appreciate that their fees are reasonable, and they don’t nickel and dime us with extra charges.”

Chuck Siegel · President/Owner, REPRO

“After 40 years, we were ready to make a change in our financial accounting. We interviewed 5 accountants and Davis & Hodgdon was the hands-down winner. Our relationship with Matt Cleare and the D&H team has modernized our financial practices, reinvigorated our business, and increased the overall value of our company.”

Tom and Kim Jennings · Owner, Green Mountain Floral Supply
5.0 · 2 Google reviews Our Williston office’s Google listing
Best Places to Work in Vermont 2026 badge
A Best Places to Work in Vermont team — the people behind the work are why it works.
$222,255 donated in charitable giving & sponsorships since 2013
$1,071,000 in pro-bono & skills-based services to nonprofits since 2013

Our community commitment, in our own published figures — updated January 2026.

Meet the partners

Five partners. Three offices. One standard.

You will know exactly who is responsible for your work here — by name, by face, and by credential.

Portrait of Bret L. Hodgdon

Bret L. Hodgdon

Managing Partner · CPA, CFP®, CFE, CGMA

Managing Partner since 2020 and partner in charge of Audit & Accounting, with 20+ years of public accounting experience. Lyndon State College — B.S. in Accounting & Business Administration.

One of Vermont’s only Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE) who is also a CPA.

Recognized by Forbes 2026 America’s Best-In-Vermont CPAs
Portrait of Matthew S. Cleare

Matthew S. Cleare

Partner · CPA, CGMA

Chair of the Vermont Society of CPAs and an AICPA Council member. Champlain College — B.S. in Business with a Certificate of Advanced Accounting. The face of Convergent Accounting, our client accounting department.

Recognized by Forbes 2026 America’s Best-In-Vermont CPAs
Portrait of Mandy Bradley

Mandy Bradley

Partner · Rutland · CPA, M.S.

Leads our Rutland office. M.S. in Accounting from the University of Connecticut; Castleton State College. Vermont Business Magazine Rising Star, 2017.

Portrait of Ryan Black-Deegan

Ryan Black-Deegan

Partner · CPA

MBA from Plymouth State University; B.S. from Skidmore College. VTCPA board Chair and AICPA Council member, selected to attend AICPA’s 2026 Leadership Academy. Vermont Business Magazine Rising Star, 2023.

Recognized by Forbes 2026 America’s Best-In-Vermont CPAs
Portrait of Donna London

Donna London

Partner · CPA

Champlain College — B.S. in Business Management with a Certificate in Accounting. Vermont Business Magazine Rising Star, 2022.

Behind every partner

A full team, on the same standard.

Tax managers, supervisors, seniors, and staff across all three offices — plus the Convergent Accounting team — stand behind the five partners above. When you call, you reach people who know your file.

Find your door — take the Fit Check
Our story

Proactive since 1990.

This firm began as a refusal — a refusal to practice accounting the way it was usually practiced: reporting history after it was too late to change it.

Portrait of John W. Davis, founder of the firm
Our founder

John W. Davis

CPA, CFP®, PFS, CVA · Founding Partner

John founded the firm in Williston in August 1990 — as John Davis & Associates — deliberately on a proactive planning model, when most firms offered historical reporting and tax preparation. He also founded Copper Leaf Financial. John retired on July 31, 2023; the firm he built continues under the partners he brought in.

  1. 1990
    A proactive start

    John W. Davis founds John Davis & Associates in Williston, built on tax planning rather than after-the-fact preparation.

  2. 2005
    A second name on the door

    Bret L. Hodgdon joins as Partner to lead Audit & Accounting; in 2006 the firm becomes Davis & Hodgdon.

  3. 2015
    Statewide reach

    A merger with a Rutland-based CPA firm brings the practice to southern Vermont.

  4. 2016
    The accounting department is born

    Our remote accounting department launches — the practice that becomes Convergent Accounting.

  5. 2021
    One house, formally

    The Davis & Hodgdon Advisory Group brings the CPA firm, Convergent Accounting, and Copper Leaf Financial under one umbrella; Copper Leaf becomes SEC-registered.

  6. 2023
    The founder retires

    Bret Hodgdon, Managing Partner since 2020, leads the firm as John Davis retires on July 31, 2023.

  7. Today
    Three offices, one standard

    Williston, Rutland, and St. Albans — serving northern New England and upstate New York, the proactive way.

Who we help

Built for the organizations Vermont runs on.

Flagship industry

Nonprofits

Audits, reviews, and compilations — including Yellow Book engagements — Form 990 preparation, internal controls, grant compliance, and board services. The Green Mountain Club has trusted us since 2009.

We are currently accepting new nonprofit attestation and tax clients — include us on your next RFP.

Talk to our nonprofit team

Businesses

Planning and compliance for corporations, partnerships, and LLCs — with consulting on cash flow, pricing, valuation, and exit.

Individuals & Families

Annual and quarterly filings, estates, trusts, and gifts, audit representation — and divorce support: forensic accounting, valuations, and hidden-asset discovery alongside family law attorneys.

Dealerships

Industry-fluent accounting and advisory for Vermont’s auto dealers.

Construction

Job-cost clarity, cash-flow planning, and tax strategy for builders and trades.

Dental Practices

Practice accounting, benchmarking, and transition planning for dentists.

Manufacturing & Veterinary

Cost-aware accounting and proactive planning for makers and animal-care practices alike.

Questions, answered

Straight answers, before you ask.

What is the difference between tax planning and tax preparation?

They are not the same service. Preparation reports what already happened. Planning happens throughout the year — entity structure, credits and deductions, estimates and withholdings — so the decisions that change your tax bill are made while they can still change it. Planning is the model this firm was founded on in 1990.

How does working with you begin?

With a free consultation. From there, our tax client relationship follows three stages: Introduction & Discovery, a Deep Dive into your financial information, and Recommendations & Ongoing Support. A member of our operations team will reach out to you within 24 hours of your inquiry.

What is Convergent Accounting?

Convergent Accounting is our in-house client accounting department — a remote accounting department for your business, for a fixed monthly fee. Accounts are fully reconciled by the 15th of every month, with KPI “Pulse” reports, payroll support, and 24/7 real-time access to your data, across three tiers: Strategic, Proactive, and Collaborative.

Do you audit nonprofits?

Yes. Nonprofits are our flagship industry: audits, reviews, and compilations (including Yellow Book audits), Form 990 preparation, internal controls, grant compliance, and board services. We are currently accepting new nonprofit attestation and tax clients — include us on your next RFP.

Who handles wealth management and retirement planning?

Copper Leaf Financial, our affiliated wealth management firm — fee-only, fiduciary, and SEC-registered, with comprehensive financial planning, retirement and estate planning, investment management, and 401(k) plans for business owners. Copper Leaf Financial is an affiliated and separately registered entity. Because tax decisions and financial goals shape each other, our teams work closely together on your plan.

I am thinking about selling my business or passing it to family. When should we talk?

Early. Transition planning should begin three to five years prior to a planned transition. Our succession work covers internal family transfers, buyer identification, valuations for sale, buy/sell agreements, estate and gift tax planning, and retirement and tax projections.

Where are your offices?

Three Vermont offices: Williston (33 Blair Park Road, Suite 201), Rutland (225 South Main Street), and St. Albans (8 South Main Street, St. Albans City). Our CPA practice serves clients throughout northern New England and upstate New York.

Start here

Do something wise today.

Schedule a free consultation and meet the team that plans ahead with you. A member of our operations team will reach out to you within 24 hours.

Schedule a Free Consultation Take the Fit Check first

Williston (802) 878-1963 · Rutland (802) 775-7132 · St. Albans (802) 878-1963