Bill Kruse Bio

Bill Kruse was raised with his siblings, "Puddy"and Frank, on the family's farm in the small town of Carrolton in western Missouri. When farming, you learn early on that there are no short cuts for doing things the right way. An ill conceived short cut by one farmhand costs all hands. Bill's dad would remind him, "When you're asked to run a fence, run the best fence you can, if you don't, the cattle will find the flaw and then you really have a problem!"

Destined for an agrarian career, Bill earned a double major in Agricultural Economics and Animal Science at the University of Missouri, Columbia. After graduating, he began his first career as a cattle farmer. He married the lovely Barbara Speiser, a city girl, and moved her to the rolling hills of western Missouri to help him run the family farm. After six years of romancing the livestock, Bill left the farm in the hands of his parents and siblings and started his next "excellent adventure."

Bill moved his wife and three children to Kansas City so that he could return to school and earn his masters in accounting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City Campus.

With CPA in hand Bill joined KPMG Peat Marwick where he managed audits and tax returns for the financial services industry. After three years, he moved on to Hopkins & Howard, a CPA firm responsible for bank audits, mergers and acquisitions. On the move again he joined the international firm of Ernst & Young to become its mid-west manager in charge of outsourcing tax departments of publicly traded companies.

And then one day about 7 years ago, Bill encountered a kindred spirit in the accounting cosmos, one Bill Hauk. They developed a relationship and together grew what is today, Hauk Kruse & Associates LLC. The firm provides Tax, Audit and Advisory services for individuals, small and large businesses as well as ex-patriots. Their credo...to offer accounting that's less taxing.

Bill is a member in good standing with the CPA Society's AICPA and MOCPA. He is President of the St Louis Rowing Club, a former Member of Smith Moore's Advisory Board, and a current member of the Board of Directors of Ammat International. Bill loves to hunt dove, turkey, duck, deer and quail as well as break and ride horses. He is very active in his children's education and dedicates time to supporting many of their school projects.

If you followed the detail of this missive closely you will note a constant thread that has defined Bill Kruse throughout his life's endeavors. "There are no short cuts for doing things the right way!"

Bill Kruse