Dark Horse CPAs
Education
Ramapo College of New Jersey BS Accounting, 2010 
University of Calgary MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation 
Credentials
Your New Jersey CPA for Tax Strategy and Business Advisory
Montclair is twelve miles from Manhattan and runs on an economy of creative professionals, independent practices, and owner-operated businesses that never answer to a corporate headquarters. That proximity carries a cost most firms treat as paperwork: income earned across the Hudson, equity comp from NYC employers, and property taxes among the highest in the country. Whether you are running a business along Bloomfield Avenue or drawing a Manhattan salary while your life and your tax bill sit in Essex County, your dedicated Montclair CPA, Jay-Anne Mandingin , is the strategic partner you need to get ahead.
Jay-Anne is a Principal at Dark Horse CPAs, which means she runs her own book of clients and answers to them rather than to a managing partner three states away. Most of her work happens well before a return gets filed: choosing an entity structure that holds up as the business grows, or planning around a property sale so the gain doesn't land in a year that costs you. She'll take the CFO seat for business owners who need that thinking without the full-time hire.
Jay-Anne Mandingin, CPA, MBA, Associate Principal
Living between New York and New Jersey means my clients' finances rarely fit inside one state's rules. Most of the questions I get have an answer in both places, and the answers disagree. I joined Dark Horse CPAs because Principals here have the autonomy to work the way the client needs, which for me means picking up the phone in March when someone is thinking about selling shares or hiring a first employee. I serve individuals and businesses in Montclair and throughout Essex County.
The average NPS for accounting firms is 38%. At Dark Horse, 80% of our clients would recommend us to a friend
Companies use this metric to gauge how happy their customers are with their services. It's calculated by taking the percentage of "promoters" minus the % of "detractors. "The average NPS score for the accounting industry is 39%, less than the DMV! We believe it's important to share that we have successfully fulfilled our promise to WOW clients and consistently monitor this metric to ensure we continue to deliver on the highest level.
Our Google and Yelp reviews speak for themselves. Our goal is to provide 5-star service to every client, every time.
When someone shares their experience with us online, we find it extremely valuable to know where we've exceeded expectations and where we can improve. Many of our clients decide to engage with us as a result of reading about other Dark Horse clients’ experiences. Even when things do not go as planned, we do everything we can to make it right.
We're all about creating long-lasting, value-added relationships.
This is the frequency of repeat business from our clients that work with us. This means that 9 out of 10 clients use us for subsequent years. That shows us that people enjoy working with our CPAs, are pleased with the work, and want to continue with Dark Horse over the long term.
The average NPS for accounting firms is 38%. At Dark Horse, 80% of our clients would recommend us to a friend
Companies use this metric to gauge how happy their customers are with their services. It's calculated by taking the percentage of "promoters" minus the % of "detractors. "The average NPS score for the accounting industry is 39%, less than the DMV! We believe it's important to share that we have successfully fulfilled our promise to WOW clients and consistently monitor this metric to ensure we continue to deliver on the highest level.
Our Google and Yelp reviews speak for themselves. Our goal is to provide 5-star service to every client, every time.
When someone shares their experience with us online, we find it extremely valuable to know where we've exceeded expectations and where we can improve. Many of our clients decide to engage with us as a result of reading about other Dark Horse clients’ experiences. Even when things do not go as planned, we do everything we can to make it right.
We're all about creating long-lasting, value-added relationships.
This is the frequency of repeat business from our clients that work with us. This means that 9 out of 10 clients use us for subsequent years. That shows us that people enjoy working with our CPAs, are pleased with the work, and want to continue with Dark Horse over the long term.
Tax Strategy & Compliance for New Jersey Locals
The Problem: New Jersey gives you more ways to pay tax than almost anywhere else, and most people don't look at any of them until April. By then the entity is already structured, the shares are already sold, the house already closed. Every one of those had a tax answer, and nobody was in the room to give it.
The Solution: At Dark Horse CPAs, we believe in No Surprises. Your CPA is in the room for the decisions that create the tax bill; that means a call before you exercise options, a look at the numbers before a property goes under contract, and a multi-state return built by someone who knows how to build them for you. We partner with you, so you keep more of what you earn.
Jay-Anne Mandingin, CPA, MBA, Associate Principal
Most people talk to their accountant once a year, and whatever happened is already done by then. I'd rather meet quarterly, while there's still something to plan around, so nothing on the return catches either of us off guard.
Tax Strategy & Accounting Solutions for New Jersey Businesses
The Problem: Most New Jersey business owners find out how the year went months after it ended. The books are behind and the estimated payments were guesses, so the return arrives with a number nobody planned for. On top of that sit payroll deadlines and the state's own treatment of pass-through income, where missing one usually costs more than the tax itself.
The Solution: At Dark Horse CPAs, we combine bookkeeping , tax compliance , and Fractional CFO-level advisory into one relationship. Books that close on time turn estimated payments into arithmetic. A CFO in the room means your entity structure gets revisited when you add payroll, not two years later when someone notices. That's the Advisory-First approach.
Jay-Anne Mandingin, CPA, MBA, Associate Principal
Owners come to me with a bookkeeper on one side and a tax preparer on the other, and neither one knows what the other is doing. The structure question and the payroll question are the same question, and they get better answers when one person is looking at both.
I’m very satisfied with the service provided by Mark Kuca. I don’t usually leave business reviews (I’m basically a review hermit), but their effort and professionalism were exceptional. If you’re a small business owner looking for honest, reliable, high-quality service, I highly recommend him.
After years of feeling underwhelmed by every tax professional I worked with, we finally found Chris Ries at Dark Horse. We did a wide search for a CPA who could handle both our business and personal needs. Chris stood out from the start. He's not just deeply knowledgeable about tax law - he's genuinely thoughtful and strategic in how he applies it to your specific situation. What truly sets Chris apart is how responsive and engaged he is throughout the entire year. Our strategy sessions allowed us to get ahead of issues long before tax season, which made the whole process significantly smoother and less stressful.
You won’t find a more reliable, honest, or trustworthy CPA to work with than Mark. I would give this company more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend him and his services.
Chris is exceptional. He is far more professional, clear in his communication, and knowledgeable than any CPA I’ve worked with. He has expertly managed both my personal and business tax needs and consistently goes above and beyond—helping me make informed, strategic decisions well in advance of future tax filings. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a company in San Francisco and needed a highly qualified business and tax accountant to guide me through the process. After many interviews, I was introduced to Chris and the Dark Horse team—and I’m extremely glad I was. Chris has been consistently responsive, deeply knowledgeable in corporate taxes, and generous with his expertise. He’s taught me a great deal, always looks out for my best interests, and approaches his work with both professionalism and integrity. I am 1000% satisfied with his services—and on top of that, he’s genuinely a great human to work with. My experience with Dark Horse was so positive that I also hired a fractional CFO through them, Susan Snowden, who has been equally impressive. I highly recommend Chris and the Dark Horse team. If you’re looking for smart, trustworthy professionals who truly know their stuff and care about their clients, you won’t go wrong with Chris or Susan.
Provides great service. Very professional. Very responsive to questions and inquiries. Very punctual, I would highly recommend their services.
I’m very satisfied with the service provided by Mark Kuca. I don’t usually leave business reviews (I’m basically a review hermit), but their effort and professionalism were exceptional. If you’re a small business owner looking for honest, reliable, high-quality service, I highly recommend him.
After years of feeling underwhelmed by every tax professional I worked with, we finally found Chris Ries at Dark Horse. We did a wide search for a CPA who could handle both our business and personal needs. Chris stood out from the start. He's not just deeply knowledgeable about tax law - he's genuinely thoughtful and strategic in how he applies it to your specific situation. What truly sets Chris apart is how responsive and engaged he is throughout the entire year. Our strategy sessions allowed us to get ahead of issues long before tax season, which made the whole process significantly smoother and less stressful.
You won’t find a more reliable, honest, or trustworthy CPA to work with than Mark. I would give this company more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend him and his services.
Chris is exceptional. He is far more professional, clear in his communication, and knowledgeable than any CPA I’ve worked with. He has expertly managed both my personal and business tax needs and consistently goes above and beyond—helping me make informed, strategic decisions well in advance of future tax filings. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a company in San Francisco and needed a highly qualified business and tax accountant to guide me through the process. After many interviews, I was introduced to Chris and the Dark Horse team—and I’m extremely glad I was. Chris has been consistently responsive, deeply knowledgeable in corporate taxes, and generous with his expertise. He’s taught me a great deal, always looks out for my best interests, and approaches his work with both professionalism and integrity. I am 1000% satisfied with his services—and on top of that, he’s genuinely a great human to work with. My experience with Dark Horse was so positive that I also hired a fractional CFO through them, Susan Snowden, who has been equally impressive. I highly recommend Chris and the Dark Horse team. If you’re looking for smart, trustworthy professionals who truly know their stuff and care about their clients, you won’t go wrong with Chris or Susan.
Provides great service. Very professional. Very responsive to questions and inquiries. Very punctual, I would highly recommend their services.
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