Client Relationships Provide Your Clients With Better Financial Solutions Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Written by Scott Cytron Modified Oct 19, 2017 4 min read The number of Americans that are financially underserved is staggering. According to the FDIC, more than 20 percent of households (25 million Americans) are underbanked in 2013, alone. The reality is these are everyday Americans that are poorly served by the traditional financial system. Their objectives are simple: spend wisely, manage debt and save for the future. However, many struggle to meet these goals simply due to a lack of access to good financial options, and the choices they do have often come with high fees. The underserved also have a pressing need for liquidity and convenience, but may not have access to credit. This tax season, Intuit has partnered with American Express Serve® to offer a new refund option for Intuit customers, so your clients can access their money quickly and affordably. American Express Serve is a full service Reloadable Prepaid Card that can provide a quick and easy way for your clients to access their eligible IRS funds without paying check cashing fees. The value your clients get with Serve goes well beyond tax season, with many great features and benefits, all for $1 per month. Features include: ATM Access: Free ATM withdrawals at over 24,000 ATMs1. Free Online Bill Pay: Save time and postage by paying bills online. Direct Deposit: Automatically add paychecks or government benefits to a Serve Account for free, and no longer make a trip to the bank. Add Cash: Add cash for free across 27,500 CVS/pharmacy®, Family Dollar®, Walmart® and participating 7-ELEVEN® locations. Add as much as $500 or as little as $20. Customer Service: 24/7 access to World Class American Express Customer Service. Reserve: An easy way to set aside money for a large purchase or other savings goals. With Reserve you have the option to transfer money as often as needed from the available balance, keeping the funds separate from everyday spending. Manage Money: Use the insights feature to help track and categorize your spending, with the option to set budgets by spending category. Also, subaccounts allow money to be set aside for things like allowance and paying the babysitter. Your clients will appreciate your recommendation of this money management tool. How it Works. The entire process is convenient for you because you can complete it all from within your eligible Intuit tax software. First enroll your firm to offer Serve. Then, register your clients for Serve when you fill out their IRS return information in ProSeries® or Lacerte® and select to have their eligible IRS refund put onto the Serve Card via Direct Deposit. If approved, their personalized Serve Card will be mailed to them within seven to 10 days. Earn $15. We also have a special offer for you, the tax preparer. For every eligible IRS refund added on to a new Serve Card set up through ProSeries or Lacerte, you can earn $152. Enrollment is required to be able to offer Serve to your clients, so enroll today. Take advantage of American Express Serve and offer your clients a simple way to access their money quickly and affordably. They will thank you later! 1 Transactions at non-MoneyPass® ATMs have a $2.50 American Express Serve fee. ATM operator fees may also apply. See serve.com/atm for details. 2Offer only available to valid license holders of Intuit’s ProSeries or Lacerte products. The following conditions must be satisfied to receive $15 from Intuit: (1) successfully register with American Express via ProSeries or Lacerte to offer American Express Serve®, (2) obtain the client’s acceptance of the American Express Serve Card (“Card”) terms and conditions and consent to submit the card registration, (3) registration must be initiated via ProSeries or Lacerte and approved by American Express on or before May 15, 2015 and (4) a Direct Deposit of tax refunds totaling $15 or more must be made to the new Card. Joint filers are considered a single client for purposes of the offer and no more than $15 will be paid where joint filers are involved. No payment shall be made for rejected card registrations or tax filings. Limit of $15 in total incentives per Card. Refunds deposited to existing Cards or any other American Express prepaid product are not eligible. Intuit reserves the right to recoup amounts paid (or may elect to withhold future payments) where fraud or other illegal activity is suspected. Payment provided by Intuit and will be made prior to Dec. 31, 2015. Offer subject to change or cancellation at any time without notice. Previous Post Fraud Associated With the Earned Income Tax Credit Remains High Next Post Avoid Tax-Time Surprises: Tell Clients What You Need Written by Scott Cytron Scott H. Cytron, ABC, is editor of the Intuit® Tax Pro Center. He brings more than 35 years' experience in accounting and financial services to the profession. An accredited consultant, Scott works with companies, organizations and individuals in professional services (medical, legal, accounting, engineering), high-tech and B2B/B2C product/service sales. Follow Scott on Twitter @scytron. More from Scott Cytron Comments are closed. 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