About
George Magas has been helping families plan and retire with peace of mind for decades.
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George Magas
George received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Computer Science. He earned his CPA in 1986 and, in 1990, opened his own accounting firm in Damascus, Maryland. By 2000, George achieved certifications to provide college, estate and retirement planning services. He believes these two categories of service—tax and financial planning—are directly connected and the reason so many of his clients in and around Damascus tell their friends and relatives about his practice. “In fact,” says George, “almost all of my new business comes from client referrals.”
George takes pride in meeting the challenges presented by his work. He believes the greatest reward of financial planning is solving people’s problems. “The money will come if you provide outstanding service,” says George, “but that’s the greatest reward, helping people to resolve their issues. For example, I love showing people numbers that prove they can retire earlier than they thought they could.”
He believes true financial planning is not tied to specific products or cookie-cutter methods—it requires individualized, one-on-one customer service. “We can’t solve anyone’s problems unless we listen,” says George. “I serve at the interests of the families I help. Sometimes that means appointments on Saturdays and Sundays, but that’s fine with us if it helps them.”
George has had the privilege of meeting with thousands of people who were nearing retirement or already enjoying it. It has been an extremely rewarding career experience for him and he takes his job as a financial planner seriously. Bringing a sense of freedom and security to the lives of his clients adds joy to his own life.
Away from the office, George and his wife Cathy enjoy spending time with their family of four sons, three daughter-in-laws and one grandson. Cathy volunteers at their church and George has spent years coaching in the Damascus Sports Association. In his free time, George loves to play golf, and he and Cathy enjoy taking trips to their house in South Carolina and trying out new restaurants in Damascus.
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Cathy Magas
Cathy Magas attended Katharine Gibbs School and received a business certification in 1986, and she earned her associate degree in Business Administration at Montgomery College in 1997. She is the office manager at both George Magas CPA PC and Magas Advisory Group.
“Whether it’s taxes or financial planning, I love talking to people and helping them,” says Cathy. “It’s great to see them walk out of our offices with a weight off of their shoulders, or to give them the news that they might be able to retire sooner than they ever expected.”
Cathy handles multiple day-to-day duties in her dual managerial role, from marketing, to accounts receivable, accounts payable, emails, telephone calls, and appointment setup.
“I will take it as slow as people want to go with our process,” says Cathy, “until I’m sure they understand everything they need to understand. There’s no rush here. During our 32 years, we’ve always believed in taking as much time as each client needs. That’s the benefit of a boutique firm like ours over a giant conglomerate.”
Away from the office, Cathy has volunteered at the Booster Club, PTA and with meal-making services for her church. She is a member of The American Legion Auxiliary in Damascus. She is a proud mother to four boys and a grandmother to one grandson—so far. She and her husband George enjoy visiting Ocean City, Maryland, and their second home in South Carolina, as well as spending time with family and friends, going out to movies, playing pickleball and a little golf.
Marc Magas
Marc is the oldest of George’s four sons. He received his bachelor’s in business management with a focus in accounting from Towson University in 2013. He began working with George throughout high school and college, providing bookkeeping services, filling out tax returns, and learning day-to-day office tasks. After school, he ventured out on his own working as a controller in the staffing industry for 6 years and the restaurant industry for 3 years. He returned to the business in 2022 with a certification in life & health insurance while recently obtaining his series 65 to become an investment advisor representative.
Marc currently works with clients to provide tax advisory services, financial advisory services, preparing individual and business tax returns. He also works with Cathy on office operations such as marketing, accounts receivable, appointments, and staff management.
“We value the relationships and trust that we have built with all of our clients, which has allowed us to stay in business for over 30 years. Investments and taxes can be overwhelming at times, and we find gratification in helping our clients overcome those feelings.”
Marc resides in Annapolis with his wife & 3-year-old son. He enjoys playing golf, watching sports, but mostly, being a dad.
Kyle Shafer
Kyle received his bachelor’s in Accounting from Frostburg State University in 2015. He handled mortgage loan origination for about three years before he started working on taxes and accounting at George Magas CPAC in 2017.
Kyle works with clients to get preliminary information and help them with tax projections, sometimes in regard to retirement planning.
“I’m very customer focused and I want to make sure that I help people understand the tax information I give them,” says Kyle. “I try to be very thorough, but also break things down to a personal level. We’re a smaller firm, so we often are building longer-term relationships our clients.”
As a child, Kyle played for the Damascus Cougars, where George Magas was his coach. He graduated from Clarksburg High School. Away from the office, Kyle enjoys hiking and fishing.