Meet James Barber, CPA, CFP® Your Trusted Financial Advisor

James served 20 years proudly in the U.S. Foreign Service as a Chief Financial Officer and now dedicating community financial service to Murphy and surrounding areas of Texas. With expertise in tax preparation and financial planning, James simplifies the complexities of tax laws for individuals including the Foreign Service Diplomatic community.

James is a Native Texas raised in the piney woods of Tyler, Texas where he worked for the family construction business during his formative years. In the 1980’s, he earned a BBA from Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth in Real Estate Financing and soon recruited by the William L Berry Group of Northern Virginia to pursue a lifetime dream in building residential homes.

When the market fell into recession in the 1990’s, he went into the REO Savings & Loan in asset management, and later leveraged these skills in mortgage lending while attending night school where he earned an MBA in International Management from the University of Dallas. Then, as the refi craze started to dry up, James changed career paths to global transportation where he managed freight operations in Latin America. It was in Mexico that James found his true calling addressing complex business issues compelling him to take on-line courses at UT Tyler and LSU to pursue a career in accounting. His academic achievements further him into international banking and insurance auto salvaging, and then into health services where he official became a CPA candidate.

With a reputation of strong integrity and dedication to servicing the public, James received an appointment into the Foreign Service in early 2000’s at the time by U.S. Secretary of State, Collin Powell. As a U.S. Diplomat, he went on to serve in 10 tours as a CFO and achieving the CPA credentials along the way. While serving, he regularly provided pro-bono tax & financial services to his fellow Diplomats which later earned his credential as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

After two decades serving in the Foreign Service, James decided to return to his grass roots to serve the local community in family tax and financial services. With over 37 years of accumulative professional experience touching countless industries, James built a strong foundation that offers diversified financial and personal tax services.

He resides in Murphy, Texas. He has a wife and four children where they enjoy the outdoors, various projects, and spending time with extending family & friends in small gatherings. For more details in James’ life experiences, you may check out his LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/JamesBarbercpa.

" I've spent a lifetime learning and listening to best practices in wealth management that best serves my clients' future."

- James

James and Elizabeth Barber

The Barber Brunch