Lopez-Iwata & Associates
Outsourced bookkeeping and financial operations from a small team on Sutter Street near Union Square.
About
Cristina Lopez is chief executive and partner of Lopez-Iwata & Associates, a bookkeeping and financial operations firm on the seventh floor of 500 Sutter Street in San Francisco, a block from Union Square and the Powell Street cable car line. The firm calls itself a small team of bookkeepers, financial operators and advisors, pairing technical accounting knowledge with process-driven strategies so that clients keep accurate financials and make informed decisions. A second partner shares the firm's name; the website names a senior associate and five associates, and lists offices in Portland and Los Angeles alongside San Francisco.
The work, as the firm frames it
Bookkeeping is the foundation: transaction coding, reconciliations, payroll coordination, accounts payable and receivable, and month-end close. Above that sits financial operations support, meaning the firm can act as a company's day-to-day finance function, handling vendor payments, invoicing, cash reporting and the systems that connect them. Its accounting advisory and financial streamlining services look at how the books are built, which software and workflows a growing company should adopt, and how to produce management reports an owner can act on.
The firm says it serves clients nationwide, and the model is remote-friendly: most work happens in cloud accounting platforms with periodic calls rather than office visits.
Starting an engagement
Come to the first conversation with your current accounting software login, the last twelve months of bank and credit card statements, your prior-year tax return and a sense of transaction volume. Ask who on the team will handle your account, what the monthly close calendar looks like, how the fee is structured and what falls outside it, and how the firm coordinates with your tax preparer. Ask, too, whether it will clean up a backlog before taking over ongoing work, and what that costs.
Clients in the city and beyond
The San Francisco office serves the city and its neighbours, Daly City, South San Francisco, Brisbane, Colma, Sausalito, Oakland and Alameda, and the Portland and Los Angeles offices extend the reach up and down the coast. The Sutter Street building is steps from the Powell and Montgomery BART stations.
Call 415-715-8632 or write through lopeziwata.com.
Services
VerifiedOngoing transaction coding, bank and credit card reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, payroll coordination and month-end close in cloud accounting software for small and mid-sized companies.
Acting as a company's day-to-day finance function: paying vendors, issuing invoices, tracking cash, managing the accounting systems and producing the reports owners and investors expect each month.
Guidance on chart of accounts design, revenue recognition, software selection and controls for companies that have outgrown a spreadsheet or a single bookkeeper.
Reviewing and rebuilding finance workflows, integrations and approval steps so that closing the books takes days instead of weeks and management reports arrive on a schedule.
Catching up months or years of unreconciled books before ongoing service begins, typically scoped separately; ask how it is priced and what the firm needs from you to start.
Details
Location and service area
San Francisco, CA 94102-1116
Common questions
Typical for this type of businessWhat is the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA?
A bookkeeper records and reconciles transactions and prepares management reports; a CPA prepares tax returns, audits and attest work. Many companies use both, and a bookkeeping firm should coordinate with your tax preparer at year end.
Does the firm work with clients outside San Francisco?
The website states offices in San Francisco, Portland and Los Angeles and clients nationwide, with most work done in cloud accounting platforms and by video call.
How are bookkeeping fees usually set?
Most firms quote a monthly fee based on transaction volume, number of accounts and the reports required, with cleanup or advisory work priced separately. Ask for the scope in writing and what triggers a change in fee.
What should I have ready for a first meeting?
Access to your accounting software, recent bank and card statements, your last tax return, payroll provider details and a rough monthly transaction count. That lets the firm scope the work in one conversation.
Before you hire
- Ask who on the team will handle your account day to day.
- Get the monthly fee, scope and exclusions in writing.
- Ask how the firm coordinates with your tax preparer at year end.
- Ask whether a backlog cleanup is needed first and how it is priced.
- Confirm which accounting software and reporting cadence the firm uses.
Resumen en español
Desde un piso del 500 de Sutter Street, a una cuadra de Union Square en San Francisco, Lopez-Iwata & Associates lleva la contabilidad diaria de empresas pequeñas y medianas: registro de transacciones, conciliaciones, cuentas por pagar y cobrar, cierre mensual y asesoría para ordenar procesos financieros. Cristina López es directora ejecutiva y socia de la firma. La firma también tiene oficinas en Portland y Los Ángeles y atiende clientes en todo el país, en su mayoría a distancia mediante plataformas contables en la nube. Teléfono: 415-715-8632; sitio web lopeziwata.com.
Details marked Verified were checked on September 29, 2026 against lopeziwata.com and linkedin.com. Other details come from public business records or describe what is typical for this type of business, as marked. Not yet confirmed by the business.
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