Our Team

Colonel (Retired) William “Bill” Simmons served in the United States Military for forty years, on active and reserve duty with the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army. Bill is an enlisted combat Vietnam Veteran. Bill’s second career was in civilian law enforcement, and he was a police officer for 17 years, with a final rank of Police Chief. Bill’s third and current career is that of a seasoned tax professional, with over thirty years of on hands tax accounting and tax preparation experience, serving in various positions over 20 years with the IRS.

Bill served for four years on active duty with the Marine Corps. He was deployed to Vietnam, where he volunteered to serve as a helicopter gunner on a CH-46 Sea Knight, with First Marine Airwing, Marine Air Group 36, Helicopter Marine Medium Squadron 165.  Upon discharge from active duty he would serve two more years in the Marine Corps Reserve.   After graduating from California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in Criminal Justice Administration and Accounting, he was awarded a commission in the United States Army Reserve and served for almost 34 years. While serving in the Marine Corps Reserve, going to college and obtaining a commission in the US Army Reserve, he spent seventeen years working in law enforcement in various positions. 

In 1986, he started a new full-time career, while still serving in the US Army Reserve, as a Tax Examiner with the Internal Revenue Services in Kansas City, MS.  It is here where he began his journey in learning about the administration of the U.S. Tax Code.  His last position with the IRS was a Financial Tax Administration Analyst, where he obtained a vast knowledge of the IRS and the tax system.

In 2004, he was called to active duty with the United States Army to support combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.  Bill received orders from the Secretary of Defense to report to active service to Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, VA as the Deputy Chief of Staff of Joint Force Headquarters. He commanded a cadre of fifty-four highly skilled officers and senior enlisted service members from all services in the fields of operations, plans, security, intelligent, Psyops, IT, and Logistics. The mission was to become a force multiplier in the standing up of a Joint Task Force in a combat theater of operations, supporting combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti by standing up Task Force Troy and Paladin in the fight against IED’s. Out of those task forces, came the up armored technology that saved thousands of service members going forward.

In 2007, he retired from the IRS, and from the military, with the rank of Colonel.  He then purchased a Liberty Tax Franchise and became the most successful franchise in his market area.  After three years he sold his tax business because he felt that the brick and mortar tax practices fail to provide the individual services that are needed to meet each client’s needs.  In 2010, Bill formed Sage Systems, LLC an Accounting and Tax Preparation Service to assist individuals and small business with their accounting and tax preparation needs.

Today, Bill lives in Ankeny, IA with his lovely wife of 52 years Sue Sage Simmons and their dog Mitzi. He has two daughters, 7 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. Jesse’s father and Sue are first cousins. When Sue and Bill moved to Ankeny in 2019, Bill reached out to Jesse, and they instantly established a connection. When Bill heard Jesse was starting a Veterans’ non-profit, he graciously offered his tax services to the organization.