You don't know what you don't know.

"You don't know, what you don't know." How can people protect themselves better from what we don't know?  How do we start to "trust" the people who say that they "know?"  How do we learn what we don't know?  For example, a tax return.  I was recently talking to a person who was promoting/selling the services of a local C.PA.  He eluded to the fact that a tax return can have many shades of gray and it all is dependent on the preparer.  In other words, the same information can be submitted to 10 tax preparers and you may come out with 10 different tax returns.  For me, this wasn't a good sales pitch for that tax particular accountant.  I would prefer to hear that the accountant's services would enable me and/or my business to have the most accurate return possible.  In addition, this tax accountant, although touted to be one of the most knowledgable in the area, also had higher rates. Needless to say, the salesperson didn't leave a good impression of his skills either. 15 minutes of my life, I can't get back!