HRB

H&R Block, Inc.

A maker of tax preparation services, H&R Block helps everyday people file their returns through neighborhood offices, online software, and small-business services like Block Advisors and Wave. Brothers Henry and Richard Bloch started it in Kansas City in 1955 after the IRS stopped offering free tax help locally, so they ran a newspaper ad and were swamped. They spelled the name "Block" with a K so customers wouldn't mispronounce the family name "Bloch" as "blotch."