Why Aren’t More CPAs Providing Advisory Services?

The tax and accounting industry is at a critical inflection point. As tax laws continue to shift, client expectations evolve, and technology accelerates, many business owners are left wondering: Why isn't my CPA helping me with proactive advisory services like tax planning, business strategy, or legacy planning?

The answer isn’t simple. Most CPAs want to provide higher-value advisory services, but they’re stuck in a system that makes it nearly impossible.

Drowning in Compliance

Accounting firms are in constant reaction mode. Ever-changing tax laws, compressed deadlines, and the seasonal intensity of compliance work leave little time or mental bandwidth for forward-thinking strategy. Add to that the chronic procrastination of business owners who delay submitting documents until the eleventh hour, and CPAs are left scrambling—not consulting.

The Employee Bottleneck

Staffing shortages, turnover, and burnout plague many firms. Recruiting and retaining skilled accountants—especially those open to learning advisory and planning services—is harder than ever. Even with a motivated team, training and aligning them with an advisory model is a major operational lift.

Archaic Systems, Outdated Processes

Far too many firms are running on outdated software and manual workflows. Implementing new technology takes time, energy, and a mindset shift. Most CPAs know their systems need an overhaul—but they don’t have the breathing room to pause and upgrade. This results in inefficient processes that kill advisory capacity before it even begins.

The AICPA has acknowledged this challenge, noting that “leveraging technologies like robotic process automation (RPA) can free up CPAs from manual tasks, allowing them to focus more on analysis and insights, thereby bringing greater value to clients.” The opportunity exists—but many firms are stuck in the weeds of day-to-day operations and can't lift their head long enough to implement it.

Too Many Clients, Not Enough Clarity

Many accounting firms operate with bloated client rosters. They’ve been conditioned to focus on volume instead of value. But more clients mean more chaos—and less time to deeply understand each client’s full picture. Without a holistic view that goes beyond the P&L and balance sheet, advisory simply can’t happen.

As we shared in our Collective Insights article on Financial Accounting & Advisory Services, true advisory begins when you uncover all the stones. This means integrating tax, risk, estate, financial, and business planning into a single, aligned conversation. That’s not possible if a CPA is only looking through a compliance lens.

The Broken Referral Model

Clients are already turning to their CPAs with questions about advanced tax strategies, wealth management, asset protection, and business scaling. But CPAs hesitate to make referrals because of one key issue: control.

They fear sending clients to outside advisors without knowing if those professionals will:

• Deliver the right quality of service
• Keep the CPA in the loop
• Make decisions that align with the overall strategy

In most cases, they simply don’t have the time or infrastructure to manage and monitor multiple relationships to ensure a truly integrated outcome.

As discussed in this video, the modern client doesn’t want a “referral”—they want a solution. They’re looking for a team of experts who already work together and speak the same language.

The Path Forward: Collaborative Advisory Models

The answer isn’t to overhaul your entire firm overnight. The answer is collaboration.

Forward-thinking firms are exploring models like the Virtual Family Office (VFO) approach, where CPAs retain the relationship and oversight, while plugging into a vetted network of specialists who deliver advanced planning under one roof. This allows CPAs to elevate their role to Chief Advisor, without needing to be the expert in everything.

When done right, this model solves for:

• Time constraints
• Quality control
• Referral hesitation
• Gaps in client outcomes

More importantly, it gives clients what they’re really asking for: a proactive, integrated, and future-focused advisory team.

 
Final Thoughts:

CPAs are some of the most trusted professionals in their clients’ lives—but trust alone isn’t enough in today’s environment. If firms don’t evolve beyond compliance and embrace advisory collaboration, they risk becoming obsolete to the very clients they’re trying to serve.

As the AICPA encourages, now is the time to lean into technology, advisory thinking, and strategic partnerships. It’s time to turn the tide—one conversation, one collaboration, one transformation at a time.