Advisory becomes a growth engine for U.S. firms
Clients want more than accurate tax filings — they want planning and foresight, while accounting firms are expanding into service areas that leverage their expertise in more strategic ways. Advisory services now span:
- Succession planning: As baby boomers retire, businesses face leadership transitions. Advisors help clients navigate ownership transfers, leadership development, and continuity strategies.
- Wealth transfer: With trillions of dollars expected to change hands over the next two decades, firms are guiding families through estate planning, trust structures, and philanthropic strategies.
- Strategic tax guidance: More than just return prep, tax advisors now offer proactive planning to optimize tax positions, manage risk, and align with long-term financial goals.
These services require deep client relationships, a nuanced understanding of financial goals, and the ability to synthesize complex information into actionable strategies.
5 strategies high-growth firms use to scale advisory
The firms pulling ahead aren’t just adding advisory services. They’re building repeatable processes, leveraging technology, and aligning pricing and talent strategies to deliver consistent, high-value outcomes. Here’s what sets them apart:
- Operationalize advisory, don’t “bolt it on." Define packaged offerings, tie each to clear outcomes, and map the workflow. Firms that standardize and package advisory services create repeatability, pricing power, and capacity planning.
- Mine the data you already have. Start with your client base: industry, entity type, location, revenue bands, payroll size, and multi‑state footprint. Use that to trigger advisory prompts. Almost 90% of U.S. tax and accounting firms analyze client data to personalize recommendations and proactively surface opportunities; use that momentum to standardize your prompts and cadences.
- Put AI to work where it’s safest and most valuable. U.S. firms most commonly use AI for research, productivity, and document summarization. Those low‑risk, high‑leverage entry points compress cycle time without compromising judgment. Pair each use case with “human‑in‑the‑loop” review and clear policies.
- Reprice for outcomes, not hours. Clients buy clarity and confidence, not time spent. Align pricing with the value of the decision you’re enabling; quarterly advisory retainers with defined deliverables outperform ad‑hoc, after‑the‑fact consults.
- Enable your team for the consultative moment. Technical proficiency remains essential, but firms increasingly focus on communication, facilitation, and storytelling.
The role of research in modern advisory
Advisory conversations are only as strong as their footing in authoritative guidance. That’s why firms rank research among AI’s most valuable use cases in this year’s Report; it compresses the path from query to cited answer. Tools like
CCH®AnswerConnect combine trusted editorial analysis with AI-powered features like document summarization and smart tool directories, empowering professionals to shift from reactive compliance to proactive advisory with confidence and clarity.
