ADVISORY & CONSULTING

Emerging Trends Are Reshaping Advisory-CAS

By

Don’t just buy technology; strategically activate it.

By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide

Advisory is changing rapidly and it is not just in what firms offer, but in how clients think, how technology fits in and how pricing evolves. This article examines the emerging shifts redefining the Advisory-CAS world, from burnout and outdated service models to the increasing demand for proactive, strategic insight. You will see what’s fading and what’s rising, and where to focus to stay ahead.

MORE by Hitendra Patil
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

Most surveys focus on direct responses, but the real value comes from analyzing what those responses reveal, especially in context. The nuances, patterns and implications hidden within the answers often provide the most strategic insights, particularly when you connect the dots across service lines, firm models, client dynamics and workforce pressure points.
READ MORE →

Jason Ackerman: Roth Mistakes That Cost Clients the Most | The Concierge CPA

By

Existing IRA balances and Form 8606 can make or break the strategy.

The Balanced Millionaire: Building a 7-Figure Firm in 4 Hours a Week.  – See Today’s Special Offer

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google/YouTube, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Player FM, Audacy, RSS.

Build a 7-Figure Firm in 4 Hours a Week!

The Concierge CPA
With Jackie Meyer

In this episode, Dr. Jackie Meyer, CPA, welcomes Jason Ackerman, CPA, CFP, CGMA, chief financial officer and co-founder of WealthRabbit, to separate practical Roth IRA guidance from the oversimplified advice circulating online.

MORE Jackie Meyer | MORE CPA Trendlines Streaming Network

Roth IRAs can provide tax-free growth and qualified withdrawals, but eligibility rules, reporting requirements, and conversion mechanics leave plenty of room for costly mistakes. Meyer and Ackerman examine direct contributions, backdoor Roth strategies, the often-misunderstood five-year rules, and the documentation advisers need to implement these strategies correctly.

A central warning: A backdoor Roth is not a product or a one-click transaction. It is a multistep process that requires advisers to examine the client’s existing IRA balances, properly report nondeductible contributions and conversions, and reconcile Form 8606 with Form 1099-R.

“Messing up the backdoor Roth is probably the one that can hurt the most,” Ackerman says.

READ MORE →

Help Clients Envision Their Future Selves

By

Businessman sitting on cloud

Ask the “best hopes” question.

By Rory Henry
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

When helping clients plan for retirement, exit their businesses or reach other major financial goals, we tend to default to the numbers. Financial projections, spending needs, drawdown rates and risk tolerance are great navigational aids, but as Lewis Carroll wrote in “Alice in Wonderland,” “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there.” However, a new approach is showing that getting in tune with our future selves is one of the best ways for clients and their advisors to plan for retirement.

MORE: How to Use Values-Based Financial Planning | Life Planning: Going Beyond the Financials | Understand Clients’ Relationship with Money | From Services to Experiences to Transformations | How Behavioral Finance Works | Priority No. 1: Your Mental and Physical Health | Trust Is the Primary Ingredient | How to Prepare Your Clients’ Kids for Their Inheritance | Quantifying the Value of an Advisor | Raise Your Rates to Change Your Clientele | How WealthTech Is Reshaping the Future of Holistic Advice | Profile of a Modern Firm: Putting the Vision into Practice | Tsunami of M&A, PE Is Disrupting the Accounting Profession | Introducing You to a Fulfilling Return on Relationships
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

As a result, we must continually adjust our goals, including retirement planning, and that comes by getting well acquainted with our “future selves,” according to UCLA Professor Hal Hershfield. He said that while it’s important for you to consider the goals for yourself when it comes to money and saving, it’s just as important to think carefully about the goals you have for your future self long after you have stopped earning an income.
READ MORE →

Why Advisory Is Broken. And What Comes Next

By

It starts with a conversation. 

By Eric Eager
10X Advisory

For years, advisory services have been positioned as the future of the CPA profession. Conferences are filled with “moving up the value chain” sessions, and firm leaders are under growing pressure to make the shift. But here’s the hard truth: most firms are still trying to deliver tomorrow’s services using yesterday’s methods.

MORE Client Accounting Services here | MORE Tech and Fintech here | MORE:  Steven Ladd: Start Advisory with Empathy | Woodard: Move Past Reports; Deliver Results | Advisory-CAS Ascending: What Research Reveals About the Future

Long discovery meetings. Manual analysis. Generic PowerPoint decks. Pricing models built on billable hours instead of business outcomes. These are the hallmarks of the old world of advisory—time-intensive, inconsistent, and hard to scale.

And they simply don’t hold up anymore. Today’s business owners are moving faster, expecting more, and looking to their advisors for real-time, relevant, and actionable guidance. But most firms are still operating with a rearview mirror—offering valuable insights that often arrive too late to act.

READ MORE →