Firm Growth Forum 2026: How CPA Firms Can Build a More Efficient, Profitable Practice

CPA firms are facing a clear shift. Clients expect more than accurate compliance work; they want timely insights, stronger guidance, and support that helps them make better business decisions.

That is why AI, automation, advisory services, workflow efficiency, and revenue growth are now central priorities for firms looking to stay competitive, profitable, and future-ready.

Ahead of Firm Growth Forum 2026, hosted by Accounting Today on May 19–20, 2026, we reached out to Seth Fineberg, Founder of Accountants Forward, for his perspective on where CPA firms stand today and what they need to rethink to build a more efficient, profitable, and future-ready practice.

1. Firm Growth Forum 2026 covers AI, automation, advisory, services, and overall revenue. Why are these topics important for CPA firms right now?

Whether you’ve noticed it or not, the accounting profession as a whole is at yet another point of inflection, with business/client expectations converging with technological change — in this case, AI and automation platforms. Accounting has long been about “the work,” and these days, clients want outcomes.

They’re willing to pay for the value of your guidance and the quality of your work, but overall, how it impacts their business as well. The firms that are able to meet those demands, all while running an efficient and profitable business of their own, will last. It is no longer about a transactional relationship, so thinking more about your business as a business is going to keep accountants relevant for years to come.

2. Where do CPA firms struggle more today: picking the right tools or making all their tools work together?

If I’m being honest, it’s in understanding what makes the most sense for how they want to work, as well as when they make those decisions, and what integration or even replacement looks like.

No one is motivated to completely change from the platforms they’ve become accustomed to, some that even work “just fine” for their direction.

It’s a process, and yes, choices are more challenging than ever, but the picture becomes clearer once you understand where you want your firm to be, and the purpose of changing has to come first.

3. Before using AI in tax prep or daily work, what should firms keep in mind?

First and foremost, what are you really using it for? What’s going into the platform? Security is a high concern right now, and firms do need to be mindful of what “should” and “should not” be entered. Outside of that, it’s really about what you need it to do.

AI does not inherently know basic steps and formats; you do need to be very specific with what you either build or tell it to do, at least initially.

4. Many firms want to offer more advisory services. How can they start doing this in a simple and scalable way?

If this is you, the first thing you really need to do is pick the clients you know would benefit most. Schedule conversations with them and go from there. You have their financials; in many cases, I’m certain you’ve worked with them for years. You know what their business goals are, so start talking to them and come up with a plan together. That’s at the core of all advisory work: a very pointed conversation.

The work naturally scales from there, and you will discover tools and methodologies from your colleagues along the way. Definitely do not be afraid to engage with your community; this is why they’re there. They may be further along in the journey than you are, with pricing, services, technology…all of it.

5. Why would you recommend CPA firm leaders and accounting professionals join Firm Growth Forum 2026?

Growth means different things to different firms. This event considers all of those things in its agenda, its speakers, and who attends. It’s on a comparatively intimate scale, with fewer than 500 attendees, and as such, it gives attendees a chance to interact with everyone at the event: vendors, attendees, and speakers alike.

Its sessions are also tailor-made to get the most out of each topic: panel discussions, workshops, roundtables, and live case studies, all of which will have takeaways galore. It’s not just speakers talking at you and saying what you already know.

The event organizers are very mindful of the frustrations attendees have with some live events and respect everyone’s time and resources when coming to a national event of this nature, so it’s built to make the most of that time.

6. What was your biggest takeaway from the event?

Given the focus of the event, which is centered around firms looking to grow in various ways, one of the central takeaways was the various ways AI is making things work (and not work). More importantly, everyone was clearly at different levels, both from a productivity and research point with AI, but the majority of attendees were both curious and concerned while actively using AI in a variety of ways.

They want to know from their colleagues what was safe, what’s not, what they were able to accomplish, and what new uses anyone may have had. It was a true buzz, and folks are ready to start seeing returns on those investments of time and effort.

7. What were firm leaders talking about the most at the event?

In addition to the variety of AI-related conversations, investment in general came up a lot. Certainly, in technology, but also in training, in people, and in service areas like wealth management or other niches. And of course, there was the topic of taking additional rounds of private equity, since many already had, while those that are staunchly independent continue to look for ways to remain that way and still grow.

8. What is one idea from the event that firms can apply right away?

One of the biggest ideas is in ways to truly define what accounting work really is going forward. People want better ways of working while seeing their firms grow, so putting AI to work where there are inefficiencies or, simply, just “sandboxing” and seeing what works in a secure environment in any particular process or function.

9. Who was the most interesting person you met at the event, and what made that conversation stand out?

It is hard for me to single out any one person, but I did like meeting a few entrepreneurs who came to the event with the sole purpose of learning, not directly marketing their platforms. It’s always great to have attendees who are from technology companies that aren’t directly on display and are genuinely interested in learning, as well as sharing their own knowledge.

Growth Looks Different for Every CPA Firm

Firm Growth Forum 2026 comes at the right time for accounting professionals who are thinking seriously about the future of their firms. As Seth Fineberg highlights, firm growth is not one-size-fits-all. For some firms, it may mean better workflows and stronger profitability. For others, it may mean advisory expansion, smarter technology decisions, or more meaningful client relationships.

The right technology foundation matters too. At Ace Cloud Hosting, we help accounting firms work smarter with secure cloud hosting for Intuit QuickBooks, fully managed virtual desktops, managed IT services, and AI-powered cybersecurity. These solutions help teams stay connected, protect client data, and deliver a more consistent service experience.