ten predictions: pe, alternate practice structures and more

every year, the 2025 rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country: how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? trends? predictions? other thoughts? also, how would you assess the last 12 months? trends? observations? struggles?

valuations have changed … and risen.

by phil whitman
the rosenberg survey

while many trends will continue, here are my top 10 predictions:

  1. traditional m&a activity, cpa firm to cpa firm, will continue to be very robust.

not all cpa firms will qualify for investment by private equity and other strategic investors. as such, firms will combine for a variety of reasons including: succession and transitions, increasing profitability and gross revenues, expansion of service offerings, expansion of geographic coverage as well as adding additional depth and breadth in existing service lines.

more: the 2025 rosenberg map survey is available from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 here.

  1. valuations of cpa firms will increase as private equity creates bidding wars between each other. we have already seen demand of cpa firms of certain sizes exceeding supply. as such, we believe that even the larger private equity-backed firms will see acquisitions of smaller firms as not only lucrative additions but significantly more supply. approximately 10,000 +\- firms with two or more partners that are members of the aicpa. many of these smaller firms are very profitable and have been seeing multiples of two to three times gross revenues.

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the cpa pe playbook: private equity 2026 outlook & strategy guide

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the definitive guide to private equity’s transformation of the cpa profession

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by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the accounting profession is changing faster than at any time in its modern history—and private equity is driving the shift. more than $30 billion in new capital has entered cpa firms since 2020, igniting a powerful wave of consolidation, modernization, and strategic reinvention. firms that once relied on incremental growth and traditional partnership structures are now operating as high-performance platforms built for scale, technology adoption, and national reach.

the cpa pe playbook is the most comprehensive analysis available today on this historic transformation.

if you want to know where the profession is heading, how pe-backed firms are competing, and what it will take to thrive in the next decade, this is the report you need.


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grassi: how the hell did this happen? | gear up for growth

here’s what it takes to grow a cpa firm from zero to the top 100—without losing your soul.

this is a preview. the complete episode is first available exclusively to pro members | go pro here
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build a 7-figure firm in just 4 hours a week!
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gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

when lou grassi started his firm at age 24, he couldn’t afford to pay himself. there was no client base, no safety net, and no guarantee it would work.

more than four decades later, grassi is the 56th largest accounting firm in the u.s., with $146.5 million in revenue, seven offices, 58 partners, and more than 560 employees. and yet, as grassi tells host jean caragher on gear up for growth, the most important lessons from that journey have very little to do with size.

they have everything to do with intention.

more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more gear up for growth

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in this conversation, grassi reflects on what it takes to build a firm that grows sustainably, treats people like owners, and stays independent in a profession reshaped by private equity, talent shortages, and rapid change.

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2026 outlook: why small firms, pe giants, and the middle are headed in different directions

a profession splitting in three.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the u.s. accounting profession is no longer moving along a single growth continuum. it is splitting into three distinct economic paths—each governed by a different logic, facing different challenges, and offering different prospects. in 2026, these paths are likely to diverge further.

more outlook & analysis

at one end, solo and micro-firm accountants are increasingly choosing independence and control over scale. at the other end, large firms backed by private equity are consolidating aggressively in areas where profits are already concentrated. between them sits the traditional mid-size firm, caught between two models that are pulling the profession apart.

for many mid-size firms, 2026 will force a choice: grow larger and enter the consolidation race? or deliberately shrink, specialize, and adopt a more solo-like economic model?

for smaller practices, it means they will find a supportive environment, provided they specialize and price their services intelligently. large firms will accelerate consolidation and extract scale-driven returns. and mid-size firms will face increasing pressure to choose a direction. read more →

whitman: new firm deals: flexibility, culture, and the rise of “31 flavors” | holistic guide to wealth management

firms that prioritize, listen, and align position themselves for better long-term outcomes.  

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by rory henry cfp®, bfa™
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

phil whitman, president and ceo of whitman advisory, works with hundreds of cpa firms and more than 230 strategic investors across private equity, family offices, wealth management aggregators, and publicly traded consolidators. he sees a profession undergoing unprecedented transformation, and whitman has a front-row seat.

in this episode of holistic guide to wealth management, whitman shares his observations with me from his unique vantage point.  

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whitman points to 2021 as the inflection point for the profession’s transition. that’s when eisneramper became the first major cpa firm to accept private equity (pe) investment, followed shortly by citrin and cherry bekaert. those deals opened the gates for capital providers and ignited a wave of consolidation across firms of all sizes. the profession hasn’t looked back since. 

transaction activity has since accelerated, creating unprecedented competition for deals and pushing accounting firm valuations into territory the profession has never seen before.

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