Trust Has Moved to AI: How Advisory-First Firms Win in the New Accounting Era

Trust has officially moved to AI — and most accounting and tax professionals don’t realize how drastically the landscape just changed.

In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the impact of Intuit’s new $100M partnership with OpenAI and what it means for the future of the profession. Clients are no longer starting with Google or referrals. They’re starting with AI — and they trust the answer.

We cover:

Why the compliance-first model is getting compressed
How AI has become the new referral source
Why advisory is not just for high-net-worth clients
The human moat: what AI can’t replace
The Four Pillars of Trust in the AI era
How narrative, positioning, and visibility determine who AI recommends

This is not the end of the profession — it’s the end of the old profession. Advisory-first firms will become the obvious choice. Here’s how to thrive.

Transcript

We know that everyone digests information differently. That’s why we’re now sharing the full transcript of each episode of The Growth Minded Accountant right here on the CountingWorks PRO blog. Whether you’re short on time, like to scan and highlight, or simply prefer reading over listening, you can catch up on every conversation at your own pace.

Each week, we cover topics that matter most to tax and accounting professionals—from AI and automation to marketing strategies, firm growth, and client relationships. Scroll down to read the full episode, or subscribe to the podcast to listen on the go.