5.0 out of 5 based on 41 reviews
Accounting Advisory Services
Turn your financial data into better business decisions with proactive guidance on profitability, cash flow, and growth.
QuarterlyStrategy sessions
BenchmarkedAgainst industry peers
CPAReviewed
★★★★★“Since adding Alex with Stronghold Accounting for our bookkeeping, it has truly been a Godsend for our business. Alex cleaned up a difficult QuickBooks transition and became a game changer for our month-to-month bookkeeping.”Patty LeslieTampa
★★★★★“I like that you're helping me strategize, not just giving me numbers. There were still blind spots that you've been able to uncover for me. I didn't think that was possible.”JoelService-business owner
★★★★★“Alex and his team helped bring the books current and continue to provide monthly support while helping plan for growth.”Dr. MaloneLake Mary
★★★★★“Alex is sharp, detail-oriented, and genuinely passionate about his work. He explains the numbers clearly and helps business owners gain more control over their finances.”Baxter McCoyOrlando
★★★★★“Since adding Alex with Stronghold Accounting for our bookkeeping, it has truly been a Godsend for our business. Alex cleaned up a difficult QuickBooks transition and became a game changer for our month-to-month bookkeeping.”Patty LeslieTampa
★★★★★“I like that you're helping me strategize, not just giving me numbers. There were still blind spots that you've been able to uncover for me. I didn't think that was possible.”JoelService-business owner
★★★★★“Alex and his team helped bring the books current and continue to provide monthly support while helping plan for growth.”Dr. MaloneLake Mary
★★★★★“Alex is sharp, detail-oriented, and genuinely passionate about his work. He explains the numbers clearly and helps business owners gain more control over their finances.”Baxter McCoyOrlando
★★★★★“Since adding Alex with Stronghold Accounting for our bookkeeping, it has truly been a Godsend for our business. Alex cleaned up a difficult QuickBooks transition and became a game changer for our month-to-month bookkeeping.”Patty LeslieTampa
★★★★★“I like that you're helping me strategize, not just giving me numbers. There were still blind spots that you've been able to uncover for me. I didn't think that was possible.”JoelService-business owner
★★★★★“Alex and his team helped bring the books current and continue to provide monthly support while helping plan for growth.”Dr. MaloneLake Mary
★★★★★“Alex is sharp, detail-oriented, and genuinely passionate about his work. He explains the numbers clearly and helps business owners gain more control over their finances.”Baxter McCoyOrlando
What accounting advisory services are
Accounting advisory services turn a finished set of books into a decision. Where bookkeeping records what happened and reporting presents it, advisory answers the question underneath: whether the margin supports a hire, whether the pricing holds, whether the business can carry the loan.
When owners ask for this
You are about to hire and want to know whether the business can actually carry the salary.
You have never been told what your operating costs should be, only what they are.
A landlord, a lender or a buyer wants numbers you have never had to produce.
You take money out of the business by feel rather than by plan.
Revenue is up and profit is not, and nobody has explained why.
You are pricing a new service and guessing at the margin.
That last one comes up more than any other. As one client put it, nobody had ever given them a target for what their operating cost should be.
What we advise on
Margin analysisProfit margin analysis and benchmarking against industry peers, at gross, product and net level
Labor efficiencyLabor efficiency, measured as the return on every dollar of payroll
Owner’s payOwner’s pay guidance, including the S-corp salary question
Profit and cashIdentify profit leaks, improve cash flow, and make sure stronger revenue actually turns into stronger financial results
Growth strategyOrganic growth strategy, where the constraint is financial rather than commercial
Tax minimisationTax minimisation strategy, coordinated with tax planning
Advisory is delivered as executive strategy sessions built on your monthly numbers, not as a report you receive and file.
The benchmark question is usually the useful one. Owners generally know their own numbers. What they lack is a comparison. Knowing that labor is 34% of revenue means very little until you know that comparable businesses run at 28%, and that the gap is roughly the profit that is missing.
Accounting advisory services differ from consulting in one respect that matters: the numbers underneath are ours. We are not interpreting a file someone else produced and hoping it is right.
How it works
The books have to be right firstAdvisory on inaccurate books produces confident wrong answers. If the file needs work, cleanup comes first.
BaselineWe benchmark your margins and cost structure against comparable businesses.
Strategy sessionsStrategy sessions are quarterly in CPASystem™ and monthly in CPASystem™ Plus, with agreed actions tracked against subsequent results.
Follow-throughAgreed actions tracked against the following months’ numbers.
What it costs
Included in CPASystem™Strategic Tax & Profit Advisory is included in CPASystem™ and CPASystem™ Plus. Essentials does not include advisory.
See pricing →Why Stronghold
We already have your numbers. An outside advisor spends the first month getting oriented. We closed the books being discussed.Benchmarked, not guessed. Margin advice without a peer comparison is opinion.We will tell you when the answer is do nothing. Not every quarter contains a decision. An advisor paid to produce recommendations will produce them regardless, and acting on advice that was generated to justify a fee is worse than acting on none.
Proof
Stronghold's tax-planning work is designed to identify opportunities that can range from $10,000 to $100,000, depending on the business and its circumstances.Results vary, and every recommendation is based on the client's actual books and tax position.
Alex M. Riccio, CPAFounder & CEO
Ready for more clarity? Talk with Alex about your profit, taxes, and next financial move.
Talk to Alex →Related services
Services you'll need with accounting advisory
Common questions
Advisory questions
What is the difference between advisory and bookkeeping?
Bookkeeping produces the numbers. Advisory works out what to do about them. Most firms sell the first and imply the second.
Do we have to use your bookkeeping to get advisory?
Yes. Advisory is included in CPASystem™ and CPASystem™ Plus because it is built on books Stronghold maintains and closes.
Is this the same as having a part-time finance director?
No. This is project and session-based advice on your numbers. If you need someone to own the close and the reporting cycle on an ongoing basis, that is controller services.
Can you tell me what salary to take as an S-corp owner?
Yes, and it is one of the more consequential numbers in an S-corp. It is handled as part of advisory and coordinated with tax planning.
Do you benchmark against my industry specifically?
Yes. Peer benchmarking is part of the margin work.
Do you prepare tax returns?
Stronghold handles proactive tax planning and works with an integrated tax-preparation partner for filing. We coordinate the year-end handoff so the books, planning, and return preparation stay connected.