Updated October 9, 2026. Yes. A CPA can become a financial advisor. The CPA license does not, by itself, authorize someone to give paid investment advice or sell securities.
- Investment advice for a fee. Most states require the Series 65, or a qualifying designation such as the CFP that the state accepts as a waiver, and registration as an investment adviser representative. The firm registers with the SEC or the state as an RIA.
- Commissions on securities. That path still runs through a broker-dealer and the licensing exams that firm sponsors, often the SIE plus Series 7, and a state Series 63 or 66.
- CFP. Optional, and separate from the CPA. It is a planning designation, not a license to sell stocks.
Personal advisory fees are still not a federal itemized deduction for the client in 2026. Tax work the CPA already does for a business can be a business expense. Those are different services and should be billed that way.