Finney Neill & Company, P.S., a Seattle-based CPA firm founded in 1992, serves closely held businesses and their owners across the Pacific Northwest. With 17 employees split between tax and audit practices, the firm has built lasting relationships with multi-generational family businesses while maintaining a community-focused approach to growth.
Challenge
Research was a Tiresome Roadblock
Tax shareholder Zach Rupp recognized that their existing research platform was creating significant obstacles for his team.
The inefficiency wasn't just about time—it was affecting team morale and limiting the firm's ability to provide proactive client service. "Research previously felt really tiresome like it just took a lot out of us," Rupp notes.
“I just can't overstate how little we historically enjoyed using our previous research platform. Our younger, less experienced staff couldn't get to where they were trying to get with our old platform.”
Zachary Rupp, Tax Shareholder
Solution
Trialling Accordance Alongside Other Tools
In April 2025, Rupp received an email from Accordance. After connecting with the Accordance team, he decided to evaluate the platform alongside their existing research platform subscription.
The evaluation process was straightforward but telling. Rupp deployed both tools to his five-person tax team with minimal instruction: "I want you to try to utilize this tool alongside our existing solution and tell me what you think.”
The response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. “It did not take long. I got pretty quick and great feedback,” recalls Rupp. While the firm briefly considered other alternatives during due diligence, the choice was clear.
“Accordance is just better in a lot of different ways. It wasn't really a contest.”
Efficiency Impact
A Complex 10-Hour Project in 2–2 ½ Hours
The efficiency gains have been dramatic, particularly in complex advisory work. Rupp highlights a specific use case involving S-corporation election analysis: "I'm taking a 10-hour project and turning it into maybe two or two and a half."
Using Accordance's blueprint feature, the firm created a standardized process for advising sole proprietors considering S-corporation elections. The tool synthesizes financial information, tax returns, and other data to create comprehensive decision-making matrices, including localized reasonable compensation analysis for the Seattle market.
This efficiency extends to routine client communications as well. Simple questions that previously required extensive research can now be addressed in minutes.
“Accordance did a good job of localizing relevant information and then offering a specific break-even point for what kind of bottom line net income would make it worthwhile for a specific client to become an S-corp.”
Culture Impact
Shifting Focus from Compliance to Client
Beyond efficiency metrics, Accordance has fundamentally changed how the firm approaches client relationships. The tool's user-friendly interface has energized the team, replacing research drudgery with productive client interaction time.
"What I'm experiencing personally and what I'm seeing from my team is that it's actually pretty energizing," Rupp notes. "The fact that you don't have to stumble through the dark to get to an answer but have Accordance guide you along the way has given people a lot of energy and made them more excited about what they're doing because they get to focus more on the clients."
This shift has enabled the firm to become more proactive rather than reactive. "The biggest area I see AI changing the way we work is that we are less compliance focused," Rupp explains. "What we're freed up to do with the efficiencies of Accordance and tools like it is that we just get to see our clients more and we get to be the ones to reach out to them and not hear about things after the fact."
“What I'm experiencing personally and what I'm seeing from my team is that it's actually pretty energizing. You don't have to stumble through the dark to get to an answer and can focus more on the clients.”
Business Impact
Investment & Implementation
Despite Accordance representing a bigger investment than alternatives, Rupp had no hesitation about the decision. "I'm so certain that we're gonna earn that back 15x over the course of the next year because of the efficiency it's going to gain us."
The firm implemented a firm-wide license, and even their audit practice has found value in the tool. "My business partner Leslie is always saying, 'Hey, make sure you tell them that I used it for this and it did a really good job,'" Rupp reports. "We're using Accordance as our general AI tool at this point."
Staying Ahead of the Curve
For Rupp, Accordance represents more than efficiency—it's about positioning Finney Neill as an innovative firm that can compete with larger practices while maintaining its community focus.
"I've taken the mindset that I don't want to be the last one to the party. I don't want to be behind the curve and be catching up to everyone else," he explains. "We're trying to be ahead of it, and that's why the idea of frontier technology is super attractive."
The partnership with Accordance has also impressed the team with its responsive support model.
