Case Study
From Compliance to High-Value Advisory: How EA Daniel Guarin Transformed His Firm with TaxPlanIQ
From Traditional Tax Practice to Strategic Advisory
Daniel Guarin, EA, CTC, MST, launched his firm Full Compliance LLC in 2006 as a traditional tax and accounting firm. “We did everything—compliance, payroll, bookkeeping, business returns, sales tax,” he said. Like many small firm owners, his tax planning efforts started out “shallow.” But the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, specifically the introduction of the QBI deduction, sparked a deeper interest.
By 2019, Guarin had split his business into two: Full Compliance for traditional tax services, and Proactive Tax Advisors—focused exclusively on delivering customized, high-impact tax planning for high-net-worth individuals. “We typically work with people above a 30% tax rate,” he noted.
Choosing the Michelin Model: High-Touch, High-Value Service
Daniel Guarin made a deliberate choice about the kind of tax planning practice he wanted to build. “There’s the McDonald’s model, and there’s the Michelin model,” he said. “I don’t want to be the McDonald’s model.”
For Daniel, that means delivering boutique, high-impact advisory services to a select group of clients—not racing to volume with low-fee plans. It’s a hands-on approach grounded in deep analysis, personalized strategy design, and premium pricing that reflects the value he delivers.
TaxPlanIQ helps him support that model. By combining strategy guidance, customizable plan outputs, and educational tools, the software enables Daniel to deliver tax plans that justify $30,000–$70,000 fees—without needing a massive team.
“I’d rather work with fewer clients and deliver truly premium value,” he said. “That’s the type of practice I want to run, and TaxPlanIQ helps make it possible.”
Why Daniel Chose TaxPlanIQ
Daniel had explored TaxPlanIQ before eventually becoming a subscriber. At the time, he was already experienced in tax planning and had built detailed internal processes using spreadsheets and custom templates. But as his firm grew and the complexity of his plans increased, the need for a centralized, strategy-focused platform became clearer.
What drew him in was the structure and clarity TaxPlanIQ offered. “All the little tabs on each strategy, the explanations, the real-world scenarios—it’s a solid knowledge base,” he said.
Rather than replacing his expertise, the software supports and extends it. He uses it to stay current on strategies, build out options for clients, and reinforce the ROI of his plans. “I've gone through all the strategies—maybe 90 to 95% of them I now understand in detail.”
It’s a tool that fits within his advisory model: professional, customizable, and built for client-facing work.
95% YoY Firm Revenue Growth and Hundreds of Thousands in Tax Savings for Clients
The results speak for themselves.
95%
Daniel’s firm grew by 95% last year—driven primarily by advisory services and premium-priced tax plans. “We’re not cheap. I sent a proposal this week for $36,000, and I’ve got one that might be $70,000. These clients are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
$350k
One high-net-worth client walked away with $350,000 in savings. “It completely changes the dynamic. You go from being the bearer of bad news—‘you owe $400K’—to ‘you saved $350K.’ Clients love that.”
Trust
Clients appreciate the transparency too. He presents multiple strategies with options, clearly discloses any commission-based components, and leaves decision-making in their hands. “They see the value and feel in control. It builds trust.”
Advice for Other EAs and Accountants
As an EA, Daniel is proof that you don’t need a CPA license to offer advanced tax planning. “With an EA license, you can do anything related to tax. You just need to understand the code and be confident in your knowledge.”
His advice to newcomers? “Put in the time. Master the strategies. Use the tax planning software to expose yourself to more ideas. Then keep learning—from CPE, peer meetings, anything. The more obsessed you get with tax planning, the better you’ll be.”
He emphasizes how useful the ongoing education built into TaxPlanIQ has been for him: “Even if I’ve attended a Growth plan session three times, I’ll let it play in the background. You always pick up something useful.”

A Scalable Way to Deliver Value—Fast
TaxPlanIQ has become a vital tool in Daniel’s growing firm. It helps him deliver highly customized, high-value tax plans that generate real savings for clients—and do it efficiently.
“Sometimes you just need someone to bounce an idea off of, and having that 1:1 support through the Growth plan is invaluable,” he said.
For other tax professionals looking to break into advisory or scale their planning services, Daniel’s path offers a clear takeaway: With the right tax planning software, EAs and accountants alike can stop being compliance-driven, and start delivering premium advisory services that transform client outcomes—and their own bottom lines.
TaxPlanIQ helps accountants create high-value tax plans in just minutes—complete with pre-built strategies, IRS references, and easy-to-implement action steps. Sign up for a complimentary demo and see how you can turn tax planning into a scalable, profitable service for your firm.

