Tesla just did something that would make most legacy companies panic: they announced they’ll end production of their Model S and Model X vehicles in Q2 2026 and repurpose their Fremont, California, factory toward what they believe is their next era, Optimus humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles.
That’s not a “product refresh.” That’s a decision to walk away from what’s familiar before the market forces their hand.
And if you work in accounting or you have a CPA, you should be paying attention.
The Model S and Model X were icons. They helped build the brand. They were “safe.” They were known.
But Tesla is essentially saying: We’re not optimizing for the past. We’re reallocating for the future.
That is the difference between:
Companies that survive change (or don't), and
Companies that lead it.
Most CPA firms are going to keep building Model S’s.
Same compliance workflow. Same once-a-year tax prep scramble. Same reactive planning (or none at all). Same deliverable: a return, a set of financials, a bill.
Meanwhile, the world moved on.
Today’s clients don’t want a historian. They want a guide.
They want someone who can answer:
What should I do now to reduce taxes next year?
How does this business decision affect my personal financial plan?
What’s the smartest way to pay myself?
How do I turn profit into long-term wealth?
And they want that before the deadline, not after.
When a firm waits until change becomes necessary, they don’t pivot; they scramble.
They buy a tool. Hire a consultant. Add a service line. Update the website. Start saying “advisory.”
But you can’t bolt the future onto a model built for the past.
By the time a traditional firm realizes the market has shifted, the forward-looking firms are already:
attracting better-fit clients,
delivering higher-value outcomes,
building deeper relationships, and
scaling more efficiently.
At that point, the late adopters aren’t competing. They’re chasing.
And chasing is exhausting.
At Cunningham & Associates, our focus is simple: integrated tax planning + personal and business financial planning.
Not “tax prep and maybe a planning meeting someday.”
Real planning. Connected planning. Ongoing planning.
Because your taxes don’t exist in a vacuum, neither does your business. Neither does your life.
When these strategies are integrated, clients get something far more valuable than a filed return:
better decisions,
fewer surprises,
clearer tradeoffs,
and a plan that actually moves them forward.
That’s the compounding advantage.
If you’re evaluating a CPA or financial firm, ask this:
Do they proactively plan, or do they only report history?
Can they connect business decisions to personal outcomes?
Do they bring ideas year-round, or only when you ask?
Are they building systems for the future, or defending the old model?
Because the firms that win in the next decade won’t be the ones who “do taxes.”
They’ll be the ones who help clients build wealth with intention, using tax strategy as a tool, not an annual event.
Tesla didn’t wait until Model S and Model X became impossible to justify.
They moved while they still had the option to move cleanly.
That’s what smart companies do.
And it’s what smart business owners do too.
If you want a firm that’s preparing you for what’s next, rather than explaining what already happened, you know what to seek out.
The future doesn’t reward nostalgia.
It rewards alignment.