Tax season is here, and so is the noise. Social media influencers are posting “verified” tax tips. AI tools are generating financial guidance with confidence and no accountability. And for the average consumer, it’s increasingly hard to know who to trust. 

The answer hasn’t changed in 125 years: trust a CPA.  

This February, the California Legislature passed a resolution by Sen. Roger Niello recognizing “125 Years of Trust and Public Protection,” honoring California’s certified public accountants and the lasting contributions they’ve made to consumers, businesses and the broader economy since the passage of the Accountancy Act in 1901. It’s a milestone worth pausing on. Not just to celebrate history, but to underscore why it matters right now. 

Over the past 125 years, tens of thousands of Californians have upheld the rigorous standards that define the CPA license. Today, over 67,000 CPAs are actively practicing across the state — trained, tested and bound by ethical obligations that no algorithm or influencer can replicate. They are advisors who synthesize complex information and provide insights on the most consequential financial decisions people and businesses face. 

And those insights extend far beyond tax day. Whether navigating a major life decision or managing business growth and uncertainty, CPAs are trusted partners year-round — helping families plan for the moments that matter most and helping businesses know when to expand, restructure or push forward. When the stakes are highest, CPAs translate complexity into clarity, making sense of what comes next so individuals, businesses and communities can move forward with confidence. 

Yet the average consumer scrolling through their feed may not know the difference between a CPA and a social media personality offering tax tips between brand deals. That blurring of expertise isn’t just confusing, it’s dangerous. Poor financial decisions rooted in bad advice have real consequences: missed deductions, compliance failures and financial harm that can take years to undo. 

What makes 125 years of relevance possible isn’t tradition alone, it’s a profession that has continuously earned the public’s trust, and a Legislature that recognizes it. When California passed Assembly Bill 1175 last year, modernizing the pathway to CPA licensure, it was more than a policy update — it was a legislative acknowledgment that CPAs are the recognized, trusted voice in the marketplace. By expanding access and strengthening the pipeline, lawmakers reaffirmed their confidence in the profession as an essential pillar of consumer protection and economic stability and their commitment to ensuring it remains strong for the next 125 years.  

That combination — rigorous standards and a commitment to staying relevant — is exactly what consumers need from a trusted advisor. No AI tool carries ethical obligations. No influencer is subject to oversight by the California Board of Accountancy. No viral tax tip comes with the accountability that a CPA brings to every client relationship. 

Yes, I’ll own my bias. As CalCPA’s president and CEO, I am an unabashed champion of this profession. But this isn’t about professional pride, it’s about sound guidance backed by trusted, accountable voices. In a marketplace crowded with noise, the bar for who deserves your trust should be high. CPAs have been clearing that bar for 125 years.  

This tax season, before you take financial advice from your feed, ask yourself who’s behind it and what they’re accountable for. The CPA profession has spent 125 years earning your trust. That’s not something an algorithm can replicate.  

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Denise LeDuc Froemming is president and CEO of CalCPA, the largest state CPA society in the U.S., representing public accountants and related professionals in California.