I’m seeing several brokers and sellers limiting discussions to licensed CPAs with public accounting experience. I understand the desire to protect client relationships, but I’m trying to determine whether I’m missing something structurally. My background is nontraditional: BS in Finance, MS in Accountancy, nearly a decade in accounting and FP&A, and currently pursuing my EA. My plan would be to retain staff, utilize licensed professionals where needed, and focus on long-term ownership rather than financial engineering. For those who have acquired firms without being CPAs: 1. How common is the “CPA-only” requirement? 2. Is this primarily driven by brokers or sellers? 3. Has obtaining an EA been helpful? 4. Are the primary concerns client retention and transition risk? 5. Have you found certain types of firms or sellers to be more flexible? 6. For those who have acquired a firm, do you think being a CPA would have materially improved your ability to operate the business? Trying to understand whether this is simply part of the market or whether there are structural considerations I’m overlooking, particularly for bookkeeping and tax-focused practices. I can understand why a CPA may be essential for firms performing attest or audit work, but I’m curious how others think about this in the context of non-attest services. All perspectives are greatly appreciated.