Windes & McClaughry

What Windes & McClaughry does

Windes (legal name Windes, Inc.), founded in 1926 as Windes & McClaughry, is a privately held CPA and advisory firm headquartered in Long Beach, California, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Orange County/Irvine, Dayton, Ohio, and a Philippines back office supporting delivery. The firm is led by Managing Partner Sean K. McFerson, CPA, MBT, and operates under a partner-led advisory model with 22+ named partners and additional practice leaders and directors spanning tax, audit, advisory, and technology disciplines. It employs between 101 and 250 people and earns its standing through inclusion in the INSIDE Public Accounting Top 100 firms and multiple 2025 workplace and industry awards.

Windes generates revenue through professional services delivered across four core lines: Audit & Assurance (financial statement audits, reviews, compilations, employee benefit plan audits, nonprofit compliance audits, and special reports), Tax (business entity, individual, nonprofit, international, state and local, tax credits, cost segregation, succession, and estate and trust), Advisory (technology and risk including cybersecurity and IT governance, client advisory services including outsourced accounting and fractional CFO/controller, transaction advisory, and specialized ASC 740/842/ASU 2025-06 work), and Industry Expertise covering 12+ verticals. Client-facing technology is limited to a ClientAxcess-based client portal for secure file transfer and online payments, plus advisory and consulting around third-party platforms including Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, Jirav, and TaxCaddy; Windes does not publish an API, SDK, or proprietary software product. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

The firm's go-to-market is direct and relationship-driven, supported by a content-heavy Insights blog, email newsletters, social media presence, webinars, and earned media. Customers are predominantly privately held businesses, nonprofit organizations, and high-net-worth individuals across California, Ohio, and selected U.S. verticals including automotive, construction, energy, hospitality, manufacturing, medical practices, professional services, real estate, retail, technology, transportation/trade/maritime, and wholesale/distribution. Ownership is partner-held under the traditional CPA firm structure; the firm is not PE- or VC-backed and reports no fundraising activity in the supplied data.

Name

Windes & McClaughry

Legal name

Windes, Inc.

Website

https://windes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Windes is a privately held, 100-year-old CPA firm headquartered in Long Beach, California, providing tax, audit, and advisory services to privately held businesses, nonprofit organizations, and high-net-worth individuals across California, Ohio, and 12+ industry verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax Advisory Services: Comprehensive tax services including business entity taxation, individual taxation, international tax, state and local tax compliance, tax credits and incentives, cost segregation, succession planning, and estate and trust services.
2. Audit & Assurance: Financial statement audits, reviews, compilations, employee benefit plan audits, nonprofit compliance audits, and special reports.
3. Client Advisory Services: Outsourced accounting services, fractional CFO and controller support, business process outsourcing, and financial planning and analysis.
4. Transaction Advisory: Mergers and acquisitions strategy, value acceleration, exit planning, and wealth management services.
5. Technology & Risk: Cybersecurity compliance, IT governance, risk management, incident response, managed security, penetration testing, and organizational training.
6. Human Capital Advisory: Human resources consulting and placement services for organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Windes is a 100-year-old relationship-driven CPA firm delivering tax advisory and compliance, audit and assurance, and a broad set of advisory services — including outsourced accounting, fractional CFO/controller support, technology and cybersecurity risk, transaction advisory (M&A strategy and exit planning), human capital consulting, and industry-specific accounting expertise — to privately held businesses, nonprofit organizations, and high-net-worth individuals primarily in California and Ohio.

Product overview

Windes is a relationship-driven CPA firm providing a broad portfolio of professional services organized around four core areas: audit and assurance (financial audits, employee benefit plan audits, nonprofit compliance), tax advisory and compliance (business and individual tax, international, SALT, estate and trust), advisory services (technology and risk/cybersecurity, client advisory/outsourced accounting/fractional CFO/controller, transaction advisory/M&A/exit planning, and specialized services), and industry-specific expertise across 12 sectors. The firm is structured as a services-led advisory practice rather than a unified software product, with named service lines delivered by professionals. Advisory services frequently incorporate third-party platforms including Sage Intacct (cloud accounting implementation), QuickBooks (consulting), Jirav (financial reporting), and TaxCaddy (tax workflow), which Windes helps clients select, implement, and optimize. The firm also offers a client portal for secure document exchange and payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit & Assurance Services Audit and assurance services including financial statement audits, reviews, compilations, employee benefit plan audits (ERISA), nonprofit compliance audits, and special reports for businesses, nonprofits, and employee benefit plans.
• Tax Services Comprehensive tax advisory and compliance services spanning business entity taxation, individual tax preparation, nonprofit taxation, international tax, state and local tax (SALT) compliance, tax credits and incentives, cost segregation studies, succession planning, and estate and trust services.
• Technology & Risk Advisory Technology and risk services including cybersecurity compliance advisory, IT governance framework support, risk management, managed security, penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, incident response, third-party risk management, security awareness training, and vCISO services.
• Client Advisory Services Client advisory offerings including business process outsourcing (BPO), outsourced accounting services, fractional controller support, fractional CFO services, and business insights and financial planning and analysis (FP&A).
• Transaction Advisory Services Transaction advisory including wealth management, mergers and acquisitions strategy, buy-side and sell-side due diligence, quality of earnings analysis, value acceleration and exit planning, and succession planning.
• Specialized Advisory Services Specialized services including ASC 740 income tax provision support, ASC 842 lease accounting consulting, employee benefit services and retirement plan consulting, and human capital consulting and placement.
• SOC 2 Audit Services Expert guidance and support throughout SOC 2 compliance journey, including readiness assessments, gap analysis, control implementation, and audit support for cloud-hosted organizations pursuing SOC 2 Type 1 or Type 2 audits.
• Industry Expertise Sector-specific advisory expertise across automotive, construction, energy, hospitality and leisure, manufacturing, medical practices, nonprofit, professional services, real estate, retail and consumer products, technology, transportation trade and maritime, and wholesale and distribution industries.

Segments15 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Moss Adams LLP: Large West Coast-based CPA and advisory firm headquartered in Seattle with deep tax, audit, and industry-specialized practices. Comparable to Windes through its West Coast regional dominance and similarly strong industry-vertical coverage, though much larger in scale and revenue.
• RSM US LLP: Mid-tier global accounting firm focused on the middle market with strong tax, audit, advisory, and risk/cybersecurity consulting. Comparable to Windes through its mid-market positioning and broad advisory services expansion.
• Eide Bailly LLP: Top-25 U.S. CPA firm with full tax, audit, and advisory services for privately held businesses and nonprofit organizations. Comparable to Windes through its privately held business/nonprofit client mix and growing advisory practice.
• Marcum LLP: Top-15 U.S. accounting firm providing tax, audit, advisory, and technology services including cybersecurity. Comparable to Windes through its mid-market privately-held business orientation, technology/risk advisory, and transaction services.
• Wipfli LLP: Top-15 U.S. accounting and advisory firm offering tax, audit, outsourced accounting, M&A advisory, and technology consulting. Comparable to Windes through its mid-market focus and broad advisory practice mix, though it operates nationally.
• Plante Moran: Large U.S. CPA and business advisory firm with strong manufacturing, real estate, and nonprofit industry verticals. Comparable to Windes through its privately held business focus and significant advisory expansion beyond compliance work.
• Withum Smith+Brown, PC: Top-30 U.S. CPA firm with strong technology, healthcare, and nonprofit practices plus emerging cybersecurity advisory. Comparable to Windes through its privately held client focus, technology-adjacent service expansion, and growing advisory practice.
• CBIZ, Inc. Public national professional services firm providing accounting, tax, advisory, and technology/risk services to middle-market businesses. Comparable to Windes through its tax, audit, and advisory mix targeted at privately held middle-market clients.

Direct peers

• Hood & Strong LLP: San Francisco Bay Area CPA and advisory firm of similar size offering tax, audit, and advisory services for closely held businesses. Comparable to Windes through West Coast regional positioning and full-service CPA offerings.
• Sensiba San Filippo LLP: California-based CPA and advisory firm of comparable size serving privately held businesses and nonprofit organizations with tax, audit, and outsourced accounting services. Comparable to Windes through its West Coast regional presence and similar mix of compliance and advisory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Windes1926
• Facebookfacebook.com/263091533378
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/48010

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Windes & McClaughry