re: CPA/Financial Planner where is the line drawn?

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This is the correct answer. Most CPAs are very conservative with "advice". You have to really pick their brains.

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I disagree. My experience is that most CPAs freely offer general advice, but the advice is ignored, or the clients do not ask how to apply the general advice to their specific circumstances. Practically everyone can spew the general principles of tax planning, defer as much income as you can afford, accelerate deductions, bundle expenses that are deductible as a percentage of AGI, etc.

The problems involved with providing tax planning advice are that your actions need to make economic sense before they make sense for taxes. And CPAs don't always know what makes economic sense for their clients. Do you think clients tell their CPAs their short-term economic plans and goals, or their expectations? Preparing a tax return does not provide a CPA with much information about the monthly cash flows of a client unless the client is living well beyond his means.