Blucora has reached an agreement with online portfolio advisor Financial Guard to serve TaxAct customers. Under the terms of the deal, TaxAct customers can access an advisory platform that provides portfolio management investment needs such as retirement. The platform will be available during tax season.

Xero has revamped its Advisor Directory. The cloud-based software company says the directory takes advantage of the company's move to the AWS platform and utilizes a chatbot to connect small businesses to advisors via social media.

The Internal Revenue Service has launched an online application to assist taxpayers with balance inquiries. Available on IRS.gov, the tool enables them to view account balances, will include amounts they owe for tax, penalties and interest.