Latest ACP Blogs

The Alliance of Comprehensive Planners announces its first-ever Virtual Annual Conference, to be held on October 28-30, 2020.

By #ACP ACP
The Alliance of Comprehensive Planners announces its first-ever Virtual Annual Conference , to be held on October 28-30, 2020.
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How Can ACP Benefit Your Succession Plan?

By #ACP ACP
Succession planning is a meaningful step for any business owner. For advisors, the ability to find, hire, train, and inspire someone to take over your practice can seem like a daunting task. We are delighted to bring you a post that delves into the success a couple of our members found when building a succession plan and also seeing it through. Using the ACP System as a foundation for training and building a practice, they found that the community, resources, and education with ACP paved the way for the smooth transition as well as company growth.  The insights in our blog post today come from our webinar series and features ACP member ...
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Tax Pros, How to Launch the Planning Arm of Your Business

By #ACP ACP
At the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, tax is our middle name. We are a group of comprehensive, fee-only advisors who are committed to working in a client’s best interest. Many of our members apply a tax perspective to their planning, adding increased value to clients’ financial landscapes. This tax focus has led many CPAs and tax professionals to our doors. Running a successful CPA practice is no small feat, and adding a financial planning component can be difficult. But with the right resources, tools, and support in your corner, you could find that holistic planning enriches and enlivens your practice as well as the client experience. ...
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Alliance of Comprehensive Planners mentioned in Forbes article, "CFP: What Is A Certified Financial Planner?"

By #ACP ACP
Alliance of Comprehensive Planners’ website is mentioned in Forbes as a source for finding advisors in the article,   CFP: What is a Certified Financial Planner? Helpful information on what individuals need to search to find a right-fit financial advisor to help them plan for their future, including the definition of fiduciary duty and What is a Certified Financial Planners
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Will Your Firm Really Benefit from the Retainer Model?

By #ACP ACP
Change is hard. It can be uncomfortable to shift the way you do things or how you approach a situation. Even a small change like taking a new route to work can seem frustrating. Diverting from the norm might not always be easy, but it can bring about some of the most important and valuable experiences of your life.  Here at ACP, our advisors come from all aspects of the financial industry. Some started careers in sales, investments, and insurance, but, inspired by the drive to provide more value for their clients, they went in search of something more. That leads them to us. One type of transition we see advisors make a lot is moving from an assets ...
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The Five Do's for a Successful Virtual Practice

By #ACP ACP
Virtual work has become a mainstay in our society. Advisors have long been leaning into virtual work as a way to enhance their own lifestyles. With more and more people conducting business online, it provides a new avenue for advisors to work with clients remotely. Working remotely carries an important weight, especially now in the time of COVID-19. The virus forced nearly all businesses that could move to a virtual setting to do so overnight. This means that many people are navigating this space for the first time.  Given the importance of this topic, we wanted to bring you an article today that delves into the top things you need to do to build ...
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ACP President, Chris Wentzien, wrote a byline article for NAPFA Advisor, “Why one NAPFA member uses a retainer fee model.”

By #ACP ACP
ACP President, Chris Wentzien, CPA/PFS, CFP, MBA, of Natural Bridges Financial Advisors, a financial planner and NAPFA Member who works on a fee-only retainer-basis using methodology he learned and adopted through the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP), wrote an article for  NAPFA Advisor Magazine  entitled “Why one NAPFA member uses a retainer fee model.” Wentzien says that within the ACP membership, "we don't see a decline in revenues among our member firms and many of them are bringing in new clients" even in these challenging times. He explains how a retainer business model and the ACP methodology, which includes something called "Functional Asset ...
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Alliance of Comprehensive Planners Salutes ACP Certified Member Courtney Ranstrom

By #ACP ACP
Alliance of Comprehensive Planners Salutes ACP Certified Member Courtney Ranstrom   InvestmentNews Names Ranstrom to 40 Under 40 List of Financial Professionals Dubbed “The Future of Our Business ” WILMINGTON, NC – July 29, 2020 – The Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP) , a group of tax-focused financial planners that adhere to the Fiduciary Standard, today announced that one of its certified ACP members, Courtney Ranstrom, has been named to the 2020 InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 list. The InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 project highlights young talent in the financial advice industry. Ranstrom, 38, is co-founder and a fee-only financial planner ...
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ACP Board member, Kelly L Adams profiled by Bridget McCrea in, “A Shining Light for Her Clients” in the July issue of NAPFA Advisor.

By #ACP ACP
NAPFA ADVISOR MAGAZINE, JULY 2020 ACP Member Kelly Adams Profiled as "Shining light for her clients" ACP Board member, Kelly L Adams, CFP, EA, RLP, of Harbor Light Planning, was profiled by Bridget McCrea in an article entitled “A Shining Light for Her Clients” in the July issue of   NAPFA Advisor Magazine.   Adams, who says her favorite financial planning website is   www.ACPlanners.org , shares how she has built her business through small acquisitions and organic growth since 2004 and how the ACP methodology helps her work with clients and provide the stability they need in challenging times such as the ones we are experiencing as a nation now. ...
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Three Simple Ways to Demonstrate Your Value to Clients

By #ACP ACP
Financial planning is a growing industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for financial services will grow by 7% through 2028, which is faster than average. With so many financial planners in the world, how can you stand out from the crowd? The best way to attract, retain, and develop strong client relationships comes down to one simple idea: value.  The value you provide clients is an integral component of a successful financial planning practice. But how can you clearly demonstrate that value to clients? That is what our team is here to help you learn today.  At ACP we know that delivering optimum value plays ...
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How to Make Financial Planning Your Next Career

By #ACP ACP
Financial planning is a diverse field populated with professionals from all walks of life, educational backgrounds, and professional experiences. Each person’s journey to financial planning looks different, which enhances the services and experiences they bring to the field and future clients.  Here at ACP, we know that the path of a financial professional can be winding, but that’s what makes our field so unique. We are all on a path to grow and provide exceptional service and value to our clients; that growth can take us places we never thought possible.  Many of our members began their careers in some facet of the financial space, whether ...
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Alliance of Comprehensive Planners mentioned in MarketWatch article, “Opinion: If a financial adviser can’t say ‘yes’ to these 2 revealing questions, save your money for one who can” by Pam Krueger

By #ACP ACP
Pam Krueger writes about Alliance of Comprehensive Planners in her article in MarketWatch - Opinion: If a financial adviser can’t say ‘yes’ to these 2 revealing questions, save your money for one who can : “If you’re thinking about working with a broker, the onus is on you to slog through all the fine print and ask all the right questions to help you decide if you can really trust this person to make your financial needs their highest priority. But why put yourself through this opaque process? There’s a much easier way to make sure your adviser serves as a real fiduciary, all of the time: Hire an independent fee-only fiduciary investment adviser or financial ...
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Certified ACP Member, Laura I. Rotter mentioned in this article, “How to Rethink Your Budget With Just One Income” by Veronica Dagher in The Wall Street Journal.

By #ACP ACP
Certified ACP Member, Laura I. Rotter of True Abundance Advisors, was mentioned in this article, “How to Rethink Your Budget With Just One Income” by Veronica Dagher in The Wall Street Journal. When asked “What should we consider when it comes to benefits after losing a job?” Rotter answered, if you lost your health insurance, be sure to replace it. If you have insurance through your job, a job loss generally qualifies you for special enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. Other options may include electing Cobra insurance or being added to your spouse’s employer-based health insurance. Make sure you both have life insurance
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ACP member Britta Koepf, CFP®, ChSNC, quoted in a cleveland.com article by Rich Exner: "Does it make sense to pay off your mortgage early? Here’s what to consider: That’s Rich!"

By #ACP ACP
ACP member Britta Koepf, CFP®, ChSNC, quoted in a cleveland.com article by Rich Exner: "Does it make sense to pay off your mortgage early? Here’s what to consider: That’s Rich!" . June 2020.
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Why The ACP Model Is So Secure (Even Now)

By #ACP ACP
We are living in extraordinary circumstances. The coronavirus pandemic has altered the way we conduct business, interact with colleagues, friends, and loved ones, and has altered human behavior on a global scale.  It is more than a financial downturn, it is a global health crisis that has impacted health, safety, and, of course, finances across the globe. Advisors and their clients have had some concerns over business and financial recovery, which is exactly what we want to talk about today. We are here to show you that our ACP system provides added security for advisors and their clients during these unprecedented times. How does it work? That ...
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How To Expand Your Tax Practice To Include Planning

By #ACP ACP
Transition is always difficult in business. Whether you are adapting your business model, service offerings, or changing lanes altogether, the transition can bring about some hard yet necessary and ultimately rewarding developments.  Here at ACP, we see this often especially with people who began as a tax-only practice and want to expand their service offerings to include financial planning. With the high volume of traffic and workload of tax responsibilities, many CPAs are wary of adding financial planning into their already busy practices. But as many have found, financial planning not only enhances the quality and service provided to clients but ...
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How (And Why) To Leave The World Of Commissions Behind

By #ACP ACP
For decades, commissioned advisors have known that the fee-based financial planning model has gained popularity among clients and advisors alike. But the daunting task of making the switch has left many uncertain about leaving their commission lifestyles behind.  Here at ACP, our goal is to empower, teach, and guide advisors in our fee-only, fiduciary model, which not only better serves clients but also provides advisors with a business plan that works. Leaving the world of commissions isn’t easy, but we are here to help you make the transition. You need passion, hard work, diligence, and a strong sense of community, all of which ACP has in spades.  ...
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How to Make the Transition from Sales to Holistic Planning

By #ACP ACP
When people hear the phrase “financial planning” a few things probably come into mind: managing assets, investments, portfolios, etc. So much public perception of our industry, and sometimes the reality, is that financial planners and investment managers are one in the same.  We at ACP know a different story.  Our organization was built to show a new way to approach financial planning, an approach to embolden advisors and bolster clients, with the purpose of putting the interest of the client first.  This story vastly differs from media depictions of Wall Street hotshots and investment managers. We seek to cultivate a community of advisors whose ...
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ACP members Hannah Basil Bryant, CFP®, and Chip Simon, CFP® featured in recent Swift Chat "How the ACP System™ Reduces Anxiety – for Advisors and Their Clients – During Market Downturns"

By #ACP ACP
In this Swift Chat with  Marie Swift , ACP members  Hannah Basil Bryant, CFP®  and  Chip Simon, CFP®  explain how the ACP System™ helps advisors maintain their client base (and their revenue) while their clients feel safe and secure through market downturns, even during the current worldwide health and financial crisis:  https://bit.ly/2ytgMT
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ACP Board Member, Sheila Padden, mentioned by writer, Donald Jay Korn, in Savvy ways to gift assets while also cutting tax rates in Financial Planning

By #ACP ACP
ACP Board Member, Sheila Padden, mentioned by writer, Donald Jay Korn, in  Savvy ways to gift assets while also cutting tax rates  in Financial Planning. April 2020
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