Membership


Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (formerly the Alliance of Cambridge Advisors) is a community of fee-only financial planners who believe clients are more than numbers. ACP members provide fee-based services to manage clients’ whole financial picture, from estate planning to taxes. Whether you are starting a practice from scratch or ready to transform your existing practice, our proven model, the ACP System™,  will help you be a more effective and successful financial planner. As an ACP financial planner, you are equipped with the tools and resources to develop and operate your own fee-only financial planning business.
Click here for details about the membership benefits. 

2015 ACP Membership Categories and Fees

General Membership New Member – No Practice New Member - Established Practice
Additional Member in Firm Independent Contractor
Member Staff
Student Member
Emeritus Member

 



1.
General Membership (Year 2 – beyond)

Fee: $2,700 annually

Benefits include:
  • Access to the Community (members-only) section of the website
  • Discount to the ACP Annual Conference
  • Access to update Pyramid (the Paynter Pyramid is now the ACP Pyramid)
  • Access to ACP core tools and toolkit
  • Discounts on software and services as negotiated by ACP
  • Financial Focus
  • Fast track DFA approval process
  • Bi-annual compliance webinars
  • Discounted compliance services
  • Listing on Find an Advisor
  • Member only CE worthy Webinars
2. New Member – No Practice (Year 1)
Fee: $10,200 for first year

Benefits include (can be used in Year 1 or Year 2 of membership):
  • All the benefits included with General Membership PLUS:
    • Daily access to the ACP member concierge during the first year and monthly access during the second year
    • Self-study training manual to learn the ACP System
    • Virtual classroom sessions
    • Pairing with a mentor
    • Face-to-face group week instruction
    • Week observing an ACP member in action – Visit an Advisor
    • One complimentary registration to the ACP Annual Conference
    • Get Clients Now! marketing program
    • New member compliance webinar
    • Two hours complimentary compliance support
    • New member website 
3. New Member – Established Practice (Year 1)
Fee: $6,700
*Note: AICPA and NAPFA members receive a $500 discount, bringing the fee to $6,200
Benefits include:
  • All the benefits included with General Membership PLUS:
      • Virtual classroom sessions
      • Pairing with a mentor
      • Face-to-face one-day orientation prior to ACP Annual Conference
      • One complimentary registration to the ACP Annual Conference
      • Quarterly ACP core tools and philosophy webinar
      • New member compliance webinar
4. Additional Member in Firm (Year 1 – beyond)
Fee: $1,500

ACP membership is on an individual, not company, basis. All members of an ACP member’s firm who give independent advice to clients and use ACP intellectual property to do so must be ACP members. Additional members in a firm are either provisional members or full members, based on whether they fulfill all membership requirements. They are subject to the same timeline for completion as any other member. These members will be re-evaluated annually as part of the ACP Member’s Annual Attestation.

Benefits include:
  • All the benefits included with General Membership
5. Independent Contractor (Year 1 – beyond)
Fee Option 1: $1,500

Independent Contractors are individuals who do contract work for an ACP member and use ACP intellectual property on behalf of an ACP member, and hold themselves out to provide services to other ACP members.

Benefits include:
  • All the benefits included with General Membership
6. Member Staff
Fee: $100

Staff, who work for an ACP member, are NOT advisors and DO NOT give independent advice to clients are considered member staff. This person is not holding himself out to provide services to other ACP members. These members will be re-evaluated annually as part of the ACP Member’s Annual Attestation.

Benefits include:
  • Access to the Community (members-only) section of the website
  • Member pricing to ACP conferences
  • Financial Focus
  • ACP announcements, internal newsletters, and other all-member communications
Member staff DO NOT receive:
  • A listing in Find an Advisor
  • Access to or rights to use ACP or shared intellectual property
  • The right to use the ACP logo or refer to themselves as members of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, Inc.
  • Voting rights
7. Student Member
Fee: $50

Student members must be enrolled in a full-time or part-time graduate, undergraduate, certificate, or distance learning program for their CFP or PFS. Eligibility will be reviewed annually.

Benefits include:
  • Access to the Community (members-only) section of the website
  • 50% off attendance to the ACP conference
  • Financial Focus
  • ACP announcements, internal newsletters, and other all-member communications
  • Job Board
  • Student discussion community board on ACPConnect
Students DO NOT receive:
  • A listing in Find an Advisor
  • Access to or rights to use ACP or shared intellectual property
  • The right to use the ACP logo or refer to themselves as members of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, Inc.
  • Voting rights
8. Emeritus Members (Year 6 - beyond)
Fee: $100

The ACP emeritus class of membership (non-voting) is designed to allow ACP members who have ceased practice as a financial advisor to remain involved, on a limited basis, with the organization. Emeritus members are required to have withdrawn their RIA and must have been an ACP member for five years prior to this change in membership class.

Benefits include:
  • Access to the Community (members-only) section of the website
  • Member pricing to ACP conferences
  • Financial Focus
  • ACP announcements, internal newsletters, and other all-member communications
Emeritus members DO NOT receive:
  • A listing on the Find an Advisor directory on the national website
  • Access to or rights to use ACP or shared intellectual property
  • The right to use the ACP logo or to refer to themselves as members of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, Inc.
  • Voting rights

For more information, click here to fill out a membership inquiry form, or contact Arlene Moss at 910.769.1569 or arlene@acplanners.org.