Our History

In 1995, Bert Whitehead presented his highly-innovative "Marketing Fee-Only to Middle America" to the participants of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) conference. Building on the success of delivering this brand of fee-only financial planning and wanting to assure the organization's longevity, maintain the collaborative efforts of its members, and continue the evolution of his approach, Bert spearheaded the formation of the Alliance of Cambridge Advisors (ACA), a non-profit organization.

Now called the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, hundreds of advisors have been trained in the ACP System™. Some joined just for that training, but many more have chosen to build a thriving supportive community that respects the individuality of each practice. This unique blend of commonality and diversity has created an environment where innovative solutions to client issues and practice management challenges are nurtured and realized. Clients and advisors alike benefit from the deep history of this unique approach of delivering financial planning in the clients’ best interests.

A message from ACP Founder
Bert Whitehead

I started what is now ACP after advisors asked how I was able to operate a profitable fiduciary, fee-only planning practice serving middle-income households.

Over the years, ACP has evolved to teach and to serve not just solo practices, but holistic fee-only firms of all types. From their founding, to their growth into multi-advisor practices, or their sale to other ACP members, the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners is our members’ community of tax-focused financial planners operating under the retainer model.

We at the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP) are delighted to share with you the core concepts we’ve been teaching fiduciary financial planners since 1995. Additional detail can be found in my book, Why Smart People Do Stupid Things with Money.

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