CPS Investment Advisors

What CPS Investment Advisors does

CPS Investment Advisors is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisory firm headquartered at 205 East Orange Street in Lakeland, Florida, founded in 1975 by Chas P. Smith as Chas P. Smith & Associates, PA, CPAs. The firm delivers holistic financial planning, investment management, tax services, and business retirement plan administration to individuals, business owners, and government pension clients through a coordinated team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioners, certified public accountants, an Accredited Estate Planner®, and Personal Financial Specialists. With over $2 billion in assets under management, CPS operates as a fiduciary under both SEC and ERISA Section 3(38) standards, has been SEC-registered as an RIA since 1989, and was a co-founding member of National Advisors Trust Company (NATC), FSB in 2000.

The firm owns two wholly-owned operating entities: CPAlliance®, a trademarked asset management program established in 1994 that distributes CPS capabilities through a national network of partner CPA firms, and CPS Group CPAs, PA, formed through the December 2020 merger with Baylis & Company. Revenue is generated through AUM-based advisory fees, financial planning fees, 401(k) plan administration fees under ERISA fiduciary standards, and tax preparation through CPS Group CPAs. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, anchored by free 60-minute consultations captured via an online financial questionnaire, supplemented by an educational podcast ("The Road to Financial Independence"), a content blog, social media, and community engagement through the CPS Cares 501(c)(3). Technology stack centers on Orion Advisor for the client portal, with no proprietary AI/ML or platform technology disclosed.

Market positioning rests on the CPA-foundation, fiduciary, open-architecture model — no commission conflicts, no limited fund family — combined with regional brand dominance in Central Florida and a credentialed, tenured advisory bench that targets relationship-driven wealth management and retirement plan services rather than scalable, technology-led asset gathering.

Name

CPS Investment Advisors

Legal name

CPS Investment Advisors

Website

https://cpsinvest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CPS Investment Advisors is an independent, SEC-registered RIA founded in 1975 and headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, providing holistic financial planning, investment management, tax, and 401(k) administration to individuals, business owners, and government pension clients, with over $2 billion in AUM.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Consultants & Fiduciary Management (Investment Consulting) (FSAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Wealth management
• Retirement plan services
• Investment management
• Tax planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Assets Under Management (AUM) Fees: CPS is compensated based on the value of client accounts under management, not transaction fees. They do not share in custodian transaction fees.
2. Financial Planning Fees: Fees for comprehensive financial planning services provided by the coordinated team of finance, tax, investment, and business experts.
3. Business Retirement Plan Services: Fees for 401(k) plan administration, fiduciary services, and participant education for business clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CPS Investment Advisors is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisory firm that provides holistic financial planning, investment management, tax services, and retirement plan administration to individual and business clients on a fee-only, fiduciary basis. The firm manages over $2 billion in client assets, coordinates CFP® and CPA professionals across all engagements, and operates the proprietary CPAlliance® asset management program in partnership with CPA firms nationwide.

Product overview

CPS Investment Advisors is a full-service, independent financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of financial planning services. The firm provides individual financial planning (retirement, estate, risk management, education, cash flow/budgeting), investment management with access to all publicly traded vehicles, tax services, and business retirement plan administration. The core offerings are supplemented by CPAlliance, a proprietary asset management program partnering with CPA firms nationwide, and a podcast for client education. All services are delivered with fiduciary oversight as an SEC-registered investment advisor founded by CPAs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPAlliance: A unique trademarked asset management program partnering with other CPA firms across the country for providing financial planning and investment management services.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Advisors Trust Company (NATC), FSBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000In 2000, CPS joined 79 other independent financial advisory firms in founding the nation's first advisor-owned, federally-chartered trust company. NATC operates in all 50 states and provides trust services to CPS clients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national independent RIA offering fee-only financial planning and investment management to individuals and employer plans; comparable to CPS as a fee-based fiduciary advisor with similar holistic planning model, but at materially larger scale.
• Creative Planning: Nationwide fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, tax, estate and retirement plan services to individuals and businesses; comparable breadth of services (investment, tax, retirement, estate) with an independent fiduciary model similar to CPS.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent RIA with national footprint delivering financial planning, investment management and retirement plan services to individuals and businesses; comparable holistic advisor model and active acquirer of regional CPA-affiliated advisory firms.
• Carson Group: Large hybrid RIA and advisor support platform with financial planning, tax, business consulting and retirement plan services; comparable integrated tax + advisory service model and similar RIA partnership/affiliation model.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent advisor support platform and RIA serving individuals and small businesses with planning, investment and retirement plan services; overlapping business mix with CPS including 401(k) fiduciary and fee-based advisory offerings.
• Cetera Financial Specialists: Independent advisor support platform and RIA offering financial planning, retirement plan services and investment management to individuals and small businesses; comparable services in retirement plan administration and fee-based advisory.
• Fisher Investments: Large asset management and RIA providing investment management and retirement planning services to individuals and institutions; comparable in institutional pension plan management practice and as a fee-based registered investment advisor.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA providing evidence-based financial planning and investment management to individuals and families; closely comparable pure fee-based fiduciary advisor targeting similar client segments with similar holistic planning scope.
• Ronald Blue & Co: Fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management and tax services to individuals and families; closely comparable as a fee-based fiduciary RIA with integrated tax and planning team model.

Regional players

• Kforce Financial Planning (Baylis legacy peers): Broader staffing/professional services firm relevant only as a peripheral match given CPS's acquisition heritage of Baylis & Company; included for regional Florida professional services adjacency rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cpsinvestmentadvisors6832
• Facebookfacebook.com/CPSInvestmentAdvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cpsinvestmentadvisors
• Instagraminstagram.com/cpsinvestmentadvisors

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CPS Investment Advisors