Although he was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Alp considers himself a local product, as he moved to Maryland when he was two years old and has been a proud Marylander ever since. Alp grew up in Silver Spring, attended Springbrook High School, and graduated from Catholic University with a B.A. in Accounting. After graduating from Catholic in 1983, he immediately passed the CPA exam and opened a firm that focused on tax preparation and small business accounting in 1984. As luck would have it, Alp sublet office space from a prominent Bethesda financial planning firm; in hindsight, a decision that dramatically impacted his career. He came to enjoy the financial planning environment so