Meet Our Team

A fiduciary is legally and ethically required to act in your best interest, not their own, when giving you advice — even when that advice isn't the most profitable option for them. This is a higher standard than "suitability," which only requires that a recommendation be reasonably appropriate for you, not necessarily the best available option. When an advisor tells you they act as a fiduciary, it means you can expect their recommendations to be driven by what's best for your situation, not by which product pays them the most.

A Registered Investment Adviser is a firm registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators to provide investment advice to clients. RIA firms and the people who provide advice on their behalf are held to a fiduciary standard. SEC registration itself isn't an endorsement of the firm and doesn't mean regulators have evaluated the firm's skill — it means the firm has met the regulatory requirements to operate as an investment adviser and is subject to ongoing oversight, recordkeeping, and disclosure requirements.

An Investment Advisor Representative is an individual who works on behalf of a Registered Investment Adviser firm to provide investment advice directly to clients. Think of the RIA as the licensed firm, and the IAR as the licensed individual within that firm you actually work with day to day. IARs are also held to the fiduciary standard, and typically hold relevant licenses (such as the Series 65) along with any additional designations they've earned.

A Certified Public Accountant is an accounting professional who has passed the CPA licensing exam, met state education and experience requirements, and maintains an active license through ongoing continuing education. CPAs are trained and licensed specifically in accounting, auditing, and tax — which is why CPA-prepared tax returns and financial statements carry a level of credibility that unlicensed preparers can't offer. Unlike the fiduciary standard for investment advice, CPA licensure is a separate credentialing and ethics framework specific to accounting and tax work.

When separate professionals independently manage your taxes and your investments, decisions can conflict — an investment move that makes sense on its own can create an unnecessary tax bill, or a tax strategy can overlook how it affects your portfolio. When one team holds both the CPA license and the fiduciary IAR relationship, your tax strategy and your investment strategy get built together, evaluated against each other, rather than discovered as a mismatch after the fact at tax time.

Investment advisory and financial planning services are offered through Alphastar Capital Management, LLC, a SEC-registered investment adviser. Chris Brumlow and Hugh Bishop serve as Investment Advisor Representatives of Alphastar — meaning the investment advice you receive through that relationship is held to the fiduciary standard. Our accounting and tax services are provided under separate CPA licensure and the professional standards specific to that work, and insurance products are placed through The BAB Group, LLC as a licensed insurance agency.