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THE Alphastar Difference
Imagine an organization designed around the client. One that anticipates their needs, supports their operations and helps fuel their growth.
Welcome to Alphastar, an RIA created from the ground up to put the advisor at the center of everything we do. Discover the difference at Alphastar – where we are redefining the RIA model.
Brian Williams
Brian is the Managing Partner of Alphastar and is responsible for the overall performance, growth, and operations of the firm, focusing on the big picture and long-term vision for Alphastar’s future. Alongside the ownership team, he formed the RIA in 2011 with a clear vision to build a world class organization.
Brian is also the Chief Operating Officer of Financial Independence Group (FIG), an industry leading financial and insurance marketing organization. After a decade of public service, Brian entered the private sector by joining FIG in 2007 as the Chief Operating Officer. Two years later he was FirstNamed partner of Financial Independence Group. In his role, he is responsible for the overall business operations of the company. He works with his colleagues on the executive team to develop global strategies and direction for FIG with a goal of providing opportunities for advisors while progressively integrating internal efficiencies for greater effectiveness. He also oversees all areas of IT as well as Compliance for FIG.
Brian received his MBA from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also holds a Bachelor of Technology in Business Technology as well as an AAS in Aviation. He began his career in the public sector where he implemented and led a nationally recognized economic development initiative that was born out of the State of North Carolina legislature.
Brian is also a partner in Barnabas Capital, a wholesale broker dealer focused on IVA’s and VA’s, as well as a partner in Life Innovators, a product development company. Brian has served on various industry committees and advisory boards such as the Board of Directors for the National Association for Fixed Annuities. He also honorably serves on the Leadership Counsel for Great American Insurance Group.
Managing Partner
TONY PARISH, CFA®, CQF
Tony brings a wealth of experience to the Alphastar team, most recently having worked with Sage Advisory Services in Austin, TX as the Director of Quantitative Strategies; helping manage multiple objective-based investment strategies and serving on the firm’s Investment Committee, providing input on ~$12.5 billion of AUM. Previously, Tony worked in product development and analytics with Deutsche Asset Management, Credit Suisse, and OppenheimerFunds in New York City. He is passionate about working on financial data science projects (yes, really), and he specializes in quantitative modeling of multi-asset portfolios. Before moving to portfolio management, Tony began his career as a financial journalist, leading an editorial team for Investor Relations Magazine.
Tony is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) and holds a Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF). He earned his MBA, with a concentration in Finance, from Fordham University in New York, a Certificate in Data Science from the University of Washington, and a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal.
His favorite activities include movie-watching with his wife Bethany and son Robert, as well as recording buttery R&B bass tracks with his Rickenbacker bass.
Chief Investment Officer
LAURA FURNER
Laura previously led a distinguished technology team for one of the largest Insurance Marketing Organizations (IMO/FMO) in the country, Financial Independence Group. While there, she utilized cutting-edge technology to bridge the gap between insurance and investments, with a true focus on holistic financial planning.
Laura brings vision to Alphastar through her passion and tenacity. She understands the profound impact technology has and will continue to have, on the independent financial advisor. She takes that drive and utilizes her skills to create next-level technological solutions to market, all while working hand-in-hand with advisors and the Alphastar team to tweak and refine. Laura’s passion lays in learning new workflows and finding ways to make all processes as efficient as possible both with and without the use of technology.
In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, Dan, and two baby girls, Olivia and Natalie.
Chief Operating Officer
Sean Whelan
Sean serves as the Chief Sales Officer for Alphastar Capital Management where he heads both the sales and marketing divisions. Sean has over 15 years of financial services experience across multiple focuses from sales, marketing, leadership development, wholesaling, and beginning his career as a financial advisor.
Sean brings to Alphastar a real passion for our business and for helping others. His roles have uniquely positioned him to acquire the knowledge and skills to make an impact while serving our advisors and teams. His previous roles of creating and facilitating development opportunities, virtually and in-person programs, to help grow assets and clients will be the main influence on the practice management and coaching program being developed for ACM. His diverse work experiences with large life insurance companies, insurance based broker-dealers, and asset managers serve him well as he continues to promote and encourage the Alphastar Capital Management value proposition to the clients and advisors that we serve.
Sean and his wife Giedre live in Waxhaw with their daughter and son. As a family, they love to travel and be active outdoors anywhere, especially in the mountains. Sean is a competitive athlete who has raced in and completed several Ironman 70.3 races, as well as plays in a Master’s league for men’s lacrosse. He enjoys coaching youth lacrosse and give back to the sport when he can.
Chief Sales Officer
Armin Sarabi
Armin is the Chief Compliance Officer & General Counsel of Alphastar. He oversees Alphastar’s regulatory compliance program and provides legal advice and counsel to the company in a variety of legal and business matters.
Armin earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in Denver, CO. He also holds a Bachelor of Art in Psychology and one in Philosophy from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.
Armin enjoys cooking, travel, and unique experiences. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys camping, backpacking, kayaking, hiking and has climbed several 14ers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Chief Compliance Officer
JONATHAN BLEVINS, CFP®, ChFC®
Jonathan is a member of Alphastar’s sales, support, and marketing team. He works as a dedicated partner and coach to licensed investment advisors to ensure that they can efficiently and properly build a productive advisory business.
Jonathan attended Radford University obtaining a B.B.A. in Finance with minors in both Economics and Psychology, and he brings 16+ years of sales, financial planning, and wealth management experience to the Alphastar team. Jonathan also holds his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification as well as the Charter Financial Consultant™ certification.
On a personal note, Jonathan resides in Huntersville with his wife Michelle and two children. During his free time, he enjoys fishing and volunteering as a local youth sports coach in the North Charlotte area.
VP – Advisor Consulting
AARON KINGREY
Aaron is a Trader on Alphastar’s Trading and Investment Team. He is responsible for overseeing and executing Alphastar’s trading operations, which include firm level portfolio model updates and rebalancing, cash management functions, and serving as a subject matter expert for advisor directed trading strategies. He also consults on process enhancement efforts between the Investment Team and Operations Team to build and/or develop efficiencies in Alphastar’s operational procedures.
Aaron holds his Series 3 license and began his career at a proprietary trading firm in Raleigh, NC which dealt primarily in the trading of options and futures contracts. He then established his own private investment management firm to cater to a select HNW clientele and implement strategies in the options and futures markets before coming to Alphastar.
Aaron enjoys disc golf, poker, hiking, and playing golf in his spare time
Head Trader
JESSICA ABRAHAM
Jessica is dedicated to servicing a team of advisors. Her top priority is engaging with their advisors and ensuring their operational responsibility to the client has minimal impact on their daily business practice as she acts as the liaison to our multiple custodians. She is also responsible for onboarding new advisors joining the Alphastar team to fully train and transition their book of business onto the Alphastar platform.
Jessica earned her BSBA with a concentration in Corporate Finance from Western Carolina University. She spent the early part of her career with UBS Financial on a Client Services Team assisting clients by providing product education and operational support. After spending 5 years with UBS, Jessica moved on to an inside sales and client management role with Performance Friction Corporation. At PFC she worked closely with her team to deliver an exceptional client experience and help grow sales along with the customer relationship.
Onboarding Specialist
MADELINE KLATT
Madeline joined the Alphastar team in early 2021 as part of the investments team. In her role, Madeline is responsible for generating the reports used by advisors to make portfolio recommendations to clients.
Madeline received her Bachelor’s in Economics from the State University of New York at Oswego in 2016 and moved down to Charlotte shortly after to pursue a career in finance. She came to Alphastar from a small firm in Charlotte as a paraplanner. There, her efforts were focused on prepping for client meetings and handling transactions after the meetings.
Madeline likes to spend most of her free time outside, whether it is on the lake or playing tennis, and visiting her family.
Financial Planning Analyst
WHITNEY PULVER
As a Compliance Associate at Alphastar Capital Management, Whitney is responsible for conducting advisor branch exams, processing new compliance-related requests from advisors, and reviewing transactions for potential errors. Prior to joining the Alphastar team, Whitney worked as a Senior Contracting Specialist at Financial Independence Group, Inc.
She began her career there after graduating from the College of the Redwoods with an Associate Degree in General Business. Whitney, along with her husband and son, now calls North Carolina home, but she enjoys returning to her home state of California often to visit friends and family.
Compliance Associate
JAREN KISER, CFP®
Jaren joined Alphastar as Vice President of Advisor Consulting in June 2021. In this role, he serves as coach, coordinator and cheerleader to our advisors, helping them to build thriving advisory practices and to make the most of their relationship with Alphastar. Jaren has a passion for holistic financial planning and for the impact it can have in the businesses of our advisors as well as in the lives of their clients.
Jaren holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. His diverse history of sales, financial planning and business ownership lends a wealth of experience and expertise to Alphastar and our advisor teams.
Outside of his professional life, Jaren enjoys spending time with his family and his church. He is also an avid reader and fitness enthusiast who enjoys running, working out and being active.
VP – Advisor Consulting
AUDRA PENNY
Audra joined the Alphastar team in June of 2021. In her role, she spends most of her time assisting advisors and her fellow co-workers with service questions, and account paperwork.
Audra received her Bachelor’s in English, with minors in Psychology and Journalism from Western Michigan University. She has spent her career in the banking industry, making Charlotte a perfect new place to call home. She still considers herself a true “Michigander” as she was born and raised in Kalamazoo, MI.
In her spare time, she spends as much time outdoors as she can, whether it’s running, biking her with boyfriend, or watching the sunset on her balcony.
Advisor Services Manager
WILLIAM HANDY
William joined Alphastar in June of 2021 as a Compliance Associate. His role is to assist with reviews and audits, test compliance procedures, and develop compliance training information, along with any other compliance issue brought to the attention of the team.
William earned his Eagle Scout Award in 2009, a distinction also held by his father and brother. He graduated from Wingate University with a B.A. in English in 2015, then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from Elon University School of Law in 2017. He has most recently spent time as an insurance broker, holding a SC license.
On a personal note, William enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and their cat, Mango. His hobbies include reading, watching films, and PC gaming with his friends.
Compliance Associate
COLE BLACKBURN
Since graduation, Cole has worked in various fields including insurance, retirement services, and now operations. He currently holds his Series 7 and Series 63 life and health insurance licenses.
When Cole isn’t acting as a team player for Alphastar, he spends his time staying incredibly active. You could find him anywhere from a basketball court to the mountains of North Carolina hiking. Chances are if it’s an outdoor activity, Cole is there. He is also a huge fan of racing and you’ll catch him making turns at various go-kart tracks in the area (considering this is the only thing he can race, legally).
Advisor Services Manager
