Cast Ahead Wealth Management
Cast Ahead Wealth Management is your financial coach for life’s important decisions. Cast Ahead Wealth Management was founded in 2020 by Brett Bringuel, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®. He established the independent advisory firm after more than two decades as a corporate financial advisor because he wanted to offer clients more flexibility with fewer restrictions. Brett is assisted by his wife, Paula, who helps answer client-related service questions, handles business needs such as scheduling appointments, troubleshooting technology issues, and directs the firm’s social media and marketing. The two work well together as a husband-and-wife team to provide exceptional client service.
Cast Ahead Wealth Management is affiliated with LPL Financial – the largest independent brokerage firm in the nation.1
Brett also is affiliated with Integrated Financial Group (IFG), one of Atlanta’s largest financial planning consortiums (based on 2016 assets under management). IFG is a network of independent LPL Financial advisors who share their vast collective knowledge of best practices and financial strategies. As independent advisors, we are free to make recommendations based strictly on what we think is best for our clients with no corporate pressure to do otherwise. As members of the IFG consortium, we have access to a tremendous knowledge database (The Brain Trust) that helps us provide better support and advice to our clients. We believe that we offer clients the best of all worlds.
These prestigious affiliations provide the firm’s clients with an even broader depth of resources and support.
Big-picture, thorough planning-based financial guidance is what Cast Ahead Wealth Management clients receive to help them address their goals for portfolio management, retirement income, survivor protection, college education planning, wealth transfer to children, and more. They also enjoy the confidence of having a roadmap to follow with a highly credentialed, experienced advisor to walk them through it step by step.
An avid Georgia State University football fan, Brett likens his services to acting as a financial quarterback for his clients – directing all aspects of financial planning and referring to outside experts as needed from his vetted network, such as Medicare specialists, estate planning attorneys, and CPAs.
Brett has a reputation for being a conservative financial advisor. Maybe that comes from the discipline of learning financial investing at an early age and his upbringing as the son of a military father. In his fiduciary role as advisor, Brett also acts as a risk manager and says, “Managing risk and return on investment are among the most important things to get right for clients.”
Our Team
Brett Bringuel, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®
Founder & Wealth Advisor
Brett Bringuel has a wealth of experience as a wealth advisor, including more than two decades working with three large corporate investment firms prior to establishing his independent advisory firm in 2020.
He is continuously expanding his depth of financial knowledge and holds multiple industry designations, including Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) and the Retirement Income Certified Planner (RICP®). As a testimony to his diligence and integrity in financial planning, Brett has been named a Five-Star Wealth Manager for 10 years. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)2
You might say Brett’s financial career began at Walmart. Yes, Walmart, at 19. Working as an employee there, he started to invest in company stock and discovered he had a real passion for investing. Wanting to invest beyond Walmart led him to a financial advisor who offered him the opportunity to work as an intern at Dean Witter as a cold caller while in college. During this time, he also saw six family members lose their jobs due to the folding of a commercial airline. This event impacted him greatly and impressed upon him the importance of planning for the unexpected. He decided to change his major to finance.
A graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in finance, Brett remains an avid college sports fan, especially football, and likes to think of himself as a financial quarterback. “I don’t just talk with clients about their stock portfolio. My clients are looking for a financial coach – someone to direct all the players on the field and someone who can anticipate things, like how decisions may affect their taxes.”
After gaining industry experience, it was important for Brett to work as an independent advisor to offer clients unbiased advice with fewer corporate restrictions and limitations. “I’m not a W2 employee. I don’t have specific products or quotas; I work for my clients,” he said. Being independent also allowed him the privilege of having his wife, Paula, join the team. She assists in helping clients with service-related questions, opening new accounts, and marketing.
To expand the resources of his firm’s offerings, Brett belongs to LPL Financial, the largest broker and provider of solutions for independent financial advisors nationwide1. He also is a member of “The Brain Trust” with Integrated Financial Group, a consortium of like-minded independent advisors.
Brett has a concentrated clientele in the Atlanta area and, through referrals, clients throughout the United States. The son of a military father, he was born in Fort Rucker, Alabama, but has lived in Georgia from a young age. As the youngest of five siblings, he appreciates the value financial planning can offer to protect family wealth for generations.
When he’s not working, Brett enjoys fishing with his family, boating, attending Georgia State athletic events, and being active in his church. He and his wife live in Fayetteville, Georgia, with their two mini schnauzers, a grand kitty, and a grand puppy. They have three grown children; two are currently studying at Georgia State University.
Paula Bringuel
Client Services
Paula Bringuel is dedicated to helping Cast Ahead Wealth Management clients have the best possible experience. She joined the firm in 2020 when her husband, Brett Bringuel, established an independent advisory firm after more than two decades as a financial advisor. The two work well together as a husband-and-wife team, with Paula assisting clients with service-related questions and staying in touch with them and Brett focusing on portfolio management and financial planning.
Paula has a varied background, including 13 years as a medical transcriptionist, 10 years as a preschool teaching assistant, and several years as a senior caregiver. From energetic, rambunctious children and communicating updates with parents to helping seniors who need assistance with daily living activities, she has a way of connecting with everyone.
Her work in the medical field prepared her for a similar industry with technical terminology, compliance, and regulations. Her work as a caregiver and working with clients with Alzheimer’s brought out her compassionate spirit. This experience is valuable in her role at Cast Ahead Wealth Management, as many of their clients are caring for family members. Cast Ahead Wealth Management clients are like family to Paula. She enjoys talking to clients on a personal level, getting to know them better, as well as addressing some of their business needs, such as new account opening, scheduling appointments, and technology questions. Paula also has a knack for creatively showcasing financial planning topics on social media and handles the marketing for Cast Ahead Wealth Management.
Paula and Brett live in Fayetteville, Georgia. They have three grown children, two mini schnauzers, a grand kitty, and a grand puppy. Paula is an animal lover and is happy to talk with people about their pets and can’t help but stop and greet any she meets, and if she could, she’d rescue them all.
In her leisure time, she enjoys trail hiking, party planning, and entertaining. Brett says everyone raves about her desserts and cooking. To work off some of those calories, she likes Zumba, running, and kayaking. She also enjoys reading mystery novels, watching movies, and tailgating and traveling to cheer on the Georgia State University football team.
Strategic Support Team
Andrews Browne
Marketing
Jason Bokina
Director of Marketing & Communications
Operations
Karen Cooke-Thomas
Director of Operations & HR
Compliance
Crystal Epstein
Chief Compliance & Risk Ofiicer
Virtual Assistant Program
Carrie Wilson
Client Service Associate
1. As reported by Financial Planning magazine, 1996- 2022, based on total revenue.
2. Award based on 10 objective criteria associated with providing quality services to clients such as credentials, experience and assets under management among other factors. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 Five Star Wealth Managers.