Brightworth, LLC (Atlanta)


Brightworth, LLC is a large advisory firm based in Atlanta. It manages $3.34 billion of regulatory assets for 6,525 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2006 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and 34 other states.

Brightworth provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, selection of other advisers, and educational seminars and workshops. It prepares financial plans for approximately 1,000 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Brightworth: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Brightworth, LLC is $3.34 billion, all of which is managed in discretionary accounts. The firm's AUM has grown by 582% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $3.34 billion in discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $511.19 thousand each.
Brightworth has custody of $853.56 million in cash and securities for 605 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 96% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is cash and cash equivalents, which make up 3% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in government bonds form 1% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Brightworth, LLC for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, and fixed fees. Flat-fee based compensation is the most transparent and the one you can safely predict in advance. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients Brightworth serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, corporations or other businesses, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of Brightworth is high net worth individuals with 711 clients and $2.27 billion of assets under management. Among the 10 most similar advisory firms, Brightworth has the 2nd highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $3.34 billion for 1,958 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. None of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Brightworth doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Brightworth, LLC

The company employs 54 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 43 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 27 employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There are 5 people with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Direct owners and executive officers


Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
David Warren Polstra Co-founding partner & wealth advisor 1 Feb 1997 25% - 50% 1014810
Chris John Dardaman Co-founding partner & wealth advisor 1 Feb 1997 25% - 50% 2212568
Frederick Alan Gotthardt Partner & president 1 Jan 2000 Other 2953936
Raymond Vincent Padron Partner & coo 1 Jul 2004 Other 1795062
Raymond Vincent Padron Chief compliance officer 1 Jul 2005 Other 1795062
Annika Eugene Ferris Partner & wealth advisor 1 Apr 2008 Other 5239291
Donald Winfred Wilson Partner & director of portfolio management 1 Apr 2008 Other 3062301
Annika Ferris Cushnie Partner & wealth advisor 1 Apr 2008 Other 5239291
Lisa Lorraine Brown Partner & wealth advisor 1 Dec 2010 Other 3266879
Sherry Goldstein Hodor Chief compliance officer 1 Jan 2012 Other 2452573
Justin Denver Husson Partner & manager of investment operations 1 Apr 2012 Other 6173980
Kristen Ann Johnson Partner & manager of client service 1 Apr 2012 Other 6173976
Annika Ferris Cushnie Partner & wealth advisor 1 Dec 2013 Other 5239291
Donald Winfred Wilson Partner, chief investment officer 1 Dec 2013 Other 3062301
Lisa Lorraine Brown Partner & wealth advisor 1 Dec 2013 Other 3266879
Sherry Goldstein Hodor Chief compliance officer, partner, director of operations 1 Dec 2013 Other 2452573
Charles Lovett Jordan Partner & wealth advisor 1 Dec 2013 Other 4180001
Raymond Vincent Padron Managing partner & wealth advisor 1 Sep 2014 Other 1795062
Kristen Ann Johnson Partner & director of client service 1 Jan 2015 Other 6173976
Kristen Ann Piccirillo Partner & director of client service 1 Jan 2015 Other 6173976
Robert Voorhees Sytz Partner, wealth advisor & management committee member 1 Jul 2017 Other 1258313
Brett Stephen Miller Partner, wealth advisor & management committee member 1 Jul 2017 Other 5413563

Based in Atlanta

The principal office where Brightworth, LLC performs its advisory services is located at 3344 Peachtree Road, Ne, Atlanta, GA 30326, which is also the mailing address of the firm. An additional office of the firm is in Charlotte, NC. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 404-760-9000 or by fax 404-604-3754. The normal business hours are 8:30am - 5:00pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at brightworth.com.