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Advanced Strategies Group, Inc., The

How the wealthy plan, prepare, preserve, and protect

Category:	Finance
Address:	39500 High Pointe Blvd., Suite 150
City:	Novi
Map:	Click to map location
Phone:	248-468-0330
Website:	www.AdvancedStrategiesGroup.com

Most of their clients started life on a shoestring and don’t think of themselves as multimillionaires. Some are business owners with fortunes tied up in bricks and machinery, people and ideas; others are stars or athletes whose ability to perform well today influences the stage or playing field they will rule tomorrow. Regardless of whether clients are neurosurgeons towering over the operating table or CEOs presiding over corporate empires, their most personal thoughts are remarkably the same:

“There’s nothing dearer to our hearts than our families. We love them more than anyone else in the world and we want to protect them.”

According to Chris Christensen, president and CEO of Advanced Strategies Group, that’s why it’s critical for high-achieving individuals to have financial plans customized beyond the ordinary. It’s also advantageous to have financial advisors who are specialized in the advancement of extreme wealth, assets, and individual goals.  

Christensen founded Advanced Strategies Group in 1994 after recognizing that most estate planners were generalists who served people with relatively small estates. He understood that high-achieving individuals with assets totaling more than $5 million required more sophisticated planning, in order to utilize every last tax law to their advantage. Beyond that, he also knew that multimillionaires experience unique concerns when planning, preparing, preserving, and protecting their estates.

As a wealthy businessperson, he explains, it’s essential that you prepare for the day-to-day obstacles demanded by the business world and address the really important questions: How do I attract and keep quality employees? How can I put more money away for retirement? How can I protect my company’s accounts receivables?

“Then you must address the greatest concern of all — succession planning. If you’ve grown your endeavors to the point where you’ve created extreme wealth, you’ll ultimately need a financial strategy that allows you to buy or sell a deceased owner’s share of the company with the least amount of disruption to your current assets; a way to determine how you’ll pass the torch on to the next generation, so talented individuals can keep your dream alive; or a plan for transferring your wealth to your heirs — most preferably through Zero-Tax Estate Planning.” 

The government isn’t your heir, Christensen constantly reminds his clients. And, he adds, “The estate tax is a voluntary tax imposed against people who fail to plan or who hire the wrong planners.”

John Turcotte, executive vice president and COO, shares a heartwarming story about a treasured client who loved his grown children dearly, wanted to involve them in his estate, and recognized the one thing he wanted most of all was to spend more time with them — even though time was at a premium, as they all led such busy lives. “We helped this client create a family foundation whereby all his children sat on the board, ensuring that family members would have a reason to interact frequently. What’s more, the family held the foundation’s annual meeting just prior to the holidays, allowing for an extended two-week window of opportunity to enjoy each other’s company.” The solution made perfect planning sense and it touched the heart of a lonesome father. 

With a wink and a lighter touch, Christensen summarizes his company’s abilities by saying, “We protect you from creditors, predators, in-laws, and outlaws.” Then he adds, in all seriousness, “We grow your assets over your lifetime, allowing you to give what you want, to whom you want, when you want.”

Isn’t that exactly what every multimillionaire needs?

Advanced Strategies Group is experiencing a major growth cycle, with plans to more than double its size in 2008. The firm currently has offices in Detroit, New York, Boston, Florida, and Los Angeles, and welcomes your inquiries. In addition, Chris Christensen is recognized as one of the most in-demand public speakers on the topic of wealth transfer in the medical community, conducting seminars for hospitals, medical schools, and charitable organizations throughout the U.S. If he can be of service to your organization, please contact him.