Avantax Welcomes ATS Advanced Trustee Strategies with Over $400 Million in Total Client Assets
Highly successful veteran advisor Sandeep Varma chooses Avantax to access its vast network of CPAs, tax pros and accounting firms, and for direct access to Avantax senior leadership.
DALLAS – (June 6, 2022) – Avantax®, a leader in tax-focused financial planning, welcomes ATS Advanced Trustee Strategies, an elite firm based in San Diego, California, with over $400 million in total client assets1as of April 1, 2022. Led by 32-year financial services veteran Sandeep Varma, ATS Advanced Trustee Strategies specializes in advanced estate planning designed to help ensure client assets are bequeathed according to their wishes.
“Family is very important to me, whether it’s the families of my clients, the family feel of my firm, or the environment Avantax has created where you feel like a family and they care about your success,” Varma said. “At Avantax you’re not a number just feeding some monster of an organization. When I decided to join Avantax, I quickly heard from their senior leaders. Having a direct link to leadership is a big deal to me.”
Varma, who transferred to Avantax from FSC Securities Corporation, a broker-dealer of Advisor Group, wants to further grow his firm by working with Avantax’s vast network of CPAs and accounting firms – which can be referral sources for Avantax Financial Professionals – and by growing geographically, potentially opening an office on the East Coast.
“ATS Advanced Trustee Strategies has built an incredibly successful practice with intense client focus, and now with Sandeep and his team partnered with Avantax, we can help him get to that next level of growth,” said Todd Mackay, President of Avantax. “The investments and companywide improvements we’ve made over the past two years have made Avantax a destination for firms like Sandeep’s that have grown successful practices and want the additional support to take their business to new heights. These firms are coming to us for our unique and collaborative community, our tax-focused approach, and the vast resources to help them grow.”
As part of its focus on advanced estate planning, Varma and his team counsel clients on strategies that include charitable remainder trusts, private foundations, and life insurance. Varma said the combined charitable pledges from his clients is approaching $100 million.
“Sandeep is incredibly astute and sees recent tax-law changes as just the beginning, so he wants to actively partner with CPAs, tax pros and accounting firms at the core of our nationwide network,” said Tim Stewart, Vice President and Head of Business Development for Avantax. “Like tax and accounting professionals, Avantax is very planning-centric, and that aligns with growth-minded firms that see value in comprehensive tax-focused financial planning.”
Varma added: “The financial advisor working in concert with the CPA and the estate attorney is our hallmark, it’s just part of our DNA, so I’m looking to partner like this even more within Avantax. I’m looking not only at growing my firm, but also helping other advisors, and that kind of collaboration is welcomed at Avantax. I’m excited for what is ahead.”
1 Recruited Assets are estimated amounts that may transition to Avantax over time; these estimates are based on assets reported to Avantax by the recruited Financial Professional and have not been independently verified by Avantax. The actual transition of assets to Avantax can take place over several quarters or longer, and the actual amounts transitioned may be different from the estimate.
About Avantax Wealth Management®
Avantax Wealth Management® offers a tax-advantaged approach for comprehensive financial planning. Avantax’s Tax-Smart approach helps clients leverage taxes to create financial growth opportunities. Most financial companies treat taxes as an afterthought, or not at all, even though taxes are one of life’s most complex and costly expenses. Avantax technology, tax and wealth management insights are used by Avantax Financial Professionals to uncover and tailor opportunities across their clients’ financial lifecycles to help enable better long-term outcomes. The wealth management segment of Blucora, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOR), which includes the Avantax Wealth Management® and Avantax Planning Partners℠ brands, had a collective $86 billion in total client assets as of March 31, 2022. For more information, please visit us at www.avantax.com or on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Media Contact: Tony Katsulos , Avantax, (972) 870-6654, pr@avantax.com