Team Members
Kyle Grussenmeyer
VP Advisor - Agent Relations
Kyle brings 16 years of experience in the financial services and insurance industry to Tax Advantage Protection Group. Before joining, he was a wholesaler at Lincoln Financial for 13 years, where he helped financial advisors and their clients in the independent, bank, and wire-house channels throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. This experience developed a keen understanding of extended care and legacy planning with thousands of advisors and their clients.
Kyle focuses on long-term care and life insurance planning, emphasizing the power of brokerage-unbiased selection. He wants to ensure that you feel fully supported in your financial goals. He believes his role is not just about providing services but building strong and lasting relationships that lead to shared success.
When he's not working, Kyle enjoys a variety of interests. He's a martial arts enthusiast, a fitness buff, and a passionate traveler. He's also a dedicated fan of his Philadelphia sports teams and cherishes quality time with his family and friends.
Mike Valletta
VP New-Business, License & Point of Service
Mike brings over 13 years of experience in the insurance industry to Tax Advantage Protection Group. Before joining, Mike held several positions at Lincoln Financial within the Sales Operations, Underwriting, and New Business teams. He most recently spent the last 3 years as Assistant Vice President of the MoneyGuard organization, responsible for strategic planning, talent management, and improving the application experience of Lincoln’s flagship Long-Term Care product.
Mike enjoys building long-standing relationships with financial professionals and is an advocate for delivering a positive, end-to-end customer experience. His prior roles have developed his expertise in navigating the processes that make up the financial planning journey and driving continuous improvements that help pave the way for success.
When he’s not working, Mike is often outside with his family and three beagles. He also enjoys tackling new home projects, gaming, and family trips to Boone and the Outer Banks.
Elena Castor
Legacy Advocate
Elena Castor brings 30 years of insurance industry experience to Tax Advantage Protection Group. Before joining, she worked underwriting supervision and internal wholesaling with Equitable. She has spent the last 14 years focusing on working with advisors in the BGA and IMO space, helping them expand their financial practices through extended care protection planning.
Elena enjoys supporting financial professionals nationwide, providing risk protection solutions with Life Insurance, Long-Term Care, and Annuity plans. As a long-term care specialist, she enjoys partnering with advisors, using an educational approach to the extended care conversation, and using tax-advantaged strategies that work. Through one-on-one coaching, she helps advisors position the long-term care conversation that leads to ensuring financial security and independence for their clients.
When not working, she is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, cycling, and snowshoeing in the Nevada and Sierra Mountains. She also loves to travel and spend time with friends.
Matt Valente
Legacy Advocate
Matt Valente brings over 20 years of experience in the financial services and insurance industry to Tax Advantage Protection Group. Throughout Matt's extensive career, he has had the privilege of training and coaching Financial Advisors and Planners, guiding them in helping clients safeguard their financial wealth.
Matt is honored to serve as a legacy advocate. His approach is deeply personalized, and he truly takes the time to understand each client's unique situation. He provides tailored solutions that help them achieve their goals and protect their loved ones. While not everyone may need insurance, everyone certainly needs a plan. Planning ten years too early is always better than planning one day too late.
When he is not working outside his professional life, you can find him coaching youth sports or cheering on his three kids at lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, and football games. He also dedicates his time to volunteering in his community and raising funds for those in need while residing in Woodstock, GA, with his wonderful wife, Krissy.
Jacen Work
Principal
One of the most valuable resources Jacen possesses after more than thirty years in asset-based wealth planning is the significant relationships he has cultivated with trusted, leading experts in this industry.
Since 1992, he built an alliance with some of the country's most distinguished professionals in Life Insurance, Long-Term Care, Annuities, Estate Planning, and Advanced Planning Attorneys. It's his continual privilege to service hundreds of clients, advisors, and agencies to improve and protect the wealth of thousands of families.
Jacen has worked closely with teams, producing extensive financial protection strategy seminars and national panel discussions, and developed asset-based training materials for financial advisors. Working with one of the nation's leading financial companies, he has been recognized as a leader in asset-based tax advantage strategies. Today, advisors, agents, CPAs, attorneys, and wholesalers in every major bank, wirehouse, broker-dealer, and independent broker nationwide utilize these concepts.
Tax implications, protecting retirement income, and affordability are paramount to consumer concerns. The ability to "age in place" with dignity while protecting a financial portfolio is a universal ambition Jacen has repeatedly heard in the field for over 30 years.
Jacen formed Tax Advantaged Protection Group to combine his significant planning expertise with the vast resources of his relationships to represent only the best-rated financial institutions and products in the marketplace. Finding a "one size fits all" product or company is not a wise choice, so we have aligned ourselves with various industry leaders to find the right fit for you. Our team has over 100 years of experience helping people and advisors; if we cannot help you directly, we may know the right person who can help.
Jacen strives for a work/life balance, calling Northern Virginia home with his wife and best friend of 35 years, Megan. They are grateful for this chapter in life as their two adult kids navigate post-college, new jobs, and beyond. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, and exploring new places in his free time as an enthusiastic traveler and passionate sports fan.
We look forward to learning about you.