Expert Tax Strategy, Compliance Protection, and Family Office Solutions for High-Income Earners
Our Mission
Backed by Centarus and Exemplar, we bring multidisciplinary expertise to every engagement.
We serve clients at the $1M+ level — sophisticated enough for elite planning, accessible enough to build real relationships.
We don’t just create strategies. We defend them, protect families against IRS disputes, and integrate long-term wealth goals.
Corporate and Strategies Counsel and Partner
Mr. Amatucci serves as the Co Managing Partner of Valiant Financial Strategies, and Managing Partner of our sister companies Centarus Legal Services, PC, Centarus Business Consultants, Ltd, and CBC Due Diligence Services. He is a corporate, securities, and regulatory defense attorney with more than 20 years of legal practice and over 15 years of prior management and executive business experience at large national and multinational corporations.
At Centarus, his practice focuses on corporate and securities law, tax-advantaged offerings, and regulatory defense. He oversees a team of attorneys drafting complex securities and investment structures and directs affiliated consulting and due diligence operations serving small public and private companies.
Mr. Amatucci has represented clients before the SEC, the Illinois Securities Department, and the CFTC, and has litigated in both federal and state courts on matters ranging from breach of contract to investor fraud. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and three advanced degrees, including a Juris Doctor, with academic honors from Dartmouth College, New York University–Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Illinois School of Law. Mr. Amatucci is admitted to the Illinois and New York Bars and is a former graduate-level professor of corporate and employment law.
Corporate and Strategies Counsel and Partner
Mr. Marston serves as the Co-Managing Partner of Valiant Financial Strategies and the Chief Executive Officer of our sister company Exemplar Companies, PBC, a pioneering professional services firm integrating legal, tax, accounting, and business advisory. A corporate and securities attorney with more than 20 years of experience, he has built Exemplar into the first national firm to eliminate the billable hour in favor of a values-based, relationship-driven model. As CEO, Mr. Marston leads a multidisciplinary team providing integrated solutions for entrepreneurs, investors, and enterprises.
His focus includes business structuring, tax strategy, capital raising, and risk management. Under his leadership, Exemplar has become a trusted partner to high-growth ventures and investment funds seeking innovative, tax-efficient solutions. Before founding Exemplar, he practiced corporate and securities law, advising funds, startups, and growth companies on governance, transactions, and financing. He is widely recognized as a thought leader on integrated professional services and has spoken nationally on professional innovation, tax-efficient strategies, and values-based leadership.
Mr. Marston holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Boston College and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, where he was a member of the Moot Court Honor Board. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Tax and Strategies Counsel
David Merrick is of counsel with Centarus Legal Services and has been a practicing attorney for over three decades, during which time he has devoted his practice to advising multinational corporations, private equity firms, high net worth individuals, and financial institutions on complex U.S. and cross-border tax matters. He is a former Tax Managing Director at PwC and KPMG in both U.S. and UK offices, Senior Tax Attorney at IBM, and former Attorney/Advisor with the IRS. He is recognized for developing innovative tax strategies, drafting technical tax opinions, and guiding clients through significant regulatory changes. Active member of the DC Bar, with a J.D. from George Washington University (with honors) and Phi Beta Kappa distinction as an undergraduate.
VP, Tax Products
Ryan Milam is Vice President of Tax Products at Valiant Financial Strategies, where he helps clients implement advanced tax strategies to protect wealth, minimize risk, and optimize outcomes. With more than 15 years of experience in consultative sales and client strategy, Ryan specializes in aligning complex tax solutions with client goals through a relationship-driven approach. Previously, he led the Tax Strategy Division at a boutique tax law firm, closing multiple seven-figure engagements and expanding service lines. A Certified Tax Strategist and former “30 Under 30” nominee, Ryan has also spoken at over thirty national events and previously worked at Apple, Inc.
Strategic Tax Planning, IRS Defense, and Family Office Solutions for $1M+ Earners.Expert –(needs a space after Earners.) guidance. Transparent advice. Long-term protection — without the noise.
