Leadership

Captive Practice Leader, Managing Director

Max Jong is the Captive Practice Leader and Managing Director at Risk Management Advisors, an alternative risk and captive management firm.  Max began his career at Northwestern Mutual in 1994 after graduating from UCLA.  Over 12 years, he built a successful financial services practice while heading up an office overseeing 50 professionals in Los Angeles and Irvine, California.  The office was perennially one of the top producing organizations in the Northwestern Mutual system.

Max joined his partners at Risk Management Advisors in 2007 as he began to work with more sophisticated mid-market business owners.  RMA specializes in the design, formation, and management of captive insurance companies.  There’s also an emphasis on self-funded group benefits as well as other creative alternative risk management strategies.  The firm assists business owners in better managing their risks without jeopardizing their balance sheets.   In 2019, he headed up a merger with Risk Strategies, a Top 10 private national specialty insurance brokerage and consulting firm.  Since then, he was appointed as the Captive Practice Leader to oversee the growth and development of the organization.

For five years, Max served as an Independent Director for Fiat Lux Risk and Insurance Company, one of the largest and most sophisticated captive insurance companies. Fiat Lux was established by the University of California Regents to better manage the broad risks of the University of California system.

Max has also been a lifelong supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. He initially volunteered to be a mentor in 1995 and is currently mentoring his second "Little." Max was asked to join the Board of Directors in 2000 and eventually served as their Board Chair. After 20+ years as an active board member, he continues to support the organization by serving as a Trustee.

He is married to Alice, and they’re raising two young children, Hunter and Hayden. Max and Alice are happily married despite her irreparable mistake of going to USC. He loves to travel, golf, and is a hopeful Lakers fan.

ACI, ARM

Managing Director

Jarid S. Beck is a Managing Director at Risk Management Advisors. He is a career specialist in the design, implementation, and management of alternative risk management (ARM) strategies, including self-insured plans and captive insurance companies. Jarid's diverse insurance background allows him to deliver technical insurance solutions to clients in a wide variety of industries, including construction, real estate, staffing, manufacturing, trucking, and finance.

Jarid was awarded the Associate of Captive Insurance (ACI) designation from the International Center for Captive Insurance Education (ICCIE) and the Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation from the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI). He is a noted authority on using self-insurance and captives as a tool for companies to reduce the cost of providing group medical benefits.

Jarid graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a degree in Business Administration.

ChFC, ACI, ARM

Managing Director

Wesley Sierk is a recognized authority in the realm of captive insurance company design and management. As Managing Director and Lead Strategist for Risk Management Advisors, Inc., he possesses an unmatched track record that spans nearly 30 years, with a focus on empowering profitable, closely held businesses.

Wesley's expertise isn't just limited to consultation; he's profoundly adept at strategic implementation. He has partnered with leading homebuilders, real estate developers, manufacturing enterprises, and professionals in sports and entertainment, providing them with unparalleled insights and solutions.

A hallmark of Wesley's career has been his unwavering commitment to his education. He holds esteemed designations like the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Life Underwriter, both awarded by the American College since 1996. Further amplifying his credentials is the CRIS (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist) recognition, secured in 2006. Notably, he's among the rare individuals globally to have earned the Associate in Captive Insurance (ACI) designation, a testament to his profound understanding of the subject.

Beyond his direct work with clients, Wesley takes immense pride in working hand-in-hand with other professionals, including CPAs, Attorneys, and Financial Advisors. This collaborative approach ensures thorough due diligence and optimal plan design implementation.

An accomplished author, Wesley has penned critical works like Taken Captive: The Secret to Capturing Your Piece of America's Multi-Billion Dollar Insurance Industry and You Can Make It, But Can You Keep It?. The latter serves as a guiding light for the affluent, teaching them strategies to preserve their hard-earned assets.

In the realm of speaking engagements, Wesley is a coveted name. Whether it's insurance industry gatherings or legal and accounting symposiums, he's regularly called upon to demystify the intricate dance between traditional insurance markets and the potential of captive insurance entities.

Under Wesley's leadership, Risk Management Advisors remains a beacon of innovation, committed to elevating clients' financial well-being and mitigating risks in an ever-evolving landscape.

He is married to Leslie and has two 'not so young' children. Their son is attending the University of Tennessee studying entrepreneurship and risk management. While their daughter finishes up her high school years. They love to travel, golf, cook and hike with their two huge dogs.

BA (Hons), BFP, ACA

Vice President

Tania is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) having qualified with Touche Ross in London before moving to the Cayman Islands with Deloittes to join their trust department.  She then started her captive career with IRMG, later Aon, during which time she was one of the pioneers developing a training program for CISPA - a precursor to the Cayman Islands Institute of Practicing Accountants (CIIPA) – specifically educating accountants about captives.

Tania started at Atlas in 2012 and during her time in the Atlas Cayman office, she served as a committee member of the Insurance Managers Association of Cayman (IMAC) volunteering on both the Legislative & Regulatory Committee and the Marketing Committee.  She worked on captive structures across multiple domiciles and developed an in-depth understanding of the various regulatory environments and compliance requirements, particularly those offshore, and has written various published articles from tax matters affecting the captive industry to the implications of blockchain and cryptocurrency.

In 2019 her role broadened to include oversight of the marketing team and expanding the scope of the underwriting team and from 2020 she has been responsible for managing the Atlas Charlotte office, including the onshore client servicing team. This has not only afforded her greater familiarity with a number of onshore domiciles but also allowed her to continue working with a variety of captives, from single parent to association captives, reinsurers to RRGs, thereby ensuring the alternative risk structures, which Atlas develops to provide relevant solutions to our clients, continue to meet those clients’ evolving risk financing needs.  In January 2023 she was finally able to make the move from Cayman to North Carolina where she is now learning to live with seasons again!