John Henry McDonald, a CFP® Practitioner, is an innovative force in the financial planning field. He has taken a progressive lead in Texas in the areas of fee-only financial planning, planning by objectives, integrated financial services and consumer education on financial planning issues.

McDonald is the President/CEO of Austin Asset Management Company, an 18-year-old firm that provides financial planning, and asset protection and preservation techniques. As an outgrowth of his emphasis on written financial plans and professional advice and expertise, the company became the first fee-only firm of its kind in the Austin, Texas area. Planning by objectives drives Austin Asset Management’s investment philosophy; customized financial plans and portfolios are constructed to meet clients’ individual long-term needs.

Special areas of emphasis in McDonald’s practice include planning strategies for retirement, estate tax savings, and distribution planning for retirement plans, asset preservation and capital growth.

In recent years, McDonald has developed and presented several consumer education workshops at major employers designed to help people take control of their finances and to demystify the financial planning process. He has contributed extensively to public education efforts in building an awareness of the hidden fees and commissions involved in the purchase of securities and insurance.

McDonald has been rated one of the top financial advisors in the nation by Worth magazine - he is one of only a handful of advisors to have been on Worth’s list every year since 1997, until it was sold in 2003. Medical Economics named McDonald one of the 120 Best Financial Advisors for Doctors; he is listed as a top planner in J.K. Lasser’s Estate Planning for Baby Boomers, and named one of the country’s top 100 advisors by Mutual Fund Magazine.

In 2004, Mr. McDonald was asked to become a board member for the Texas Department of Insurance, on the Texas Life and Health Guaranty Association. In addition to being a CFP®, McDonald also holds the designations of CLU - Chartered Life Underwriter, and ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant.

He is married to Louise Epstein, the President of Charge off Clearing House, a company that specializes in the evaluation, pricing and sale of charged off credit debt.