Chief Executive Officer, Certified Investment Management Analyst®
214.720.4400 | 
When families come to Spencer McGowan, they are usually not looking for a basic investment account. They are looking for someone who can help them think through income, risk, taxes, liquidity, legacy planning, and the decisions that come with serious wealth.
Spencer has spent more than 25 years working with high-net-worth families, business owners, and related institutions. As founder of McGowanGroup Asset Management, he manages over $1 billion in assets and provides a fiduciary, cash-flow-focused approach to investment planning.
He also holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation and has been recognized by Forbes as a Top Wealth Advisor in Texas for three consecutive years.
Spencer’s work in financial education extends beyond client meetings. He hosts NetWorth Radio on KLIF 570, where he talks through market updates, retirement planning, and the financial questions many Texas families are trying to sort out.
Professional Credentials & Designations
Investment credentials can be confusing, especially since many financial professionals list certifications without much explanation of what they actually mean for clients. Spencer’s advanced training has focused on portfolio construction, investment research, and the analytical side of wealth management.
CIMA® – Certified Investment Management Analyst®
Spencer earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation in 1997. The CIMA® certification is widely recognized within the investment management industry and focuses on portfolio construction, risk analysis, asset allocation, and investment policy.
For clients, that means investment recommendations are built on institutional-level analytical frameworks rather than generic investment models or one-size-fits-all strategies.
Investment Strategist Certificate – The Wharton School (2003)
After earning the CIMA® designation, Spencer completed the Investment Strategist Certificate program through The Wharton School in 2003.
The program focuses on advanced portfolio strategy, market cycle analysis, and the factors that influence long-term investment performance.
This advanced credential deepens Spencer’s ability to position client portfolios through complex market environments, including the commodity cycles, interest rate shifts, and geopolitical events that define today’s investing landscape.
Regulatory Transparency
Spencer McGowan’s CRD number is 1546977. McGowanGroup Asset Management is an SEC-registered Investment Advisory firm. SEC registration provides clients with an additional level of oversight, transparency, and accountability while reinforcing the firm’s fiduciary obligation to act in clients’ best interests.
Investment Philosophy & Approach
Spencer’s investment approach is built around a simple idea: portfolios should be designed to support the financial goals of the client, not the latest market trend.
As a fiduciary, Spencer is legally obligated to act in his clients’ best interests. That responsibility shapes every recommendation, from portfolio construction to long-term planning decisions. Rather than focusing on short-term market movements, his process emphasizes cash flow, risk management, and disciplined investment decision-making designed to support long-term objectives.
McGowan Group Asset Management utilizes a proprietary cash-flow-based investment discipline supported by ongoing performance analysis and portfolio monitoring. Clients also have access to Black Diamond®, a performance reporting platform that provides clear visibility into account activity, holdings, and results.
Market headlines are designed to cause panic; our process is designed to prevent it. We focus on maintaining a disciplined, long-term financial strategy—one that ignores daily noise but intelligently adapts when market conditions truly shift.
Background & Experience
Spencer’s experience in the investment industry spans nearly four decades.
After graduating from the University of Texas in 1986, he began his career at PaineWebber, where he trained under his father and learned the fundamentals of investment management and client service. Over time, that experience helped shape the approach he would later bring to his own firm.
In 2001, Spencer launched McGowanGroup Asset Management as an independent Registered Investment Advisor. For clients, that independence means investment advice is delivered under a fiduciary standard, with recommendations made based on what is in the client’s best interest.
Many of the families and business owners Spencer works with are navigating the same challenges he has faced as an entrepreneur. Building a company, managing risk, planning for the future, and making decisions that affect future generations all come with a unique perspective that extends beyond investing alone.
Outside of client work, Spencer founded NetWorth Radio as a way to make financial education more accessible to investors. He is also the author of two books and has written more than 30 published articles covering investment, retirement, and wealth management topics.
Recognition & Media
Over the course of his career, Spencer McGowan has been recognized by several national and regional publications for his work in investment management and wealth advisory services.
Awards & Industry Recognition
Spencer has been named to the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list multiple times, earning recognition in 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025. He is currently ranked #10 in Texas.
McGowanGroup Asset Management was also recognized on the Forbes Top RIA Firms in America list in 2025.
Additional industry recognitions include Barron’s Top 1000 Financial Advisors in 2001, 2009, and 2013, as well as Texas Monthly Five Star Professional honors in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Financial Education & Media
Education has been a consistent theme throughout Spencer’s career. Long before financial information became instantly accessible online, he was researching, organizing, and publishing resources designed to help investors better understand markets and investment decision-making.
That focus continues today through NetWorth Radio, a weekly financial program that has been on the air since 2001. The show covers financial markets, retirement planning, economic trends, portfolio management, and topics affecting investors and business owners throughout Texas.
Spencer is joined by Alex Tollen, CPWA®, President of McGowanGroup Asset Management. Together, they discuss current market developments, long-term investment themes, and the financial issues shaping today’s economy.
In addition to market commentary, the program regularly features interviews with business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders from across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and throughout Texas.
The show’s audience includes investors, business owners, and financial professionals throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Listeners can tune in on KLIF 570 on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., or catch episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the McGowan website.
Advance summary reports for each episode are also available on The McGowanGroup Asset Management YouTube channel, highlighting key market, economic, and investment topics discussed on the show.
Published Works
Spencer’s commitment to investor education also led to the publication of two books during the early years of the information age.
The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Investment Information: Where to Find What You Need to Know (1993) was written to help individual investors locate and interpret public financial information independently.
In 1995, Spencer authored The Investor’s Information Sourcebook: A Quick Reference to Investment Information and Advice, a 550-page reference guide published through the New York Institute of Finance and Prentice Hall. The book compiled many of the investment research services, publications, databases, and information resources available to investors at the time.
In addition to these publications, Spencer has written more than 30 investment and financial planning articles throughout his career.
Who Spencer Serves
Most of Spencer’s clients have spent years building something valuable, whether that’s a business, a career, or family wealth.
His client base includes high-net-worth individuals, business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, retirees, and families throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Some are preparing for retirement. Some are thinking about the eventual sale of a business. Others are focused on what happens to family assets after they’re gone.
The situations vary, but the conversations tend to revolve around the same question: what’s the best way to manage what has already been built while preparing for what’s next?
Timeline Highlights
2025
- Ranked #10 on Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors List
2024
- Ranked #8 on Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list.
2023
- Ranked #8 on Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list.
2019
- Ranked #9 on Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list.
2013
- Texas Monthly – 5 Star Professional Award
- Barron’s Magazine – Top 1000 Financial Advisers
2012
- Texas Monthly – 5 Star Professional Award
2011
- Texas Monthly – 5 Star Professional Award
- Barron’s Magazine – Top 1000 Financial Advisers
2001
- Barron’s Magazine – Top 1000 Financial Advisers
2009
- Barron’s Magazine – Top 1000 Financial Advisers
2003
- The Wharton School – Earned Investment Strategist Certificate Sponsored by the Investment Management Consultants Association
2001
- Founded NetWorth Radio
1997
- The Wharton School – Earned Certified Investment Management Analyst Designation from the Investment Management Consultants Association
