John McDonough
Founder, President & CEO
Meet John McDonough
Trusted Guidance for Complex Financial Decisions
Founder · President & CEO · Studemont Group
For more than 25 years, John McDonough has helped business owners, entrepreneurs, and affluent families make their most consequential financial decisions — with strategy, not products, at the center.
- 25+ Years of Experience
- Founded Studemont in 2010
- Houston, Texas
- Texas-Licensed Since 2001
About John
More Than 25 Years of Trusted Guidance
John McDonough has spent more than 25 years helping business owners, entrepreneurs, and affluent families address some of their most important financial planning decisions.
As the founder and President & CEO of Studemont Group, John has long been recognized as an industry leader, consistently topping producer lists with the most reputable life insurance companies nationwide. His specialization is the advanced planning that complex estates demand — premium financing, irrevocable life insurance trusts, estate tax liquidity, and business-succession strategies — coordinated into one plan rather than sold as separate products.
He is also a dedicated educator. Through the JMac Wealth channel and his writing, John has taught thousands of families and business owners how successful people actually use planning to preserve, protect, and transfer capital across generations.
His advisory approach focuses on helping clients:
- Preserve wealth
- Reduce unnecessary tax exposure
- Protect assets
- Create estate liquidity
- Transfer wealth efficiently
- Build multi-generational legacy plans
Rather than beginning with products, Studemont begins with strategy.
Every recommendation is built around the client’s objectives, financial situation, and long-term goals.
Follow John
Experience & Credentials
Depth of Experience You Can Verify
Authority that comes from decades of focused practice — and a commitment to transparency you are encouraged to confirm.
Founder, President & CEO
Studemont Group, established 2010
Experience
25+ years in advanced planning
Licensed
General Lines · Texas Dept. of Insurance (since 2001)
Education
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Recognition
Consistent national top producer
Educator
JMac Wealth — educational video & article library
Verify any advisor’s license and record before you engage. See our Licensing, Registration & Due Diligence guide.
Our Signature Approach
The Studemont Method
Over more than two decades, John has refined a disciplined, repeatable way of working. It is why an engagement with Studemont feels less like a sales process and more like a plan — coordinated, independent, and built to last.
Strategy First
We begin with your objectives and a coordinated plan — never a product. The solutions come second; the strategy comes first.
Independent & Objective
Recommendations are built around your situation and goals — not a single carrier or a product line we are trying to sell.
Coordinated, Not Siloed
We work alongside your CPAs and attorneys so tax, estate, and asset-protection planning all move together as one plan.
Built to Endure
Plans are stewarded and refined over time, designed to preserve and transfer wealth across generations.
Studemont is not selling life insurance. Studemont is helping you solve complex tax, estate, asset protection, and wealth preservation challenges.
Collaboration
Working Alongside Your Trusted Advisors
Studemont does not replace the professionals you already rely on. We coordinate with them — so every strategy reinforces one coherent plan.
CPAs
We align planning with your tax advisor so strategies are implemented and reported correctly.
Estate Planning Attorneys
We coordinate with your counsel so trusts, documents, and ownership structures work together.
Financial Advisors
We complement your investment strategy with planning that protects and transfers capital efficiently.
Family Offices
We integrate sophisticated planning across entities and generations within your existing structure.
The Challenge
Building Wealth Is Difficult. Preserving It Can Be Even Harder.
Many successful individuals spend decades building businesses, investments, and assets. However, few have fully addressed questions such as:
How much wealth may ultimately be lost to taxation?
Will heirs have access to sufficient liquidity?
Is there a clear strategy for transferring assets?
Are existing structures creating unnecessary risk?
What happens if business ownership needs to transition unexpectedly?
Without proper planning, significant wealth can be lost during major life events and generational transitions.
Why Studemont
A Different Approach to Wealth Preservation
Many firms focus on products.
Studemont focuses on planning.
Our process begins by understanding the client’s objectives, concerns, and opportunities before recommending any strategy or solution.
01
Experience
02
Personalized Planning
03
Independent Solutions
04
Long-Term Relationships
05
Comprehensive Advisory Approach
Every recommendation is designed to support a larger wealth preservation strategy.
Start the Conversation
Begin With Strategy
Every meaningful plan begins not with a product, but with a clear understanding of your objectives, your concerns, and the opportunities ahead.
Schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your goals and explore strategies designed to help protect what matters most.
- Confidential, no-obligation discussion
- Strategy-first, never product-led
- Guidance tailored to your objectives
Houston, Texas · By appointment