McGowan Group Asset Management

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McGowan Group Asset Management, Inc was founded in 2001 as a federally registered investment advisory firm. Today, the McGowan Group manages over six hundred million in financial assets for individuals and businesses in Dallas, TX. We provide advice to individuals, trusts, estates or charitable organizations, pension and profit sharing plans, and corporations, limited liability companies and/or other business types. The McGowan Group helps clients build a diverse portfolio that achieves consistent cash flow for retirement, business growth and trusts. Work with a team of advisors, each specialized in an investment area. Learn more about our experienced team of certified investment management analysts and private wealth advisors.

10/09/2026

McGowanGroup Wealth Management Q4 2026 Client Update

In this week's broadcast, Spencer McGowan and Alex Tollen deliver the Q4 2026 Client Update, reviewing macro bond market shifts, market valuations, energy sector outperformance, and strategic portfolio positioning for the quarter ahead.

Key Highlights & Timestamps:

- The Unprecedented Bond Bear Market
The 20-Year Treasury ETF (TLT) is down over 11% YTD. As zero-interest era bonds struggle with rising rates, long-duration fixed income has suffered a severe repricing, highlighting the importance of managing duration risk.

- 20-Year Treasury Rates Hit 5.75% (17.5x Earnings Equivalent)
20-Year Treasuries hit 5.75% yields this week—equivalent to just 17.5x earnings. High-yielding Treasuries now present a compelling institutional alternative to highly valued broad equity benchmarks and AI mega-caps.

- Fed Rate Path Expectations
T-Bill yields have moved above 4.0%, pricing in potential Fed rate hikes at upcoming policy meetings into year-end.

- Sector Performance: Tech vs. Deep Value Energy
While the S&P 500 is up +14.15% and NASDAQ sits near +22% YTD, Energy Select Sector ETFs (XLE) have outperformed tech, surging nearly +50% YTD while maintaining attractive valuations at 5x–7x cash flow.

- Refining Crack Spreads & AI Power Demand
Record-high refining margins (crack spreads) are projected to remain elevated through 2027 due to structural capacity constraints, while natural gas infrastructure continues to see strong tailwinds from "behind-the-meter" AI data center power needs.

- Strategic Q4 Action Plan: Reallocating into High Cash Flow
The Investment Committee is harvesting gains from surging equities and allocating into discounted, high-yield corporate bonds and fixed-income assets,. This strategy locks in "pay raises" via higher forward cash yields while building tactical safety against potential tech drawdowns.

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup

Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios.



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/

09/25/2026

The 5 Big Mistakes Most Investors Make

In this week's broadcast, Spencer McGowan and Alex Tollen break down the five most critical portfolio traps that cost investors long-term wealth—and how disciplined discipline and active planning can keep your portfolio on track.

Key Highlights & Timestamps

Obsession [00:49]

The Tech Bubble Parallel [01:24]: A look back at the late 1990s tech and telecom frenzy (Lucent, Nortel, Cisco) and how chasing hot indexes like the QQQ can lead to a 15-year recovery period [03:25].

MLP & Energy Hype [04:48]: How over-allocating on margin to Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) during the 2014 energy boom led to massive margin calls [06:38].

Crypto & Speculative Mania [07:40]: The volatility of Bitcoin and speculative NFTs (e.g., Bored Apes) during rate-hiking cycles [08:30].

Overspending [10:24]

The danger zone of taking on excessive debt for non-essential assets like second homes or luxury items without cash-flow coverage [10:31].

Why total carry-cost calculations and disciplined financial planning are vital before expanding lifestyle overhead [11:14].

Overpaying [12:46]

Paying high valuations for unprofitable companies or speculative technology plays (such as unproven nuclear SMR concepts or cash-burning AI infrastructure firms) [13:26].

Why avoiding money-losing companies eliminates up to 90% of common investing errors [15:46].

Gambling & Derivative Traps [16:17]

Leveraged ETFs & ETNs [18:20]: How daily reset dynamics and options decay (theta) erode returns over time, causing 2x/3x leveraged funds to underperform their underlying benchmarks over longer holding periods [19:07].

Perpetual Futures & Tracking Products [16:28]: Understanding that speculative derivative trackers do not give investors actual equity claims or dividend rights [17:42].

Believing What Just Ain't So [21:38]

Value Traps [21:56]: Analyzing legacy telecom and dividend staples (e.g., AT&T) that fail to generate real growth relative to competitive capital expenditures [22:17].

Evaluating narrative vs. financial reality across market sectors [21:40].

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup

Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios.



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/

09/18/2026

The real story on the 2026 bond market and the Fed announcements. The next rate increase currently signaled by 3 Month Treasury Bills. How does this impact McGowanGroup strategies?

*The Texas Energy Infrastructure Revolution: The global energy crisis of 2026-2027 plus refined fuel shortage.

*Important financial events of Q4.

McGowanGroup Advanced Report (September 20, 2026): "Bond Market Panic?"
Key Takeaways & Market Breakdown
[00:35] - Federal Reserve Rate Hike & T-Bill Volatility

The Fed raised interest rates by 25 basis points (reaching a 3.875% target) [00:47]. Treasury bills experienced a short-term spike above 4.07% [02:46], reflecting market expectations for an additional rate hike at the December 9th meeting [02:32].

[03:38] - GDP Growth & Economic Strength

The Atlanta Fed’s economic growth estimate for Q3 reached 5.1% [03:38], supported by low unemployment claims and solid job data [05:06].

[04:30] - 20-Year Treasury Yields Hit Multi-Year Highs

The 20-Year Treasury yield reached 4.42%—its highest level since 2022 [04:37]—signaling a return to a normal, upward-sloping yield curve similar to the late 1990s [05:22].

[05:42] - Bond ETFs (TLT) vs. Direct Bond Ownership

Long-duration Treasury ETFs like TLT dropped from 180 to ~80 [05:56] due to lack of maturity management. Direct bond ownership allows investors to hold fixed maturity cash flows and capture capital gains during rate fluctuations [06:25].

[08:36] - High Yield Corporate Bond Opportunities

Discounts in "B-rated" high yield corporate bond funds are opening up attractive forward cash flow opportunities in the 7% to 10% range [09:55].

[10:04] - Dow Jones Pullback & Stock Market Trends

The Dow Jones pulled back ~5% from its August peak of 54,675 [10:14], remaining in a broader 6-month sideways range [11:05].

[11:12] - Energy Infrastructure (XLE)

Energy Select Sector ETFs are up +45.5% YTD [11:12]. Chevron Chairman Mike Worth highlighted ongoing global fuel and refining capacity shortages [11:37].

[12:35] - US Oil Storage Deficits & LNG Export Demand

US crude oil storage levels dropped by over 500 million barrels to historic lows relative to economy size [13:48], creating a long-term demand floor. Meanwhile, European natural gas prices (~$23/MMBtu) vs. US prices (~$2.88/MMBtu) drive strong long-term US LNG export arbitrage [14:27].

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup

Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios [15:44].



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://lnkd.in/eZK4k6i5

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/

09/04/2026

The Roaring 2020’s!

As we enter September 2026, the U.S. economy continues to beat expectations—led by a revised Q3 GDP growth estimate of 4.7% from the Atlanta Fed and a blowout August jobs report [06:03]. While macro strength fuels broad markets, deep-value strategies, corporate share buybacks, and domestic energy infrastructure continue to lead performance [11:07].

Key Highlights & Market Breakdown
1990s Bull Market Parallel: Comparing current 2020s market dynamics to the 1990s tech cycle shows how structural productivity gains can drive extended upside, even alongside periodic rate-hiking pullbacks [01:44].

Macro Growth vs. Inflation Debate: Strong GDP estimates (4.7%) and 162k net new jobs show real economic expansion rather than purely speculative, printed-money inflation [06:03], [07:38].

The "Tontine" Advantage (Share Buybacks): Capital allocation discipline remains paramount. Deep-value names taking advantage of recurring stock buybacks—like Marathon Petroleum and Unum—are driving substantial earnings-per-share growth compared to cash-burning tech issuers [09:45], [14:45].

Energy Infrastructure & Refining Spreads: Global capacity constraints keep refining crack spreads above $59/barrel [12:18], powering standard Energy ETFs (+44% YTD) and domestic refiners like Valero and Marathon [13:03], [15:24].

Dell’s Value-to-Tech Rerate: Dell Technologies continues its run (+300%+ off lows) [14:09], providing a case study in harvesting speculative profits into tactical cash reserves [14:17].

Strategic Takeaways for Investors
Disciplined Profit Harvesting: Tranching gains out of surging deep-value winners to build tactical cash reserves [14:17].

Focus on Cash Flow over Hype: Distinguishing between speculative, share-diluting tech plays and balance-sheet-backed cash flow engines [15:01].

Plan Enhancements: Reviewing long-term wealth plans and cash flow allocation ahead of year-end planning cycles [15:34].

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup

Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios [15:44].

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

08/28/2026

AI Dangers Ahead

As we enter the final third of 2026, the U.S. economy continues to defy recessionary fears, backed by a strong 4.6% Q3 GDP estimate—more than double the 20-year historical average. While broad benchmarks like the S&P 500 remain solid (+14% YTD), deep value and energy infrastructure sectors are delivering stand-out risk-adjusted performance. However, mounting off-balance-sheet commitments in big-tech AI infrastructure highlight the need for disciplined portfolio harvesting and tactical safety.

Market Breakdown & Performance Highlights

Macro GDP Strength: Q3 2026 GDP growth is pacing at 4.6%, driven by robust industrial activity and capital investment.

* Deep Value & Energy Outperformance:

* S&P 500: +14% YTD

* Energy Select Sector / Oil & Gas: +41.5% YTD

* Plains All American (PAA): +54% YTD

* Dell Technologies: +275% YTD (demonstrating how deep-value entries can rerate significantly)

* Refining Margins & Crack Spreads: Crack spreads (refining profit margins) remain at historically high levels above $50/barrel. Structural disruptions—such as 7% of global refining capacity sidelined in Russia—continue to benefit domestic refiners like Marathon Petroleum and Valero.

The AI Debate: Dangers vs. Real-World Utility

* $3 Trillion Off-Balance-Sheet Risk: Recent data from Groundbreaker Research and the Wall Street Journal reveals over $3 trillion in future commitments across tech hyperscalers for data centers, power, chip orders, and leases.

* Cash Burn Concerns: Key AI model providers face heavy cash burn while taking on long-term "take-or-pay" contracts. If end-user monetization slows, non-cash-flow-generative players risk severe balance sheet contraction.

* Enterprise Practicality: Applied enterprise AI continues to deliver productivity gains across wealth management processes, client reporting, and analytical modeling. The market will ultimately bifurcate between capital-burning speculative tech and resilient, cash-flow-backed platforms.

Portfolio Positioning & Action Plan

1. Harvesting Strategy: Executing partial profit harvests on surging value names to maintain balanced risk metrics.

2. Tactical Safety: Reallocating cash flows into high-yield, short-duration assets while keeping dry powder ready for market drawdowns.

3. Midyear Review Coordination: Completing midyear tax summaries and updating long-term wealth plans with clients and their CPAs.

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup
Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios.

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your comprehensive Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

08/21/2026

Key Discussion Points
1. U.S. National Debt Tops $40 Trillion
Debt & Treasury Operations: The U.S. national debt crossed $40 trillion [00:59]. Treasury actions focused on holding down long-term interest rates by purchasing 20-year notes at a yield around 5.24%–5.3% (the highest level since 2007) [02:00].

Market Reactions: This environment sparked rallies in alternative assets, pushing Bitcoin to ~$77,000 (up 23% on the week) and Gold up 5% [02:25].

Context & Global Ownership: Spencer and Alex contextualized global debt holdings, noting that foreign ownership—such as China holding under $1 trillion and Japan holding around $1 trillion—means a selloff would be a minor blip in the overall Treasury market [03:56].

2. U.S. Household Net Worth & Market Duration Risk
Household Balance Sheets: U.S. household net worth reached $183 trillion [07:35]. Real estate accounts for roughly $45 trillion, with the remaining $140+ trillion spread across retirement accounts, liquid assets, and other holdings [07:54].

Duration Risk Warning: A 20-year Treasury ETF example illustrated how long-duration bond funds fell from 170 down to 82 when rates rose, demonstrating the risks of long-term bond price volatility [05:37].

3. Macroeconomic Growth vs. Media Narratives
Atlanta Fed GDPNow: Q3 GDP estimates sat at 4.0% [09:44].

Earnings & Retailing: Despite media coverage regarding potential recessions, Walmart reported 2.6% same-store sales growth, reflecting ongoing consumer spending rather than a contraction [10:21].

4. Sector Performance & Inflation Hedges
Energy Sector Surge: The S&P Energy Sector leads broader markets, returning 45% year-to-date [15:08] compared to the S&P 500's 13% year-to-date [15:02].

Commodities & Refining: Crude oil reached $86.37 [13:11], driven by refinery disruptions and heavy draws on storage reserves [13:22]. Crack spreads spiked to roughly $60/barrel [14:36].

5. Midyear Tax Summaries & Wealth Management Process
Client Vault Updates: The firm completed midyear tax summaries detailing realized capital gains and portfolio income across taxable accounts, uploading them directly to client secure document vaults for CPA coordination [17:40].

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup
Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios.

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your comprehensive Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

08/13/2026

If you haven't already, check out last week's video detailing The Ultimate Wealth Management Performance Report!

08/07/2026

The Ultimate Wealth Management Performance Report

Origin Story of Performance Tracking [01:09]: Spencer recounts starting performance reporting back in 1986 using dot-matrix printouts and paper statements, which eventually evolved to Advent software and now SS&C Black Diamond [03:05].

Core Reporting Dashboard Tiles [03:41]:
• Activity Summary: Details beginning value, net additions/withdrawals, net gain, and total ending value [03:45].
• Life-of-Account Return: Highlights an annualized 7.66% average return over a sample 25-year history [04:32].
• Cash Allocation & Account Map: Shows cash breakdowns and aggregates accounts (IRAs, Roths, taxable) under a single household umbrella [05:06].
• Projected Income: Breaks down projected dividends and interest to help clients live off cash flow during retirement [05:48].

Historical Performance & Crisis Management [07:13]:
• Full Transparency / Downdrafts: Reviews historical market drawdowns (including -29% in 2008) [07:21].
• Recovery Strategy: Explains how tactical shifts—such as buying discounted high-yield bonds paying 15% interest—helped achieve record profitability within 9 months of the 2008 close [08:05].

Tax & Midyear Planning Tools [09:52]: Demonstrates how clients can pull midyear tax summaries, realized gains/losses, and income tax characterizations (qualified vs. tax-exempt) straight from the portal for CPA planning [10:09].

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup
Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios.

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your comprehensive Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

07/24/2026

The Global Energy Crisis?

🚨 A looming global energy crisis is colliding with an investor revolt against hyper-cap tech spending, driving a massive Q3 capital rotation.

While the S&P 500 generated stellar 70% earnings growth over last year—led by hyperscalers delivering 181% earnings growth—investors are starting to rebel against tech companies burning massive cash on AI data centers without immediate return on invested capital (ROIC) [01:18, 04:33].

⚡ The Tech Spend Rebel vs. The Energy Surge
Q3 Winners & Losers: Since July 1st, capital has rotated aggressively out of chip and AI names (Tesla, Intel, Lamb Research, SanDisk) and poured directly into refiners and energy giants like Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum, Chevron, Valero, and Diamondback Energy [03:04, 05:03].

The Record Crack Spread: Driven by Ukrainian Flamingo drone strikes knocking out ~7% of Russian petroleum export capacity and Houthi threats in the Red Sea, refined product inventories have plummeted [06:02, 06:13]. Gasoline and distillate inventories sit at historic lows while the "crack spread"—the profit margin for refining crude oil into usable fuel—has surged to an unprecedented $80/barrel [06:55, 07:33].

The Strategic Reserve Deficit: US and European Strategic Petroleum Reserves remain near 40-year lows [08:00]. Refilling a half-billion-barrel deficit extended the energy cycle, expanding valuation multiples across energy infrastructure and pipelines [08:26, 10:47].

⛽ The Natural Gas & Arbitrage Opportunity
US Glut vs. European Crisis: Permian basin drilling has created a localized natural gas surplus, dragging US futures down 19% YTD to ~$2.00/MMBtu [11:02, 11:40].

The European Arbitrage: Disrupted supply has pushed European natural gas up 116% YTD to $21.42/MMBtu—over 10x the US price [12:26, 12:36]. US LNG exporters and pipeline networks are uniquely positioned to bridge this massive pricing gap as global demand accelerates [12:47].

🌐 Upgrade Your Plan with The McGowanGroup
Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup delivers institutional-quality research and active wealth management to build high cash flow portfolios.

Contact our team at The Crescent today to schedule your comprehensive Investment Planning Analysis:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

07/10/2026

The 10 Stages of Estate Planning 2.0

☀️ Summer is peak estate planning season, and most families are leaving their wealth structurally exposed to unnecessary tax hits and infighting.

While an estate attorney drafts the legal paperwork, your wealth manager executes the actual plan. Having handled hundreds of estates over the past two decades, we have seen exactly where the ex*****on pipeline breaks down [00:46, 01:27].

📜 Wills vs. Living Trusts: The Structural Choice
The Will & Probate Trap: Relying strictly on a will means your heirs face the courthouse probate system just to get a letter of testamentary [04:42]. This process takes weeks, racks up legal fees, forces the creation of a temporary estate account, and effectively shuts off the banking pipes and income streams for your family [04:48, 05:17].

The Living Trust Efficiency: A living trust completely bypasses probate, keeping operations smooth and private [05:48]. It protects you as you age by allowing a successor trustee to step in seamlessly, and features a "pour-over will" to capture any outliers [06:02, 06:32]. It is essentially paying to handle your probate upfront to save your heirs massive headaches [06:25].

🔑 The 5 Summer Action Items for Your Estate
The Beneficiary Audit: Most accounts lack critical contingent beneficiaries, which can instantly trigger massive tax liabilities if both primary owners pass [18:46, 18:59]. Ensure you establish per stirpes designations so assets flow directly down your bloodline to your grandkids if a child passes away first [02:11].

Execute a Will or Trust: If you don't have one, get it built immediately. If you do, we call it up on screen via Zoom to audit outdated clauses or remove beneficiaries who no longer fit [19:04, 20:43].

Establish Trustee Boot Camp: Corporate trustees offer professional fiduciary oversight for about 50 basis points, eliminating family bias [02:47, 03:03]. If naming a family member, put them on a Zoom call with your wealth manager now to outline their legal obligations [03:10, 03:48].

Secure Digital Keys: Compile your master passwords and encryption keys onto a secure physical drive inside your safe so your wealth team and heirs aren't locked out [19:28].

Define Fairness Explicitly: Sit down with the kids—or even record a video statement—defining exactly why you are structuring allocations the way you are to preempt toxic family squabbles [19:42, 20:17].

🌐 Secure Your Legacy with The McGowanGroup
Recognized by Forbes as a Top RIA, The McGowanGroup synchronizes with your CPA and estate attorney to ensure seamless asset transitions across generations.

Contact Preston Lane or our team at The Crescent today to upload your legal documents to our secure vault and schedule your review:

📞 214-720-4400 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 https://themcgowangroup.com/



Disclaimer: In Oct 2025, MGAM was named by Forbes/SHOOK Research as a Forbes Top RIA Firm based on quantitative/qualitative criteria. Fees were paid for marketing use. Full methodology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rjshook/2025/10/01/methodology-americas-top-ria-firms-2025/

Address

300 Crescent Court, Suite 1776
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75201

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