My name is John McKay. I’m a CFA charterholder and Portfolio Manager at Incline Wealth Advisors, where I focus on portfolio construction, tax-efficient investing, and long-term financial planning for individuals, families, and business owners.
My career was shaped in institutional finance — environments where decisions are made with rigor, where every position is justified, and where the discipline to stay the course through volatility is the standard, not the exception. That foundation informs everything I do at the individual level. The families I work with deserve the same quality of thinking that institutional investors take for granted. Most don’t get it. That’s the gap McKay Capital Markets exists to close.
What I actually do
I help clients build and manage investment portfolios that are deliberately constructed — not assembled by default. That means understanding your tax picture before building your asset allocation, coordinating equity compensation decisions with your broader financial plan, and thinking through the structure of your wealth: retirement accounts, taxable accounts, real estate, business interests, and how all of it fits together.
The work I find most valuable is the kind that happens before anything is invested: mapping out what you own, what it’s costing you in taxes, where the gaps are, and what a coherent strategy looks like across the next decade. Most of that work is invisible. Most of it matters more than any individual investment decision.
Who I work with
I work best with people who are serious about their financial future and willing to engage with a real plan — not just a portfolio. That typically includes:
- High earners building toward financial independence who want their income converted into a growing asset base, not just a savings account
- Professionals with equity compensation — RSUs, options, ESPPs — who need help navigating the tax complexity and concentration risk that comes with it
- Young families who are starting to make meaningful financial decisions and want to get the sequencing right from the beginning
- Business owners and self-employed professionals who have more planning tools available to them than they realize — and need someone to coordinate them
If you’ve spent time reading the posts on this site, you have a sense of how I think. The same framework that informs the writing informs the work I do with clients.
The CFA Designation
The CFA designation is one of the most respected and recognized credentials in the investment management profession, requiring candidates to pass three rigorous exams covering portfolio management, financial analysis, ethics, and economics. It reflects a commitment to the highest standards of analysis and professional conduct.
A note on how I work
I don’t operate on a model built around product sales or transaction volume. I work with a limited number of clients, which allows me to give each relationship the attention it deserves. If we work together, you’ll hear from me regularly — not just when markets move, but proactively, when something in your financial picture warrants a decision.
The first conversation is free, and it’s a real conversation — not a sales pitch. If what I do isn’t the right fit, I’ll tell you that too.
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