The Ascent With Crestmont Private Wealth

Sam McGee of Crestmont Private Wealth discusses the dangers of holding concentrated stock positions, drawing an analogy between driving a car (control bias) and holding onto a single stock despite market risk. He cites collapsed companies (Enron, Lehman Brothers, WorldCom, etc.), explains how a small number of mega-cap stocks drive S&P 500 performance, and shares his own personal experience losing money on Washington Mutual sto...

This is a podcast episode of The Ascent with Crestmont Private Wealth, hosted by Sam McGee alongside Baron Wiley, featuring guest Agnes Damp, a Texas A&M senior and summer intern at Crestmont Private Wealth. After casual opening banter, the conversation covers Agnes's background: a discipleship program in Panama City Beach, her leadership as sorority president at Kappa Delta, her academic path into finance, and her Charles Schw...

Sam McGee of Crestmont Private Wealth sits down with business partner and Chief Operating Officer Hannah Perry to discuss her decade-long journey from intern to equity partner. Hannah shares career advice for young professionals, breaks down what a custodian is in plain English, covers cybersecurity best practices for investors, and opens up about faith, family, and work-life balance in Boerne, Texas.

Chapter Timeline:

0:00 &ndas...

In this episode of The Ascent, Sam McGee of Crestmont Private Wealth breaks down one of the most misunderstood topics in personal finance — the Federal Reserve and interest rates. Whether you're a homeowner, borrower, or just curious about what drives the economy, this episode gives you a clear, jargon-free explanation of how the Fed works and why it matters to your everyday financial life.

Topics covered:

What is the Federal...

In this episode of The Ascent, Sam McGee sits down with Alec Walker, EVP of Financial Planning and CFP at Crestmont Private Wealth, to discuss multi-generational financial planning. They explore what it means to truly serve families across generations — from setting up accounts for adult children to supporting elderly parents navigating an estate after losing a spouse. Alec and Sam also share real client stories (anonymized),...

In this episode of The Ascent with Crestmont Private Wealth, Alec Walker (EVP of Financial Planning) covers everything parents and grandparents need to know about saving for children — including the newly formalized Trump Accounts — plus a Q2 market recap and what to watch in the second half of 2025.

Topics covered:

What are Trump Accounts? Key rules, contribution limits, and the $1,000 government contribution for eligi...

Sam McGee (Crestmont Private Wealth) sits down with Brian Reilly, Chief of the Sisterdale Volunteer Fire Department. Brian shares his journey from zero fire experience to leading a department that grew from 8 to 33 members. The conversation centers on the July 4, 2025 Hill Country floods, volunteer recruitment, and the community-first model that makes Sisterdale VFD unique.

0:00 — Intro & welcome; Firefighter 1/2 class g...

Sam McGee of Crestmont Private Wealth opens with a moment of reflection on last year's 4th of July flooding near Center Point and Hunt, then pivots to celebrate America's 250th birthday. The main segment uses a brisket-cooking analogy — drawn from a concept originally shared by Alec Walker — to illustrate long-term investing principles:

Patience pays: Just as opening a smoker lid too often dries out a brisket, frequent...

The Ascent with Crestmont Private Wealth — World Cup & Global Diversification

Host: Alec Walker, EVP of Financial Planning | ~13:36

Summary:

Alec uses the World Cup — being hosted in Houston — as a jumping-off point to discuss global investment diversification. He covers how US markets represent only 62% of global equities and 41% of global bonds, explains the firm's "home country bias" approach, and reviews t...

In this episode of The Ascent, Sam Magee of Crestmont Private Wealth (Houston & Boerne, TX) breaks down the investment philosophy that guides every client relationship at the firm. From long-term investing and avoiding market timing, to asset liability matching and fiduciary responsibility, Sam explains the framework Crestmont uses to help clients build wealth through compounding returns — no sales pitch, just honest insi...

Alec Walker covers three main topics:

Portfolio Rebalance — Crestmont recently completed a rebalance of their 7 core globally diversified portfolios (conservative to ultra-aggressive, primarily low-cost ETFs). He explains their policy → strategy → tactics framework:

Policy: Threshold-based rebalancing (not calendar-based) when allocations drift outside target ranges

Strategy: Tax-aware approach — IRA accounts taken ba...

Sam McGee sits down with Crestmont team member Rebecca Petre to celebrate her one-year anniversary with the firm. They discuss what it's really like to transition from Texas A&M into the financial planning workforce, lessons learned on client communication, the new Charles Schwab–funded RIA program at A&M, the Survivor's Guide project, and navigating wedding season on a budget. A great listen for new grads entering th...

Host Alec Walker, EVP of Financial Planning at Crestmont Private Wealth, opens with some personal notes about summer plans before covering two main topics: a brief market update and a deep dive into performance reporting.

Market Update: Long-term US Treasury rates have risen to 5%, pushing inflation expectations higher. Notably, the yield curve has returned to a normal upward slope after being inverted through end of 2025 — h...

The Ascent — hosted by Sam McGee of Crestmont Private Wealth — features attorney Wes Holland of H6 Law discussing business succession planning. The conversation highlights why a standard will is not enough for business owners and what steps they can take to protect their companies.

Key takeaways:

Wills only work when you're dead — powers of attorney and medical directives are often more critical, as they govern wh...

In this episode of The Ascent with Crestmont Private Wealth, Alec Walker (EVP of Financial Planning) recaps the firm's annual advisory board meeting and introduces Project Millionaire — a new initiative to help younger clients build a clear path to their first $1 million in assets. Alec walks through real scenarios using starting balances of $10K and $100K, shows the dramatic impact of consistent monthly contributions, and ex...

In this episode of The Ascent with Crestmont Private Wealth, Sam McGee sits down with Wes Holland of H6 Law to discuss the growing threat of cyber scams and wire fraud — and what you can do to protect yourself. From gas station card skimmers to sophisticated real estate wire fraud, Wes shares real-world examples, practical tips, and the #1 rule: trust your gut. They also cover how AI is making scams harder to detect, how to p...

In this episode of The Ascent with Crestmont Private Wealth, EVP of Financial Planning Alec Walker shares timely insights on navigating market volatility, the importance of staying invested, Q1 earnings results, and key estate planning considerations for 2025.

Topics covered:

Why selling during a market decline can be a costly mistake

How missing just the top 10 trading days impacts long-term returns

Early Q1 2025 earnings results ...

The Ascent – When Estate Planning Goes Wrong

Hosted by Sam McGee, Crestmont Private Wealth | Guest: Scott Seidl, Attorney at Keen Miller LLP

In this episode, Sam sits down with estate litigation attorney Scott Seidl to discuss what happens when estate planning goes wrong — from contested wills to capacity disputes — and why having a solid, well-communicated plan in place is critical for families and business owner...

Sam McGee, CEO of Crestmont Private Wealth, interviews Dr. Justin Lockhart, a licensed therapist and PhD counselor, on the topic of executive and business owner burnout. Dr. Lockhart explains that burnout — defined by disengagement, cynicism, and lack of personal efficacy — affects ~95% of his clients in some capacity. The conversation covers how COVID amplified burnout, warning signs for managers to watch for, and how ...