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Thank you for your interest in our tax & retirement planning services, I’m Don St. Clair and I’ve been practicing financial planning since graduating with a degree in finance in 1991. As a Certified Financial Planner and (former) IRS Enrolled Agent, I pioneered a unique approach to turn Debt & Taxes into Savings & Investment.™ Today I serve roughly 95 clients, most of whom are retired or close to it. I too am approaching the twilight of my career, and while I have no immediate plans to retire, my wife recently did, and together we are learning to enjoy the fruits of our own labor.
One of those pursuits is aviation. I’m an instrument rated pilot who recently discovered the joys of flying tailwheel aircraft. Low and slow (and sometimes upside-down), it’s a chance to see the world from a whole new perspective. When I’m not in the office you know where to look!
There’s an old Spanish proverb that translates roughly to ‘the cobbler’s children have no shoes’. Meaning that someone with a specific skill set is often too busy assisting others to attend to their own affairs.
That’s not something you’ll find at St. Clair Financial where we eat our own cooking, put our money where our mouth is, and never recommend clients do something we wouldn’t.
The same North Star illuminates our investment philosophy as well, where you’ll find my personal wealth invested in the same manner as our clients.
I met Mark Junod on a chairlift in Utah. Perhaps more than any other professional, his influence is responsible for the direction and trajectory of my career. Mark’s genuine curiosity, and his desire to be of service to those around him, have no doubt had a significant impact on others like me.
Stephanie Kelton is an expert on the institutional relationships and operational realities of money and banking. Her bestselling book, The Deficit Myth, demonstrates how to break free of the flawed economic thinking that hamstrings both policymakers and investors alike. Stephanie challenged my pre-conceived notions about money – where it comes from, how it’s created, and where it goes when it’s destroyed. And I am grateful to have Stephanie as a teacher, and as a friend.
I’ve also had the unique good fortune to study directly with Dr. Fernando Flores. Formally trained as an engineer and philosopher, he is credited with developing a revolutionary theory of management and coordination based on a new understanding of language and moods. Recognized as the founder of ontological coaching, Fernando has greatly influenced my thinking, my world view, and my work as a financial planner. He is responsible for our tagline “Ambassadors of Possibility.” And we use it proudly with his blessing, and permission from his company Pluralistic Networks.
Initial Assessment: $4,500
Minimum Investable Assets: $750,000
We maintain our independence by working solely for our clients, and do not accept commissions for effecting securities or insurance transactions. Contact us for a free consultation. (916) 780-1848
Our unique approach emphasizes the integral role taxes play in personal finance, and leverages the value of tax planning by incorporating tax considerations into the entire financial planning process.
Our allegiance is to our clients, and as Certified Financial Planner™ professionals and fiduciaries under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, we are held to a standard of care that requires we act in your best interests.
Associate Financial Advisor
Tax Services Specialist
©St. Clair Financial | Ambassadors of Possibility
Don St. Clair, CFP®, AIF®, ChSNC®, CCFC
Founder
Don St. Clair is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Chartered Special Needs Consultant, and President of St. Clair Financial. He’s been practicing financial planning since graduating with a degree in finance from California State University, Long Beach in 1991.
Don sees the exploration of viable alternatives as central to the advisory function. To that end, his primary aim is to help clients discover new opportunities and create possibilities not previously conceived.
In recent years, Don became a private pilot, discovering in the process a desire to reinvent the way financial planning is practiced at our firm. Learning to fly takes more than just knowledge and information – it takes skills, and sensibilities. Personal finance is much the same.
When he’s not at the office or in an airplane, you’ll find him playing soccer, water skiing, or simply hanging out with his wife Deborah and their new puppy Piper.
There’s an old Spanish proverb that translates roughly to ‘the cobbler’s children have no shoes’. Meaning that someone with a specific skill set is often too busy assisting others to attend to their own affairs.
That’s not something you’ll find at St. Clair Financial where we eat our own cooking, put our money where our mouth is, and never recommend clients do something we wouldn’t.
The same North Star illuminates our investment philosophy as well, where you’ll find my personal wealth invested in the same manner as our clients.
I met Mark Junod on a chairlift in Utah. Perhaps more than any other professional, his influence is responsible for the direction and trajectory of my career. Mark’s genuine curiosity, and his desire to be of service to those around him, have no doubt had a significant impact on others like me.
Stephanie Kelton is an expert on the institutional relationships and operational realities of money and banking. Her bestselling book, The Deficit Myth, demonstrates how to break free of the flawed economic thinking that hamstrings both policymakers and investors alike. Stephanie challenged my pre-conceived notions about money – where it comes from, how it’s created, and where it goes when it’s destroyed. And I am grateful to have Stephanie as a teacher, and as a friend.
More recently I’ve had the unique good fortune to study directly with Dr. Fernando Flores. Formally trained as an engineer and philosopher, he is credited with developing a revolutionary theory of management and coordination based on a new understanding of language and moods. Recognized as the founder of ontological coaching, Fernando has greatly influenced my thinking, my world view, and my work as a financial planner. He is responsible for our tagline “Ambassadors of Possibility.” And we use it proudly with his blessing, and permission from his company Pluralistic Networks.
Kayla Phillips, CFP®
Associate Financial Advisor
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Luis Rosa, CFP®, EA
Tax Services Specialist
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Pre’tire’ment
/prƏti(Ə))rmƏnt/
noun
1. The time of transition from “working too much” to “making work optional.”
