David Brown, President, Owner

I have always had a passion for advising others so they can lead their most successful financial lives, protecting individual wealth, and helping pass that wealth on to the next generation. One of the best parts of my job is my ability to create and implement a plan that gives clients more confidence in their financial futures and allows them to live their best lives. My strength has always been in numbers, and being a third-generation wealth beneficiary, I have inherently had a tremendous desire for wealth protection and investment success. Managing school endowments ranging from $12 million to $100 million has further taught me what can and cannot be accomplished through efficient investing.

I was born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts, where I attended private schools before moving on to attaining my Civil (Construction) Engineering degree. Many of my teachers significantly influenced my approach to life, instilling in me a respect for others and a modest way of living. I am grateful to still keep in touch with some of these teachers and administrators today and thoroughly enjoy creating a retirement plan for them that will last through the end of their lives.

Since leaving the heavy highway construction world, I have been in non-profit and for-profit finance.  Over an 18-year period I was the Chief Financial Officer at Dawson School (CO), Rippowam Cisqua School (NY), and Portsmouth Abbey School (RI).  Prior to these positions I was the Director of Finance for Blanchard Memorial School (MA) and the Assistant Business Manager at Groton School (MA).  I have been on several boards, school accreditation committees, and am currently on the Facilities Committee at Dawson School.

Since 2013 I have been with several wealth management family offices and as of recent, I founded Clear Skies Planning & Wealth Strategies.  The past ten years I have focused specifically on financial planning and wealth accumulation and decumulation strategies.  I am a firm believer that, “the biggest predictor of financial success is how much you save (and how much you spend).”

I am a third-generation family asset strategist and beneficiary.  I understand how families succeed (and sadly how some fail) in asset transfer and education.  Most often these family strategies start with a tax strategy as early as childhood but more realistically for most of us, once the next generation begins earning a living.  Tax aware strategies are vital from the get-go.

Up until his passing in October 2023, I was the full legal guardian of my special needs brother. I am currently a trustee on various trusts and manage multiple family investment portfolios. I serve on several advisory boards. In past years, I had the privilege of playing Division 1 lacrosse and squash, as well as coaching and playing lacrosse internationally in Australia and England as well as coaching lacrosse stateside for 35 years.

My wife, Holly, is a career clinical psychologist and the sole owner of The Center for Learning and Psychological Services in Boulder. She specializes in neuropsychological testing of infants through adulthood.  We have three adult children who had the privilege of attending those private schools I have been affiliated with.

I love to stay active, but these days my desires are focused on doing many things in moderation to enhance cross-training. Today my activities include tennis, platform tennis, downhill and cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. Additionally, I find gardening to be meditative.