Founder – John Brown

Since 1986, Brown Financial Advisory has provided financial planning and investment management services to a nationwide clientele. Founded by John A. Brown as a second career, the firm has grown to over 100 clients and $93 million in assets and has been recognized in Bloomberg Wealth Management Magazine and Financial Advisor Magazine as one of the country’s top wealth management firms.

John has always been active in the community and served as a National Board Member for the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, was on the Planned Giving Committee at Thomas Hospital foundation, was on the Investment Committee of Ronald McDonald House and is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. As an expert in his field, John has been quoted many times in the industry’s top publications like The Journal of Financial Planning, Financial Planning Magazine, Investment Advisor, Fidelity Advisor and Insider’s Information.

A New Era – Scott McLeod

In January 2011, the legacy of Brown Financial Advisory entered a new era. D. Scott McLeod, CFP®, ChFC took over as president of the company with one goal in mind; to continue the legacy established by John and his unwavering commitment to excellent service, impeccable integrity and a consistent investment management discipline.

Scott has over 16 years of experience in the Wealth Management industry. He graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1994 with a degree in Corporate Finance and Investments and shortly afterward, joined First American Bank in Kingsport, Tennessee where he became an Investment Advisor, beginning his practical experience in investment management.

In 1998, Scott accepted a position at First Tennessee Bank as Vice President of Executive Banking. He moved to a position in the new Financial Planning division in 2000 and in 2001 he earned his Certified Financial Planner™ designation. In 2004, Scott was promoted to Private Wealth Advisor at the company’s headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee where he and his team served high-net-worth clients in the Mid-South region and around the country.

In 2006, Scott accepted a position with a $550 million investment management and financial planning firm in Birmingham, Alabama where he specialized in the areas of Retirement Planning, Risk Management and Insurance, Tax Planning and Estate Plan Reviews for the firm’s largest clients.

To continue to develop his planning expertise, Scott now pursues more than 30 hours of continuing education credit each year.

Community Involvement

Scott has been active in his community throughout his career as well. He was a member of the Kingsport, Tennessee Lions Club where he served as President and Chairman of the Board and where he was presented with the national recognition as a Melvin Jones Fellow for outstanding commitment to his community. While in Birmingham, Scott helped to establish the Christian World Business Exchange, served as the Treasurer for Connect Point Ministries, was a member of the Birmingham Estate Planning Council and volunteered with the United Way. Most recently, Scott served as Chair of the South Region Board of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) on behalf of over 550 financial advisors and affiliated members in the southern United States. As part of his service with NAPFA, Scott was a member of the Ethics Committee where he contributed to revisions of the membership Code of Ethics and reviewed member complaints.

Outside work, Scott is a husband and a proud father of a 10 year old daughter and an 18 year old son. He enjoys running and is an amateur triathlete. He is a musician who plays a number of instruments and has been playing the Scottish bagpipes for more than 30 years.