Local financial advisor Doug McLemore talks family, faith and fitness.
Updated: Jun 10, 2020
By SARA VANDEN BERGE
Doug McLemore might be one of the most intuitive people I have ever met.
The 52-year-old financial advisor is thoughtful, forward-thinking and kind; one of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing.
And I have interviewed thousands.
While the conversation was supposed to stay focused on his company, McLemore Financial Group, it trailed off into things like family, faith and fitness, and opened my eyes to a whole new side of Doug.
What many of you might not know is that several years ago he and his wife Emily, an art teacher at Stephenville High School, changed their lives by making fitness a priority.
He became an avid runner, but had to stop when he said, “My knees got older than the rest of me.”
When the COVID pandemic hit, Doug said he was like many others who had to find a way to deal with additional anxiety.
“So in mid-April I set a goal to walk 100 miles in May, and I did it,” he said. “It helped me stay fit and mentally balanced. Exercise helps me think through the day.”
Doug graduated from Stephenville High School in 1985 and Tarleton State University in 1990 with a degree in history.
Here’s another fun fact about Doug: He has a Master of Divinity and was a pastor at several churches including First Presbyterian in Stephenville.
Today, he is a busy girl dad to daughters, Maddie, 20, a student at Texas Woman’s University studying music therapy; Lexi, 15, a soon-to-be sophomore at SHS; and Kylie, 10, who will start sixth grade this fall.
And while he is busy running McLemore Financial Group with his associate, Spencer Sligh, becoming a financial advisor wasn’t always on his radar.
“I made the transition to financial services in 2002 when I worked for Edward Jones in the Metroplex, then I had the opportunity to move back to Stephenville,” Doug said.
After working for another company in the area, Doug decided to branch out on his own.
“I wanted to have control of the culture and direction of my company and build something that was good for my clients and family,” he said.
And in 2011, McLemore Financial Group was born.
“One of our defining marks is the level of service we provide and the relationships we build with our clients,” he said. “In fact, this is a relationship business before a financial business. Our clients have to trust us before they will trust us with their finances.
“We have been able to build a good business with multiple generations of families. Many of our clients have been with us from the very beginning and we have built some very solid relationships.”
Doug said he loves working and raising his family in Stephenville.
“We love that our kids are growing up where everyone knows each other,” he said. “There is definitely a sense that we are all in this together.”