%20Carson%20Capital%20Same%20Line%20With%20Logo%20White%20(%20PNG%20).png){kind=small}
Our Story
Hi, I'm Donovan Carson.
I help entrepreneurs and executives
turn complex wealth into a life they love.
[My Story]
Most people find me after an arrangement that went something like this. They handed over their money. They waited a year. They got a chart.
​
The line went up, sideways, or down. Nothing else had changed.
​
Nobody asked whether they were saving in the right accounts or the right amounts. Nobody opened the tax return and asked how to minimize taxes across a lifetime instead of a filing season. Nobody read the estate documents to find out whether they'd actually hold. Nobody built a system that manages cash flow to the penny in a few minutes a month. The decisions that actually mattered never got made, but the chart arrived on schedule.
​
I spent my twenties as a product owner in tech and AI development at a Fortune 5 company. A finance and entrepreneurship grad who spent his nights studying and investing in real estate and businesses. Eventually, the nights mattered more than the days, so I left — to run my own family's money, then for the people who asked me to do the same for theirs.
​
Over fifteen years of investing my own capital since then. Public equities. Real estate. Private equity, private credit, direct stakes in private companies. Not all of it worked. One private deal cost me six figures of my money, not a client's. I sued and spent six more figures getting it back. That's why I ask harder questions than the person selling you the next one.
​
I've spent the same years working through tax strategy, estate structure, business exits, and cash flow — not from a textbook, but because my own situation kept getting more complicated than I could outsource.
​
I invest my own money in the same strategies I recommend. I eat my own cooking, including when it's undercooked.
​
If you want one person who knows every part of your financial life and is in it with you, that's the job I do. If you want a chart once a year, there are cheaper options.
​
When I'm not working, you'll find me wake surfing with my boys, coaching youth sports, or planning our next family adventure. The portfolio was never the point. It's what pays for the point. Invest in a life you love — tell me what that looks like for you, and we'll build toward it.
How did Carson Capital begin?
Donovan's relentless pursuit of the best investments for his family's portfolio inadvertently led him to start Carson Capital. He was approached by multiple entrepreneurs within his network who had witnessed his results, intelligence, and energy within finance. Subsequently, they requested he manage and apply the same vigor and due diligence to their investments, thus beginning Carson Capital.
Where do you come from?
Donovan is proudly from a long line of hard-working midwestern farmers and entrepreneurs. His great-grandfather's company slogan was "Service Doesn't Cost, It Pays." Building companies and investing was a well-modeled way of life while growing up. His great-grandfather and grandfather were both business owners, and His father spent his career at an international professional services firm. Donovan remembers listening closely as his grandpa and dad discussed (or passionately debated) the best investments on their annual Canadian fishing trips.
What is your investing philosophy?
Donovan believes investing in innovative, well-managed, high-growth companies is the best way to build long-term wealth. Remember, when you invest, you buy a business, not a stock ticker. As Warren Buffett said, "If you are not willing to own a stock for ten years, do not even think about owning it for 10 minutes."
What is your work experience?
Donovan has been an avid investor since 2010 and will remain a dedicated student of investing forever. Donovan managed his own family's investments for years before advising others, and brings that perspective to client work. He graduated from Bethel University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Before founding Carson Capital, he worked in technology development as a Senior Product Owner at a Fortune 5 (UnitedHealthGroup) company within artificial intelligence and automation. Before that, he worked at a large wealth management firm in Minnetonka, MN.
Interesting fact about Donovan
I met my wife in middle school in 2004. I wrote in my hockey camp's 10-year goal planner in 2008 that I wanted to "Marry the prettiest girl in the world Tessa Carpenter" and then married her in 2014. Yes, "Going to the NHL" was one of the written goals, but looking back, marrying her was the only one that truly mattered.
Personal thing Donovan is excited about
Moving his family to Franklin, TN to build a house and plant some long term roots for his wife and four boys.
Meet the Carson Family
Donovan considers himself the luckiest man in the world, having married his beautiful wife, his best friend in the world. He is a proud father of two boys. When he’s not serving his clients, he can be found spending time with his family - wake surfing, paddle boarding, coaching youth hockey, practicing yoga, or planning his family’s next vacation to the mountains for hiking or the beaches for surfing.
"Carson Capital was built to become the wealth management solution I was always looking for but never able to find."
-Donovan Carson, Owner, Carson Capital
It only takes 30 seconds
1. Answer 3 Easy Questions
30 seconds will determine if we might be a good fit. If not, we've still got a surprise gift for you.
2. Schedule a Free Intro Call
We'll get to know you and answer your questions. We'll also review our process and philosophy.
3. We'll Get to Work
As your partner, we'll build and execute the shortest path to your financial goals to free up your time and eliminate stress.​
