Don McNay

Don McNay, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, CSSC

Best-Selling Author, Financial Consultant

www.donmcnay.com

Don McNay is an expert in settlement planning and one of the world’s leading authorities on how lottery winners handle their winnings. He has written several best-selling financial books and is a former syndicated business columnist.

His financial column appears regularly in The Huffington Post. McNay also has appeared in several hundred television and radio programs, including CBS Morning News, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC News Radio, BBC News, KPCC- Los Angeles, WLW-AM-Cincinnati, Al Jazeera-English, CBC Television (Canada), TBS eFM (Korea), RAI (Italy), CTV (Canada) and Radio Live (New Zealand). ​

His insight has been sought by hundreds of print publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Tampa Bay Journal, National Enquirer, Reuters, Associated Press, USA Today and Forbes.

McNay has written seven best-selling books: Death By Lottery, Don McNay's Greatest Hits, Life Lessons from the Lottery, Son of a Son of a Gambler: Joe McNay 80th Birthday Edition, Wealth Without Wall Street, Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery and The Unbridled World of Ernie Fletcher. Another book, Life Lessons from the Golf Course, co-written with PGA Professional Clay Hamrick, was a bestseller as well. He is also the CEO and Chairman of RRP International, a book publishing and digital media company based in Lexington, Ky.

Entering the financial services business in 1982, McNay was a pioneer in the field of structured settlements, helping injury victims and lottery winners handle large sums of money. He founded McNay Settlement Group Inc., which is one of the world’s leading experts concerning structured settlements, mass torts and qualified settlement funds. His company has been noted for its work with special needs children, along with injury victims and lottery winners. ​

He is also the founder of Kentucky Guardianship Administrators and has participated in over 1000 mediations and settlement conferences. He has testified in trials that have resulted in multimillion dollar verdicts and served as an expert witness.

A graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, McNay was inducted into the Eastern Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 1998. McNay has a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a second masters in Financial Services from the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. ​McNay is a Lifetime and Quarter Century Member of the Million Dollar Round Table signifying that McNay met the organization’s highly selective standards for service, production and ethical behavior in 25 different years.

McNay has four professional designations in the financial services field. ​ Don received the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC) designation from a program affiliated with Notre Dame University. He is a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and earned the Masters of Financial Services (MSFS) designation. ​ He is in the process of obtaining the Enrolled Agent designation from the Internal Revenue Service.

Among his professional involvements are former Treasurer of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and former Director of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association. He has spoken numerous times at structured settlement industry conventions. He also served on the Board of Directors for Society of Settlement Planners. ​

McNay has won several awards for his newspaper column, including “Best Columnist” from the Kentucky Press Association. Don is a former Director of the Eastern Kentucky University National Alumni Association. He was named Outstanding Young Lexingtonian in 1985 by the Lexington Jaycees. He is an honorary Kentucky Colonel and named as an honorary Duke of Hazard by the Mayor of Hazard, Kentucky. McNay is a University Fellow at Eastern Kentucky University and a University Fellow at the University of Kentucky. ​

Don was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Eastern Kentucky University Foundation and is a member of the Investment Committee. He has previously served on the University’s Planned Giving Committee.

A prolific author and lecturer, McNay has spoken to hundreds of legal and financial groups throughout the United States, Canada and Bermuda. He has published research articles for Trial, Round The Table (the official publication of the Million Dollar Round Table,) Claims Magazine, Best’s Review, Trial Diplomacy Journal, National Underwriter and other financial industry publications.

Don is married to Karen Thomas McNay, who is President of the Ursuline Academy in New Orleans, the oldest Catholic school and oldest all girls school in the United States. He has two children, three grandchildren and three stepchildren and raised his nephew after his sister and mother died in 2006. He lives in both Lexington, Kentucky and New Orleans.