About Capital Investment Counsel

Our Story

Working as a stockbroker during my first few years in wealth management provided me with valuable training and experiences, but I never felt comfortable with the way stockbrokers were compensated: we earned a percentage of what we generated in commissions in client accounts. To me, this presented a conflict of interest. Wanting to align my interests better with my clients’, I transitioned to a fee-based business model.

In 1990, I launched Capital Investment Counsel, a Registered Investment Advisor. We charged a fee based on the market value of the account, rather than being paid commissions every time we traded. We provided investment management, financial, and retirement planning, and consulted on taxes, estate planning, and insurance analyses. Our fee included all those services, and not once did we sell anything that generated an additional fee. 

Over the years, CIC grew to a staff of 40 professionals, managing over $3.5 billion in client assets. But we made one critical mistake along the way: we sold our firm. Though we sold to a quality partner, we underestimated the impact of losing control of our destiny and were sold four more times over a decade and a half. Owned by large, private firms, as well as large global banks, we had to push back on each new owner to continue to provide the high level of client service we valued so deeply.

Losing our independence and having corporate owners who did not share our client service or investment management philosophies became an impossible setting. In 2023, our core team cut ties with that corporate/big bank environment, returning instead to our independent roots, launching a new Registered Investment Advisor using our original brand: Capital Investment Counsel. Our company is once again private, employee-owned, and dedicated to the very specific values and objectives that have set us apart over the years.

We begin with the understanding that we do not have a business without our wonderful, long-term clients, many of whom we have worked with for over 30 years. We prioritize all our clients, treating them with respect and absolute transparency in every aspect of our relationship. We meet frequently with our clients, priding ourselves on the quality and personalization of our service. We diligently provide information and advice on investments, tax considerations, and many other aspects of our clients’ financial lives. And, we work closely with our clients’ other professionals, including CPAs, attorneys, and insurance brokers in order to offer comprehensive, objective, trustworthy advice.

We have decades of experience managing stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and cash alternatives for individual and institutional clients. We do not, and will not, sell any products, or accept any commissions, ever. Our fee is based on a percentage of assets under management, removing all conflicts of interest and aligning our interests with our clients.

At Capital Investment Counsel, we are dedicated to staying independent as a smaller, boutique firm with a hand-selected team, many of whom have been working well together for decades. We appreciate our coworkers and clients, and will work hard to continue to provide high-quality service and advice to all our clients for decades to come.

We deeply appreciate the confidence you show us by being one of those clients. You are the reason we all love this work.

With gratitude,

Chris Johnson
Founder