Investment Management Built Around the Life You Want to Live

At Capital Investment Advisors (“CIA”), your portfolio is built with the goal of doing something specific: support the life you want now and help protect the life you want next. Decisions are shaped by your income needs, your tax picture, your timeline, and the goals that matter most to your family.

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Building What You’ll Eventually Live On

When retirement is years away, growth takes center stage. Your portfolio needs room to compound, the discipline to stay invested through volatility, and a tax strategy that works to protect what you’re building along the way.

We build growth-stage portfolios around your timeline, your risk tolerance, and your tax situation. As retirement gets closer, we begin shifting the portfolio’s weighting toward income, deliberately and on your timeline based upon your need, so the transition is intended to be seamless rather than sudden.

Our key areas of focus

  • Customized equity-focused portfolios built around your timeline and risk tolerance
  • Tax-efficient accumulation: asset location, tax-loss harvesting, and direct indexing for taxable accounts
  • Employer retirement plan and equity compensation allocation guidance
  • Concentrated position management as your career or business builds wealth
  • Access to private equity, private credit, and private real estate for qualified investors
  • A deliberate glide path from growth to income as retirement approaches

Tailored Portfolios

A CIA portfolio is built around the family it serves, whether that portfolio is focused on growth, income, or the transition between them. Your investments are shaped by your tax situation, your existing holdings, your income needs, your timeline, and the lifestyle your money is intended to support.

If you have concentrated stock, an inherited position you can’t sell yet, or assets you’d rather not move, we incorporate them. The portfolio is designed to adapt to your life, not the other way around.

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What Shapes Your Portfolio

Here’s how we typically approach this work, though every engagement is shaped by the family it serves.

We begin with what you need your money to do, then work backward to design a portfolio intended to help support those objectives. Whether you’re building toward retirement, supporting your family, or planning for a meaningful goal, we tailor an investment strategy to align with your needs and circumstances.

As a fee-only, fiduciary firm with 30 years of experience and more than $9 billion managed for over 6,100 families*, our work is grounded in a simple belief: investments should be designed to help you live well today and feel more confident about tomorrow.

*As of June 4, 2026

Services Available Through CIA Investment Management

  • Customized multi-asset class income portfolios
  • Ongoing, tailored rebalancing and trading
  • Incorporation of existing holdings, where appropriate
  • Employer retirement plan allocation guidance
  • Market updates through newsletters and proactive advisor communication

Investment Management FAQs

I’m still working and saving for the future. Can CIA help me?
Yes. Growth investing is typically where portfolios start. If you’re still in your accumulation years, we build your portfolio to help emphasize growth, with the same tax-aware, disciplined approach we bring to income investing, and shift the mix toward income as your goals and timeline call for it.
What is income investing?
Income investing is a portfolio approach focused on generating dependable cash flow from a mix of asset classes, including dividend-growth stocks, bonds, REITs, energy infrastructure, preferred stock, and closed-end funds, rather than relying primarily on selling shares to fund spending. The goal is to provide reliable monthly income to help support your lifestyle without requiring you to sell investments at unfavorable times.
What is tax loss harvesting?
Tax loss harvesting is the practice of selling investments at a loss to help offset capital gains and, in many cases, up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year. Done systematically throughout the year, it can help reduce taxes over time without changing your overall investment strategy.
What is direct indexing and who is it for?
Direct indexing involves owning the individual stocks that make up an index, rather than buying the index fund itself. It may provide more precise tax-loss harvesting at the security level, greater flexibility around concentrated positions, and the ability to customize for personal values or tax circumstances. It’s generally most beneficial for clients with significant taxable assets and meaningful unrealized gains elsewhere in their portfolio.
Can you manage a concentrated stock position for me?
Yes. We work with families regularly on concentrated position management, whether from years at a single employer, an inheritance, a business sale, or a successful early investment. We evaluate diversification strategies that balance tax cost, market risk, and long-term goals.
Do I have to sell my existing investments to work with you?
We routinely incorporate existing holdings into the portfolios we build, based upon need and preference. If a position has significant embedded gains, sentimental value, or strategic purpose, we plan around it rather than force a clean break.
How do you charge for investment management?
We are a fee-only, fiduciary firm. Our advisory fee is based on assets under management. We do not earn commissions, sell products, or accept any third-party compensation. The fee schedule is tiered, with the rate decreasing as household assets grow. Specific fee details are available upon request and in our Form ADV.
What is a fee-only fiduciary financial advisor?
A fee-only fiduciary advisor is compensated solely by clients, rather than through commissions or product sales, and operates under a fiduciary duty to act in the client’s best interest. This compensation structure is designed to help minimize certain common conflicts of interest in financial advice.
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Ready to Build a Portfolio Around Your Life?

Whether you’re approaching retirement, navigating a liquidity event, or simply ready for a thoughtful, income-focused approach, we’d welcome the conversation.

Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (“CIA”) is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. No investment strategy, asset allocation, diversification approach, tax strategy, or income objective can guarantee results or protect against loss. References to income generation, cash flow, tax efficiency, portfolio construction, or downside protection describe investment objectives rather than guaranteed outcomes. Actual results will vary based on market conditions and individual circumstances. Dividend-paying securities may reduce or eliminate dividends. Fixed income investments are subject to interest rate, credit, inflation, and market risks. Alternative investments, including private equity, private credit, private real estate, REITs, preferred securities, energy infrastructure, and closed-end funds, involve additional risks, may be illiquid, and are not appropriate for all investors. Certain private investments are available only to qualified investors. Tax-loss harvesting, direct indexing, asset location, and other tax-management strategies may not be appropriate for every investor and do not guarantee tax savings or investment gains. Their effectiveness depends on each client’s individual circumstances. Clients should consult their tax advisor regarding their specific situation. References to research, publications, or retirement observations are provided for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as guarantees of future financial outcomes or investor experience. Past performance is not indicative of future results.