Community Investment Counselors

Name

Community Investment Counselors

Legal name

Community Investment Counselors

Website

https://communityinvestmentcounselors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Investment Counselors is a privately held financial advisory firm in Middlebury, Vermont, providing holistic financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals and families in Addison County through an SEC-registered partner. The 7-person firm operates on asset-based fees with Charles Schwab custody and no proprietary technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Financial Planning and Wealth Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio Construction & Asset Allocation Advisory (FSAEAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD), Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Retirement income planning
• Wealth management advisory
• Investment advisory services
• Estate and tax planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Middlebury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Asset-Based Advisory Fees: Compensation model based on assets under management. The firm believes asset-based fees are the fairest and most objective compensation model for the financial planning relationship, allowing for unlimited client questions and ongoing communication.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Community Investment Counselors provides holistic, comprehensive financial planning and customized portfolio management for individuals and families, including retirement and income planning, tax deferral strategies, Social Security and pension optimization, estate and farm/business succession planning, college funding, debt management, healthcare subsidy and Vermont property tax rebate guidance, and life insurance analysis. Services are delivered through personalized advisor relationships, with investment advisory services offered under the regulatory umbrella of Capital Cities Investments, an SEC-registered investment adviser.

Product overview

Community Investment Counselors offers holistic, comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services. The firm provides personalized financial counseling including retirement planning, wealth management, tax strategy, Social Security optimization, estate planning, and education funding guidance. Services are delivered through direct advisor-client relationships with a focus on financial education. Advisory services are offered through Capital Cities Investments, an SEC-registered investment adviser. The firm does not offer a software product platform but rather provides human-led advisory services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Holistic Financial Planning Comprehensive, goals-based financial planning for individuals and families covering retirement readiness, investment strategy, tax optimization, Social Security and pension timing, estate planning, college funding, debt management, and insurance analysis, delivered through an ongoing advisor relationship.
• Retirement and Income Planning Planning service focused on retirement readiness, retirement income strategies, Social Security timing, pension payout options, workplace retirement account consolidation, and healthcare subsidy and Vermont property tax rebate optimization for pre-retirees and retirees.
• Customized Portfolio Management Personalized investment management strategies with ongoing monitoring and progress reviews, evaluating portfolio performance against client life goals rather than benchmarks alone. Custody is provided by Charles Schwab and research support comes from Morningstar and Callan.
• Estate, Farm and Business Succession Planning Multi-generational planning service covering estate planning, farm succession, and family business succession tailored to Vermont families and small business owners.
• Life Insurance Solutions Life insurance analysis and product placement provided by a licensed life insurance producer as part of the firm's holistic planning approach.
• Complimentary Financial Consultation No-cost introductory meeting offered to prospective clients during daytime, evening, weekday, or weekend hours either in the client's home or in the firm's Middlebury, VT office, allowing prospects to evaluate fit before engaging for ongoing advisory services.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Capital Cities InvestmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapital Cities Investments (CCI) is an SEC registered investment adviser in Indianapolis, IN. Advisory services offered through Capital Cities Investments. CCI is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm provides the regulatory umbrella under which Community Investment Counselors operates to offer investment advisory services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ameriprise Financial: National diversified financial services company offering financial planning, wealth management, and insurance through a large advisor network. Closely aligned with CIC's holistic, advisor-led planning model at greater scale and broader product breadth.
• Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management: National wealth management business serving high-net-worth and mass-affluent clients with comprehensive financial planning. Comparable holistic planning offering to CIC but at much larger scale, broader product access, and higher minimums.
• Northwestern Mutual: Large, established financial services firm combining wealth management, retirement planning, and life insurance through a network of financial advisors. Comparable to CIC's holistic planning-plus-insurance offering; George Mitchell's life insurance producer role mirrors Northwestern Mutual's integrated model.
• Creative Planning: Large independent RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, retirement, estate, and tax planning to individuals and families. Comparable holistic, fee-based service model to CIC at significantly greater scale and national reach.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first RIA providing flat-fee financial planning and investment management to mass-affluent clients nationwide via remote advisors. Comparable target market and service bundle to CIC, but with a fully digital delivery model that competes on price and accessibility.
• Carson Group: RIA support platform that provides compliance, technology, and back-office infrastructure to independent financial advisors — analogous to the support Capital Cities Investments provides CIC, but operating at substantially larger scale and supporting hundreds of advisor practices.

Direct peers

• Schwab Intelligent Portfolios: Automated robo-advisory service offered by Charles Schwab — the same custodian CIC uses for client accounts. Represents a direct in-platform alternative for clients who might otherwise pay asset-based fees to CIC for portfolio management.
• Edward Jones: Large national advisor-led wealth management firm with a branch-office, relationship-based model serving individuals and families in small and mid-sized communities. Highly comparable to CIC's advisor-led, in-person approach; one of CIC's principal competitors for retail clients in the Addison County market.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Hybrid robo-advisor offering ongoing access to human financial advisors alongside automated portfolio management at low fees. Direct competitor to CIC for fee-sensitive mass-affluent and retirement-planning clients; pressures traditional advisors on price and digital convenience.

Others

• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent financial advisors with custody, compliance, and technology infrastructure. Plays a similar enabling role for advisors as Capital Cities Investments does for CIC, but at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-investment-counselors-inc.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Investment Counselors