CIM Financial Group

What CIM Financial Group does

CIM Financial Group, Inc. (doing business as Capital Investment Management) is a privately held, Washington State registered investment adviser founded in 2002 by Jeffrey Martin. The firm operates as a sole-practitioner advisory practice from a single office in Seattle, WA, having relocated from its original Everett, WA founding location. Its core offerings comprise investment management services across multiple strategy formats (Individual Stock Strategies, Mutual Fund Strategies, and combined Stock and Fund Strategies, each available in Growth, Moderate, and Conservative risk profiles) and goals-based financial planning services focused on retirement preparation, including stress-tested scenario modeling against taxes and inflation. The firm serves pre-retirement and retirement individuals in Washington State who need help prioritizing expense goals and allocating financial resources across accounts, real estate, pensions, and Social Security.

The business model is fee-only advisory: CIM generates revenue through advisory fees on assets under management rather than commissions on product sales, and the firm states that it owns the same securities it recommends to clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is described as available in the ADV Part II disclosure document upon written request. The go-to-market motion is direct advisory engagement — prospective clients are reached through a content-marketing website (capitalim.com) and then moved into personalized consultations. There are no disclosed partnerships, institutional clients, or distribution intermediaries.

CIM has no proprietary technology platform; its infrastructure relies entirely on third-party tools: AdvisorClient and Schwab for client account access and MoneyGuidePro for financial plan generation. There are no AI/ML capabilities, no API offerings, no disclosed data assets, and no mobile application. Awards from prior employers (Waddell & Reed, Franklin Templeton, WM Group of Funds, American Skandia) all date from 1996-2000. Headcount is 1-10 employees, and the practice's revenue, AUM, and client count are not publicly disclosed. The firm is not backed by private equity or venture capital, and there are no subsidiaries, M&A activity, or leadership changes beyond the founder.

Name

CIM Financial Group

Legal name

CIM Financial Group, Inc.

Website

https://capitalim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CIM Financial Group, operating as Capital Investment Management, is a Seattle-based registered investment adviser providing fee-only investment management and goals-based retirement financial planning services to pre-retirement and retirement individuals in Washington State, founded in 2002 by sole principal Jeffrey Martin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: As a registered investment adviser, CIM Financial Group generates revenue through advisory fees for investment management and financial planning services. The firm operates as an independent advisor without commissions from product sales, aligning their interests with clients by owning the same securities they recommend.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

CIM Financial Group is an independent registered investment adviser that provides personalized investment management and goals-based financial planning services aimed at pre-retirement and retirement individuals. The firm implements a quality-and-value investment philosophy across multiple strategies ranging from conservative to aggressive, including Individual Stock Strategies, Mutual Fund Strategies, and Stock and Fund combination strategies, complemented by stress-tested retirement planning scenarios.

Product overview

CIM Financial Group operates as a registered investment advisory firm offering a unified suite of investment management and financial planning services. The core offering consists of investment advisory services implementing a quality-and-value philosophy across three strategy formats: Individual Stock Strategies (Focused Growth Companies and Rising Dividend Income), Mutual Fund Strategies (Growth, Moderate, and Conservative), and Stock and Fund combination strategies (Growth, Moderate, and Conservative). These are complemented by goals-based Financial Planning and Retirement Planning services. All strategies range from conservative to aggressive risk profiles, unified by the same investment philosophy of quality and value over high-flying growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Graphically displays likelihood of financial resources meeting future expense needs under stress-tested scenarios

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Emerging players

• Personal Capital (now Empower Personal Dashboard): Hybrid advisory platform combining free financial tools with paid investment management and retirement planning services. Comparable to CIM in goals-based retirement planning but operates nationally with a technology-led acquisition model.
• Wealthfront: Automated investment and financial planning platform targeting younger and mass-affluent clients with low-fee portfolios and goal-based planning. Comparable to CIM on goals-based planning methodology, but competes as a low-cost digital alternative to traditional advisor-led RIAs.
• Facet Wealth: Digital-first financial planning firm pairing clients with CFP professionals via virtual consultations, targeting retirement savers. Directly comparable to CIM in retirement planning focus, but uses a remote, technology-enabled advisor model rather than a local office.
• Betterment: Online robo-advisor offering automated portfolio management and retirement planning tools. Adjacent competitor to CIM for retirement-focused investors, competing primarily on price and convenience rather than personalized service.

Broad incumbents

• Fisher Investments: Large independent RIA managing over $200B primarily for high-net-worth retail and institutional clients. Directly comparable as a fee-only, privately held investment adviser, but at vastly greater scale and broader geographic reach than CIM.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent RIA combining traditional advisor-led planning with a digital advice platform, serving retirement-age households. Comparable to CIM in client segment and retirement focus, but operates at much greater scale with hybrid digital delivery.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Hybrid robo-advisor combining Vanguard's low-cost funds with human advisor access for retirement planning and portfolio management. Comparable retirement focus and goals-based planning, with a hybrid delivery model that pressures traditional small RIAs on price.
• Charles Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's managed-account advisory service leveraging the firm's custodial and trading infrastructure (the same platform CIM's clients access). Comparable to CIM on the underlying advisory technology and custody stack, but serves a vastly broader national client base at lower price points.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA providing evidence-based investment management and financial planning to individuals and families. Closely comparable to CIM in philosophy, fee model, and retirement-focused clientele.
• Creative Planning: Privately held, fee-only RIA offering comprehensive investment management and goals-based financial planning to individuals and families. Highly comparable to CIM in service mix and client focus, though significantly larger and multi-state.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cim-financial-group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CIM Financial Group