Firm History

Beginning in his youth, David L. Blain, our president and chief investment officer, honed a passion for investing that continued as a young Cadet at West Point and later as an Officer in the U.S. Army. After leaving the military in 1999, David started Blain Investment Counsel. The firm, based in Fayetteville North Carolina, had a stated mission to provide clients with superior portfolio management using individual stocks and bonds.

It soon became clear to David that investors often became too focused on their portfolios and were neglecting other important aspects of their financial situation such as taxes, insurance and estate planning. After joining the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) David realized there were other advisors committed to delivering comprehensive financial advice while charging clients a fee based on assets under management. With some additional training and education provided by NAPFA, David, through his firm, Blain Investment Counsel, started offering comprehensive financial planning services on a fee-only basis.

In 2003, to fulfill a commitment he made to his wife, Caroline, to live near the water, David moved his family and firm to New Bern, North Carolina. For several years prior, clients had been asking David to prepare their taxes. Coincident with the move, he found a tax firm for sale (with its built in expertise and systems in place) and knew it was the perfect time to expand the menu of services again. After completing the purchase—and to more accurately reflect an expanding service offering and the corresponding growth in clients and staff—David reorganized the firm as an LLC and changed the name to D.L. Blain & Co.

Since 2003, D.L. Blain & Co. has continued to grow; adding expert staff and high touch services, while continuing to maintain its industry leading low client-to-advisor ratio; a hallmark since the firm’s humble beginnings in 1999.