Our Team

CAIM is an independent, owner-run investment management firm specializing in managing customized investment portfolios for women and those of retirement age.

Catherine Maniscalco Avery, Founder

Catherine has been working in the financial markets for more than 40 years. Her fascination with investing began early. At 18, while pursuing a finance degree, she worked both in the summers and during the school year at the Oppenheimer Funds. At the time, this was an atypical career path for a woman. Financial institutions were both led and predominately staffed by men. Catherine saw this as an opportunity, not an impediment. Upon graduation, her hard work paid off and she began her career as an Assistant Portfolio Manager at Hutton Investment Management, the asset management arm of EF Hutton. Catherine’s natural passion and talent for investing was soon recognized and she earned the title of Portfolio Manager in only two short years. Her career in institutional investing progressed from there. She subsequently worked at Prudential Securities and Dean Witter (now Morgan Stanley Investment Management), where she managed teams and invested on behalf of the firms’ mutual fund products and managed accounts. During her period on Wall Street, Catherine was keenly aware of the shortage of leadership roles for women, as well as the lack of accessibility to institutional-quality products for individual investors that were not super high-net worth or institutional investors. Catherine envisioned a firm that would provide institutional-quality products that served the investment needs of women while also providing a platform for financial education and empowerment. Taking her two decades of experience and her passion, Catherine left Wall Street in 2007 to create her own firm, Catherine Avery Investment Management (“CAIM”). Over the past 17 years, CAIM has grown a loyal and strong client base. CAIM manages a dividend-focused strategy. Since its inception, the firm has consistently delivered compelling returns to its clients. Read more ››

Jeffrey Cianci, Director of Investment Strategy and Research

With 30 years of experience in the investment industry, Mr. Cianci is recognized by a worldwide client base for his keen investment insight and analytical ability. He had been repeatedly elected to Institutional Investor’s All-Star team, and was ranked among the Top Ten stock pickers overall. He was also recognized as a top analyst by the Wall Street Journal.

Currently, Mr. Cianci is Director of Research for CAIM, where he is responsible for company and sector analysis, stock selection, and ESG analysis, as well as authoring research reports, quarterly letters and client marketing materials. He also serves as Assistant Portfolio Strategy for the CAIM Dividend Growth ESG primary strategy.

He has also been an advisor and investment banker to small companies and technology startups, most recently associated with Pickwick Capital Partners. Previously, he served as Chief Investment Officer for RIA Fusion Analytics, and was General Partner and CIO of Green Science Partners, a hybrid public and private equity investment fund concentrating in ESG companies.

Mr. Cianci’s Wall Street career included a decade as Senior Research Analyst at UBS Investment Bank where he focused on science-based industrial companies and another decade as Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns, where he focused chemicals, agriculture and related technologies. He holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a Master in Science from the University of Miami.

Brian O’Connell, Independent Consultant

Mr. O’Connell brings 30 years of industry experience to his role as an Independent Consultant / Investor Relations at Hansberger Growth Investors. An experienced and highly successful institutional sales executive and consultant relations expert, Mr. O’Connell has been involved in all principal facets of an investment firm, including business development, client servicing, consultant relations, product development, management and strategic planning. Prior to joining Hansberger Growth Investors, Mr. O’Connell was a Founding Partner / Investor Relations at Post Crossing Asset Management, an emerging and MWBE investment firm. Mr. O’Connell successfully assisted in the firm’s merger with KLS Diversified Asset Management. Prior to this Mr. O’Connell was Vice President of institutional sales and consultant relations at Cole Rea Estate. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Client Development/Investor Relations at DDJ Capital Management. Previously, Mr. O’Connell spent 10 years as a senior consultant with CRA Rogerscasey Consulting, where he managed an eight-person team that advised U.S. and Canadian investment management firms and plan sponsors.

Stephanie Platt, Client Services

Stephanie Platt began her career in Financial Services in 1992 with Prudential Insurance where she obtained the Series 6 and Life Insurance licenses. She graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics. In April 2007, she started Financial Services Outsourcing Solutions, Inc. which specializes in assisting Registered Investment Advisors with their back-office operations and marketing. She has a lot of experience with working in the Financial Industry. Stephanie is an Ohio native and has been married to her husband David, since 1995. They have three children, Kaelyn, Haleigh, and Gabriel. She enjoys camping with her family, quilting and embroidery, and reading.