The Donaldson Difference

Founding of DCM 

"I started Donaldson Capital Management (DCM) because I wanted to return to the best part of doing business. Building relationships with great people to always serve their best interests first."

- Greg Donaldson, Founder

Management Strategies

"When I joined Greg Donaldson in 1997, Laura Roop was already in place, building our first efforts at enhancing the experience DCM clients would have. At the start, we had two equity styles for managing money, both focused around dividends. Later named Cornerstone and Capital Builder, they initially created to meet the needs of retirees." 

– Mike Hull, Chairman

Here for You, Whatever Comes

"As the events of September 11^th unfolded, it became quickly apparent how important it was to reach out to our clients. Not only to express our prayers for those affected and reinforce how resilient we are as a nation but to offer our understanding of how stocks and bonds typically react during catastrophic events. We sent out a letter to our clients that same day, letting them know we were here for them, whatever comes.”

- Beth Dietsch, Senior Investment Advisor

A Decade of Service, A Future of Support

By our ten-year anniversary, we had eight employees and served nearly 300 families in 28 states, with assets approaching $300 million. As Mike Hull said then, and rings true today, "Over the next twenty years, more people than ever before will be retiring with a fixed sum of money that must last them the rest of their lives. Unless they become investors instead of speculators, and unless they learn how to invest for income as opposed to purely capital gains, retirement will be a nightmare for them. Our job is to reach them and share our story."

Staying Steady in Every Climate

The Financial Crisis was the worst economic crash since the Great Depression, yet most of our portfolio companies, excluding financials, continued to increase dividends. 70% of the companies in our portfolio, 18 of the 26, increased their dividends from 2008 to 2009.

"I joined Donaldson in 2007, the day before Countrywide Mortgage imploded and the financial and mortgage crisis began with a sickening thud. I was impressed then and ever since with the way my colleagues filtered out the panic in the market and focused on the facts that would let us protect our clients. Putting the client first, second, and always was clearly deeply rooted in the firm’s culture."

-Randy Alsman, Senior Investment Advisor

Rethinking Value in a New Era

“When Facebook went public, many feared another tech bubble—especially after its weak early trading. While we monitored the IPO, it didn’t align with our strategies, so our involvement was limited. As Facebook’s revenue model proved sustainable, its stock rebounded in 2013 and became a market force alongside Amazon, Netflix, and Apple. These companies reshaped how we live and invest, challenging traditional valuation methods and paving the way for a new generation of innovation."

– Kyle Markle, Senior Investment Advisor & Chief Investment Officer 

Opening Shop in Columbus, Indiana

"When opening our office in Columbus, we wanted it to be a mirror of Evansville. We chose the same paint colors, the same overall DCM look and feel—we wanted clients to walk in and know, no matter the location, they were getting the same DCM experience."

- Ron Patberg, Senior Investment Advisor

Providing a more comprehensive service

"We have steadily evolved from a narrow focus on investments to meet the evolving needs of our client’s financial lives. Even a top-performing advisor can’t be an expert in every aspect of investment management, retirement income, tax and estate planning. With more CFP® professionals on staff as both investment advisors and financial planners, we put our best foot forward to keep clients on track to achieve their goals and objectives.”

– Brandon Roop, Senior Investment Advisor & VP of Advisory

New Service Line, Same Principles

Over time, we’ve helped several small business owners manage their 401(k) plans—even though our main focus has been wealth management. As more of these requests came in, we realized our unique approach brought real benefits to both our clients and DCM. Today, DCM serves companies of varied sizes with custom retirement plans.

Delivering More for Our Clients

“At DCM, we’re always rethinking how we serve clients—cutting through the noise of traditional structures to focus on what really matters. In 2019, we launched a comprehensive financial planning solution to all DCM clients, to provide increased value and a seamless, client-first experience that aims to bring more peace of mind.”

– Sarah Moore, President & CEO

Coming Together Through It All

Thanks to our agile and determined team, and the right technology, our services continued throughout the pandemic with no pause in performance. Despite the obstacles that the pandemic brought, we reached $2 billion in assets. Through it all, our priorities remained the same—providing you with steady advice and excellent service.

Rising Dividend Cornerstone Rated 5-stars by Morningstar  

Morningstar, a leading independent source for unbiased investment research, awarded Donaldson’s Rising Dividend Cornerstone strategy its highest rating: a Morningstar Overall Rating* of 5 Stars. The Morningstar Overall Rating is updated every 3 months. As of 6/30/2025, the Rising Dividend Cornerstone fund received a four-star Overall Morningstar Rating™ of 4 Stars out of 531 funds in the Large Value Morningstar Category.

Sequoia Investment Strategy Launched

Our Investment Policy Committee introduced Sequoia, a strategy designed for investors willing to accept more risk to potentially build wealth faster. Sequoia is not appropriate for every investor. It experiences more volatility, owns non-dividend-paying companies, and will take short-term capital gains.

Donaldson Named to 2022 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 List

On October 4, 2022, Donaldson was named by CNBC to the 2022 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 List, selected from more than 39,800 registered investment advisory firms. If you’re curious, the full methodology can be found on CNBC.com/FA100. No compensation was provided to CNBC to obtain inclusion on the list, but there is a licensing fee to utilize the CNBC 2022 FA 100 logo in marketing materials. 

A Transition to the Next Generation

In 2012, we began plotting DCM’s transition to the next generation to ensure you are able to depend upon us long after our founding generation is gone. In Fall 2022, we took a big step in that direction by making three changes. Ciavon Hartman was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Sarah Moore became our new President and Mike Hull moved from President and CEO to Chairman.

Donaldson is recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Top 250 RIA Firms

On October 8, 2024, Donaldson was named by Forbes as America’s Top 250 RIA Firms in 2024, selected from more than 46,200 registered advisors firms. If you’re curious, the full methodology can be found at https://bit.ly/48ensS3. No compensation was provided to Forbes or SHOOK Research to obtain inclusion on the list, but there is a licensing fee to utilize the Forbes Top 250 RIA logo in marketing materials.

Sarah Moore Appointed CEO

“In the best interest of our clients, we continued executing on our smooth transition from DCM’s founders to our next generation of leaders. Sarah, Ciavon, and I have worked together to ensure our clients and firm were well-served by this transition. As Sarah assumed the role of CEO, DCM clients were receiving a level of advice and service at a higher level than at any time since Greg Donaldson founded the company thirty years before.”

– Mike Hull, Chairman