We Built Something Special. Not Everyone Will Get It — and That's Okay.
AIM is a specialty, not a commodity. Like a rare art dealer — not 20 Picassos, just one or two. If you appreciate the craftsmanship behind it, you'll understand the value.
From Broker-Dealer to Rules-Based Pioneer
It started at a broker-dealer. Another broker had a conservative model that never had a down quarter — and that got Dave's attention. He was given the software, had an idea, and then did what most people skip: the hard work. Extensive data analysis. Statistical validation. Testing what doesn't work a thousand times to figure out what does.
Dave built off that original model, developing his own definitions and metrics — his definition of a down day isn't necessarily somebody else's definition. He tilted the odds in his favor by thinking outside the box about how market data should be evaluated. The main strategy has been unchanged since January 24, 2004.
Along the way, Dave saw a gap that most of the industry ignores. A client had 24 mutual funds with another advisor — five large growth funds where seven of the top ten holdings were identical across all five. That's not diversification. That's duplication with different labels. The real gap? Diversification of strategies, not just assets.
"If you don't fail a thousand times, you didn't learn anything. So, you know, it's a good teaching — to see what doesn't work, and then eventually you figure out what does."
What We Stand For
Respect the Work
Over 1,500 hours of development went into building and testing these models. The methodology wasn't assembled overnight — it was earned through years of rigorous data work and relentless refinement.
Integrity Over Everything
Dave has lost more sales by being upfront about what to expect than most advisors lose by overselling. The investment that is right for everyone does not exist — and we'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise.
Structure, Not Speculation
No gut feelings, no market predictions, no discretionary overrides. The same rules, the same process, applied with the same discipline — whether the market is up, down, or sideways.
Active Investment Management, LLC
Active Investment Management, LLC (AIM) offers services to professional investment advisors. The active approach is based on quantitative models that have removed the emotion factor from investing, replacing day-to-day subjective influences with a structured, rules-based methodology.
Dave Wagner has maintained a clean U4 record since 1987 — not because compliance is complicated, but because doing the right thing isn't. Respect the work. Do right by people. That's the standard.
Ready to Talk?
If you've read this far, you probably appreciate what goes into building something like this. Request the AIM Strategy Overview or schedule a conversation — let's see if it's a fit.