Financial Times Names Ferguson Wellman Capital Management
to Top 300 Registered Investment Advisers List
Ferguson Wellman Capital Management was recently named by Financial Times to their “FT 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers” list.
According to their detailed methodology, the RIAs are first examined via the RIA database and then only firms with $300 million or more in assets under management are considered. Next, the financial publishing company uses a formula based on six criteria and calculates a numeric score for each. Among the items of consideration are adviser assets under management, asset growth, the company’s age, industry certifications of key employees, SEC compliance record and online accessibility. According to the editors of the FT 300 RIA list, it is “presented as an elite group, not a competitive ranking of one to 300. This is the fairest way to identify the industry’s elite advisers while accounting for the firms’ different approaches and different specializations.” Over 725 RIA firms applied to be selected and of the 300 that made the list, only five firms from Oregon were selected.
“We are always pleased to see our firm mentioned on these lists among our peers,” said Jim Rudd, principal and chief executive officer. “It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing, but even more importantly, to the clients we serve.”
Founded in 1975, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management is a privately owned registered investment advisory firm, established in the Pacific Northwest. As of January 1, 2017, the firm manages over $4.5 billion for more than 760 clients that include individuals and families; Taft-Hartley and corporate retirement plans; and endowments and foundations with portfolios of $3 million or more. West Bearing Investments, a division of Ferguson Wellman, serves clients with assets starting at $750,000. (data as of January 1, 2017).
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Methodology and Disclosure from Financial Times:
The fourth edition of the Financial Times 300 has assessed registered investment advisers (RIAs) on desirable traits for investors. To ensure a list of established companies with deep, institutional expertise, we examine the database of RIAs registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and select those that reported to the SEC and select those that had $300m or more in assets under management (AUM). The Financial Times’ methodology is quantifiable and objective. The RIAs had no subjective input. The FT invited qualifying RIA companies – more than 2000 – to complete a lengthy application that gave us more information about them. We added to this with our own research into their practices, including data from regulatory filings. Some 725 RIA companies applied and 300 made the final list. The formula the FT uses to grade advisers is based on six broad factors and calculates a numeric score for each adviser. Areas of consideration include adviser AUM, asset growth, the company’s age, industry certifications of key employees, SEC compliance record and online accessibility. The reasons these were chosen are as follows: AUM signals experience managing money and client trust. AUM growth rate can be a proxy for performance, as well as for asset retention and the ability to generate new business. We assessed companies on both one-year and two-year growth rates. Companies’ years in existence indicates reliability and experience of managing assets through different market environments. Compliance record provides evidence of past client disputes; a string of complaints can signal potential problems. Industry certifications (CFA, CFP, etc.) shows the company’s staff has technical and industry knowledge, and signals a professional commitment to investment skills. Online accessibility demonstrates a desire to provide easy access and transparent contact information. Assets under management and asset growth, combined, comprised roughly 65 to 70 percent of each adviser’s score while asset growth accounted for an additional 10 to 15 percent. Additionally, the FT caps the number of companies from any one state. The cap is roughly based on the distribution of millionaires across the U.S. We present the FT 300 as an elite group, not a competitive ranking of one to 300. This is the fairest way to identify the industry’s elite advisers while accounting for the firms’ different approaches and different specializations. The research was conducted on behalf of the Financial Times by Ignites Distribution Research, a Financial Times sister publication.
Additional Disclosures:
Financial Times produced this list by Ignites Distribution Research, a sister company of Financial Times. Ferguson Wellman (the firm) is not aware of any facts that would call into question the validity of the ranking. The firm does not believe this advertisement is inappropriate and is not aware of any unfavorable rating towards the firm. The rating category is the top 300 registered investment advisers, the number of firms surveyed was 725, and the percentage of advisers that received the rating of top 300 RIAs was 41 percent. The rating does not involve client experience and is not indicative of Ferguson Wellman’s future performance. Ferguson Wellman did not pay a fee to participate in this survey.