Ferguson Wellman Capital Management has been named by Financial Advisor magazine as a top investment company. Financial Advisor named Ferguson Wellman 55 out of 214 U.S. firms in the $1 billion-and-over asset category of their registered investment adviser (RIA) rankings. Ferguson Wellman is the highest-ranked firm headquartered in Oregon. The listing is created by tracking independent investment firms registered with the SEC and ranks companies according to their assets under management as reported in their ADV forms. All firms must provide financial planning services to individual clients in order to be considered for the list.
Can You Hear Me Now?
For the shortened holiday week, equity markets were down by almost 1 percent as investors followed events in Russia and North Korea. Interest rates were lower with the 10-year Treasury declining in yield from 2.36 to 2.22 percent.
The Deal of the Year
As investors, the best thing about earnings season is it filters a lot of the other noise out of the market. A month ago, a tweet, tariff headlines or even a longshot tax proposal would have moved the equity markets.
Financial Times Names Ferguson Wellman to Top 300 RIA List
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.
Move Over Wonder Woman; Yellen Speaks
The broad markets performed as expected this week as the Federal Reserve announced its much expected rate hike Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average did set a new high after the announcement but finishes the week up only 0.4 percent.
Debt Ceiling, Tax Policy and Trickle-Down Economics
Global elections continue to stir up markets this week. U.S. stocks and the dollar rose as the British pound declined after the U.K.’s Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority just as the Brexit negotiations begin
Changing of the Guard
The S&P 500 was up nearly 1 percent again this week as economic data continues to confirm a growing economy. An underwhelming jobs report on Friday took yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries to a new low on the year of 2.15 percent.
Winners and Losers
Buoyed by the best quarterly earnings growth in six years, blue chip equities are forging new highs, with investors disregarding the turmoil in Washington and discounting increasingly lofty expectations for the remainder of 2017.
Politics and the Markets
Political risk has always been frustrating for investors. We like the rules of the game to be known and the playing field level. Any kind of uncertainty leads to volatility in markets. While many believed that the Republican sweep would deliver pro-growth initiatives, Trump’s troubles have led to concerns regarding those outcomes.
All Quiet on the Western Front
In a week full of geopolitical news, the market showed a bit of malaise. The S&P 500 posted a small loss of 0.4 percent. Bonds were similarly docile with the 10-year U.S. Treasury ending the week off two basis points at 2.3 percent.
Jobs, Jobs and More Jobs
The S&P 500 headed toward a third weekly increase on a rebound in hiring and economic optimism. The benchmark 10-year Treasury is currently trading at a yield of 2.35 percent, which is lower for the day but seven basis points higher than last week. The euro reached its highest level of the year, at 1.098, against the U.S. dollar, rallying on polls that favor a Macron win in France. Oil regained 2 percent after briefly dropping below a six-month low of $44 per barrel due to mounting concerns over a supply glut.
Profits Over Politics
As investors, the best thing about earnings season is it filters a lot of the other noise out of the market. A month ago, a tweet, tariff headlines or even a longshot tax proposal would have moved the equity markets. But now that we are in the throes of earnings season, equity investors are focused on the most important factor in investing: earnings.
Rubber Hits the Road
First quarter earnings season kicked into high gear this week and investors were treated to a smorgasbord of blue-chip results across a range of industries. As they typically do, numbers for most companies have exceeded Wall Street expectations, but with almost 20 percent of the S&P 500 now having reported, the .75:1 ratio of “beats” is modestly better than where it has been over the last several quarters.
Q2 2017 Investment Strategy Video
The Confidence Game
For the shortened holiday week, equity markets were down by almost 1 percent as investors followed events in Russia and North Korea. Interest rates were lower with the 10-year Treasury declining in yield from 2.36 to 2.22 percent.
The World Is a Dangerous Place
Equity markets were relatively flat on the week as economic data was weighed against global events. Interest rates continued their slow trend downward with the 10-year U.S. Treasury finishing the week at a 2.32 percent yield.
Hard Versus Soft Data: By the Numbers
Most markets, international stocks and the U.S. Dollar ended the week near where they started. Stocks are quietly ending a strong first quarter, with this week leaving the S&P 500 up a little over 1 percent and the Dow Jones up about 0.5 percent.
2017 Q2 Market Letter
How Sausage is Made
Stocks sold off this week as Congress debated the replacement bill for Obamacare. The S&P 500 was down a little over 1 percent over the past five sessions. Bonds rallied on stock weakness with the 10-year Treasury finishing the week at a 2.40 percent yield.
No Brackets Busted by the Fed
As traders were nursing their wounds from early bracket pains, the market saw that U.S. stocks were muted this week, up 0.2 percent. Investors’ reactions to finally getting the anticipated Fed rate hike were tempered by oil production figures from OPEC, causing concern early in the week.