MagnifyMoney 
Whether you’re located in Portland or further south in Lake Oswego, you don’t have to travel far to find expert financial advice that can turn your dreams into “dones.” And as an Oregonian, you’re in luck: The MagnifyMoney team has hand-curated a list of the best financial advisors in Oregon so you can find the experts you deserve.
We’ve gone through reams of filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), along with multiple other criteria, to hand-craft this list. If you’re curious about all the facts we considered, top by our methodology further on down the page.
But for now, we know that the “best” advisor for you is a choice you’ll have to make. We hope this list of the top financial advisors in Oregon will set your search off to a great start.
| Firm name | City | Minimum assets required | Fee structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, Inc. | Portland | $4 million for Ferguson Wellman Capital Management; $1 million for West Bearing, a division of the company |
|
| Northwest Capital Management Inc. | Lake Oswego | None |
|
| Aldrich Wealth LP | Lake Oswego | Negotiable |
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| Becker Capital Management, Inc. | Portland | $1 million |
|
| Arnerich Massena, Inc. | Portland | $3 million |
|
| Vista Capital Partners, Inc. | Portland | $2 million |
|
| ASI Wealth Management & Consulting Services | Bend | $1 million |
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| Human Investing | Lake Oswego | None |
|
Top of our list for the best financial advisors in Oregon is Portland-based Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, Inc. The firm has two divisions: Ferguson Wellman works with those with accounts in excess of $4 million, while West Bearing Investments (established in 2013) works with those with $1 million or more in assets. Both divisions offer wealth management services to individuals, including high net worth individuals, and investment management services to institutional investors.
Nine employees and shareholders share ownership of the firm.
Ferguson Wellman creates customized, tax-efficient portfolios for its clients using individual equities. The firm, which actively manages numerous asset classes, uses the following strategies to create portfolios that meet clients’ unique long-term goals, income needs, risk tolerance and return objectives:
Depending on a client’s unique needs, more than one of the above investment strategies may be used to create their portfolio. Additionally, the firm may use outsourced strategies like small-cap equity, real estate, private equity or hedge fund strategies if deemed appropriate for a client’s situation.
Firms registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are required to disclose disciplinary events that would be material to a client’s evaluation of the firm. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management does not have any such information to disclose involving either the firm or its affiliates or employees from within the last 10 years. Visit the firm’s Investment Advisor Public Disclosure (IAPD) page for more information.
Next on our list for this year’s best financial advisors in Oregon is Northwest Capital Management. Founded in 1985, this firm is an investment management firm and Certified B Corporation, which means it is required to meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency measures and legal accountability.
Northwest Capital Management serves individuals both with and without a high net worth, as well as institutions, local governments and agencies, corporations and retirement plan sponsors. Services offered by the firm include investment management, financial planning and performance reporting.
Northwest Capital Management has two offices: Its headquarters in Lake Oswego and an additional office in Seattle. The firm is majority-owned by Brent Petty, who serves as president and director of the firm.
Northwest Capital Management believes that how a client should invest their money should depend on when they need to spend their funds. The sooner the money is needed, the more conservative a portfolio should be. Clients of Northwest Capital Management will likely have their money invested in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or collective trusts. For those who require income-oriented portfolios, the firm will buy coupon bonds or insured certificates of deposit (CDs).
In addition to its standard investment management services outlined above, Northwest Capital Management offers a service called Signature Portfolio Strategies. This service uses software to help determine a client’s financial goals and objectives, which are then used to decide which investment strategies to implement.
Another service offered by the firm is Core Portfolios, which uses index funds and ETFs. While Signature Portfolios may contain individual stocks and/or bonds, and investments may be spread across several brokerage accounts, Core Portfolios do not contain these investment types and are limited to a single brokerage account.
Neither Northwest Capital Management nor its employees have been involved in any reportable legal or disciplinary events. The SEC requires registered financial advisory firms to disclose all events that may be crucial to client evaluation of the firm on their Form ADV, including any civil, criminal or regulatory events within the last decade. Access the firm’s Form ADV and get more information by visiting its IAPD page.
Formed in 1998, Aldrich Wealth LP is a registered investment advisory firm that is majority owned by AKT Services, LLP, a partnership owned by more than 30 individuals. Aldrich Wealth has its headquarters in the Lake Oswego area of Portland, and it also performs investment advisory services at offices in Salem, Ore., San Diego, Calif. and Carlsbad, Calif.
Aldrich Wealth LP offers investment management, financial planning, consulting and tax services to its clients. The firm has two divisions: Private Wealth, which serves individuals, businesses, trusts and other entities; and Corporate Retirement Plan Services, which offers investment management services to self-directed and trustee-directed retirement plans.
Portfolios created by Aldrich Wealth have asset allocations ranging from conservative to aggressive. The firm generally diversifies portfolios across classes, geographies and a number of other factors. Allocations depend on a client’s risk tolerance and time horizon, as well as their financial objectives and goals, with the aim of providing competitive after-tax returns.
The firm does not use in-house analysis or allocation; advisors instead use third-party software, which is a fairly common practice across advisory firms. Aldrich Wealth uses both active and passive managers for portfolio oversight (passive generally refers to mutual funds and ETFs, while active managers attempt to target returns not associated with a specific index), though it will generally default to passive management unless a clear case can be made for an active approach. Alternative investments are also available.
Aldrich Wealth does not have any disciplinary disclosures to report, including any civil, criminal or regulatory events within the last 10 years involving either the firm or its employees or affiliates. The SEC requires all registered investment advisors to provide such information in their Form ADV paperwork. For additional information, visit the firm’s IAPD page.
Becker Capital Management, Inc. is an investment advisory firm founded in 1976. The firm offers investment management and, as needed, financial planning services to individuals both with and without a high net worth, as well as to trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans, charitable organizations, endowments, corporations and public funds. The account minimum requirement for individuals is $1 million, though that may be negotiable under certain circumstances.
The firm is employee-owned. Becker Capital Management has its headquarters in Portland and another location in Bend, Ore. One additional office is located in Seattle.
Becker Capital Management notes that it is a bottom-up, fundamental value manager, meaning that advisors at the firm focus on individual stock selection rather than macroeconomic data and forecasts. Advisors use the following factors when determining whether to invest in an asset:
Becker Capital Management offers a wide range of investment strategies to its clients, including:
Which strategy is used for a client’s portfolio will depend on their investment objectives and restrictions, with a focus on tax efficiency.
Becker Capital Management has no disciplinary events to disclose. Firms registered with the SEC are required to report any legal, civil judicial or criminal incidents involving the firm or associated employees in their Form ADV. You can find additional information about Becker Capital Management and view its Form ADV by visiting its IAPD page.
In middle position on our list of the best financial advisors in Oregon is Arnerich Massena, Inc., a firm founded in 1991. In 2017, it became wholly owned by its senior employees and officers. The firm offers investment advisory services, financial planning and family office services. Typical clients are individuals — both those who are and are not considered high net worth per the SEC’s definition (at least $750,000 under management or a net worth of at least $1.5 million) — as well as retirement plan sponsors and charitable organizations.
While Arnerich Massena generally requires that individual accounts have at least $3 million in assets, and institutional accounts have at least $5 million, the firm may make exceptions to its stated minimums at its discretion. The firm’s headquarters and sole location is in Portland.
Advisors at Arnerich Massena believe in creating long-term, diversified portfolios. To do so, the firm emphasizes asset allocation, as well as money manager selection and discipline. Arnerich Massena also seeks to reduce portfolio risk and volatility.
Client portfolios are constructed based on risk and return relationships from traditional and alternative asset categories. Portfolios may contain mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, insurance policies and annuity products. The firm usually recommends investment managers based on what it calls the seven “Ps”: philosophy, process, personnel, portfolio, price, performance and passion.
Arnerich Massena does not have any disciplinary disclosures to report. Firms registered with the SEC must list any offenses, including criminal, judicial and disciplinary actions involving either the company or its affiliates, on their Form ADV paperwork filed with the SEC for the evaluation of current and potential clients. You can find additional information about Arnerich Massena on the firm’s IAPD page.
Formed in 2001, Vista Capital Partners, Inc. is a fee-only financial advisory firm that markets itself to clients with more than $2 million to invest. Despite this minimum, the firm works with individuals who both are and are not considered high net worth, as well as trusts, estates, businesses, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, foundations and endowments.
Services offered by the firm include investment and wealth management and, to the extent requested by the client, guidance on various financial planning-related topics, including retirement planning, college savings plans and charitable giving.
The firm is owned by seven of its employees, with majority ownership split between Doug Johanson and Michael O’Reilly. Vista Capital Partners operates out of an office located in Portland.
There are two key tenets of Vista Capital Partners’ investment philosophy: asset allocation and diversification. Asset allocation is informed by client risk tolerance, time horizon and income needs, while diversification is achieved by primarily investing in index funds.
The firm avoids stock-picking or market-timing, instead favoring the creation of smartly structured portfolios through the combination of different asset classes. Portfolios may consist of U.S. stocks, international stocks (developed and emerging markets), real estate investment trusts (REITs), bonds and cash or cash equivalents. The firm practices disciplined rebalancing, which helps keep portfolios from drifting from initial allocation targets.
Vista Capital Partners does not have any disclosures to report. This means the firm has a clean disciplinary record. Financial advisory firms registered with the SEC are required to report their disciplinary history on public paperwork to provide transparency for prospective or current clients evaluating the firm. View Vista Capital Partners’ IAPD page for more information.
ASI was founded in 1998 by Randy Miller, who owns the firm and is the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer. Their main office is located in Bend, Ore., but they also have offices in Medford and Portland, Ore., as well as Seattle.
Clients of ASI receive a variety of investment advisory services, including financial planning, discretionary portfolio management and wealth management. ASI also aligns clients with sustainability investments or tax-managed investments, depending on the clients’ objectives. Financial planning services may include retirement, education expense or estate planning.
ASI bases its investment strategies from academic sources and data and research providers. Some of their portfolio construction methodologies include Modern Portfolio Theory, Mean-Variance Optimization and Risk Budgeting as part of the asset allocation process. ASI uses investment research services including Morningstar, Dimensional Fund Advisors and The Center for Fiduciary Studies.
The firm utilizes individual stocks and bonds, ETFs, no-load and load-waived funds for their client portfolios. ASI has a simple fee structure for assets under management: there’s a 1% fee on the first $5 million, a 0.75% fee on the next $5 million and a negotiable fee for amounts over $10 million.
ASI Wealth Management reports a disciplinary disclosure on its Form ADV paperwork, but the firm does not include additional information on the nature of any infractions in its brochure or relationship summary. Those resources can be found on ASI’s IAPD page.
Rounding out our list for the best financial advisors in Oregon is Human Investing. The firm was founded in 2004, and the firm is owned by co-founder Peter Fisher. Their only office is located in Lake Oswego, Ore.
The firm offers financial planning, investment management and tax consulting and compliance services for their clients, which include investors who are and aren’t high net worth individuals, as defined by the SEC. Human Investing provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management for their clients, which include pension and profit sharing plans and charitable organizations.
Human Investing uses a client’s financial plan and risk tolerance to construct diversified portfolios with mutual funds, ETFs, individual stocks and bonds, cash and cash equivalents.
The firm relies on fundamental analysis to determine the intrinsic value of securities by looking at a company’s financial disclosures, industry sector trends and the overall direction of the economy. Human Investing bases client portfolios on asset allocation ratios, according to those clients’ needs, and often uses mutual funds and ETFs.
As part of the on-boarding process, clients are interviewed and complete data gathering questionnaires. Human Investing also provides ongoing support with periodic meetings and other communication.
There are no disciplinary disclosures on Human Investing’s Form ADV, meaning that the firm has not committed any regulatory, criminal or civil infractions in the last 10 years. Learn more about Human Investing on the firm’s IAPD page.
Yes. Financial advisors who are bound by fiduciary duty (all the firms on this list and any registered with the SEC) must act in their clients’ best interest at all times. Firms that are not bound by fiduciary duty are only required to provide recommendations that are suitable but not necessarily the absolute best for their client, which can leave room for the advisor to put their own interests before their clients’ and make a profit at their expense.
Matching your financial needs with what a financial advisor offers is often the best route. Researching and requesting informational meetings with prospective firms will help lead you to an advisor who suits your needs. For example, if you’re looking for investment management and no other services, that may lead you to a different firm than if you’re in need of financial planning, tax preparation and charitable giving, along with investment management. Also, keep in mind the firm’s account minimum requirement as well as whether the advisor has experience in serving clients with financial situations similar to yours.
Oregon levies a progressive personal state income tax on its full-year and part-year residents, with rates ranging from 5% to close to 10%. The state also has an estate tax and an inheritance tax; which tax you are subject to will depend on the date of death. If the estate or trust generates income, it is also subject to income tax. Residents of the state may also be subject to federal estate taxes.
The short answer: No. Not all financial advisory firms even offer retirement planning. Firms often specialize in a few areas, like wealth management, financial planning or tax planning. Some firms specialize in retirement planning, and will offer services like annuity and insurance review, as well as cash flow analysis and more. Firms may offer a wide array of services or tailor their offerings to a specific set of clientele. If you want to find a firm that can specifically help you with retirement planning, make sure to check the services listed in their brochure and also ask what their experience is in providing this service.
In our search for the best financial advisors in Oregon, we looked at firms across the state. All of the firms considered are bound by fiduciary duty, registered with the SEC and offer individual account management and financial planning services. Information used for our methodology criteria is taken directly from each firm’s most recent Form ADV filing and brochure, found on the IAPD database.
To localize our results for this list of the best financial advisors in Oregon, we exclusively looked at firms that met the above criteria and had their headquarters in Oregon, as per the address provided in the Form ADV. Of those firms, we only considered those that offer financial planning services and portfolio management to individual investors. To be considered for this list, firms also could have no more than one disciplinary disclosure in the past 10 years. From there, the remaining firms that met all of the above stipulations were ranked in order of highest to lowest AUM, as this is an indication of a firm’s size and how many assets it has been entrusted to manage.
In our reviews, we have also listed several other key features that will help you determine which financial advisor may be most fitting for your investing style and financial needs. While our ranking system and methodology is designed to help you compare firms, it does not indicate which firm may be best for you. All information here is accurate as of May 24, 2022, but we urge you to also evaluate these firms for yourself on the SEC’s Investment Advisor Public Disclosures website.
Nina SemczukNina Semczuk is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance® (CEPF®), a member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and an Army veteran with five years of active service.
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