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Our Investment Views
Emilie Ma
Investment Strategy Video: Inflation's Flame ...

George Hosfield, CFA, discusses Ferguson Wellman's quarterly strategy titled, "Inflation's Flame Flickers," which addresses the narrow market leadership, the impact of higher interest rates on inflation and how assets are priced at this stage of the economic cycle.

Investment Strategy Video: Inflation's Flame Flickers
Our Investment Views
Guest User
Investment Strategy Video: Stalemate

George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the firm's quarterly strategy titled "Stalemate," which highlights the Fed's ongoing battle to tame inflation along with our views on the health of the banking industry and capital market expectations for the balance of the year.

Investment Strategy Video: Stalemate
Our Investment Views
Guest User
Third Quarter 2022 Investment Strategy Video: ...

Director and Chief Investment Officer George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the Fed raising interest rates, peaking inflation and our view on equities and volatility across all asset classes in our Investment Strategy titled, “Balancing Act.”

Third Quarter 2022 Investment Strategy Video: Balancing Act
Annual Report
Mary Faulkner
2021 Annual Report

2021 Annual Report

2021 Annual Report
Wealth Management
Guest User
First Quarter 2022 Wealth Management Insights ...

Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, discusses the theme for the first quarter of 2022, “Valuing the Resources of Time and Money.”

First Quarter 2022 Wealth Management Insights Video: Valuing the Resources of Time and Money

Gradual, Then Suddenly

Gradual, Then Suddenly

“How do you go bankrupt? Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” -Ernest Hemingway

As of this writing, there are expectations that First Republic Bank may not survive the weekend. However, we believe that First Republic’s issues are not systemic across the industry. Unlike 2008, these issues with First Republic, as they were with Silicon Valley Bank, are not credit related. Rather, it was the issues that were part of their business model, which played out as Hemingway stated in “The Sun Also Rises.”

Wealth Management Insights: Caring for Ourselves and Our Loved Ones

Wealth Management Insights: Caring for Ourselves and Our Loved Ones

Collaborative planning for care needs can reduce family stress and ensure our housing, financial management, legal arrangements and healthcare is consistent with our personal preferences. In this quarter’s Wealth Management Insights video, Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, shares common decision points and items we can address in advance.

A Debt Ceiling Primer

A Debt Ceiling Primer

Now that individual taxpayers have submitted their 2022 tax returns and Tax Day 2023 is in the rearview mirror, a largely self-made crisis surrounding raising the debt ceiling will begin to resonate through the halls of Congress, possibly lasting through the summer months.

Selecting a Trustee and Executor

Selecting a Trustee and Executor

Your wishes. Your legacy. Your plan. Your estate planning documents, whether a will or a trust, reflect your values and wishes relating to the distribution of your assets. While you, and your attorney, have carefully drafted language that reflects distribution wishes congruent with your goals, it is still left up to someone else to execute your plan.  

Spring Has Sprung

Spring Has Sprung

This week marks the start of earnings season and investors are anxiously awaiting corporate guidance to shed light on the state of the economy. The first quarter of 2023 brought positive returns for both stocks and bonds, but we also saw the second and third largest bank failures in U.S. history. Mixed signals like this are difficult for investors to reconcile, however, this week was rich with economic data to set the stage for the second quarter of 2023.  

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Wealth Management Insights Q2 2023: Keeping Your Estate Planning and Education Funding on Track

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Wealth Management Insights Q2 2023: Keeping Your Estate Planning and Education Funding on Track

Read our second quarter 2023 Wealth Management Insights titled, “Keeping Your Estate Planning and Education Funding on Track.”

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Market Letter: Stalemate

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Market Letter: Stalemate

Read Market Letter for the first quarter of 2023 titled, “Stalemate.”

Investment Strategy Video: Stalemate

Investment Strategy Video: Stalemate

George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the firm's quarterly strategy titled "Stalemate," which highlights the Fed's ongoing battle to tame inflation along with our views on the health of the banking industry and capital market expectations for the balance of the year.

21st Century Bicycle

21st Century Bicycle

In a 1981 interview, a skeptical Todd Koeppel questioned 26-year-old Steve Jobs about the dangers of using computers and whether they would eventually be able to control humans (aside from current social media addiction, not yet). Jobs proceeded to explain that the personal computer is the “bicycle of the 21st century” and referred to a study that measured the locomotion efficiency of various species.

In the Spotlight

In the Spotlight

As the first quarter of 2023 wrapped up this week, investors may be surprised to see both stocks and bonds with positive returns, given the ongoing stress within the banking industry and the signs that the Fed’s aggressive interest rate hikes are creating cracks within the economy.

Dickason Interviewed on KGW

Dickason Interviewed on KGW

The Federal Reserve's quarter-point rate hike fuels more recession speculation. Blaine Dickason, senior vice president, appeared on Sunrise on KGW News on Friday, March 21 and shared our perspective on what the rate increase may mean for you.

Price Stability Versus Financial Stability

Price Stability Versus Financial Stability

This week all eyes were on the Federal Reserve and Fed Chairman Powell as they had the challenge of continuing to fight inflation.

Upcoming Changes to Catch-Up Contributions

Upcoming Changes to Catch-Up Contributions

On December 29, 2022, Congress signed a piece of legislation called SECURE Act 2.0 of 2022. Compared to the SECURE Act 1.0 that was enacted in December of 2019, which contained 29 provisions and total government spending of $15 billion, the SECURE Act 2.0 contains 92 provisions and $1.7 trillion in spending. Both pieces of legislation were designed to promote retirement security, including attempts to lower barriers to entry for people looking to save, expand access to participation in employer retirement plans and allow for greater flexibility for Americans experiencing hardship.  

March Madness Started Early This Year

March Madness Started Early This Year

One year ago this week, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since the pandemic began. After two years of holding rates near zero, this first hike to combat rising inflation only raised the policy rate by a mere 0.25%.

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Chappell Authors Spokane Journal of Business Article

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Chappell Authors Spokane Journal of Business Article

Our colleague, Casia Chappell, CFP®, CPWA®, recently wrote a piece for the Spokane Journal of Business. In it, she discusses how donor-advised funds can help streamline strategic giving.

Higher for Longer

Higher for Longer

That a notable Silicon Valley bank failure could overshadow significant developments in the labor market is a testament to how attuned investors remain to the unpredictable consequences of the Fed’s ongoing campaign to raise interest rates.

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Data > Headlines

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Data > Headlines

To both economists and investors, one of the biggest surprises to begin 2023 has been the resilience of the economy, and in particular the labor market. Coming off the back of the most rapid Federal Reserve tightening cycle in decades, many assumed that economic data would prove recessionary as soon as the calendar flipped. While leading indicators still point to a slowing in the economy ahead, recession still seems a ways away.  

Higher Inflation. Higher Fed Funds. Lower Stock Valuations.

Higher Inflation. Higher Fed Funds. Lower Stock Valuations.

We are expecting inflation to cool as we move throughout 2023, but we also know that it won’t move in a straight line. The Fed’s favored inflation index is called the personal consumer expenditures index (PCE).

Opportunity Costs

Opportunity Costs

This week, a slew of economic reports, which included inflation data, employment figures and retail sales reports, continue to indicate that the Fed still has a way to go on its quest to tame inflation.

The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour

President Biden held his State of the Union Address this week, and while there was a laundry list of proposals, the two that we believe are on investors’ minds are the debt ceiling and the Medicare drug price negotiation.