west bearing investments |
Serving Individuals and Institutions
West Bearing Investments is a division of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management providing holistic wealth planning for individuals and multigenerational families. The West Bearing team also manages investable assets for foundations as well as endowments and reserves for nonprofits and corporate retirement plans.
Meet the team
The West Bearing team is a part of Ferguson Wellman, which includes 60 employees located in our Portland and Bellevue offices. We encourage you to get to know our West Bearing professionals who serve clients throughout the United States, with many residing in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.
TWO ENTRY POINTS TO THE SAME INVESTMENT and WEALTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
All West Bearing clients benefit from the teamwork of our in-house investment analysts who develop and manage customized investment strategies. Our West Bearing team collaborates with clients and their professional partners to identify and design wealth planning opportunities across eight disciplines.
COMMUNICATION RESOURCES
Consistent communication with clients and their professional partners is key to conveying our investment approach during market volatility. We also believe transparency builds trust, which we incorporate throughout our quarterly portfolio reports as well as our annual reports, blogs, publications and videos.
WEST BEARING INVESTMENTS
Welcomed its FIRST CLIENT
Our first hire, Josh Frankel, CFP®, was tasked with building our new division. With an opportunity to work with clients with assets starting at $750,000, we quietly launched primarily through a word-of-mouth strategy. Shortly after he was hired, Josh brought his former colleague, Jorge Chavarria, to join the team.
Together, they built the brand and welcomed new clients, ending their first year with $50 million assets under management.
Jorge was working for West Bearing until 2015, when he lost his battle with chronic lymphoblastic leukemia. Charissa Anderson, CFP®, CDFA®, joined the team in 2017, followed by Chelsea Diamond and Lexi Carpenter as client relationship associates.
To maintain a high level of service and manage growth, West Bearing raised its minimum to $1 million for new clients at the beginning of 2021. Later that year, Nate Putnam was hired as our third portfolio manager at West Bearing.
In 2022, the West Bearing team reached a milestone: $500 million assets under management for more than 200 individuals and institutions.
There have been many milestones reached by West Bearing since 2013. Working with the Ferguson Wellman team, the division continues to grow, providing investment management, wealth planning and other strategies to help clients reach their goals.
BEARING WEST – OUR BRAND INSPIRATION
The American bison is an iconic creature symbolizing resilience, grace and the western path to growth and opportunity. An intelligent creature that survived near extinction, the bison is honored and adored by Native Americans, early western preservationists, and numerous individuals and institutions today.
Most animals attempt to outrun inclement weather, prolonging their exposure to the elements and, in doing so, weaken their conditions.
Only bison instinctively turn to face the storm to find the quickest path to clear skies.
We take inspiration from this story of focus, strength and discipline.