Mary Lago

Mary Lago is a principal owner and chief wealth strategist at Ferguson Wellman Capital Management in Portland, Oregon, where she leads strategic financial and investment guidance for high-net-worth families, multigenerational wealth clients, and nonprofit organizations. Her core responsibilities include advising on investment management, estate planning, and philanthropy, with a specialized focus on supporting clients through endowment planning and complex wealth transfer strategies. She is notably recognized for guiding investments across traditional asset classes, and her expertise also extends to charitable planning, trust administration, and developing investment policy guidelines for institutional and family clients.

With over 25 years of experience, Mary started her career in Silicon Valley’s banking and investment sector, playing a pivotal role in establishing the trust company at First Republic Bank as a managing director, later holding leadership positions at Union Bank and Washington Trust Bank prior to joining Ferguson Wellman in 2015. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor, frequently invited to speak on estate and trust planning for professional organizations, and offers extensive guidance in philanthropy and planned giving for nonprofit endowments.

Mary graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in business administration from Linfield University, is active in board service for leading Oregon institutions, and chairs the Gift Planning Council for the OHSU Foundation. Her professional achievements include recognition as one of Portland’s “Forty Under 40,” a “Woman of Influence,” and recipient of the Joyce Manougian Lifetime Achievement Award from Albertina Kerr Centers, in addition to appearances as an expert guest on CNBC Closing Bell and Yahoo Finance to discuss wealth management and philanthropic strategies.