Mary Beth Lato, CFA

Mary Beth Lato

Director, Investment Strategy & Solutions

Bachelor of Commerce (honours), Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
CFA Charterholder, CFA Institute


Mary Beth Lato is a director of investment strategy & solutions for Russell Investments’ Americas Institutional business. Mary Beth has responsibility for the completion of strategic reviews (non-profit strategic reviews and asset / liability studies) and risk-monitoring exercises for clients and prospects. As part of the strategic review process, Mary Beth educates clients on the impact of investment risk on organizational goals to assist clients in determining the appropriate level of investment risk to take. Mary Beth also educates clients on how the current market environment impacts the ability of non-profits and pension plans to meet their goals, and how investment diversification can assist in meeting those goals. Mary Beth helps clients reach an effective asset allocation decision by bringing together spending needs, liabilities and available asset classes in a risk-reward framework.

Prior to this role Mary Beth was in the Investment Consulting group where she provided analytical and strategic support to defined benefit and non-profit clients. She was responsible for client service support connected with investment strategies, investment implementation, performance monitoring and manager evaluation.

Prior to this role, Mary Beth was in the London office where she worked in the Consulting & Advisory Services Team. She focused on quantitative analysis and supporting consultants in providing a wide range of investment advice to institutional clients across Europe focussing on investment strategy, asset allocation, liability-hedging and risk budgeting. Mary Beth joined Russell Investments in 2007.


Understanding the impact of the spending policy

March 2024
A useful framework for non-profit fiduciaries to help support the needs of their communities for generations to come.

Liquidity considerations for non-profit investors

December 2023
Uncover the power of private assets in meeting long-term goals efficiently. Learn how a holistic approach balances liquidity needs, risk, and performance in investment portfolios.

Should inflation risk management
be your goal?

June 2023
Inflation has led to short-term challenges to achieve higher returns. Will this be the case for the long term? Read this paper for a historical perspective.

Looking backwards and forwards: Reaching objectives for non-profits

March 2022
Take a look at how a time horizon inclusive of historical and expected returns may lead to greater stability in the asset allocation process.

Endowment model: How non-profits can improve upon the endowment model—and make it work for them

November 2020
Are you able to implement the model efficiently yourself? Read this paper to identify where additional resources would be beneficial.

Best practices in non-profit portfolio design

January 2020
The current market environment is characterized by relatively high valuations on U.S. equities and low yields on fixed income. As a result, it will be more challenging for non-profit investors to achieve their return targets than it would be in a typical market environment.