Fixed Income Portfolio Associate
Spotlight on Stephanie M. Chun

Stephanie Chun, Fixed Income Portfolio Associate, immerses herself daily in the huge number of intricate details that affect the attractiveness of one fixed income instrument over another. As the bond market is buffeted throughout the day by government announcements, supply and demand factors, economic releases, trends in international interest rates and even stock market direction, Stephanie is constantly updating and adjusting her models. To these ends she works closely with the Director of Fixed Income, Bob Blais, as they assess incoming data, generate conclusions about fixed income assets and alter or confirm the structure of bond portfolios in order to best position them to meet client requirements.

At the University of California at Irvine, Stephanie majored in economics with a minor in management. However, she also acquired solid computer skills and for a time was a computer science major. All this training stands her in excellent stead as she gathers the economic and market data she needs, analyzes those data and brings the department’s conclusions to bear on fixed income portfolios.

Prior to joining Oakwood Stephanie worked for UBS Paine Webber and, before that, for a financial planning firm where she developed financial advisory presentations and asset summaries for clients and prospects. She has also worked as an accounting assistant, a job she values because it taught her to pay close attention to detail.

“Stephanie has an excellent overall understanding of the return potential of a given bond relative to market risk,” says Bob Blais, Oakwood Executive Vice President and Director of Fixed Income. “She is readily able to envision the total market environment, that is, she sees all the relevant market dynamics and, from that, can extract the data most applicable to reaching her conclusions.”

Stephanie is also honing her trading skills as she works daily with Bob on the critical art of institutional bond trade execution. She has also demonstrated a skill for organization and is presently engaged in several projects designed to enhance communication and understanding between the fixed income department, marketing, operations and the equity area. Her enthusiasm, commitment and hard work have already resulted in several improvements to existing procedures, and more are being planned!

Born and raised in Hawaii, Stephanie confesses to having been a true Hawaiian surfer. As the self-appointed office morale builder, Stephanie has organized after-work movie fests, promotes office potlucks, ensures that employees have access to internet sale coupons and creates thematic casual Fridays, among many other things. Stephanie enjoys any kind of traveling. All at Oakwood look forward to her vacations in Honolulu because she always returns with pounds of chocolate macadamia nuts.