Kecia A. Stewart

Mt. Eden Investment Advisors actively manages their clients' portfolios. They seek to add value through: (1) security and asset selection (2) strategic and cyclical asset allocation (3) risk control (4) tax-sensitive management and (5) customized portfolios addressing unique client objectives. The firm's core equity strategy employs a stock selection process that focuses on fundamental corporate valuation criteria with a slight bias toward growth at a reasonable price (GARP). They invest in the stocks of companies that, relative to the benchmark, have higher earnings growth and return on equity, lower or equal price-to-earnings ratios and lower debt-to capital ratios. In their balanced accounts, portfolio volatility is constrained by a laddered structure of separate bonds typically limited to intermediate term maturities. Diversification is assured through the size and number of positions. Mt. Eden invests in high credit quality ratings, typically A or better. Bond portfolios are not actively traded. The firm makes strategic adjustments in portfolio structure to capture opportunities based upon interest rate cycles, yield curve shifts and credit spreads. Mt. Eden also offers access to equity, fixed-income and alternative strategies through the use of outside managers. Equity strategies accessed through outside managers include international developed markets, international emerging markets and the small- and mid-cap markets. Fixed-income strategies accessed through outside managers include taxable investment-grade or high-yield corporate bonds, taxable and tax-exempt inflation-protected bonds and international fixed-income. Alternative investment strategies accessed through outside managers include multi-strategy hedge fund of funds, absolute return hedge funds and long/short hedge funds. Mt. Eden develops incremental diversification plans which move toward optimal risk/return characteristics over several tax years.