O. Thomas Barry

Bjurman, Barry & Associates (BBA) utilizes a team approach to make all major investment policy decisions for the portfolios under management. The firm believes that in the long term, corporate earnings drive stock prices. In the short term, changing expectations regarding a company's earnings prospects are the driving force behind its stock price movement. They believe that the stock of a rapidly growing company whose prospects are improving will, if bought at a reasonable price, more often than not prove to be an excellent investment. BBA continually reviews investment alternatives and implements changes when more attractive investment opportunities become available. They make investment decisions on an intermediate time horizon. In their equity selection process, BBA emphasizes companies with above average earnings growth prospects. They seek high quality, profitable companies with capable management teams, above average reinvestment rates and strong competitive positions within their industry. The firm utilizes a top-down/bottom-up approach in developing model portfolios. They start with a series of five screens to rank a universe of companies. The five screens, three of which focus on growth characteristics and two on value, include the following: earnings-to-price growth, cash flow-to-price, earnings-to-price strength, p/e to growth ratio and earnings-to-price revision. Through this effort, they identify companies offering the best growth prospects, while selling at reasonable prices. The investment policy committee then identifies the most attractive sectors and industries using top-down economic analysis. The portfolio managers, acting as a strategy team, set the percentage weightings of each holding. The resulting model portfolios are under constant review by the committee. Stocks are reviewed for possible sale if the committee determines that a stock has fallen 15% from its recent high or cost, loses its earnings momentum, is no longer undervalued or is in an industry that is no longer expected to perform well. Traditional fixed-income accounts are fully invested in securities emphasizing high quality fixed-income bonds. The primary objective in managing their fixed-income portfolio is to maximize total return given a client's specific risk tolerance. BBA structures the fixed-income portfolio to provide a high and consistent level of income while preserving the capital by minimizing credit risk and controlling market risk.