Senior Investment Strategist

Maura Pape

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Putting the Pieces Together

As an investment strategist, I partner with financial advisors to help investors connect the dots between their goals, the global economic environment, and their individual portfolios.  

What inspired you to join Bernstein?

I enjoy having the opportunity to work directly with investors.  

In my previous role as a strategist at hedge funds, I often found myself in the middle of market action. My research in macro markets took me to farms in Brazil and banks in Greece to gain a better understanding of the issues facing the global economy.  But I was always several steps removed from the end client.

No matter where the research takes place or what is going on in the macroeconomy, the results of an investment ultimately come back to an individual and their family. The challenge of understanding the world is what continues to motivate me to dig deeply into investment issues to find the best solutions. As I moved forward in my career and my life, I wanted to think more broadly, not just about trades, but about the impact that investment choices ultimately have on someone’s financial future.  

What’s the best way for people to put their wealth in perspective?

Markets inevitably have ups and downs. It can be challenging to take on market risk, particularly for newer investors. Knowing how the strategies in your portfolio can work together will help put fluctuations into perspective and keep the focus on long-term goals. 

In my role as a Senior Investment Strategist, I help individuals understand their investment options and choices. My years of experience in markets allow me to bring a risk management mindset to the table to provide structure for evaluating different solutions. The path of the economy doesn't always align with forecasts and there will always be setbacks and unexpected events. I have witnessed this countless times, particularly during the global financial crisis. It can be easy to lose the roadmap in times of stress. But a good understanding of the desired destination and the possible paths to get there will help investors stay on track.  

If you didn’t work for Bernstein, what else would you be doing?

I find markets fascinating, so I can’t imagine moving too far away from the action!  If I didn’t work at Bernstein, I would be a financial journalist. I love making connections between the events happening in the world and the behavior of financial assets. I spent three years at a FinTech start-up focused on big data, and that experience opened my mind to the wealth of rich, unconventional sources of information available. I would love to spend my time gathering new sources of information to provide my perspective on economies and markets.