FGB GRAD MAKES THE GRADE

Stephanie Hurt is a 2002 finance graduate of Missouri State University. As one of only seven portfolio managers at BKD Wealth Advisors, Hurt selects securities for the portfolios of her high net worth clients, mostly physicians and retired business owners. She is responsible for investing millions of dollars of client funds.

Hurt holds one of the most distinctive certifications in all of finance. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder, more commonly known as a CFA charterholder. All of the portfolio managers at BKD are either holders of the CFA designation, or are working toward earning the charter. Hurt began her path to becoming a CFA charterholder right here at Missouri State, where she took Dr. Kent Ragan’s CFA preparatory course. Hurt’s CFA designation makes her a highly sought after expert in the world of private wealth management. Only the best financial thinkers sit for the CFA examinations, and about half of them fail to secure this coveted charter. The broad education Hurt received at Missouri State helped prepare her for the three CFA examinations. In addition to Dr. Ragan’s CFA preparatory course, she credits her statistics and economics training at MSU for helping to build a solid foundation for her CFA studies.

During her time at Missouri State, Hurt worked as an intern at Springfield Trust. She developed her initial interest in finance during her tenure at Springfield Trust, which continued seven months after her graduation from MSU. After leaving Springfield Trust, Hurt joined U.S. Bancorp in their Private Asset Management division. She stayed at U.S. Bancorp for about five years, leaving in 2007 to join BKD Wealth Advisors. Hurt likes working for BKD because she is an integral part of the decision-making process, helping to select the securities that BKD uses to construct portfolios for their clients. She also likes the fact that her new firm is compensated through fees rather than sales commissions, which ensures that the firm’s interests are aligned with the client’s.

Hurt is also involved with professional and community organizations. She is a member of the CFA Society of St. Louis, the CFA Institute and is Treasurer of the Rotaract Club of Springfield. “Rotaract” stands for “Rotary in Action” and is an offshoot of Rotary International for service-minded professionals under 30. While on campus, Hurt was the Reporting Secretary for Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary organization for financial information students.

Hurt is originally from Macks Creek, Missouri which is near Camdenton. Her high school graduating class had only 26 members. Most students from Macks Creek choose to attend small private schools, but Hurt and her high school sweetheart,  Jacob, chose to attend Missouri State to broaden their horizons. They have now been married seven years and reside in Springfield. Jacob is a network administrator for a local healthcare concern.

In her spare time, Hurt likes to spend time outdoors and enjoys reading. Her literary interests are eclectic. While she occasionally enjoys a good novel, most of her reading time is spent with periodicals related to her work. She subscribes to the CFA Magazine and the Financial Analysts Journal, as well as reading the Wall Street Journal online. To better understand her clients, she reads Inc, a magazine for and about entrepreneurs. She is also fascinated by psychology, and reads Psychology Today for entertainment.