Stephen Duneier
Stephen Duneier has been studying behavioral biases for the last 25 years, successfully applying what he has learned to investing. Until 2014 he managed funds with as much as $1.25 billion in AUM and averaged annual returns over 20 percent. He now teaches several courses on decision analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara and publishes investment research through his firm, Bija Advisors.
Stephen looks to take advantage of the myopia that can result from group think. To do so, he purposely avoids reading newspapers, Wall Street research and other forms of curated information that he thinks could be “tainted” with other people’s views. Instead, he prefers to analyze raw data to inform his worldview and come up with original ideas.
As part of his process, each year Stephen makes an unusual New Year’s resolution – one year it was to learn 12 new skills including unicycling, another it was hiking every trail in the Santa Barbara mountains, where he lives. He views these resolutions, which push him outside of his comfort zone, as critical to keep him thinking in new ways.
At the 2015 Santangel’s Investor Forum, Stephen will speak about how to improve performance through a more mindful approach to decision making. He may also share how a knitting resolution turned him into a social media sensation and soon, a Guinness World Record holder.