Howard Brezak

Standard Insurance Co. provides insurance and investment products. The company provides group disability, life insurance, dental insurance, retirement plans, investment advice, individual disability insurance, and annuities. The company offers a variety of insurance plans for retired people, and small business. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Portland, OR.

In managing the fixed-income portfolio for The Standard, StanCorp Investment Advisers seeks to meet asset liability management requirements of the various insurance product lines offered. Investments for this portfolio include US government, municipal and corporate bonds, commercial paper and other short-term investments and options on the S&P 500 index to hedge specific exposure created by The Standards equity index annuity product.The firm's retirement plan clients invest primarily in mutual funds, collective trusts and group variable insurance contracts. Investments are selected and retained based on their long-run adherence to specific performance and portfolio criteria. Portfolios are constructed based on mean return and variance analysis.For private clients, StanCorp primarily invests in mutual funds, but where appropriate, may include stocks and bonds. These investments are used to populate allocations that are expected to produce returns and risk consistent with the clients long-run objectives and risk tolerance. Mutual funds are selected and retained based on their long-run adherence to specific performance and portfolio criteria. The firm's fixed-income and equity selections are based on fundamental and quantitative analysis. Some clients participate in a collared portfolio strategy where options on the client's investment securities are purchased and sold in order to create a fully- or partially-funded floor on the portfolios performance. In addition, some clients participate in a strategy where covered call options are written in their portfolios to generate additional income.

StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. provides insurance and asset management services. The company operates through two reportable business segments: Insurance Services and Asset Management. The Insurance Services segment offers group and individual disability insurance, group life and AD&D insurance, group dental and group vision insurance, and absence management services to individuals and employer groups. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Portland, OR.