Alisa Fitzgerald is a Municipal Bond Trader at Morgan Stanley. As an Executive Director, she helps build and manage various portfolios. When Alisa was a junior in college, she interned with Fidelity in a trader assistant role and continued the internship throughout her senior year of college and has progressed in title across different firms since.

We introduce what a career as a trader looks like compared to other jobs in finance like Investment Banking or Consulting. Alisa is also part of a buy-side team vs. sell side. She explains that a sell-side trading desk has its own profit/loss statement to strategize for along with servicing clients, but in her job, she buys and sells bonds to fit a portfolio that retail investors can then buy and hold. However, the core understanding of how economic conditions affect bond prices and markets is the same. Even more specifically, she trades Municipal Bonds and explains the nuances of Municipals as an asset class.

Because Alisa has been in trading for her entire career, she has a unique perspective on how external shocks from 9/11 to the financial crisis and technological innovations have changed her job. We will talk about each instance in depth. Because the entire financial industry faced a set of regulations amid a technological boom, Alisa emphasizes the need for adaptability and eagerness to learn in a career.

We will also talk about her career in the context of culture and personality fit, which she believes will always be crucial to a long and successful career - even in a field that seems to be more technical. Alisa explains why the fast-paced and social nature of trading has played to her strengths and gives an authentic look into a day in her life.