STRATEGIC SPONSORS
CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit organization comprising the world’s largest association of investment professionals. With over 100,000 members in 136 countries, CFA Institute is dedicated to developing and promoting the highest educational, ethical, and professional standards in the investment industry.
The CFA Institute offers a range of educational and career resources, including the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) designations, and is a leading voice on global issues of fairness, market efficiency, and investor protection.
World economies and markets depend on widespread trust. It is this responsibility — the trust bestowed upon investment professionals--that informs the core of the CFA Institute’s organizational mission: “To lead the investment profession globally by setting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence.” Visit CFA Institute >>
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management provides clients a personalized financial review and hands-on advice and guidance through a network of approximately 15,000 Financial Advisors throughout the world. Clients benefit from a Merrill Lynch Financial Advisor’s disciplined investment strategy approach that begins by fully comprehending their current financial situation and goals for the future; customized, sophisticated financial strategies and solutions that go beyond investing in stocks and bonds to help address every aspect of their financial life; and a wealth management framework for organizing and integrating all of their investment objectives. http://wealthmanagement.ml.com/WM/pages/Home.aspx
Mainstay Capital Management, LLC (MCM) was founded to help investors who do not have the time or inclination to give their retirement savings accounts and other investments the thorough research and analysis they require. Through its portfolio development and management process, MCM takes full advantage of the investment options available in a client’s 401(k), 403(b), IRA, or other type of managed account to meet his or her long-term goals and tolerance for risk. Additionally, with its staff of Certified Financial PlannersTM and Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorsSM, Mainstay Capital Management can offer counsel and develop comprehensive solutions for any financial aspect of your life. http://www.mainstaycapital.com/
OppenheimerFunds, Inc., one of the nation's largest and most respected asset management companies, has been helping investors achieve their financial goals since 1960. OppenheimerFunds believe that in order for you to reach your financial goals, your investments must perform. That is why investment excellence — over the long term and across the range of its products — is OppenheimerFunds’ highest priority. OppenheimerFunds and its controlled affiliates offer a broad range of products and services to individuals, corporations and institutions, including mutual funds, separately managed accounts, investment management for institutions, qualified retirement plans and subadvisory investment-management services. OppenheimerFunds is widely recognized as a leader in educating and empowering investors and for its award-winning customer service. https://www.oppenheimerfunds.com/investors/?cmpid=opps001817
TD Ameritrade Institutional is a leading provider of comprehensive brokerage and custody services to more than 4,000 fee-based, Independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and their clients. Its advanced technology platform, coupled with personal support from its dedicated service teams, allows investment advisors to run their practices more efficiently and effectively, while optimizing time with clients. Additionally, TD Ameritrade Institutional provides a robust offering of products, programs and services. These services are all designed to help advisors build their businesses and do the best possible job they can to help their clients with their financial goals. http://www.tdainstitutional.com/about/companyoverview.html
Ariel Investments was started on the basic principle of targeting undervalued companies that show a strong potential for growth. Twenty-nine years after its founding by John W. Rogers Jr., Ariel still has the same chief investment officer and employs the same disciplined investment philosophy. Over the decades, Ariel’s accumulated experience has reinforced that taking a patient view, following a focused approach and being surrounded by a team of independent thinkers is instrumental to long-term success. Ariel wholeheartedly believe this is a winning strategy, so much so that every Ariel employee is personally invested in the firm not only through its mutual funds, but also through equity ownership stakes - clearly aligning Ariel’s interests with those of its valued clients and shareholders. http://www.arielinvestments.com/
The Charles Schwab Corporation is one of the nation’s leading providers of financial services. Through its operating subsidiaries, Charles Schwab provides securities brokerage, banking, money management, and financial advisory services to individual investors, independent investment advisors, and corporate and retirement plan sponsors and participants. Since Charles Schwab Advisor Services developed its platform for serving independent financial professionals in 1987, it has continued to invest in expanding its platform to include services for many types of independent financial professionals and businesses of all sizes looking for assistance with administration duties of their retirement plans. http://www.schwabadvisorcenter.com/public/advisors/considering_independence
Since 1955, millions of investors in the United States and around the globe have relied on Federated Investors, Inc. for world-class investment management. Federated has grown to become one of the nation's largest investment managers with $369.7 billion in assets under management. Federated has honed its disciplined investment process over a half-century to deliver style-consistent investment products, including 134 domestic and international equity, fixed-income and money market funds, as well as a variety of separately managed accounts. Federated's diversified product line is distributed through approximately 4,700 financial intermediaries and institutions who assist investors in meeting their unique objectives. http://www.federatedinvestors.com/FII/home.do
For the past 140 years, Goldman Sachs has served as an enduring force in the financial markets, shaping defining moments for companies, industries and markets while forming long-term client relationships based on trust and integrity. Today, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) continues this tradition by offering lasting solutions for client portfolios that capitalize on three core strengths: Insight, Ability and Responsibility. Goldman Sachs Asset Management delivers innovative investment solutions through a global, multi-product platform that offers clients the advantages that come with working with a large firm, while maintaining the benefits of a boutique. Distribution teams market Goldman Sachs Asset Management investment products and services to institutions and, through third party channels, to markets around the world. http://www.goldmansachs.com/gsam/advisors/index.html
Guggenheim Investments has a long, distinguished history of serving institutional investors, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices and financial intermediaries. It offers clients a wide range of differentiated capabilities built on a proven commitment to investment excellence. Guggenheim Investments is firmly rooted in the discipline of institutional money management; its DNA is etched with the rigor of managing risk. Each Guggenheim investment team brings a unique expertise and point of view about what drives asset and market behavior and what drives risk and reward. Each teams adheres to a strict risk discipline, minding both sides of the risk-reward equation. Over the years, clients have valued Guggenheim Investments’ independence, thought leadership, innovation and a nimbleness not readily found in other major players in the industry. As a privately-owned firm, Guggenheim Investments is answerable only to its clients and to its commitment to their success. http://guggenheimpartners.com/services/investments.aspx
In 1965, Timothy E. Johnson, Ph.D. combined his academic career as a Professor of Finance at the University of Cincinnati with the practical application of investment management to create a local investment advisory firm. Johnson Investment Counsel, Inc. is now Ohio’s largest independent wealth management firm. Tim Johnson’s vision of improving the quality of people’s lives remains Johnson Investment Counsel’s guiding principle today. Serving clients in 45 states, the firm manages $6 billion in assets and consults on the management of an additional $6 billion as a 100 percent employee-owned company with 26 shareholders among 98 employees. Johnson Investment Counsel professionals are dedicated to developing genuine relationships with their clients and delivering exceptional service. Johnson Investment Counsel is committed to remaining an independent firm because it believes this is in the best interest of its clients and employees, who the company considers its most important assets. http://www.johnsoninv.com/
J.P. Morgan Asset Management is a leading asset manager for institutions, individuals and financial intermediaries. With over 50 locations across the globe, its more than 800 investment management professionals worldwide provide over 210 different strategies that span the full spectrum of asset classes including equity, fixed income, cash liquidity, currency, real estate, infrastructure, hedge funds and private equity. Investment performance and innovative client solutions, which it provides with global market insight, local service and a range of investment capabilities that few other firms can match, are the pillars of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. http://www.jpmorgan.com/pages/jpmorgan/am
Cleveland-based KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $89 billion. Key companies provide investment management, retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, and investment banking products and services to individuals and companies throughout the United States and, for certain businesses, internationally. KeyCorp, whose roots date to 1825, is a fusion of many banking and financial companies. In 1994, two of its most prominent predecessors — Albany, New York-based KeyCorp and Cleveland-based Society Corporation — merged and established headquarters in Cleveland. Since then, Key has continued to grow through numerous acquisitions, adding clients, locations and expertise. https://www.key.com/personal/index.jsp?key=com
Since its founding in 1899 in Baltimore, Maryland, Legg Mason has evolved into one of the largest asset management firms in the world, serving individual and institutional investors on six continents. Today's Legg Mason is a diversified group of global asset management firms ("affiliates") who are recognized for their proven investment expertise and long-term performance. The principal investment affiliates of Legg Mason are among the industry leaders in their respective areas of specialization, with unique investment approaches that have been developed over decades. The distinctive Legg Mason “multi-affiliate” business model provides clients with a broad spectrum of Equity, Fixed Income, Liquidity and Alternatives solutions, from mutual funds to college savings plans to variable annuities to separately managed accounts. Legg Mason affiliates operate with investment autonomy, with each affiliate pursuing its own unique investment philosophy and process and maintaining its own investment culture, in order to create sustainable value for its clients. Legg Mason provides global distribution and invests in growth through core strategic services including capital allocation for product development, investing in our existing affiliates and making new acquisitions. The diversification and balance of Legg Mason have fueled the company’s performance over its 27-year history as a public company. Legg Mason is one of the largest asset managers in the world, with assets under management of $631 billion as of Jan. 31, 2012. http://www.leggmason.com/
The College for Financial Planning is the nation’s leading provider of financial education with over 35 years of experience, 120,000 graduates, and a history of successful alumni who have increased both their earnings and their number of clients. The College provides learning opportunities to people in all geographic areas through comprehensive programs of study that lead to licensing or certification through individual courses, graduate-level study, and continuing professional development. Learning methods include independent study, blended and mentored study, and classroom instruction, as well as seminars, workshops, and conferences. The College offers programs in several different financial planning disciplines in order to benefit you in any facet of the financial services industry. Let the College for Financial Planning help you become one of the nation’s top financial advisors. http://cffpinfo.reachlocal.com/?scid=2299349&kw=16397710&pub_cr_id=15449324379
Its story began over 100 years ago, and today, Columbia Management is one of the nation's largest dedicated asset managers, targeting all of its resources to identifying timely investment opportunities and providing a comprehensive choice of equity, fixed-income and alternative investments to meet individual needs. Columbia Management is committed to helping you take advantage of today's opportunities and anticipate tomorrow's. Columbia Management stays abreast of the latest investment trends and ideas, using its collective insight to evaluate events and transform them into solutions you can use. Utilizing a disciplined investment approach, the Columbia Management teams adheres to a rigorous investment process that helps ensure the integrity of its products and enables you and your financial advisor to match our solutions to your objectives with confidence. When you choose Columbia Management, you can be confident that they will take the time to understand your needs and help you and your financial advisor identify the solutions that are right for you. Because at Columbia Management, they don't consider themselves successful unless you are. http://www.columbiamanagement.com/shared
DWS Investments is the U.S. retail brand of Deutsche Bank’s global asset management division. DWS is the leading mutual fund brand in Germany and one of the most respected in Europe and Asia. With access to the expertise of a powerful global network in 16 countries, DWS Investments strives to make innovative investment strategies and solutions, traditionally reserved for institutions and high net worth individuals, available to the U.S. retail investor. DWS Investments manages $113 billion (as of 9/30/2011) in retail and retirement assets in more than 139 mutual funds and variable insurance portfolios across all major asset categories in the U.S. Organizations under the DWS brand manage approximately $315 billion globally (as of 9/30/2011). While Deutsche Bank does not financially back the DWS Investments products in the United States, DWS Investments like its parent company, Deutsche Bank, has a commitment to client relationships as the cornerstone of its business. Each part of the organization is rich in history and intellectual resources from around the world. That is what helps DWS deliver investment intelligence and core strategies globally. For DWS Investments in the United States, the objective is simple: Help address today's investment challenges with an eye to the future. https://www.dws-investments.com/EN/;jsessionid=95E6797269A81DF095221C729979FF12.internet0
Eaton Vance is one of the oldest and most distinguished investment management firms in the United States. For more than 85 years, Eaton Vance has been guided by founder Charles Eaton’s long-term approach to managing investments and his uncompromising commitment to integrity and excellence. Even as the company embraces new ideas and fresh market perspectives, its business continues to be grounded in the principles of fiduciary responsibility and the prudent care of client assets he espoused. Eaton Vance seeks to provide investors with consistent performance, top-quality service and value-added strategies across a range of investment disciplines. In managing client portfolios, Eaton Vance continuously adheres to established investment disciplines and balances the pursuit of return with the careful management of portfolio risk. Fast-changing markets require dynamic thinking and forward-looking solutions. Eaton Vance has a longstanding reputation as a leading developer of innovative strategies with strong investment merit. The ability to anticipate the evolving needs of investors and to develop timely innovations continues to be a hallmark of the Eaton Vance organization. http://www.eatonvance.com/
Fidelity Investments is among the most diversified financial services companies in the world, offering a full range of product solutions for individual investors, employers, institutions and intermediaries. Fidelity’s fundamental mission is to help customers and clients achieve their financial objectives. Fidelity has $3.4 trillion in assets under administration, including managed assets of $1.5 trillion, as of December 31, 2011. Fidelity is one of the largest mutual fund companies, the leading provider of workplace savings plans in the U.S., and the country’s No. 1 provider of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Fidelity offers retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage services and many other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals and institutions, as well as more than 5,000 financial intermediary firms. Fidelity’s investment management and research capabilities are world-class. It employs one of the largest staffs of portfolio managers, analysts and traders in the industry, and manages hundreds of mutual funds and institutional strategies, encompassing virtually every investment class and category. For 65 years, Fidelity has maintained a commitment to continuous improvement and peerless customer and client service. https://www.fidelity.com/
Forward Management is the investment advisor to the Forward Funds. Forward Management offers investors access to leading investment managers who are experts in their investment disciplines, and a family of mutual funds in alternative strategies, asset allocation, core and specialty asset classes. Forward Funds are available to individual investors, institutional investors and investment professionals. http://www.forwardfunds.com/
ING Investment Management (ING IM) is a leading U.S. based asset management firm and is part of ING Insurance U.S. As of Dec. 31, 2011, ING IM manages approximately $166 billion for both institutions and individual investors. ING IM has the experience and resources to invest responsibly across asset classes, geographies and investment styles. Through its global asset management network, ING IM provides clients with access to domestic, regional and global investment solutions. With an emphasis on active management, ING IM seeks to find unrecognized value ahead of consensus, applying proprietary research and analytics, portfolio diagnostics and risk management to the development of investment solutions in pursuit of clients’ objectives.
Since 1998, InvestmentNews has been delivering news and analysis essential to the business of financial advisers. This weekly newspaper combines comprehensive news with accurate, independent reporting on the entire financial services industry, and provides financial advisers with insight into the market unavailable in any other publication. InvestmentNews readers have come to rely on this publication for up-to-date market information on the stories and events affecting their clients' investments, making InvestmentNews the number one source of news to the financial adviser community. In addition, InvestmentNews organizes a number of webcasts and conferences throughout the year, bringing together its readers with key industry experts. Topics are industry-specific, developed particularly for financial advisers, and designed to help guide them with the best way to grow their practices. These events are highly interactive and serve as great networking opportunities.
As performance-driven investors seeking exceptional opportunities, Loomis, Sayles & Company L.P. employs actively managed disciplines that combine fundamental research, systematic risk assessment and experienced portfolio management. This rich tradition has earned Loomis Sayles the trust and respect of both institutional and individual clients worldwide since 1926. With $162.6 billion assets under management as of December 31, 2011, Loomis Sayles’ 500+ employees include 30 portfolio managers averaging 25 years’ experience in addition to 39 research analysts. Loomis Sayles' investment professionals work in small, focused teams that can offer an optimum balance between discussion and decision. These professionals scrutinize and openly debate ideas and are unrelenting in their search to discover new opportunities. This approach has proven successful, with over 85 percent of the firm’s AUM having outperformed their benchmarks for the three year period ending Dec. 31, 2010. http://www.loomissayles.com/Internet/Internet.nsf/home
Natixis Global Asset Management, with $704.8 billion AUM as of Sep. 30, 2011, ranks as one of the 15 largest asset management firms in the world. As a multi-boutique firm with more than 20 affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States, Natixis is known by clients the world over for investment expertise to manage in virtually any market condition. Beyond investments, clients who work with Natixis know it for a consultative relationship focused on solving the big investment issues, for industry-leading ideas on investing and for helping them to build more durable portfolios. It’s an approach that’s known as "Better thinking. Together.®" and it’s helping investors around the globe to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly changing markets. Natixis Global Asset Management operates as the principal asset management organization of Natixis, a publicly traded global financial services firm. http://ngam.natixis.com/global/1250194644819/Home
Permanent Portfolio strives to provide a sound structure and disciplined approach to asset allocation. The fund was established in 1982, an era of stagnant economic growth and rampant inflation that led to the realizations that uncertainty is a fact of life and no one can accurately predict the future, Permanent Portfolio seeks to invest a fixed “Target Percentage” of its assets to six carefully chosen, diverse and “non-correlated” investment categories. Such diversification in a single mutual fund aims to mitigate risk regardless of the economic climate. In 1987, Permanent Portfolio expanded its options to include Short-Term Treasury Portfolio, a full-service short-term U.S. Treasury security fund. Acknowledging the need to add a quality equity fund, Aggressive Growth Portfolio was added to the Permanent Portfolio family in 1990. This Portfolio is a diversified, multi-cap core, U.S. equity fund that seeks high longer term appreciation. The following year saw the introduction of the Versatile Bond Portfolio, an ultra short-term, investment grade, U.S. corporate bond fund. For over 29 years, the Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds has endeavored to provide sound investment opportunities. Permanent Portfolio is proud of that legacy, and will continue to help clients pursue their financial independence. http://www.permanentportfolio.com/index.htm
Founded in 1928, Pioneer Investments is a global investment manager dedicated to growing and preserving client assets. Guided by client satisfaction, Pioneer Investments’ aim is to deliver quality products and solutions to match the investment requirements of its clients and ensure that its service is shaped to meet their needs. Pioneer Investments offers a diverse range of products across both traditional and non-traditional asset classes, managed by global investment centers in Boston, Dublin, London and local investment centers across the regions. Today, Pioneer Investments has a presence in 27 countries worldwide and an experienced team of 2,012 employees globally, of which over 340 are investment professionals. As of Dec, 30, 2011, assets under management totaled €162 billion. http://www.pioneerinvestments.com/
Founded in 1997, ProFunds provides a wide range of investment strategies for knowledgeable investors, offering more than 100 mutual funds, including classic and geared (leveraged and inverse) funds. In 2006, ProShares were launched, introducing the first geared exchange trade funds (ETFs) in the United States. Today, ProShares offers an innovative array of over 120 alternative ETFs. ProShares is the country’s fourth most successful ETF company and the world’s largest provider of geared ETFs. Collectively, ProFunds and ProShares manage nearly $28 billion in mutual fund and ETF assets. http://www.profunds.com/overview/content/default.html
Since 1937, when George Putnam created a prudent mix of stocks and bonds in a single, professionally managed portfolio, Putnam Investments has championed the wisdom of the balanced approach. Today, it offers investors a world of equity, fixed–income, multi–asset, and absolute return portfolios so investors can pursue a range of financial goals. Putnam Investments’ seasoned portfolio managers seek superior results over time, backed by original, fundamental research on a global scale. Putnam Investments believes in service excellence, in the value of experienced financial advice, and in putting clients first in everything it does.
RS Investments has managed wealth creation strategies for clients for over 25 years. Three key principles, on which the firm was founded, continue to drive results today: distinct and specialized teams; research-driven investment strategies; and clear alignment of interests. The result of this approach is serious investing for serious investors. RS Investments' goal is clear: to earn the permanent allocation within clients' portfolios. To RS Investments, this means they are the "serious money" in their clients' portfolios; the allocation committed to long-term wealth creation. Earning the permanent role within clients' portfolios drives everything we do. At RS Investments, multiple world-class investment management and research teams operate autonomously and offer clients their unique perspectives. Staffed with experienced professionals, each team researches and pursues investment opportunities consistent with its particular style, and practices disciplined and well-defined investment processes. The dedicated research team approach assures that clients benefit from process consistency, investment excellence, and choice across disciplines. http://www.rsinvestments.com/
Thornburg Investment Management is a privately held investment management company based in Santa Fe, New Mexico with assets under management of $73 billion as of Dec. 31, 2011. Founded in 1982, the firm manages seven equity funds, nine bond funds, and separate portfolios for select institutions and individuals. Thornburg strives to deliver consistent investment results for its shareholders. Its past success in this endeavor is grounded in a culture of placing investors first. While markets come in and out of favor, Thornburg believes that this commitment will enable it to service the firm’s most valued constituency — its investors — for the next 25 years and beyond. http://www.thornburginvestments.com/
UBS draws on its 150-year heritage to serve private, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Combining its wealth management, investment banking and asset management businesses with its Swiss operations, UBS delivers superior financial solutions. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS has offices in more than 50 countries, including all major financial centers, and employs approximately 65,000 people. UBS AG is the parent company of the UBS Group. The operational structure of the Group comprises the Corporate Center and four business divisions: Wealth Management & Swiss Bank, Wealth Management Americas, Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank. A part of Wealth Management Americas, Wealth Management US provides advice-based solutions through financial advisors who deliver a fully integrated set of products and services specifically designed to address the needs of ultra high net worth, high net worth and core affluent individuals and families. http://www.ubs.com/us/en.html
Virtus Investment Partners recognize that investment horizons change. Its broad portfolio of products and services are offered through a wide variety of financial advisors and consultants to help meet the needs of individuals and institutions as they move along their investment horizons. At Virtus, business is based on one concept: an unwavering commitment to investor success. Formerly known as Phoenix Investment Partners, Virtus is building upon the long history of its predecessor companies. As a focused asset management firm, Virtus Investment Partners seeks to build on its current strengths and capitalize on the market opportunities where it can be competitive and achieve growth. Virtus is committed to the success of its partners and its clients as an investment provider that offers a broad array of quality innovative products, from top investment managers. http://www.virtus.com/
Wasatch Advisors is committed to be shareholder-focused, tending to close its funds to new assets when they are still relatively small in order to protect its clients. This gives Wasatch portfolio managers investment agility and ensures that they can stay true to their Fund’s original objectives and strategies. Wasatch Advisors is not looking to be among the largest investment companies. Instead, it hopes to be among the best. Developing a relationship with shareholders that is a candid partnership, Wasatch Advisors tells you what’s working and not working, what it’s learning, and where it’s headed. Not wanting anything about your investment to be a surprise, Wasatch Advisors chooses to be candid because it values a long-term relationship with its clients. Wasatch Advisors welcomes your input and wants you to have confidence knowing that it will always be honest and keep you well informed. Over the past three decades, Wasatch has dedicated itself to behaving in a careful and prudent manner, with a commitment to delivering good returns and a belief that consistency is the key. https://secure.wasatchfunds.com/
