Products February 17, 2011

Principal Funds Offers Social Security Guidance

Principal Funds, the mutual fund arm of the Principal Financial Group, has created resources to help financial professionals guide clients through their Social Security benefits.  
Reported by

The resources are intended to “demystify” Social Security benefits. Principal Funds suggest individuals take three steps, which should be taken along with an adviser:

  1. know your benefit,
  2. understand your options, and
  3. determine a plan to maximize your benefit.

“Understanding the complexities of Social Security is not an easy task,” said Chad Terry, director of retirement solutions at Principal Funds. “Many retirees may be missing out on hundreds of dollars each month because they’ve been unable to navigate the intricacies of the Social Security.”

Want the latest retirement plan adviser news and insights? Sign up for PLANADVISER newsletters.

Resources include:

  • A Web site dedicated to assisting financial professionals as they help their clients make important Social Security decisions. The continually updated site includes videos, a blog written by Terry, a benefits calculator and other tools
  • A paper for financial professionals titled, “What You May Not Know About Social Security Benefits”
  • Investor guide with a step-by-step process to help clients get the most from Social Security, including a planning worksheet for clients to complete prior to an appointment with a financial professional
  • FAQ that explains key Social Security concepts such as Full Retirement Age, spousal benefits and the calculations used to determine benefit reductions
  • Access to a team of retirement specialists ready to answer financial professionals’ questions about the complexities of Social Security
Products February 17, 2011

BNY Mellon Launches Total Emerging Markets Strategy

Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC and The Boston Company Asset Management (TBCAM) are jointly managing the Total Emerging Markets strategy. 
Reported by

The two asset management firms are investment boutiques of BNY Mellon Asset Management. The Total Emerging Markets strategy is an actively managed strategy that seeks to create a diversified portfolio comprising the most attractive opportunities in emerging markets bonds, equities, and currencies.

Within this new strategy, Standish and TBCAM will share asset allocation and country selection decisions. Standish will select fixed income securities and make currency management decisions with TBCAM handling equity selections.  

“We have designed the Total Emerging Markets strategy so it can seek better risk-adjusted and absolute long-term performance than traditional emerging markets equity portfolios benchmarked against the MSCI EM Index,” said Alexander Kozhemiakin, who leads the emerging markets fixed income team at Standish.  

In contrast to a traditional emerging markets equities-only portfolio, the Total Emerging Markets strategy is designed to encompass an expanded investment universe and should benefit from a greater degree of country diversification, as the equity and fixed income universes in emerging markets only partially overlap, according to the announcement.  

Never miss a story — sign up for PLANADVISER newsletters to keep up on the latest retirement plan adviser news.

«